Mollo Martin – The Third Cage (2012)
I have been a fan of Tony Martin since he first joined Black Sabbath back in 1987, and I have picked up several of his lesser known releases (Empire, Phenomena) along the way. Somehow, I have missed the CD’s he has put out with Dario Mollo.
Judging from the sounds on the latest Mollo Martin CD, The Third Cage, I need to rectify that situation soon.
Tony Martin is by far the least heralded of Black Sabbath’s singers. That is a shame as he delivered some great vocals for Black Sabbath, and continues to do so for Mollo / Martin.
The Third Cage comes out of the gate firing with the hard rocker, “Wicked World”. “Wicked World” pushes Tony Martin to his vocal peak, and Dario Mollo delivers some heavy licks that leave me wanting to hear more!
“Cirque Du Freak” has this odd keyboard/synthesizer that gives the beginning of the song, an industrial feel. Luckily this doesn’t plague the song, as Martin delivers what could be his best vocal on this album.
“Oh My Soul” is a song that seems tailor made for rock radio. On this slow brooding tune, Tony Martin practically sounds like Ronnie James Dio (R.I.P.) on this song, and that is pretty good company to be in, in my opinion. “Oh My Soul” is definitely one of the highlights on The Third Cage.
“One of the Few” falls into the AOR/Melodic Rock territory. Meldodic rock fans are going to eat this tune up. This catchy tune has it all…. great guitar work from Dario Mallo, and another outstanding vocal from Tony Martin.
“Still In Love With You” is another heavy rocker in the vein of Dio era Black Sabbath. This song is heavy, dark, and powerful. Mollo’s guitar riffs in this song are crazy good!
I have mixed feelings about the song “Can’t Stay Here”. The vocals are great, the guitar work is solid, but this song needed a little bit of something to take it over the top. It isn’t filler, but it could be much better.
“Wardance” is a bit of a grower. This metal anthem takes a couple of spins to fully appreciate. I can see this song being done in a live setting with thousands of fans screaming War…..Dance!
“Don’t Know What It is About You” is a melodic rock song that has parts that remind me of a heavy Enuff Z’nuff song. The background vocals on this song are kind of weak, and that brings the song down in my opinion.
“Blind Fury” is another Metal Anthem that is catchy as hell. This is another highlight on The Third Cage.
Tony Martin’s voice on “Violet Moon” reminds me a lot Oni Logan, and as a result, this song kind of sounds like a Lynch Mob tune. This is a cool song to close out The Third Cage with.
Overall I enjoyed this CD quite a bit. This is another strong effort from Dario Mollo and Tony Martin. If you are a Dio, Black Sabbath, or Tony Martin fan, you gotta check out The Third Cage. I think you are going to love it. I recommended it!
You can purchase a copy of The Third Cage at this link. Check it out!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
01. Wicked World
02. Cirque Du Freak
03. Oh My Soul
04. One Of The Few
05. Still In Love With You
06. Can’t Stay Here
07. Wardance
08. Don’t Know What It Is About You
09. Blind Fury
10. Violet Moon
Mollo / Martin is:
Dario Mollo- Guitars, Bass, Keyboards
Tony Martin– Vocals
Roberto Gualdi – Drums
Fulvio Gaslini – Bass
Dario Patti / Brian War – Keyboards
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