For many bands that have followed in the whole path of the realm of Power Metal, any band must realize that for acclaim among the fans and critics alike, they have their work cut out for them.
Cage tries to keep it interesting on their latest offering.
Interesting in the fact regardless of the fact that
Cage is a Quintet from San Diego, U.S.A; the sound is more related to a more European Power Metal sound rather than being a aligned with many of the U.S. Power Metal bands.
Complete with an introduction, Halford/Deris derived vocals, and your normal Euro-Power Metal sound, Darker Than Black is yet another face in the crowd within the whole Metal cottage industry, however they do it well, at least when it comes to musicianship. Complete with elements of Death/Black metal present in certain songs with the occasional growl; howling out lines as if it was a separate character, speaking in response to the actual singing, adds an element to this record, however, this does give the album the wrong type of an operatic element, and at times it gets cheesy, while the vocal harmonies on "March of the
Cage" get annoying as well. Regardless of the effort, there is nothing really new here.
It's hard to say if any cuts stand out on this album, which all of them are fairly consistent in nature.
"Kill the Devil" seems to be influenced heavily by Judas Priest, "Philadelphia Experiment" is your typical double-bass-in-your-face Power Metal cut, while
"White Magic" is way too overdone as far as carrying the whole
King Diamond influence. The sound of the album is a consistent rush of epical blunder keeping the album from being as diverse as it could have been. The beginning of
"Wings of Destruction" is the only slow moment on the record, almost sounding like a ballad, but about three-and-a-half minutes into this eight minute track, we go right back to the fast paced edge complete with a guitar jam. Which brings me to the point that guitar work on the album is virtuosic, with musicianship coming from the whole neo-classical shred mania school of inspiration; keyboards are scarce, and the drumming is a little more varied, but yet busy sounding.
You can tell a lot of work was put into the making of the record, and it does show, but you don't have to overboard to claim your place in the Metal world.
With the mixture of classic Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, and
Helloween as an influence, it's easy to see where the band's ideas come from, but at the same time it's still second rate, I will add that I based my likeness for the album on the musicianship and ability, not to mention the overall mix and production was tight. Yes, these guys can play and write, it is just that these guys don't really have anything new to offer, if I want to hear anything in this vein, I will get my
Battlelore albums a spin. This will be an album that will have to grow on me, but it can be enjoyable. A must for those who like their past work. For those who are curious, try listening to it on the Internet if you have to.
Written by
Hashman Thursday, June 26, 2003
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