UMUR "Ancient Evil" is the 7th full-length studio album by US, California based power/heavy metal act Cage. The album was released through Swedish Music Group in October 2015. It´s the successor to "Supremacy of Steel" from 2011 and features quite a few lineup changes since the predecessor as only lead vocalist Sean Peck and guitarist Dave Garcia remain from the lineup who recorded "Supremacy of Steel (2011)".

Garcia was always the prime riff meister of the band and Peck the distinct sounding lungs, so massive lineup change or not the material on "Ancient Evil" sounds unmistakably like Cage. Highly energetic and pretty aggressive US power/heavy metal influenced by the most adrenaline pumped Judas Priest and other legendary artists of that ilk. As "Ancient Evil" is a concept horror story album, it´s impossible not to think of King Diamond too, and there are indeed also some musical elements on the album, which point in the direction of that band.

Cage have long since proven their worth and have a relatively distinct sound and style, so although they wear their influences on the sleeves, they are not a clone act by any means. They are an incredibly well playing unit and Peck is a powerful and commanding singer, who can sing both raw, melodic, and high pitched. One of the things I personally enjoy a lot when listening to "Ancient Evil" is that the band never seem to lift the foot off the gas pedal. No sleazy ballads or anything like that here. The narration pieces and intros/outros are necessary for the concept story but other than that this is pedal to the metal US power/heavy metal. I´m blown away by the ultra high energy level and the intensity of the music.

"Ancient Evil" features a raw and powerful sound production, which suits the material well. Take one listen to that intense guitar tone and sit back and let your ears bleed. Upon conclusion "Ancient Evil" is yet another high quality release by Cage and I wonder how successful they could have been, if they had appeared in the 80s instead of starting in the US power/heavy metal hostile 90s. The quality is close to being up there with the best in the genre. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Supremacy of Steel" is the 6th full-length studio album by US, California based power/heavy metal act Cage. The album was released through Music Buy Mail in November 2011. It´s the successor to "Science of Annihilation" from 2009 and features two lineup changes since the predecessor as guitarist Anthony Wayne McGinnis has been replaced by Steve Brogden and bassist Mike Giordano has been replaced by Pete Stone.

Stylistically the material on "Supremacy of Steel" continue the trademark aggressive and powerful US power/heavy metal style of the preceding releases. This is raw, heavy, and highly energetic metal music with fast-paced heavy metal riffing, blistering solo work, a powerful playing rhythm section, and a world class lead vocalist in Sean Peck. Peck has a strong voice and a commanding delivery. He masters both raw aggressive vocals, high pitched screaming vocals, and occasionally the softer vocal part. He even does a near perfect King Diamond impersonation on "Annaliese Michel", which is a very King Diamond influenced/sounding track. Other than that it´s "Painkiller (1990)"-era Judas Priest that I´m mostly reminded of when listening to "Supremacy of Steel".

"Supremacy of Steel" features a relatively well sounding production job, although the guitars sound a little thin and the drums and the bass have a clicky sound to them. I´ve heard better sounding productions on some of the band´s earlier releases. Upon conclusion "Supremacy of Steel" is however yet another high quality release by Cage and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Science of Annihilation" is the 5th full-length studio album by US, California based power/heavy metal act Cage. The album was released through Music Buy Mail in May 2009. It´s the successor to "Hell Destroyer" from 2007 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Mikey Niel has been replaced by Norm Leggio (Psychotic Waltz, Teabag).

Stylistically the material on "Science of Annihilation" continue the hard edged US power/heavy metal style of the preceding releases and maintain the high quality level of the two direct predecessors. Imagine how a full album featuring tracks in a similar vein to "Painkiller" by Judas Priest would sound like, and you´re halfway there describing the sound on "Science of Annihilation". So this is US power/heavy metal in the more fast-paced, dark, and aggressive end of the scale (tracks like "Planet Crusher" and "Speed Kills" are absolutely crushing). That does not exclude epic moments and loads of anthemic melodies, and the occasional slower and heavy moment, but "Science of Annihilation" is predominantly a fast-paced, hard pounding US power/heavy metal release, featuring uptempo pounding rhythms, blistering guitar work (including solos and harmonies), and a commanding and occasionally screaming vocal performance by Sean Peck in front. This is pretty much heavy metal heaven for those of us who prefer our heavy metal fast, dark, and aggressive.

