Rage - Reign Of Fear (1986)

One of my favourite German metal bands, Rage were most certainly underrated, and yet churned out consistently good records, 'Reign...' being their debut opus. These guys bridged the gap between U.D.O./Accept-style metal with more technical power thrash, evident on album opener 'Scared To Death' which is rampant with pace. Peter 'Peavy' Wagner's vocals have always been a pure metal rasp, but it's the twin guitar attack of Schroder and Gruning which win me over. The thrashier numbers such as 'Deceiver' are pure metal heaven, burning rubber with the pace and venom - these guys should have dominated the '80s, but alongside the likes of Helloween, Running Wild et al, they floundered, if only slightly under the weight of the US thrash scene, but I'd recommend these sort of albums any day. Blessed with a great cover, 'Reign...' is a mighty fine debut - the band would, as they matured, become more experimental, drifting into Coroner realms with the excellent offerings 'Secrets in a Weird World' and 'Perfect Man.' 1986 - what a great time for metal.
7.5/10