Rage - Secrets in a Weird World (Deluxe Version) (2020)

Energized by the surprising popularity of Perfect Man, Rage sought to capitalize on their good streak, with 1989's Secrets in a Weird World. And to their credit, the German trio remained spot on from a stylistic standpoint, rehashing the melodic thrash formula that seemed to best suit their talents. Unfortunately, vocalist/bassist Peter "Peavey" Wagner neglected to bring any decent songs with him. Maybe his creative juices had been sapped by the sheer volume of material committed to this album's heralded predecessor, but whatever the reason, semimemorable moments like the great riff behind "Light Into the Darkness" or forceful thrashers "Time Waits for No One" and "Invisible Horizons" are few and far between here. Instead, the listener is castigated by overwhelmingly mediocre fare such as "Make My Day," "The Inner Search," and "Talk to Grandpa" (excuse me?). Never mind the nine-minute whatchamacallit that is "Without a Trace" not exactly an epic landmark in German metal history, and let's just leave it at that. So once again, it was back to the drawing board for Rage, who modestly began their slow crawl back to respectability with the following year's Reflections of a Shadow.