Dario Mollo & Tony Martin

Tony Martin remains to be one of the most overlooked, under appreciated and forgotten about in general vocalists in the hard rock/heavy metal genre. He was kicked around in Black Sabbath throughout the end of the 1980s and early 90s simply for not being Ozzy or Dio who had established themselves years before early in the game of Sabs career, despite the fact that his efforts often surpassed even the performances considered so 'great' by the rock album buying majority. A solo album came and went, another victim in the tragic hard rock crash that was already crumbling bands to ashes by its release date. An appearance on Misha Calvin's "Evolution" is held in high reguard, but Martin never found the acclaim he not only deserved but earned, with blood, sweat, tears and knock-down drag-out, blow-your-socks-off and rightly so, material.

Then came Dario Mollo, Italian guitarist that rocked through the 80s with a little known band called Crossbone, with quite a few solid licks up his sleeve and the outfit known as "The Cage". A by numbers excercise in hard rock with traditional Sabbath rumblings and plenty of Yngwie riffs, it was a thick and solid hard rock workout that combined the best of the 80s with a splash of modernizing. A nice backdrop for the pipes of Martin and quite a show throughout. Mollo prides himself in his process of songwriting and recording at his own studio (the very same used by Anathema and Giuntini).

A couple of years later and after a stint in Voodoo Hill for Mollo, his 'other' band with another vocalist some might recognize, the one and only Glenn Hughes, The Cage is back for another attack. A bit heavier in the bottom end and more experimental in places, but still a well-rounded solid album that sees Martin doing more than just his full throttle 'Dio voice'. He passionately emotes with a slight whine pleading edge that Robert Plant made so famous back in the 70s, does the Dio thing and then on the next track he's swinging with a bluesy tilt going on. A bit of a chameleon Martin is, and that allows for each song to dip into a different flavour, although not nearly as many as Baskin Robbins would claim to have, just enough to catch a different taste each time through. Unfortunately the master of the keys that held over his court on the first Cage outing, Don Airey, is nowhere to be found here, and thus is replaced by Dario Patti, a sessionist but since he does a decent job and Tony Franklin (Blue Murder) was picked up for a position as bassist then all is forgiven. Some of the magic from the first disc is not present here either, but alot of that was thanks to the gorgeous mind blowing ballad, "If You Believe" which has caused more than just a few tears to be shed in its short but well-remembered time. A study in pomp and emotion but that's neither here nor there....

01.] "Terra Toria"
Like it or leave it (I prefer to leave it) its a strange, even twisted attempt at modern hard rock (you know, all those 'nu-metal' bands the US fawns over for reasons real metal fans cannot even fathom or come close to grasping) and while the song is not really awful or anything like that, it is not exactly all that good either. The odd chorus with the title lashed in the face, deeply distorted, is quite unusual, all while the song chugs out...

02.] "Overload"
Now this is much, MUCH better... the band are easing up on the modern influences and kick into a brooding Whitesnake-kissed overdrive that centers around love taken for granted, the selfish possession of a soul, and the aching loneliness resulting. Plenty of thick and juicy guitar passed around with wild abandon, the lonely feel and crushed sentiments come across brilliantly through both lyrics and vocals steeped in emotion. It simmers then soars with pain til the bursting point, all in a cooled off feel that is disjointed from reality but starkly bright in feeling.

03.] "Life Love and Everything"
Mixing it up and throwing swingin good melodic rock and more swirly distorted vocals into a blender they pop out this hoppin little track. A rollicking roll of the bass rumbles in the background, a hint of funk lurking underneath and Tony Martin singing pointedly darker (especially so when put through the destortion effects) that lends itself well to the entire 'desperately lonely with the love of your life' theme. Very catchy overall and a sure smash with the melodic fans that like it mixed up a little on the modern side now and then.

04.] "Balance of Power"
They are doing the Dio thing for "BOP", lyrically, vocally, and musically. It could have come from mid 80s classics "Sacred Heart" or "Dream Evil", with more of a poppy side (although I mean Dio-pop not hairspray and fluffy shirt sugar metal pop) than the epics from earlier in Dio's career, even if its overall sound is kinda Black Sabbath lite, more on the rock side than the heavier bottom end that Sab embraced and celebrated. The obligatory guitar solo smacked in the middle is absolutely blistering, you can almost see wisps of smoke rising from the fretboard during its most frantic period.

05.] "Amore Silenzioso"
Another step down the stairway of bluesiness that spirals into a dark abyss of bleeding hurt. It has an early 80s Whitesnake feel (again), only darker and perhaps more depressing, probing the points extreme and inbetween. The chorus is killer, with Martin delivering the word "silenzioso" in a mesmerizing, broken manner, as well as other lyrics that are most definitely not English, but still a pure joy to hear...making the heart cry out with sweet pleasure peppered with pain. Its all brought down with a wild and free drumming jam that brings it to a thunderous closure.

