Execution Guaranteed

Execution Guaranteed finds RAGE stepping toward larger song structures on a foundation of fast picking and tense rhythm. Peavy Wagner’s voice and bass push to the front, and two guitars trade riffs to build tension. While it keeps the drive of the debut, the songwriting frame has clearly become firmer. Straight-ahead speeders such as “Down by Law” and “Streetwolf” sit beside the title track “Execution Guaranteed” and “Mental Decay,” which grow heavier and more dramatic as they develop. There is a budding will to hold the listener through dynamics and layered riffs rather than speed alone. Some rawness remains, but the record clearly documents early RAGE widening its expression within the speed-metal frame, with the tension of “Before the Storm” and “Deadly Error” leaving a strong impression — an important step in growing the band’s own dense character.