Album Review: Cage Fight – Exuvia
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Has it really been four-years since the release of Cage Fight’s self-titled debut? Sure looks that way, and checking back through the Secret Archives at Razor’s Edge Towers, I located the parchment upon which I reviewed that particular record. Formed by TesseracT guitarist, James Montieth during those long lockdown days, and channelling the rage and ire we all felt, James recruited drummer Nick Plews, bassist Jon Reid and former Eths vocalist, Rachel Apse, and created a raging beast of a debut that snorted and snarled and generally reflected the mood of the nation perfectly.
Spool forward a few years and Cage Fight have returned, almost intact; Jon is gone, replaced by Will Chain, who has been instrumental in the writing of this sophomore record, and with a whole range of live experiences behind them, the question will be whether the raw power and raging energy will still be there; or has Cage Fight become civilised?
The answer to that question is a resounding No – but with a caveat: the band’s time away from the studio had given them a wider palette and a broader canvas upon which to paint. Sharing stages with some of the genres biggest and most inspirational artists appears to have had a huge influence on Cage Fight as songwriters, something which can be heard across all eleven tracks on Exuvia.
Even the titling of the record is a nod to the band’s development. Meaning the outer skin shed by such creatures as arachnids, crustaceans and insects when it becomes time to grow, Exuvia is Cage Fight shedding the skin in order to develop; the title track itself has development writ-large in its six-minutes as it mixes complex riffing with switching time signatures and an intense delivery. The heaviness blends with ethereal, ghostly moments giving it an introspective feel. When you realise the inspiration for the some came from Rachel’s grandmother who, while battling cancer, also contributed to the lyrics, Exuvia takes on a very different aspect.
The gap between albums means the band have been road-testing some of this material for a while, and those at Bloodstock Open Air 2025 will be familiar with bile-spat, infectious pummelling of Oxygen, the grunting, excoriating slams of Pig, and the more straightforward, death-inspired IHYG (I Hate Your Guts), all of which were given an airing last August.
Not aired at Catton Park, though it would have been apt to do so, would have been The Hammer Crush, which features a bouncing rhythm straight out of the Gojira playbook – if the Frenchmen ever decided to try their hand at a bit of slamming death metal. New boy, Will, wrote the lyrics to Hammer… and to the brutal heavy hardcore that is Deathstalker, which foregoes subtlety and aims directly for the jugular, through fat and furious chugs.
The development comes in those tunes that might not have made it onto the debut, those more experimental moments which may become Exuvia’s defining moments as time progresses. Short piece, Confined is a slow-build intro, strangely subdued but with what sounds like a call to prayer and a heavy bass presence; Le Déni is acoustic and atmospheric but also hides an ominous warning and acts as an elongated precursor to the tile track itself.
Coming way out of leftfield is Pick Your Fighter, featuring Benighted’s Julien Truchan on guest vocals it was inspired by a pop song, ‘Et C’est Parti…’ by French singer, Nâdiya, though I’d be surprised if the experimentalism and squeals were part of the original.
Un Bon Souvenir arrives with a big opening and wears its heavy hardcore heart firmly on its sleeve; Rachel delivers some clean vocals during the chorus and there’s more than a hint of the melodic about the overall vibe of this one. Will seems to be channelling his inner-Steve Harris during the whispered moments, and James serves up his most Metal solo.
Closing Exuvia is Élégie, featuring an acoustic, reverb-heavy intro and more cleans from Rachel, as ghostly rhythms weave their way between sounding like Within Temptation at one moment and Venom Prison the next. This is another composition when personal experience comes to the fore, dealing with bereavement and how one comes to term with losing someone close.
You can hear and feel the maturity from Cage Fight in every moment of Exuvia; much as I still love the debut, this one shows a band can still rage and snort but can do so while addressing adult themes and challenging accepted norms. A long time in the making, but well worth the wait.
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