06.] "II"
A clap of thunder, a period of stillness with organ floating around in the background, building hauntingly with flashes of piano in what sounds like a very gothic setting that makes me want to brandish my whip and go vampire hunting (any Castlevania fans out there? This could have been on Symphony of the Night and then some..). The guitar sweeps in with beauty and brilliance, dancing with abundant melody in a marble castle of darkness and light.

07.] "Wind of Change"
The reflective, soft mood lighting continues with this track that starts out its life as a delicate showcase for guitar that wrenches the heart, cracking til every note touched so lightly just bleeds at the seams... Martin finally comes in brimming with rich restrained beauty, hitting slightly higher notes for sentimental emphasis. Sheets of tears cascade down, a lump in the throat, a skipped beat of the heart, a touch upon the soul, it is elegant, powerful... Dario's electric guitar is a tiny piece of hope in the core of one's being, flittering with a desperateness to escape, but remains caged as its sound fades away. A lovely piano enriched balladesque track that doesn't quite touch the absolute epic brilliance of "If You Believe" but it comes damn close, so close...

08.] "Theater of Dreams"
Its hard to follow a ballad like "Wind of Change" that sucks the life out of the listener so viciously adoringly, but this one is a nice choice that feels like the darker side of Blue Murder in musicial structure. The guitar is a thick, rich substance shrouded from light and pierced with pain, chunky and lumbering in the background, always in touch but just out of grasp, reminding me heavily of Silver. A slinking, atmospheric track that plucks the broken strings of the soul. Coarse in texture and even further down the path of the dark than "Amore Silenzioso", displaying proudly many shades of grey and colours much deeper.

09.] "What A Strange Thing Love Is"
This slice is hard rock that is actually upbeat and structured so its a rousing sing-a-long uplifter, and is a flashback to Tony Martin's quite delicious solo disc, "Back Where I Belong". It has that dirty "It Ain't Good Enough" rockin' feeling that leaves this one swinging and rolling with the punches with its persistant rhythm and rousing bouncy chorus.

10.] "Dazed and Confused"
The lurking 1970s blues classic from the masters of the genre, Led Zeppelin, done faithfully with Martin even emoting like a cat in heat in true blue Robert Plant fashion. A solid cover of the song, if you like the original, then this is right up your alley. For those that find covers to be distasteful then just think of it as a bonus track and you'll be all set.

11.} "Guardian Angel"
An ethereal opening, light and airy with heaven just a blink away, the strong lead accompanied by some background choir voices is brought to a screeching halt with rumbling pounding drums that beat harsh reality into the song. The chorus is nice, carrying the heavy burden of melody along with it that remains under the other verses but doesn't really take off until the chorus finds its way around again. The instrumental is like a jam session for its beginning but pulls free of the raw 'live' feel and turns on itself into full throttle arpgeggio land, Mollo's solo quick but fleet fingered. Fairly straightforward throughout, kinda late 70s Rainbow-ish melted into a lump of Deep Purpleness.

12.] "Poison Roses"
In the 'Martin's stint with Sabbath' vein of things comes this absolutely smoking emotional rocker that has plenty of shades of grey plus the deeper, softer spectrum of Tony's voice findings its wings with a vibrant, terrible beauty. The guitar is devastating, with a seperate sinking loneliness, pulsating with a torn, hurting core that strikes the heart. Soul rippingly drenched in despair and love that was not only unreturned, but thrown back in the face with the stench of bitterness. Powerful, while acceptable... is not even the word for it. "I gave you truth... you didn't want it... I gave you all of me, but I was blind... I gave you peace... you didn't want it...you got me pain... and poison roses."

The production is as fit as a fiddle, although some have expressed deep displeasure in the mix (which is very vocal and drum oriented), but being a fan of well done vocals I cannot say that this is a problem at all. "The Cage II" is not as Whitesnakey as the previous album and there's definitely nothing on here that even dares to compare with the elegant blockbuster of a heartstopping ballad "If You Believe" from the debut, there is still plenty here for fans and skeptics alike to indulge in. Variety albums like this are often easier to stomach in one full sitting than other discs, so this sits well in the cd player and keeps the listener coming back for a few more run throughs of the Sabbathy "Balance of Power" and "Poison Roses", together these are worth the price of admission alone, not to mention the fantastic moody tracks like "Amore Silenzoiso" and "Overload" that forces us to indulge in the dark and delight in it equally. There are a couple of songs that could stand a facelift ("Terra Toria") or removable all together ("Dazed and Confused") but all in all it makes a nice package that is hard in its rock, light on the melody and strongest in the performance and songwriting aspects of the disc. Tony Martin is a vocalist that deserves to be heard...loud, proud, and often, and that alone makes this one worth a second glance and yet another spin.

Ratings and Wrap Up:
8.7
Songs - 8.0, Performance - 9.0, Production - 9.0, Lyrics - 8.5
Hot Spots: "Poison Roses", "Amore Silenzioso", "Overload"
Bottom Line: Slow growing hard rock with depth...the more you listen, the more you will like it!

Review by Alanna Evans -

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