Cage – Supremacy Of Steel (2011)

• Cage, San Diego’s self-professed American power metal kings, has returned with their sixth album, Supremacy Of Steel. Formed in 1992 during the outbreak of grunge, Cage remained true to their sound. Almost two decades later, Cage has maintained a classic heavy metal vibe.

Similarities to Iced Earth, Judas Priest Painkiller-era and King Diamond all come to mind frequently. Vocalist Sean Peck’s high octave screeches might turn some people off, but Halford and King Diamond make a decent living from their falsettos. Some people might also scream Judas Priest or King Diamond rip-off, but those are just two artists that have had an impact on Cage’s sound.

The double guitar attack of Dave Garcia and Steve Brogden, the bottom end assault of Pete Stone, and the thunderous drum display of Norm Leggio (Psychotic Waltz), provides the powerful backdrop to Peck’s air raid siren wails.

Cage’s songwriting and story-telling is part of the band’s strengths. Whether it’s a historical, war-related or horror-themed song, they vividly capture the mood lyrically. Some material verges into cheesy territory or silly comic book scenarios, but otherwise, Cage produce some ass-kicking metal songs.

“Bloodsteel” opens with some heavy reverb-laden tremolo picking and black metal blast beats which then settles into a fast paced metal riff in the vein of ”Jugulator.” One-man black metal band Bitter Frost performs a guest lead guitar spot.

“Metal Empire” is a slightly cheesy ode to heavy metal — fans of Manowar should dig it. “War of the Undead,” is one of the fastest and thrashiest songs Cage has ever penned. Peck is a real scream machine the whole way through. A soon-to-be classic Cage song is “The Beast of Bray Road.” It has references to “Black River Falls” from their last albumScience Of Annihilation and is about a werewolf.

When it comes to Cage releases, the packaging is top-notch. The brilliant cover artwork of Marc Sasso (Dio, Halford) and the stunning 16-page inside booklet complete with lyrics and artwork by Danial Duarte and Forrest Butler are great visuals to accompany Cage’s aural assault.

Cage has been slugging it out in the metal world for almost 20 years. Some people love ’em, some people hate ’em. But on Supremacy Of Steel, there’s no doubt that Cage is more than capable of delivering the metal goods.