Refuge
Formed: 2014
From:
Herne,
Germany
Last Known Status: Active
Latest Refuge News
Below is our complete Refuge news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Refuge (Rage) Debut New Song "From the Ashes"
Refuge, the new band comprised of current and former Rage members Peavy Wagner, Manni Schmidt & Christos Efthimiadis have released "From the Ashes", the first single taken from the forthcoming debut album, "Solitary Men".The album will be released on CD/LP/MP3 on June 8, 2018.
Listen to "From the Ashes" here:
Refuge Signs To Frontiers Music, New LP In Works
German power metal act Refuge - originally created to celebrate the classic era of Rage material and built around heavy metal icon Peter “Peavy” Wagner - has recently signed a record deal with Frontiers Music Srl.
Refuge, which consists of Manni Schmidt (guitars), Christos Efthimiadis (drums) and frontman/bassplayer Peavy Wagner, is the 1987 – 1994 line up of the German metal institution Rage. The former Rage members got back together at the end of 2014 under the name Refuge to play the old Rage songs from their time in the band. What started out as a fun project with friends, has since evolved into a very special band.
Refuge guitarist Manni Schmidt says: "When we played at a number of festivals last summer, we instantly realized that the chemistry was back. The shows worked out great and very naturally, there were ideas for new songs that we wanted to hold, because we liked them so much. Somehow the guys from Frontiers have heard about this and they offered us a deal. Peavy, Efthi and I are very thrilled to say that there will be a record released full of brand new songs by our band Refuge!”
Frontman Peavy Wagner also points out that releasing a new album with Refuge won’t clash with his other band Rage: “Refuge and Rage are two different bands now. With Refuge, we are able to play songs of the old era that have never found their way to a setlist of a RAGE show. Refuge also consists of different musicians – except me – who have different ideas and a different vibe. Refuge is more like old school. The fans will find out latest when they will hold the new Refuge album in their hands.” More...
ProgPower USA Announces 2016 Lineup
Glenn Harveston, promoter for the annual ProgPower USA Festival, announced the lineup for the 2016 edition of the Atlanta, Georgia event. Next year marks the 17th installment and will be headed by a U.S. exclusive performance by Fates Warning featuring original vocalist John Arch performing the 1986 classic "Awaken the Guardian" marking the 30th anniversary of the release.
The complete lineup, which was revealed after Anathema's set this past Friday, September 11th, is as follows:
Friday (September 9, 2016):
Fates Warning (USA) "Awaken the Guardian" in its entirety with John Arch. - a U.S. Exclusive
Scar Symmetry (Sweden)
The Gentle Storm (Netherlands)
Freedom Call (Germany)
Vanishing Point (Australia)
Ascendia (Canada)
Saturday (September 10, 2016):
Devin Townsend (Canada) with special guest, Anneke van Giersbergen
Haken (UK)
Refuge (Germany)
Green Carnation (Norway) ("Light of Day, Day of Darkness" in its entirety. - a U.S. Exclusive)
Serious Black (Multinational)
Savage Messiah (UK)
In addition, 2016 will see the Midweek Mayhem and Kick Off Shows merge into the main festival, to be known as ProgPower USA Days 1-4. Going forward, Wednesday's show will be a joint presentation of Milton Mendonca of Infinity Concerts and Nathan Block of Swordlord Productions and Thursday will feature three bands, each a selection of the three promoters, all of which will be the caliber of band that could headline any day.
Tickets will be sold separately for the first two days (Wed/Thur) and then the second two days (shown above). The first ticket sales for Days 3-4 (lineup above) will go on sale via Ticketmaster on October 3, 2015. Tickets for Days 1-2 go on sale go on sale November 7th (more info coming). More...
Peavy Wagner Clarifies Situation With Rage
Bassist/vocalist Peavy Wagner has issued a statement clarifying the situation with Rage and Lingua Mortis Orchestra. Just this past Wednesday a statement was issued by the band that the current lineup of Wagner, Victor Smolski and Andre Hilgers have split. For some, this was interpreted as the demise of Rage, however, Wagner insists that the band will continue with a new lineup and a new era and that Refuge (the outlet for the classic era of Rage) will continue as a separate entity.
