14.03.2026 Rage

Grafschafter Metalfest

Alte Weberei, Nordhorn (Germany)

(Canon EOS R6 Mark II with Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM and RF 70-200MM F2.8L IS USM Z)

The festival was slowly but surely coming to an end. But not before Rage took the stage. Compared to the other bands of the day, they were in a completely different league. Rage have been touring the stages of the world for 40 years now, and on this night they were the ones to close the show. The lineup has changed many times over the decades, with only Peter “Peavy” Wagner remaining as the constant. Joining him this evening were guitarist Jean Bormann and drummer Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos.
Although the band had only released their latest album "A New World Rising" the previous year and opened the show with “Innovation”, the set wasn’t dominated by that record. Instead, it was a colorful mix drawn from their incredible 23 albums. The guys were clearly fired up, and so was the crowd. Hands were constantly in the air, people were singing along loudly, even if there were unfortunately fewer people present than during Scalpture. No matter! The short announcements between songs were spot-on, leaving more time for what mattered: the music. Classics like “Solitary Man” from 1992’s "Trapped" and “Refuge” from 1993’s "The Missing Link" alternated with newer tracks like “Fire In Your Eyes”. During “Higher Than The Sky” from the 1996 album "End Of All Days", the band had everyone fully on board, leading to a fantastic call-and-response moment between Peavy and the audience. After “Freedom”, the band left the stage. But not before hinting that they might return if the crowd shouted loudly enough. Naturally, the audience obliged with enthusiasm. It had been a long day, but everyone dug deep into their remaining energy reserves.
After just a few minutes, the band returned to the stage (with Lucky having cheekily stayed seated behind his drum riser the whole time). Now things really kicked off again. What would a Rage concert be without one of their biggest hits? Thanks to the film "Der Schuh des Manitu", “Straight To Hell” became known across Germany and was even re-released not too long ago. The remaining crowd celebrated the band one more time before the evening finally came to a close with the wonderful but slightly calmer “Don’t Fear The Winter” from the 1988 album "Perfect Man".
For me, it was definitely the highlight of the day. Even though their musical style stood out from the otherwise very death-metal-heavy lineup, it didn’t dampen the atmosphere at all. Unfortunately, it did mean that fewer people were still around compared to Scalpture. So be it. The recurring short sound dropouts during the first 20–30 minutes were also forgivable. And I was happy about one more thing: Rage were officially scheduled for only 75 minutes, but they started five minutes early and, with the encores, ended up playing almost 90 minutes. So I wasn’t the only one leaving with a big grin on my face. Peavy and his bandmates clearly had a blast as well. It had been almost 13 years since I last saw them back in 2013 at Wacken Open Air with the Lingua Mortis Orchestra and a different lineup. That show had been rather average. This one, however, was on a completely different level. It was also my first time at Grafschafter Metalfest, and I was genuinely impressed. The organization was excellent, the atmosphere with the small metal market and the band booths was great, and the venue was just right. A fantastic band selection did the rest. The only thing that could have been better was the turnout; there was definitely room for more people. But if next year’s lineup is just as strong, that might improve as well. All in all, a huge thank-you to the organizers!