an interview with Dario Mollo by Larry Jay
Dario’s “The Cage” album features Tony Martin on vocals.
Dario Mollo, ex lead-guitar of “Crossbones” (an italian heavy metal act well-known in the early eighties) has done “the great strike”, recruiting Tony Martin, the voice of the latest 10 years of Black Sabbath, as lead vocalist for his new project called “The Cage”. We asked Dario some questions about this exciting new album…
(Larry) Hallo Dario, I am holding in my hands a copy of an old vinyl release entitled “Metallo Italia”. It was near 1984… Here’s a photo of your old band, the Crossbones – with a look that nowadays would be ridicolous! ;-) The singer seem to wear a life belt ! Eh eh, the pioneristic italian metal scene of the Eighties !!!
(Dario) Metallo Italia !!! Mamma mia, how much time has passed!!! That Lp is a real relic! ;-) If you got it, you’ve to be very seasoned! Those were the glorious beginning that surely I don’t regret !!!
(Larry) Well, I’m not so seasoned. You know, I simply adore to search in the markets for used stuff… Coming to the present, I found great “The Cage”: a really kick-ass platter, filled with the most classic sounds of hard’n’heavy. I like all the songs of your Cd, but my favourite track is surely “Soul Searching”.
(Dario) Thanks for all your compliments. You ain’t the only one to prefer “Soul Searching”. Really, I didn’t consider “Soul Searching” one of the best tracks of The Cage. I’ll try to give it another listen!!!!
(Larry) I’d like to see you on stage, here in Italy, obviously with Tony Martin in his role of lead vocalist!!!!
(Dario) We’re planning to do some live dates, but nothing is sure, at the present time. By the way, Tony Martin is a member of the band, so if we do a tour, he’ll front the stage!!!! Obviously there are more probabilites of a tour in support of “The Cage”, if the sales of our Cd will be high.
(Larry) Imho the sound of “The Cage” is damn good. Your release has a first class production!!!!
(Dario) This is a great compliment, Larry!!! You know, I produced myself the Cd in my private studios here in Ventimiglia,Italy. Imho, I give my best not as a guitarist – but as sound engineer and producer… I did a lot of productions in my Studios: the two Giuntini, the latest Anathema, and other underground stuff.
(Larry) Tony Martin has been fired from Black Sabbath to let Ozzy rejoin the band. IMHO this has been absolutely NOT right. With Tony Martin Black Sabbath were still a living creature, after they reunion they seem only a pathetic “revival band”! I’d like to know your opinion about the eternal match “Tony Martin vs. Ozzy Osbourne”.
(Dario) Ozzy is a real individual, a great showman. But Tony… you know, Tony is a GREAT SINGER (and a very nice guy!!!!). This is the difference between Tony and Ozz… ;-)
(Larry) Imho Tony has much more expressive freedom in “The Cage”, than in Black Sabbath. In your Cd, he obtained the best from his voice. He sang with a very personal style, maybe because he had not to please huge crowds of die-hard Ozzy and Ronnie James Dio fans…
(Dario) I agree at 100 % :-) you’re right man! You can’t even imagine how much emotional involvement and care Tony put in the recordings… It’s a real pleasure to have him in the band.
(Larry) … and about the new Mollo / Martin chapter ?
(Dario) I’m working on it. I’ve just finished to write the sixth song – and I’m very proud how the things are going on…
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