| CD REVIEW Cage |
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Band: Cage Absolute Power Metal masters Cage are back with yet another scorcher of an album, following 2007’s incredibly amazing Hell Destroyer (review by yours truly posted 28/05 of that year, still being available for your fact finding needs) and 2003’s equally wonderful Darker Than Black (I went out to get that album after having come across Hell Destroyer, see?)! Following that previous release, the band underwent a small but significant line-up change, when Norm “The Legend” Leggio of former Psychotic Waltz fame took over drumming duties. Live appearances throughout 2007 continuing into 2008 [the band first headlining at day 1 of the Nightmare Metal Fest in Florida and the Hellstorm Metal Fest in Phoenix, AZ, during March andeven coming over to Europe during April to play 4 shows in Germany (one of which at the Keep It True festival) on their way to Athens’ Up The Hammer festival…and then following that up with a short West Coast tour in May before doin’ a gig in Tijunana (Mexico) and performing at the Mexcali Metal Fest 2) had fans complaining about wanting to be confronted with new Cage material! Material for which the band had already done some writing sessions, by the way. Following a last show at San Marcos (CA)’ The Jumping Turtle (a place the guys apparently like a lot…or where people like the band a lot), the band cancelled appearances at three Summer festivals to concentrate on finishing the writing sessions for a total of 9 tracks (plus two announced but not disclosed bonus songs), and start recording in late August. Just like on the previous album, the material is conceptual, the story (for as far as I’ve understood it) dealing with an ancient evil which unleaches war among the people of this Earth time and time again…this time even from out of Space, apparently…I won’t even pretend to have gotten the picture clearly yet, because every time I try to focus on the lyrics the music and vocals hit me like a hallucinogenic drug! Following the very threatening album intro “The Power That Feeds”, you will yet again be drawn into a rollercoaster of up-paced melodic Thrash-infused Progressive Power Metal anthems that will simply have you panting for breath the first time you’re confronted with ‘em! Both lead and backing vocals are so soaringly high, they actually make the likes of Wade Black, Midnight (formerly of Crimson Glory), and Rob Halford pale in comparison! There’s really only one short passage of relative calmness with the baladesque opening of “Spectre Of War (which then continues in the normal album’s pace and intensity!). Well, actually, the initially intense (and partially spoken) album outro “At The Edge Of The Infinite” also doés have a short calmer outro…but you know like I know that that is only the quiet before the storm, because having realized that the album is over, you’ll find yourself sprinting towards the cd-player to live the whole rollercoaster all over again…adapting the volume to a higher level as the first lines of that intro kick in, even though you know that such a level of exposure cannot be good to your health!!! Hahah…yeah right, like as if you care! Having heard the album a first time you’ll feel dying while listening to Cage can only be a blessing! Growing towards the release of the album through Music Buy Mail, the band not only posted the album opening song “Planet Crusher” at myspace.com/cageheavymetal (which may not seems a lot, but the older tracks are actually quite representative – if you’d like to hear extra samples of 3 songs, surf to cageheavymetal.com), but also organized a European tour [and this time a slightly mpore elaborate one, passing not only through Germany (where it all begins), but also in Poland, Sswitzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Holland, Belgium (May 19 & 20 at Gent’s Frontline and Antwerp’s De Rots respectively), to end up at Uster, Switzerland’s Elements Of Rock Festival) to happen prior to the actual release of the album! 98/100 Tony. |