As its title suggests,
21 is the 21st studio album by German heavy metal veterans
Rage. Revolving around topics such as mass murder, suicide, and serial killers, the songs are heavier than the group's previous output: throughout the record's 11 tracks, the band focuses on brutal riffs and
Victor Smolski's impressive fretwork, while on songs such as "Serial Killer" and "Feel My Pain," frontman
Peavy Wagner even incorporates death metal grunts. Just like its predecessor, 2010's
Strings to a Web,
21 entered the German album charts at number 27. The album is also available as a limited digibook edition, which includes the 12-track bonus CD Live in Tokyo. ~ Christian Genzel