The ’20s have been quite a prolific decade for Teutonic power metal veterans Rage, and we’ve been there for most of it. Both Wings of Rage (2020) and Resurrection Day (2021) were reviewed by this little ol’ outlet upon their release, and while 2024’s ambitious Afterlifelines somehow skipped our radar, we’re making up for lost time by taking a deep dive into the band’s 27th studio album, A New World Rising. True to its title, A New World Rising lies somewhere in between a continuation and reinvention of the classic Rage sound, expanding upon the modern leanings of recent outings in ways that even shocks me.
Whereas fellow euro power metal pioneers Grave Digger and Helloween made blatant nods to their ’80s roots on their latest affairs (and did a fine job doing so), these nostalgic reflections seem secondary at best for Rage. Sure, the closing “Beyond the Shield of Misery” is an unabashed slab of classic power metal bombast, and thrashier cuts like “Against the Machine” and “We’ll Find a Way” expand upon the aggression introduced on 1992’s Trapped! However, when it comes to the production, arrangements, and overall delivery of A New World Rising, the disposition is clearly a modern one.
“How modern are we talking, Joe?”, you ask cautiously as you read this review. Well, let me put it this way: Upon repeated listens of A New World Rising, I seriously had to ask myself, “Has there ever before been a power metalcore album?” I thought and I thought. The closest example I could think of was Mayhem Festival era relic, Black Tide (remember them?), and even that didn’t feel quite right. So in a way, Rage has broken new ground yet again, inventing a whole new subgenre 40 years into their existence, one that fuses the gusto of euro power metal with the soaring guitars, growled vocals, and mosh breakdowns of an All That Remains album circa 2006.
Is it any good? That varies from track to track. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the melodic metalcore onslaught of “Cross the Line” and radio groove metal swagger of “Paradigm Change”. On the flip side are ill fated forays into the realms of Shinedown inspired balladry (“Fire in Your Eyes”) and Hot Topic prog metal (“Fear Out of Time”), not to mention other select cuts that feel out of place in the Rage canon. As I said, “Beyond the Shield of Misery” almost feels like a consolation prize for the purists, as does a closing re-record of “Straight to Hell”: The metallized ZZ Top banger already being one of the most polarizing cuts Rage ever recorded.
If nothing else, I give Rage credit for trying something so out of the ordinary, especially this far into their career. Some of it hits, some of it misses, and a lot if it I am confident will grow on me in time. A New World Rising is indeed that, and I can’t help but wonder what the next world has in store for this band. Knowing their merciless regiment, I’m sure we’ll know sooner than later, perhaps even by this time next year. Keep on raging, Rage!
6 out of 10
Label: Steamhammer
Genre: Power Metal
For fans of: Helloween, Trivium, Black Tide