In the statement issued today, Wagner states: "Hi Rageheads, due to rumors in the past few days, referring to the future of Rage and LMO, I would like to give some more clarity.
"My split from Victor and André does NOT implicate the end of RAGE! On the contrary, set sails again with a new Line-Up soon we. More news to follow.
"Refuge is a blessing for me and my two friends and bandmates, and wants to continue to exist. We are looking forward to the festival summer of 2015 (and beyond) Both bands, Rage and Refuge are going to be present alongside and want even complement each other. With Refuge, we are serving all the oldschool metalheads out there, whilst Rage is covering the whole musical spectrum that I have built up in the past 30 years.
"[As for] Lingua Mortis [Orchestra] (LMO), I created in the early 90's and we celebrated our first release in 1996. Equals to Rage, LMO is important part of me and I want to put in the same amount of passion and creative energy as I have done in the past.
"I promise that I will go ahead with Rage in a high musical quality. With Refuge, we will travel back to the early days and with Lingua Mortis Orchestra, I want to continue the metal meets classic part of me.
"I can't wait for what will happen in the near future, I feel freed and I am full of creative energy. In that respect I want to say THANK YOU for your trust and support."
Smolski also also issued a statement about his future and the shifting to focus to LMO a/k/a Lingua Mortis Orchestra: "Dear friends, after 15 fantastic years, 10 records and countless live shows with Rage, I have decided to focus myself on other musical challenges. I really want to thank all Rage fans, who supported me all those years. In the future, I will concentrate on the new LMO CD. The orchestra project I founded and formed in 2013 will continue with the same lineup, just without Peavy. New musicians, giving this creative band new input, but also a new name will be revealed soon. Composing and producing the last record was so much fun to me and I want to thank everyone who supported me doing this. With all the experience from the shows with LMO, I’m quite sure the new album will be even more exciting. Expect the unexpected!”
Headline News
Rage Announces Split
Legendary German power thrash act Rage just announced the end of the current era of the band. After 15 years, the age of founding member Peavy Wagner and guitar/composer virtuoso Victor Smolski - which began with "Welcome of the Other Side" in 2001 - has come to an end.
A statement on the band's Facebook page reads: "Hi Rageheads, After thinking it over carefully, Peavy and Victor decided to stop working together in the future. This is due to musical and personal changes. We have developed in different directions in the last years that much, that we cannot identify with the current band situation anymore. In this situation we will also part from drummer André Hilgers.
"The last 15 years were blessed with many Highlights and great releases but this era is over now. Every extension would be untrue to ourselves and to our fans.
"We wish each other all the best! Thanx to all the fans for your trust and support!
'Peavy & Victor, Feb 2015"
Recently, Wagner joined forces with old bandmates guitarist Manni Schmidt and drummer Chris Efthimiadis to form Refuge - a tribute to the classic era of Rage when albums like "Perfect Man," "Trapped" and "The Missing Link" were released.
The band played its first official performance on board 70,000 Tons of Metal last week. There is no indication as to whether the current lineup of Refuge will assume as Rage, as that project is still considered to be a fun side project of friends playing classic Rage material in a live setting.
More information is expected soon. More...
70,000 Tons Of Metal Adds To 2015 Lineup
Four more bands were announced today for the 2015 roster by UMC - promoters for the Original and World's Largest Cruise Festival, 70,000 Tons of Metal. On board at the last minute: Florida hardcore act Adaliah, Florida deathcore act Dark Sermon and Swiss groove act GurD and German thrashers Exumer.
70,000 Tons of Metal casts off tomorrow January 22, 2015 from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a stop at Ocho Rios, Jamaica and returns on Monday, January 26, 2015. The festival boards a new vessel, Liberty of the Seas (via Royal Caribbean), which will accommodate four stages. The All-Star Jam band will be back this coming January, which features members from the various acts aboard performing cover tunes live. There will also be two hot tubs on the pool deck stage.
All the information on the festival can be found at 70000tons.com.
Metal Underground.com has its team on the scene and will report on all the events in the coming days. Stay tuned.
