List of Rage band members
Rage is a German heavy metal band. Formed in early 1983, the group was originally known as Avenger and featured vocalist Peter Burtz, guitarists Jochen Schröder and Alf Meyerratken, bassist Klaus Müller, and drummer Jan Yildiral. By the time the group was renamed Rage in 1986, the lineup included Peter "Peavy" Wagner on vocals and bass, Schröder and Thomas "Guinness" Grüning on guitars, and Jörg Michael on drums. Wagner is the only remaining early member, with the current lineup also featuring drummer Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos (since 2015) and guitarists Jean Bormann and Stefan Weber (since 2020; Weber has been on hiatus since 2023).
History
1983–1994
Rage was formed as Avenger in early 1983 by vocalist Peter Burtz, guitarists Jochen Schröder and Alf Meyerratken, bassist Klaus Müller, and drummer Jan Yildiral.[1] After recording a demo, Burtz and Yildiral left near the end of the year to join Steeler.[2] They were replaced at the beginning of 1984 by Peter "Peavy" Wagner (who also took over bass duties) and Jörg Michael, respectively.[3] A second demo followed, before the band recorded its full-length debut Prayers of Steel in October 1984, after which Meyerratken was replaced by Thomas "Guinness" Grüning.[4] Depraved to Black followed in 1985, before Avenger changed their name to Rage and released Reign of Fear in early 1986.[5]
In late 1986, Grüning was replaced by Rudy Graf, who debuted on the 1987 album Execution Guaranteed; that July, shortly after the album's release, Wagner dismissed all three of his bandmates due to their desire to play "more commercial music", subsequently introducing a new three-piece lineup featuring guitarist Manni Schmidt and drummer Chris Efthimiadis.[6] This lineup remained in place for seven years, releasing five studio albums, three EPs and one live video.[7] In February 1994, after the tour in promotion of 1993's The Missing Link, Schmidt left Rage, claiming that he was "tired of the music business and tired of making music"; he later joined Grave Digger in 2000.[8]
1994–2020
To replace Schmidt, Wagner hired two guitarist — Spiros Efthimiadis, Chris's brother, and Sven Fischer — as he claimed that Efthimiadis alone "wasn't good enough" to take over on his own.[9] The new quartet's first release was 10 Years in Rage, which featured a track on which former members Jochen Schröder, Alf Meyerratken, Jörg Michael, Thomas Grüning, Rudy Graf and Manni Schmidt were all featured.[10] This lineup remained in place until 1999, releasing five more studio albums, two EPs and one live video album.[11] In June 1999,[12] after the recording but before the release of Ghosts, the Efthimiadis brothers and Fischer all departed as a result of various personal and musical disagreements, again leaving Wagner as the sole member of the band.[13]
Rage returned later in the summer of 1999 with a lineup of Wagner, guitarist Victor Smolski and drummer Mike Terrana.[14] This lineup remained in place until December 2006, when Terrana left due to "personal and musical differences".[15] On 1 January 2007, Axxis and Silent Force drummer André Hilgers was unveiled as Terrana's replacement.[16] In February 2015, it was announced that Wagner had parted ways with both Smolski and Hilgers, and would build another new lineup of the band.[17] In June, the new members were announced as guitarist Marco Rodriguez and drummer Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos.[18] The new trio released The Devil Strikes Again, Seasons of the Black and Wings of Rage, before Rodriguez left after relocating, and was replaced by Jean Bormann and Stefan Weber in June 2020 as Wagner wanted the band to be a four-piece again.[19]
Since 2020
After releasing Resurrection Day in 2021, Rage reverted to a trio again starting in July 2023, when Weber went on "indefinite hiatus" due to "personal reasons".[20] The band's next album, 2024's Afterlifelines, did not feature Weber.[21] As of 2025, Weber has still not returned to the band.[22]
Members
Current
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter "Peavy" Wagner | 1984–present |
|
all Rage releases to date | |
| Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos | 2015–present |
|
all Rage releases from The Devil Strikes Again (2016) to date | |
| Jean Bormann | 2020–present |
|
