SECRET PASSAGE

With a contract secured by the Musea management Cage were ready to make some noise heading for their first true studio album with totally new material, as the previous one was a collection of songs through a period of time.The band recruited singer Augusto Morelli and keyboardist Alessandro Bugliani composed all the songs for the upcoming ''Secret passage''.The album was released in 2008.

In this new album Cage added a strong jazzy flavor in the guitar parts, which now alternate between CAMEL-like smooth melodies and more virtuosic workouts akin to MR. SIRIUS and ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, but the general style is still grounded in symphonic territories with evident GENESIS influences.Actually they are now somewhere between the style of ODYSSICE and CITIZEN CAIN, trying to fit the symphonic lines of GENESIS with more guitar-based moves.Despite the presence of two keyboardists the album is nicely balanced with both guitars and keyboards in the forefront and an obvious tendency towards melodious textures and romantic arrangements full of pleasant colors.Morelli and his very PETER GABRIEL-esque vocal vibe along with the delivery of elaborate, lush compositions are another reason for the apparent GENESIS comparisons.Cage though are far from a clone.The presence of an impressive, Fusion-based guitar energy and the somewhat more nervous use of synthesizers are certainly personal elements.The atmosphere is always consistent and compelling with also some pastoral acoustic passages and lots of piano interludes as well as long, instrumental themes with mellow interplays.

Unfortunately the lack of recent activity and the absence of the band on the most well-known social web pages makes another work rather doubtless.

''Secret passages'' is among these rare albums, which combine the melodious style of Symphonic Rock with the edge of light guitar Fusion and deserves a wider recognition.Recommended.