Over the past several years RAGE had become one of the most popular European bands in russia. Their annual concerts in moscow and st. petersburg always delighted fans with the variety of their programmes. To give an example of the last three: April 2005 — a sort of best-of "From the Cradle to the Stage"; the next appearance in May 2006 in support of the new album Speak Of The Dead; and the event described here — a concert dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the 1996 album Lingua Mortis, which naturally could not take place without the presence of an orchestra. News of the upcoming show generated extraordinary excitement among fans, with tickets selling at a rapid pace.
The event was to be held at the "new" Gorbusha — itself a matter of considerable interest, as for almost a year the legendary venue had hosted no metal concert whatsoever, and no one had seen the hall following the total reconstruction that had transformed the DK Gorbunova into an intimate seated venue. Yet despite the bewildering ticket prices — from 1,000 roubles (distant balcony seats on the third floor) to 4,000 roubles (front rows in what had been the standing pit) — the hall was virtually sold out.
The concert began at 19:30, delayed by only half an hour. The orchestra of some 30 musicians took their places across the full width of the rear wall, in front of which the artwork from Speak Of The Dead served as a backdrop. On stage left stood an unfamiliar keyboardist behind a KORG, while stage right held the drum kit of the band's new drummer (former RAGE drummer Mike Terrana had recently departed). From the very first notes of the intro drawn from the 1998 album XIII — performed by keyboards against a symphonic backdrop — it was clear that what awaited us would be an unforgettable spectacle. A few minutes passed, Viktor and Peavy leapt onto the stage, and the hall erupted in cries. The instrumental flowed seamlessly into one of the centrepieces of XIII — "From The Cradle To The Grave." Smiles never left the musicians' faces throughout the song — understandably so — the hall was singing along and applauding without pause. After the song ended, Peavy and Viktor introduced the new drummer, André Hilgers (also a member of AXXIS, SILENT FORCE, and THE SYGNET), and an old friend of Smolski's — keyboardist Andrei, with whom he had played 20 years earlier in the band Inspector and had long wished to collaborate again. The Minsk State Academy Orchestra — his fellow countrymen — Smolski would not stop praising throughout the entire show: "We had been nurturing this idea for many years, but it was very difficult to realise. And now it has come to pass. I want to say that compared to the Prague orchestra — with which the band recorded Lingua Mortis in 1996 and rehearsed for many months — the Minsk musicians accomplished the task in just a few weeks!"
Having performed the well-known hit "Alive But Dead" from Black In Mind (1995) in a symphonic arrangement, Peavy introduced one of RAGE's rarer pieces — "French Bourree," composed by Smolski and included as a bonus track in the limited digipak edition of Soundchaser (2003). After this wonderful piece, Peavy spoke again briefly: "In 1996 we first tried to combine metal and classical music, and ten years on you can hear live what came of that experiment, thanks to our exclusive tour dedicated to that experiment." The band then announced the programme's centrepiece — "Medley" — a 15-minute medley of five celebrated compositions, three of which were presented as instrumentals. The first, instrumental section of "Don't Fear The Winter" began — a symphonic version of one of RAGE's signature songs — with Peavy and Smolski withdrawing from the stage, leaving the orchestra and keyboardist alone. The crystalline sound was breathtaking — all instruments perfectly audible, the synthesizer indistinguishable from the studio recording. The intro concluded, the musicians rushed back onto the stage, and the second part of the "Medley" began — a slow but no less heavy rendition of "Black In Mind." Then another instrumental version of "Firestorm," musicians departing again, orchestra and keys, followed by "Sent By The Devil," during which the classical instruments were given a brief rest. The final section, "Lost In The Ice," concluded, and the hall rose for a standing ovation.
What particularly struck me was the drummer's reaction to a packed hall of fans — at every opportunity he made his way to the microphone to shout the well-rehearsed russian "spasibo." The atmosphere at the concert was simply beyond description — friendly, calm, and somehow... peaceful. Total communion between musicians and audience, happy smiles on all faces. It seemed almost impossible to believe that the band's name translates from English as FURY. Such contradictions.
After "Turn The Page" came the next opus — a 25-minute piece, "Suite Lingua Mortis" from the most recent album Speak Of The Dead. The practice of leaving the stage during instrumental symphonic passages and returning afterwards was repeated. But here the nerves of those seated in the stalls could no longer be contained — fans began jumping from their seats and rushing toward the stage, throwing up devil horns and whipping their hair. It managed to reach no more than ten people, however, as the security immediately shepherded everyone back to their seats.
The song ended and RAGE, taking their bow, departed. Naturally, no one in the audience had any intention of dispersing, as the band's return was entirely expected — the orchestra remained in place and there was no sign of the house lights coming up. The wait lasted no more than two minutes; the musicians returned and performed as an encore "Fuga" — an arrangement of a well-known composition by Johann Sebastian Bach, included on Soundchaser (2003). Viktor's mastery was on full display here; toward the finale of the piece Peavy even left the stage, leaving Smolski to communicate with the hall in the language of guitar solos alone. The following song — with which the band closes all their concerts — was of course "Higher Than The Sky." The chorus was, as always, sung by the entire hall, but a surprise awaited in an unexpected place. During the chorus chant, a violinist detached himself from the orchestra, approached the microphone, and began playing the song's melody. Smolski joined him, and a genuine contest broke out between the two musicians — the young man plays some motif on the violin, and Viktor reproduces it on guitar. And vice versa. An extraordinary experience — a duel between two true professionals! The song extended to ten minutes but, sadly, eventually concluded, and the band departed the stage once more, taking their bow. The audience was categorically opposed to the concert ending, and after five minutes of chanting the band's name, RAGE returned and with obvious pleasure performed what was truly the final song: "Refuge." The concert ended.
The musicians did not forget to share some news — in June a compilation of their best compositions would be released; in September the band would enter the studio to record a new album; and by year's end Viktor promised to return with a new programme. So fans need only cross their fingers and await the return of their heroes.
Setlist:
- Overture
- From The Cradle To The Grave
- Alive But Dead
- French Bourree
- Medley a. Don't Fear The Winter (Instrumental) b. Black In Mind c. Firestorm (Instrumental) d. Sent By The Devil e. Lost In The Ice (Instrumental)
- Turn The Page
- Suite Lingua Mortis a. Morituri Te Salutant b. Prelude Of Souls c. Innocent d. Depression e. No Regrets f. Confusion g. Black h. Beauty
- Fuga
- Higher Than The Sky
- Refuge