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• Manufacturer: Jvc Japan
• Average Customer Rating: 4 / 5
• Amazon's Price: USD $40.49
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Customer Reviews

The mellower side of RAGE!

Rating: 4/5

With a name like Rage you might think our band is manned by three mad escapees from the set of 28 Days Later but on this album at least they sound like Metallica, in tuxes, backed by a symphonic orchestra. The Lingua Mortis Orchestra of Prague to be exact and XII is the second of three Rage albums which feature this orchestra.

You may think that a confluence of Heavy Metal with a symphonic background would sound odd but in reality it's very pleasant. It seems like the backing orchestra tends to moderate the heavy edge that Heavy Metal normally exudes but it in no way compromises it. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, Metallica themselves have done something similar, recording with the London Philharmonic.

The album runs a healthy fifty eight minutes and the music itself is diversified and intriguing, running the gamut from slow melodic moments to grinding heavy metal and in between. The background music from the orchestra is strictly supportive sometimes hardly noticeable.

All in all it's a nice sound and I'm surprised Rage abandoned this style after their third disc - Ghosts. All three discs are worth having and I think XIII is the best of the three at four and a half stars.

A nice experiment!

Rating: 4/5

I consider this album an "experiment", because it is different from anything that Rage has done before. Why an experiment!? Because along with Rage is featured The Lingua Mortis Orchestra. This means that the songs were written so the orchestra con fit perfectly. That's why you have so many slow or mid tempo songs in the album (not like metallica's S$M were the band was going in one direction and the orchestra in another). All the songs were written by Peavy Wagner, who tried to combine the heaviness of Rage and the melodies of the orchestra. Even the fastest songs ("Over and Over" and "Sign of Heaven") were written and arranged for the orchestra.
But the fact that the album has too many mid tempos, doesn't mean that they are all ballads. "From the cradle to the grave" and "Heartblood" are perfect examples of heavy mid tempos.The orchestra gaves the album a cool atmosphere, with lots of melodies. "XIII" won't "sadden" you in any moment. It's a crescendo of moments, different melodies and tempos. I'm sure the album won't let you down. Why 4 stars only?! Despite Rage and the Orchestra fit perfectly, the album sounds too repetitive sometimes, and needs to "speed up".
Another high point in the album is the Rolling Stones' cover "Paint it Black". An original version, with personal touches and, the orchestra, of course. For any Rage fan out there, this album is a must, 'cause it stands out for its musical quality and the fact that the band dared to do something different with a great result...

P.S: One of the extra tracks is a great cover of Rush's "Tom Sawyer" (that seems to come from the "End of All Days"' sessions), and the other is "Another Wasted Day", a mid tempo song with the same vibe as all "XIII" songs.