Ghosts

Rage, throughout their long career have been through a number of different sounds, with Ghosts coming toward the tail end of their first symphonic period. The sound is not quite heavy as XIII, and the orchestration is a bit more integral to the sound, helping form the melodies that play in your head for what seems like forever after hearing this album.

Peavy really outdid himself with this album, crafting a set of melodies and hooks that he may never match again. While other Rage albums have a higher headbang factor, or more asskicking sound, none leave the lasting musical impact of Ghosts. Every song has a huge hook that just sucks the listener in to enjoy the beauty and majesty of the melodies. Some would criticize this album for not being heavy enough, but that isn't the point here. The point is taking you on a near-magical musical journey through a cornucopia of emotions.

My only complaints are that there is quite the dearth of solos (though I'm not so sure they'd fit in with the flow of the album anyway), and that the album is not as long as it could have been. The latter is good, if you look at it in the sense that only the best made the cut, but this album is so good, it just leaves me wanting more. There are no weak songs on this one.

Highlights: Tomorrow's Yesterday, Love After Death, Fear
Lowlights: n/a