A CONTRAST MADE OF LIGHT AND RAGE
BIOGRAPHY
Rage Of Light (ROL) is a Swiss trance metal band created in 2015 by Jonathan Pellet, known for his previous work with symphonic metal bands Trophallaxy and Dysrider. ROL has managed to establish itself as one of the most innovative bands in the electro-metal genre, with versatile vocals and ambitious DYI music videos.
In 2016, the band released their debut EP, “Chasing a Reflection”, with vocalist Melissa Bonny (Ad Infinitum, Kamelot) and guitarist Noé Schüpbach (Nodafreth). It was very well received, and ROL quickly built a substantial following on social media thanks to the frequent video content, which the band members still produce and create entirely by themselves.
Two new singles followed the release in 2017: “Mechanicals” and “Twilight Of The Thunder God” (Amon Amarth cover), both of which amassed over 2 million views on YouTube. 2018 saw the band create more content: music videos to “I Can, I Will” and “Judas” (Lady Gaga cover). Later that year, ROL signed a worldwide deal with Napalm Records.
Their first full-length album, “Imploder,” was released in March 2019. The band started to perform live that year, which was unfortunately halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Melissa decided to part ways with ROL to focus on her band Ad Infinitum. Later that year, the band recruited Polish singer and book author Martyna Halas, most notably known for her work with Ascend The Hollow, Telergy, and her book “Rum Rebels.”
With the new line-up, ROL opened a brand new chapter with the band’s sophomore album, “Redemption,” which came out in December 2021 along with 5 music videos: “Lead The Riot”, “Breaking Infinity”, “2.0”, “Beyond” and “Exploder.” The album was well-received by fans and critics, who praised its maturity and freshness. It also ranked among the top best-selling albums on Bandcamp for 2 weeks.
In 2022, Noé Schüpbach left the band to pursue other projects, and the band recruited Swiss guitar player Simon Burri (Sinverse). Together, they released a new cover and music video that year, "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush, which was mixed and mastered by Thomas ‘Drop’ Betrisey (Sybreed, Samael).
2023 sees the band continue their collaboration with Drop, going even deeper into their metal and electronic influences. The first single, “Upriser”, came out on 13 April and is followed by “The Scent Of Dead Leaves,” which premiered on 23 May.
RELEASES
- 18th October 2023 : Opaque (4 tracks EP - 4 music videos)
- 19th October 2022 : Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush cover (single and music video)
- 8th December 2021 : Redemption (Full-length album - 5 singles and music videos)
- 29th March 2019 : Imploder (Full-length album - 3 singles and music videos)
- 8th May 2018 : Judas - Lady Gaga cover (single and music video)
- 25th January 2018 : I Can, I Will (single and music video)
- 9th August 2017 : Mechanicals (single and music video)
- 22nd February 2017 : Twilight Of The Thunder God - Amon Amarth cover (single and music video)
- 27th February 2016 : Chasing a Reflection (5 tracks EP - 3 music videos)
MEMBERS
Vocals : Martyna Halas
Synthesizers, bass and additional vocals : Jonathan Pellet
Guitars : Simon Burri
QUOTES
“A sound not too far away from Demanufacture-era Fear Factory, were they fronted by Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel.”
- Sentinel Daily
“Rage Of Light continue to push the fusion boundaries between genres, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch them piece components into something that’s decidedly heavy, but oddly danceable, and definitely going to stick in your head for days on end.” - Dead Rhetoric
“The band has developed in almost every aspect, and the change on the microphone turns out to be a real stroke of luck. Anyone who has a certain degree of openness for female-fronted metal with electro influences will be very happy.” - Soundmagnet
“Rage Of Light spray a breath of fresh air of creativity and talent. It is often said that perfection is out of this world, but here, you get very close to it.” - Dark Divas
“The trio delves deep into the internal struggles that torment almost everyone in the digital age, but immediately, they also throw the anchor — their music!” - Metal Factory
“Fans of power metal, death metal, and melodic metal will revel in this second album from Rage Of Light. And if the next record follows the way, we hold here without a doubt the future of techno metal.” - French Metal
“Redemption perfectly explores the sounds, using multiple subgenres. The Swiss manage to achieve an exquisite modern metal album, with pieces well nourished with intensity and melody.” - The Dark Melody