The roster lineup is as follows, with only 2 more left to be announced:
1349
Abandon Hope
Adaliah
Alestorm
Amorphis
Annihilator (featuring Coburn Pharr performing songs from "Never, Neverland")
Anvil
Apocalyptica
Arch Enemy
Artillery
Behemoth
Blind Guardian
Cannibal Corpse
Claim the Throne
Crucified Barbara
D.A.D.
Dark Sermon
Destruction
Divided Multitude
Einherjer
Ensiferum
Enthroned
Equilibrium
Exumer
Gama Bomb More...
Three More Bands Added To 70,000 Tons Of Metal
Three more bands were announced for the 2015 roster by UMC - promoters for the Original and World's Largest Cruise Festival, 70,000 Tons of Metal: U.S. thrashers Whiplash, Brazilian groove masters Soulfly and U.S. legendary traditional metal act Riot, now known as Riot V.
70,000 Tons of Metal casts off next Thursday, January 22, 2015 from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a stop at Ocho Rios, Jamaica, returning on Tuesday, January 26, 2015 aboard a new ship, Liberty of the Seas (via Royal Caribbean), which will accommodate four stages. The All-Star Jam band will be back this coming January, which features members from the various acts aboard performing cover tunes live. There will also be two hot tubs on the pool deck stage.
All the information on the festival, including how to book your dream metal vacation can be found at 70000tons.com.
Whiplash, Soulfly and Riot V join the previously announced bands below, with 6 bands still left to be announced:
1349
Abandon Hope
Alestorm
Amorphis
Annihilator (featuring Coburn Pharr performing songs from "Never, Neverland")
Anvil
Apocalyptica
Arch Enemy
Artillery
Behemoth
Blind Guardian
Cannibal Corpse
Claim the Throne
Crucified Barbara
D.A.D.
Destruction
Divided Multitude
Einherjer
Ensiferum
Enthroned
Equilibrium
Gama Bomb More...
Six More Bands Confirmed For 70,000 Tons
A six pack of announcements were handed down by UMC - promoters for the Original and World's Largest Cruise Festival, 70,000 Tons of Metal: Canadian metal legends Anvil, Norway's The Hate Colony, Irish thrashers Gama Bomb, Swiss thrashers Suborned, Australia's Claim The Throne and Florida death metal act Monstrosity.
70,000 Tons of Metal casts off next Thursday, January 22, 2015 from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a stop at Ocho Rios, Jamaica, returning on Tuesday, January 26, 2015 aboard a new ship, Liberty of the Seas (via Royal Caribbean), which will accommodate four stages. The All-Star Jam band will be back this coming January, which features members from the various acts aboard performing cover tunes live. There will also be two hot tubs on the pool deck stage.
All the information on the festival, including how to book your dream metal vacation can be found at 70000tons.com.
Anvil, The Hate Colony, Gama Bomb, Suborned, Claim the Throne and Monstrosity join the previously announced bands below, with 9 bands still left to be announced:
1349
Abandon Hope
Alestorm
Amorphis
Annihilator (featuring Coburn Pharr performing songs from "Never, Neverland")
Apocalyptica
Arch Enemy
Artillery
Behemoth
Blind Guardian
Cannibal Corpse
Crucified Barbara
D.A.D.
Destruction
Divided Multitude
Einherjer
Ensiferum
Enthroned
Equilibrium More...
Three More Acts Confirmed For 70,000 Tons Of Metal
UMC - promoters for the Original and World's Largest Cruise Festival, 70,000 Tons of Metal - announced another three acts for the 2015 Roster: Colombian black metal act Thy Antichrist, Belgian black metal act Enthroned and legendary Chicago doom act Trouble.
70,000 Tons of Metal casts off next Thursday, January 22, 2015 from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a stop at Ocho Rios, Jamaica, returning on Tuesday, January 26, 2015 aboard a new ship, Liberty of the Seas (via Royal Caribbean), which will accommodate four stages. The All-Star Jam band will be back this coming January, which features members from the various acts aboard performing cover tunes live. There will also be two hot tubs on the pool deck stage.
All the information on the festival, including how to book your dream metal vacation can be found at 70000tons.com.
