CAGE
SEAN PECK (VOCALS)
SEPTEMBER 2001

Cage is Power Metal from USA. They are amongst the best of the traditional styled metal bands coming from the States, even though the name isn't exactly the most famous. I'd like to thank Ben, Cage manager, for making this interview possible ;)

INTERVIEW BY MARINA

How long do you exist as a band? What's the story behind the formation of Cage for those not familiar with it?

Cage began in 1992 when Metal in America was dead and grunge music was the new trend. Two famous local bands NOMAD and CRUSHER had just broken up and formed what is now CAGE. Although many trends have since passed in music, CAGE remains true to the Heavy Metal sound.

How would you describe your music so that those who don't know you can get some idea of what it's like?

We call it Heavy Metal but with influences from Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and old Savatage there are elements of power and thrash at times. The classic Heavy Metal sound is there but sounding fresh and undated at the same time. PURE MILLENNIUM METAL!

What's the main goal you want to reach with the band and why did you choose to play power-metal?

This type of music is in our hearts and souls and it is who we are inside. Too many musicians chase the dream by compromising to the trends of the day. Our real strength is our commitment to the heavy metal sound that gives that emotion of raw energy and positive aggression. Our fans can tell that the music is genuine and not put together just because there happens to be a new wave of power metal happenning. This is evident in our live shows as well and is a reason the fans find us so approachable and interesting.

"Astrology" is your last release. What's the basic idea behind the concept? What do you think is different comparing with your first release "Unveiled"?

ASTROLOGY is the theme of the cd and each song has characteristics of the corresponding sign that it is attached to when you view the booklet inside. ASTROLOGY has always been around metal but it seemed no one had ever dealt with it directly like in the song FINAL SOLUTION. It is an interesting topic that everyone can identify with and its' mystery also makes it cool to investigate. Have you ever read your horoscope and it was exactly like what was happenning in your life. Or how the general traits of the signs are so incredibly accurate towards peoples personality. Musicaly it sounds like it should be our 4th cd instaed of our second. we really made a leap on this one and the fans and critics agreed. Our new drummer Mikey Niel allowed us to open up the power and really let loose as. My vocals were also a lot stonger and my range grew as I got healthy and became seriously devoted to becoming a top notch vocalist. We had a very good burst of writing and we felt so strongly about the material that it ended up being a 70+ minute CD.

Which is the reaction of the fans and the press for your latest album? Was it something that you expected?

We were very confident on this record as the press loved our debut UNVEILED so much and we thought ASTROLOGY was so much superior. As the first response started coming in the response was amazing and very gratifying since we had put so much effort into the disc.

You also did some covers for tributes. What songs did you cover and what made you select those particular songs? How important for you was the participation into Judas Priest & Savatage tributes?

"Freewheel Burning" by Judas Priest and "Dungeons Are Calling" by Savatage (who we are doing 2 shows with in Hollywood next week, Nevermore too!). Judas was a big influence so I thought it would be cool but we used it mainly to get some recording experience with our new drummer. Savatage was cool but I wanted to do "Sirens" but was outvoted. We closed the WACKEN this year with "Dungeons" and the crowd went crazy. We also play "Freewheel" a lot live too.

Talking about Judas Priest, I feel a heavy influence of them into your music. Which other bands have influenced you?

Priest is my favorite band but Maiden, WASP, early Crimson Glory, old Helloween, Queensryche, and Kiss for Mikey Niel. These have all been an impact on us. We are trying to keep that sound fresh, alive and prospering.

Can you list your 5 favorite albums?

"Painkiller" (Judas Priest), "War Of Words" (Fight), "Transcendence" (Crimson Glory), "Abigail" (King Diamond) and "Screaming For Vengence" (Judas Priest).

You are from USA. How do you feel playing traditional Heavy Metal in USA? Many people say that USA is not a good place for the kind of music you do...

It is really coming on strong now finaly. Metal is becoming hip and cool again and we are in a great position to capitalize on that. we have also started pushing into Mexico where the gans go crazy for us. I am polishing up on my Spanish so that when I speak to the crowd it will be in there perfect dialect.

The 80's American scene was one of the strongest. How's the metallic scene in USA lately? There are some great bands that don't have even a deal to release their albums in their country. What do you think about that?

Like I said it is getting good now. California has been doing well especialy, with big festivals and crowds that rock like they do in Europe. Getting a deal in the US is tough because the trend is towards the nu-metal sound out here, but straight up heavy metal is gaining ground as people want to hear not only good musicianship but great singing as well.

Can you tell me your opinion about US bands like Jacob's Dream, Savatage, Jag Panzer, Iced Earth...?

All great bands, JACOB'S DREAM is one example of how old sounding metal hit a nerve with people and it worked. SAVATAGE are legendary and we are excited to be giging with them, JAG PANZER we have played with before and they are really professional, ICED EARTH has a huge buzz now and I applaud them for carrying the torch of the new breed for this style of metal. They are touring with Judas Priest out here which I know is great because we opened for JUDAS PRIEST twice as well as IRON MAIDEN and DIO. The old fans realize that there are new bands that can give them that special metal feeling.

This year you played some european festivals including Wacken Open Air in Germany and Metal Dayz in Switzerland. How were these experiences? Which show or festival was the most memorable?

The Wacken was just amazing as our style of music really stood apart from the rest of the bands for some reason. The crowd continued to grow as we played our set and no one seemed to leave. We have some kind of captivating magic that draws your attention and as one critic there said "puts you under our spell". The Switzerland show was great also and even though it was much smaller, the crowd was rabid and our performance there was one of our best ever. We will probably release a live video for sale from that performance.

Why do you think that there are not more of those European-type festivals in the U.S? Too expensive?

We have played several shows that attempted to recreate the Euro feel and it hasn't worked for a couple of reasons. First they are always underfunded and located in some stupid part of the country that no one wants to go to. The other larger ones are cluttered with so many bands playing 20 minute sets of shit that it becomes a chaotic mess of horrible sound. I do a lot of promoting shows down here and we are possibly going to host a festival that will be done properly at an excellent venue with amazing sound.

What bands have you toured with and what ones did you feel you fit in best with?

We haven't done a lot of touring just shows and festivals. We did Europe fests with EXCITER which was cool because they were great to travel with and our sounds were very compatible. I would love to tour with JUDAS PRIEST because they are cool guys who we got along with when we played, and now we will play some shows with NEVERMORE and SAVATAGE who are all killer bands and crazy characters.

What's the difference between the crowds at Europe and the american one?

Europeans sing, clap and shout while Americans are just now learning to interact that way. American fans are vocal and pasionate but the Euro's know what they are doing when it comes to concert response. I have spoken with several of my friends who do say that Spain definately has the best crowds though.

What people should expect from a Cage live show?

For some reason people always say we are so much better live than on the cd. That is good I suppose but we have to capture that somehow on the next record. We are dressed like a metal band should be and are moving in just the right places. You have to maintain a powerful presence yet still rock. There is a fine line between going too crazy and rocking because it is how the music makes you feel.

That's all at this moment. Wanna add something, maybe some news about Cage? Any plans for a new album?

The new cd is being written right now and we debuted a song at the Wacken called "Kill The Devil" that went over great. That is the focus now and we may do some dates with SAVATAGE in Mexico. We plan to release the cd next year and really want to play the festivals in Spain very badly. Please put in a good word for us! :)

Any message for the end? Last words are yours, thanx for the interview.

Thank You so much and everyone can check out the Official Website and www.desertrockpromotions.com or call 619-595-6105 or e-mail us at cage@ixpres.com. Thanks again and hope to meet you over there in Spain!

Cage