Slayer, Terror, Hatebreed and Biohazard are said to be inspirations for Cage Fight’s sound. As such, once it becomes known that Cage Fight’s founding guitarist is none other than James Monteith from TesseracT, their very existence is an exciting proposal for heavy music fans. 14 Tracks later, can it be said that they’ve done justice to aforementioned the titanic idols? In short, absolutely.
The intro lays down a solid beat as it builds tension into ‘The Mirror Shattered’ which is oozing with the bouncy sound of classic thrash blended alongside more stabby djents of modern HC, starting the album off in a strong fashion. The mean breakdowns in ‘Killer’ followed by ‘Hope Castrated’ ramp up the quality even more, before plunging the listener into the track ‘Make a Decision. ‘Make a Decision’ has that pissed-off hardcore vibe to it, think municipal waste but more pissing blood than partying. ‘Guillotine’ chucks in some sweet slam vocals which work surprisingly well and keep the tune sounding heavy as you like.
Following some sick bars in the title track/interlude ‘Cage Fight!’ the listener is treated to more mean riffage and nasty chugs. Shoutout to one of the standout tracks of this work – ‘One Minute’ – which pairs the speed-laden thrash of bands like Warbringer alongside bone-breaking heaviness. This album really never slows down and is refreshingly original in each of its aspects, meaning listening to the full length of the work feels not like a body-aching marathon, but more like an awe-inspiring mountain trek.
Not too much longer listening and you find the final three tracks, yet to feel bored, and simply awaiting what more is to come with wide eyes and eager ears. Track eleven feeds more evil guitarwork without fail and soon the final original track ‘My Dreams’ is reached. Let it not be understated – this is an absolute masterpiece of a song. An eerie intro proceeding a section of machine gun djents and 50 Calibre drumming, the body of the track filled with flawless guitar work, superb musicianship aided by top-drawer writing skills, and atmosphere creation. After the 13 originals of the album are capped off, the 14 tracks of Cage Fight’s debut are saluted away in superb fashion by a cover of Body Count’s ‘Bitch in the Pit’.
This album came as a shock in its intensity, mature writing, and heaviness. Then again, why be shocked when it is a band made up of such highly talented members? The work is packed to the rafters with intense and unique elements, effortlessly matched with the staple aspects of hardcore and thrash in a medley that not even the smelliest, most unwashed metalhead elitist could turn their nose up at. Their numerous live shows this year will not be ones to miss, so get involved in this Cage Fight – the bloody noses and broken bones will be worth it.