all Rage releases from "The Price of War 2.0" (2020) to date | |
| Stefan Weber | 2020–present (on indefinite hiatus since 2023) | lead and rhythm guitars |
|
Former
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jochen Schröder (1962–2021) |
1983–1987 | lead guitar |
| |
| Alf Meyerratken | 1983–1984 |
|
| |
| Peter Burtz | 1983 | lead vocals | Avenger first demo (1983) | |
| Klaus Müller | bass | |||
| Jan Yildiral | drums | |||
| Jörg Michael | 1984–1987 |
| ||
| Thomas "Guinness" Grüning | 1984–1986 | rhythm guitar |
| |
| Rudy Graf | 1986–1987 | Execution Guaranteed (1987) | ||
| Chris Efthimiadis | 1987–1999 | drums |
| |
| Manni Schmidt | 1987–1994 |
|
all Rage releases from Perfect Man (1988) to 10 Years in Rage (1994) | |
| Spiros Efthimiadis | 1994–1999 |
|
| |
| Sven Fischer |
| |||
| Victor Smolski | 1999–2015 |
|
| |
| Mike Terrana | 1999–2006 |
|
| |
| André Hilgers | 2007–2015 | drums | all Rage releases from Carved in Stone (2008) to LMO at Master of Rock Festival (2014) | |
| Marcos Rodriguez | 2015–2020 |
|
|
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Timeline
Lineups
Lineups as Avenger
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Early–late 1983 |
|
|
| Early–late 1984 |
|
|
| Late 1984–early 1986 |
|
|
Lineups as Rage
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Early–autumn 1986 |
|
|
| Autumn 1986–July 1987 |
|
|
| July 1987–February 1994 |
|
|
| Spring 1994–June 1999 |
|
|
| June 1999–December 2006 |
|
|
| January 2007–February 2015 |
|
|
| June 2015–June 2020 |
|
|
| June 2020–July 2023 |
|
|
| July 2023–present |
|
|
References
- ^ "Avenger Heavy-Metal". Blitzkrieg (in German). No. 2. 1984. p. 18. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Fischer, Peter "Demon" (1984). "Avenger Heavy-Metal". Metal Massacre (in German). No. 1. pp. 9–10. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Avenger". Rock Hard (in German). No. 6. 1984. p. 15. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Seele, Deiner (1985). "Avenger: Dark Metal aus Herme". Destroyer (in German). No. 1. p. 3. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Dix, Jan Michael (1986). "The Reign of Rage". Escape (in German). No. 5. p. 15. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Rage". Megalomaniac. No. 3. 1987. p. 6. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Stavros, Dimitris (21 January 2003). "Rage - Trapped In Their Missing World: The History". bleeding4metal.de. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Nordin, Tommy. "Interview with Manni Schmidt". Metal Covenant. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Stavros, Dimitris (7 February 2003). "Interview Rage". bleeding4metal.de. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Bajza, Libor (25 January 2022). "Rage – 10 Years in Rage: The Anniversary Album". Metalmania-Magazine (in Slovak). Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Krokfjord, Torgeir P. (24 March 2006). "Rage - Speak of the Dead". Metal Express Radio. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Victor Smolski Biography". Barkida. 16 June 2006. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "What happened to us? #2 Rage and the Efthimiadis brothers". Overground Scene. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Ehrhardt, Claudia (20 November 1999). "Peavy & Victor - Vosselaar (B.), November, 20th 1999". Ice Vajal. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Rage Parts Ways With Drummer Mike Terrana". Blabbermouth.net. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Rage Announces New Drummer". Blabbermouth.net. 1 January 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Rage's Most Recent Lineup Calls It Quits". Blabbermouth.net. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Rage Announces New Lineup". Blabbermouth.net. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Rage Announces Two New Guitarists". Blabbermouth.net. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Schaffer, Florian (25 July 2023). "Rage: Gitarrist Stefan Weber pausiert". Vampster (in German). Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Astell, Hal C. F. (29 April 2024). "Rage - Afterlifelines (2024)". Apocalypse Later Music. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Rage Announces New Album 'A New World Rising'". Blabbermouth.net. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.