This was another show that seemed to lose some of it's luster by the cancellation of Circle II Circle, but turned out to be one of the better shows of the year. First up were Houston teen thrashers, Metavenge. Expect to see big things from these kids in the future, even though they range in age from 15-18 years old. If you are a fan of old school Metallica and Testament, you'll love this band. They ripped through a set of mostly originals plus covers of Cemetary Gates and Caught In A Mosh. Next up was Houston prog metal band, Six Minute Century. If you like soaring vocals and shredding guitar, you'll like SMC. Singer Chuck Williams, guitarist Don LaFon, drummer Darrin Davis, and new bassist Mike Milsap tore through songs from their first CD, Time Capsels (available on Nightmare Records) starting with Under the Moonlight, including Zero Hour, and ending with The Perfect Picture, but included a new song, Paying Death's Toll. Now to the headliner. This was Cage's first show in Texas, I knew I was in for a treat after seeing them at sound check. I had been up in the balcony, video taping the show up to this point, but for Cage, I turned the camera on when the lights went down and planted myself at the stage, where I belong. The crowd was less than I hoped for, but not surprising considering it was a Thursday and the headliner, Circle II Circle, had cancelled the day before. The lights went down to the intro to Science Of Annihilation and the band jumped right into Planet Crusher. Singer Sean Peck was in command from the start, wearing this leather jacket that was equal parts Rob Halford and Ace Frehley. Not only is he an amazing singer, but a terrific front man, spending the right amount of time rapping with the crowd and even holding the mike out to let people in the audience (like me) sing. He jokingly introduced the band as Circle II Circle, and later thanked them for the extended set and called the encore the 'Circle II Circle' set. The rest of the band was awesome as well, guitarists Dave 'Conan' Garcia (who is built like an action figure) and Anthony McGinnis are shredders, drummer Norm Leggio was flawless, and fill in bassist Steve Brogden is a great performer as well. Though some hard core fans may find it cheesy, from Kiss to Priest to Warrant, I love synchronized stage moves, and Cage did plenty. Their set list consisted of songs from their last three albums, Hell Destroyer, Darker Than Black, and the latest, Science Of Annihilation. The only exception being their last song, The Final Solution from Astrology. They were great on stage, but they were equally cool off stage, starting with Sean Peck walking up and introducing himself to me after sound check. They were in the crowd for the opening bands, and hung out after the show. I hope Cage makes Houston a regular stop, because I won't miss them.
Set List:
Planet Crusher
I Am the King
Kill the Devil
The Scarlet Witch
Hell Destroyer
Black River Falls
Speed Kills
The Metal Devil
King Diamond
Stranger in Black
The Final Solution
