CAGE — Astrology (review)

CAGE — Astrology album cover Album · 2000 · US Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Astrology" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US, California based power/heavy metal act Cage. The album was released through Omega Records in September 2000. It´s the successor to "Unveiled" from 1998 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Damian Arletto has been replaced by Mikey Niel.

Stylistically the material on "Astrology" is US power/heavy metal (with the rare nod towards progressive metal on the longer tracks) and Cage thererfore pretty much continue with what they started on "Unveiled (1998)" (early Fates Warning is valid reference if one is needed). The musicianship is one of the great assets of the album. The instrumental parts are performed with great skill. The rhythm section are well playing and the two guitarists churn out one powerful heavy metal riff after another and spice it up with some well played melodic solos. It´s lead vocalist Sean Peck who steals the show though, as he is an incredibly talented singer with a strong voice.

The material on the 13 track, 69:07 minutes long album is well written and relatively memorable, but "Astrology" is not exactly a unique sounding US power/heavy metal album and at that point Cage still hadn´t forged a sound they could call their own. So the lack of an original sound is a slight issue and the fact that the sound production isn´t perfect either is of course a slight issue too (the guitars are little low in the mix and lack a bit of punch, and the vocals are placed a bit too high). Those are however minor issues when evaluating the full album, as there are still some great tracks ("Final Solution", "Echelon", and "Vandalize" are among the highlights) and strong performances featured here. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
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