Pelata
American stalwarts Cage return in 2009 with yet another lesson in aggressive, rip-it-to-shreds, speedy Heavy Metal. Now, a lot of people file Cage under the Power Metal tag but, while not entirely untrue, it doesn’t quite cover it. Don’t come here looking for the epic grandeur of a Rhapsody (Of Fire) or Fairyland. This stuff is pissed off and intense…think “Painkiller” in a screaming road-rage fit.
This is the kind of Metal that leaves audiences sweaty and nursing sore necks. Science Of Annihilation is double-kick madness, razor-sharp riffs and soaring, intense melody. Taking cues from the likes of Judas Priest, Agent Steel, Helstar and even some of Vicious Rumors’ more intense moments, Cage absolutely brings the Metal. Both “Planet Crusher” and “Scarlet Witch” will have hair flying, horns in the air and steam rising from the audience. The guitar leads all throughout this album are outstanding…intricate and precise to the max. “Spirit Of Vengeance” gives us a short break from the metallic tornado with a strong, mid-tempo rocker. Don’t despair, however, the intensity doesn’t let up and the vocals are in your face. Just when you were catching your breath, here comes “Black River Falls” to spear-tackle you and throw you back on Cage’s speeding train. “Stranger In Black” has a beastly headbanging groove on the intro before jumping head first into another mid-tempo ‘banger. The only even remotely subdued song on the album would be also be the shortest and it’s called “Spectre Of War”, but make no mistake, this is no “power ballad”…this is dark, haunting and brooding. The twin guitar theme in the chorus is amazingly sinister sounding. But just two short minutes after it begins, the album’s title track, a 3-part epic, literally comes in breaking necks with furious speed.
Man, this album is a wild ride. Cage is nothing if not, I’ll say it yet again, intense. I’m a fan of the heavier, darker side of melodic Heavy Metal and this stuff is top notch. Get on the interstate, roll down all the windows, blast this album and I guarantee you a speeding ticket. Go. Buy it. Now.