Cage - Science of Annihilation

Science of Annihilation is the 5th album of the californian power metallians Cage. The band impressed the metal scene from their first album „Unveiled“ with pure and uncompromising
metal attacks and improved their sound from album to album. The last album „Hell destroyer“ was the band's highlight so far. Could the new album keep that standard ? We will find out now.
Opening up with „The power that feeds“. This is a short intro of spoken words that will awake the fear in you of what is coming up....this is the Science of Annihilation !! And...the „Planet crusher“ speeds up. Very fast and furious song. Sean Peck shouts at his best. Like Halford in his best times.
The song is near to Judas Priest. In vocals and also in guitar works. A little touch of Painkiller I hear. „Scarlet witch“ again is a high speed power metal track. In the refrain shouts and clean vocals change. Fast but melodic guitar leads. Sean Peck is getting wilder and wilder in his voice as longer the song lasts. Where is the limit? High speed performance on highest level. Definetely not a song to hear in the car if you don't wanna risk an accident. „Spirit of vengeance“ opens with a typical metal riff. Not that fast like before. More in midtempo and we can hear harmonies the first time.
If we felt that we are in a pure speed metal album til now, we have now arrived the Power Metal we know as well from Cage. The guitars lay a wall of sound. Epic elements in the refrain. Remembers me a little bit to the german Band Brainstorm. This could be the bands new hymn if they perform that song live on stage. Next is „Black River Falls“. Opening with a power riff. The speed is back.
Sean Pack is doin some horror elements in his vocals. In the middle interrupted with a melodic guitar part, balladesque played. Leading to a King Diamond high sing-a-long. So this is a song in the tradition of Mercyful Fate.....a little horror song. I like that cause it is a track with a lot of breaks in it. Showing more facettes in the sound of Cage. „Operation Overlord“ starts with a short anchorman announcement...this is D-Day. Trademarks of the band show up again. Speedy instrumentation and awesome shouts of Peck. The refrain points with doubled voices. Like Ripper Owens in Iced Earth times. A song about war that is finishing again with the anchorman. What a scream at the start of „Power of a god“ !! Awesome. We are in midtempo section again. With some keyboard sequences in the back. A stamping song. Vocals and guitars unite. A nice and Maiden-like guitar solo in the middle leading to a clean vocals part. Is the keys played or programmed? Anyway a real banger that takes no prisoners. Following is „Speed kills“. The name is the program. Very fast song. Ride the lightning? The tempo is near to it. A smasher for the fans. This song is the song that the fans can reply on their concerts...Speed kills ! Speed kills ! Speed kills! Ok...for me not the best song of the album. It is too straight, no breaks, no surprises. Only a fast song. Not bad, but definetely not the album highlight for me. Oh..what is that? Jag Panzer? Here comes the „Stranger in black“. Peck remembers me a lot to the Tyrant of Jag Panzer on that song. The guitar solo in the middle sounds as it was played with three axes. Real power. Yeah, this is Power Metal like the gods wanted it to be played. The next song is titled „Die Glocke“. A german word that means: the bell.
Well, I cannot hear any bell in that song. Another speed song. Hectic vocals overlayed from weird guitars. Trigger drums and a lot of breaks. This song shall create a chaotic scene...and that worked.
A little difficult to listen to cause of the guitar breaks all the time. But the song has definetely his own charme. A slow, oriental begin in „Spectre of war“. Balladesque vocals...yes this is a 2 minute ballad. Not cheesy. More tragic with an oriental touch. This short intermezzo leads direct to the title track. And this means.......speeeed! The breaks transport the oriental arrangements from the song before to that song. Here the band again shows their whole knowledge of playing powerful metal. All the bands trademarks in one song. A real hammer. This should be the bands best song they ever wrote. The last song „At the end of the infinite“ is more an outro than a song. Spoken words like in the beginning. Sound collages in the background. A nice harmony ends the album.
Ok. Cage doesn't make the wheel new. I can hear some influences in their sound, like Judas Priest, Iced Earth or Jag Panzer. But what Power Metal Band is not influenced from any of those.
Cage does another step forward to reach the Metal throne in this genre. Maybe this album could be their long awaited breakthrough into the top league of the scene. Definetely their best output so far.
This album is full speed...this album is power...this album is....Cage !

Points:  8/10

Review by Kerbinator

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