"Science of Annihilation" features a powerful sounding production, high level musicianship all over the line, and the tracks are well composed and effective too, so upon conclusion it´s yet another high quality release by Cage. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Hell Destroyer" is the 4th full-length studio album by US, California based power/heavy metal act Cage. The album was released through Destroy All Records in May 2007. It´s the successor to "Darker Than Black" from 2003 and features the same five-piece lineup who recorded the predecessor.

And it´s a confident and very well playing band performing on "Hell Destroyer". High level musicianship on all posts. Sharp traditional heavy metal/US power metal riffs and rhythms, blistering solos, and lead vocalist Sean Peck´s strong and passionate vocals in front. Peck is an incredibly intense and convincing singer with a commanding delivery and while all involved play a great role in the high level delivery of the music, Peck stands out as something special. The music is generally pretty hard-edged and aggressive for the genre, and a comparison to the most raw and fast-paced tracks by Judas Priest (think "Painkiller") is valid. As such it´s just a natural succession of the music style on "Darker Than Black (2003)".

"Hell Destroyer" is a concept album and the main theme of the story is the fight between Christ and the Devil. It´s put into a fantasy story with epic battles and other classic fantasy elements, but there is a Christian message here that Cage obviously want to deliver. It´s one of the most badass Christian themed heavy metal albums I´ve yet encountered though, so if you have an aversion to Christian lyrics, it´s maybe time to either broaden your horizon or just look past the lyrics and enjoy the many other high quality features "Hell Destroyer" has to offer.

You can add to that list a powerful, sharp, and very well sounding production, and "Hell Destroyer" is simply a high quality heavy metal release through and through. The only minor issue I have with the album is the fact that it´s over 70 minutes long. While every track on the album individually is strong and memorable, 70 minutes still feels a little long for an album featuring this type of music. As you can hear complaining about quantity really is a minor issue, and I overall find "Hell Destroyer" highly recommendable to fans of US power/heavy metal. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Darker Than Black" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US, California based power/heavy metal act Cage. The album was released through Massacre Records in April 2003. It´s the successor to "Astrology" from 2000 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Eric Horton has been replaced by Anthony Wayne McGinnis.

The three years since the release of "Astrology (2000)" have been spend well, because while both "Unveiled (1998)" and "Astrology (2000)" are good quality US power/heavy metal albums, "Darker Than Black" is in a whole other league. Cage were always a skilled and very well playing band, and lead vocalist Sean R. L. Peck is an outstanding singer with a strong voice and a commanding and passionate delivery. That haven´t changed on "Darker Than Black", but the quality of the songwriting and the production values have increased significantly compared to the preceding releases.

Stylistically Cage play a heavy and relatively dark type of US power/heavy metal on "Darker Than Black". Think Judas Priest when they are most heavy and aggressive ("Painkiller") and you are half way there. There´s great intensity and energy on display here and paired with the powerful and raw vocals by Peck, the heavy and fast-paced riffs, the blistering guitar solos, and the energetic and powerful rhythm section, "Darker Than Black" comes off a high quality release in the genre.

"Darker Than Black" is through and through a high quality release, and there´s not a single sub par track on the album. It´s consistent in quality and style, but still relatively varied. Including both an English- and a Spanish language version of "Chupacabra" is a small curiosity, but since the band are from San Diego, where a large part of the population are latin country immigrants or descendents of immigrants, it makes perfect sense (and of course the tale/legend of "Chupacabra" is a Latin America tale).

Upon conclusion "Darker Than Black" has been a positive surprise and definitely a recommendable US power/heavy metal album. High level musicianship, intriguing and effectful songwriting, and loads of heavy metal attitude and passion. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.