Thy Antichrist, Enthroned and Trouble join the previously announced bands below, with 15 bands still left to be announced:
1349
Abandon Hope
Alestorm
Amorphis
Annihilator (featuring Coburn Pharr performing songs from "Never, Neverland")
Apocalyptica
Arch Enemy
Artillery
Behemoth
Blind Guardian
Cannibal Corpse
Crucified Barbara
D.A.D.
Destruction
Divided Multitude
Einherjer
Ensiferum
Equilibrium More...
Four Pack Of Bands Added To 70,000 Tons Of Metal
UMC - the promoters for the World's Original and Largest Cruise Festival, 70,000 Tons of Metal - announced four "newer or lesser known acts" (which over the years has heralded the fan created "Cripper Award" for best new band discovery): Jungle Rot from Wisconsin, Abandon Hope from Germany, Divided Multitude from Norway and, as a special treat, one of the most legendary South American Death Metal Bands - Masacre from Colombia.
70,000 Tons of Metal casts off on Thursday, January 22, 2015 from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a stop at Ocho Rios, Jamaica, returning on Tuesday, January 26, 2015 aboard a new ship, Liberty of the Seas (via Royal Caribbean), which will accommodate four stages. The All-Star Jam band will be back this coming January, which features members from the various acts aboard performing cover tunes live. There will also be two hot tubs on the pool deck stage.
All the information on the festival, including how to book your dream metal vacation can be found at 70000tons.com.
Jungle Rot, Abandon Hope, Divided Multitude and Masacre join the previously announced bands below, with 18 bands still to be announced:
1349
Alestorm
Amorphis
Annihilator (featuring Coburn Pharr performing songs from "Never, Neverland")
Apocalyptica
Arch Enemy
Artillery
Behemoth
Blind Guardian
Cannibal Corpse
Crucified Barbara
D.A.D.
Destruction
Einherjer
Ensiferum
Equilibrium More...
Two More Acts Announced For 70,000 Tons Of Metal
UMC - the promoters for the World's Original and Largest Cruise Festival, 70,000 Tons of Metal - announced two more bands for the 2015 roster, Germany's Refuge - the reunion of the classic Rage lineup from from 1988-1993 - and Israel's Melechesh. Refuge's first official performance will now be on the world's largest floating festival, while Melechesh is on the brink of releasing its sixth album "Enki" on February 27th, songs of which will debut on the cruise.
70,000 Tons of Metal casts off on Thursday, January 22, 2015 from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a stop at Ocho Rios, Jamaica, returning on Tuesday, January 26, 2015 aboard a new ship, Liberty of the Seas (via Royal Caribbean), which will accommodate four stages. The All-Star Jam band will be back this coming January, which features members from the various acts aboard performing cover tunes live. There will also be two hot tubs on the pool deck stage.
All the information on the festival, including how to book your dream metal vacation can be found at 70000tons.com.
Refuge and Melechesh join previously announced bands below, with 22 bands still to be announced:
1349
Alestorm
Amorphis
Annihilator (featuring Coburn Pharr performing songs from "Never, Neverland")
Apocalyptica
Arch Enemy
Artillery
Behemoth
Blind Guardian
Cannibal Corpse
Crucified Barbara
D.A.D.
Destruction
Einherjer
Ensiferum
Equilibrium More...
Classic Rage Lineup Reforms As "Refuge"
Peavy Wagner, Manni Schmidt and Christos Efthimiadis formed the backbone of the "classic Rage" era from 1988-1993, releasing such albums as "Perfect Man," "Secrets in a Weird World," "Reflections of a Shadow," "Trapped" and "The Missing Link."
After Christos and Manni left to pursue other ventures in 1994, the three had only sporadic contact over the next 20 years, until this year when they played a secret gig in late summer to 1,200 people under the name Tres Hombres in Herne, Germany.
At the show, the band played all the hits, enjoyed every second on the stage and was hungry for more - so the idea of "Refuge" was born. The three friends decided to spend more time together and to put on shows, which would enable many people to go "back to the future."
The band announced it is working on future shows during the 2015 European Summer Festival season, the first of which is the BÄÄÄM Festival, which will be held from July 21st-August 1st in Kierspe, Germany.
More shows are expected to be announced soon. More...