Cage United States

"The band is called Cage. The album is called "Supremacy of Steel". There are songs with titles like "Bloodsteel", "Metal Empire", "War of the Undead", "Flying Fortress", "Doctor Doom", and "Hell Destroyer vs. Metal Devil". The cover artwork displays the band playing on a skull-ornamented stage with three giant monsters (a viking, the Devil and the Grim Reaper) in the background. Now, the message that all of this conveys to me is: "Metal as fuck". But what about the music? Well, if there are three words that describe the tunes on the release then it is "metal as fuck"! Cage deliver the goods on the album in the form of aggressive speed metal tracks with elements from US power metal (such as big choruses and the whole larger-than-life feel) and traditional metal (such as certain passages with lower tempos and more focus on melody). Apart from a couple of heavier songs, the tempo is generally fast and ferocious, ranging from midtempo to uptempo, and there are even a couple of blastbeats every now and then, and the Ripper Owen-esque screaming vocals by Sean Peck (aka. "The Hell Destroyer") suit the aggressive speed metal perfectly. Although Cage consistently stick to the aesthetics of speed metal and power-thrash, there is actually a lot of variation on the album, both in terms of riffage and vocal melodies. The musicianship is top notch, as is the production, and guitar fans can look forward to a lot of tasty, shreddy, and classic guitar solos of all types, while the drums, while kept in the confinements of the speed and power metal styles, is dynamic and full of nice wee details. Fans of old school speed metal and power-thrash are going to love this album, while fans of more modern types of metal can also look forward to a couple of more modern elements. In conclusion, Cage's awesome "Supremacy of Steel" is, in every possible way... Metal. As. Fuck. (review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"