Flashback CD Review #100 - Rage - Speak of the Dead

This review was written for the Reviews in Brief section of Rock Is Life.com in 2006.

Rage
Speak of the Dead
Nuclear Blast Records - 2006
http://www.rage-on.de

The Verdict

The 17th release from the German metallers certainly has the right idea when it comes to musical ideas.

Well the second half of the CD anyway. The first half of the album is an 8 song arc called "Suite Lingua Mortis". It harkens back to the group's classically influenced sound on their 1996 CD Lingua Mortis. Unfortunately, I was not all that impressed with the 5 instrumentals and 3 vocal tracks making up the musical piece.

Once you get to the second half of the CD, things do get a bit better. The music is heavier and more riff oriented. I wouldn't call it brutal but it won't be mistaken for anything other than heavy.

The two stand out tracks are "Full Moon" and "Kill Your Gods".

If the entirety of the album had been like the 2nd half I think I'd have enjoyed this album a lot more. While the band is really good musically, I think they should definitely stick to a more heavy sound.

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5