“This ball and chain keeps me from moving.“
Given how impressive their 2022 self-titled record was, it has been a slight surprise that there hasn’t been more from Cage Fight over the past few years. This isn’t to say they’ve not had some noteworthy performances – they’ve conquered Techfest, Bloodstock, RADAR, and 2000trees, and have had opening slots for Svalbard, Employed To Serve, and Party Cannon. Yet, if their studio momentum held, there was a sense that they were poised to conquer their melodeath-cross-hardcore sound and the wider metal genre beyond. There are likely honest reasons for this, yet 2026 now sees Cage Fight following on their debut a near four years on since its release. This leaves Exuvia in a position to be as defining of their trajectory as their initial debut was.
It wouldn’t be too amiss to say that Exuvia opens up with that could be marked as Cage Fight‘s strongest song they’ve penned to date. “Confined“ is packed with swirling riffs that draw in the ear, with a mean double kick to give it that blunt force that Cage Fight pack. It very much picks off where Cage Fight left all those years ago, leaning more into the melodeath moments than before. As will often be found across Exuvia, the performance of Aspe is what carries this record. The panicked screamed at the end of “Oxygen” are the first signs of an impressive range that Aspe possesses, that when used right, is one hell of a force.
It is perhaps on the following few tracks where Cage Fight begin to trip up. While known for their straight-to-the-point songwriting, it does come to close to the line of being too much at times. “Pig” sits on the right side of it and continues to prove the sheer wrath that Cage Fight posses, as the chant of “Your ick, filth tricks” sees Aspe hit back at weirdos sending unsolicited pictures, before closing out on some mean gutturals. It’s on “Pick Your Fighter” and “Un Bon Souvenrir” where Exuvia falls on the wrong side. While Aspe pulls out another mean vocal performance, the rest of the track is rather pedestrian on “Pick Your Fighter“. With lyricism that pivoting on its title-chant and riffs that are expected despite their heaviness, it doesn’t do much to engage the attention.
As the record continues with “Un Bon Souvenir“, we find Cage Fight‘s pivot towards a more melodeath, and arguably metalcore sound, which fails to stand up to the rest of their material. There is a touch ofMachine Head to this track, especially structurally, with the clean choruses being the main drive of the track. Yet, it’s difficult to hear the line of “I’m the wolf among the sheep” and not immediately be taken out of immersion that this style of sound requires. Thankfully, “Deathstalker” picks up the action for Exuvia straight away. It’s back to the bludgeoning hardcore of the previous record, in full force and then some more, leaving it difficult not to wonder if this where Cage Fight‘s ability is best focused.
As the title track “Exuvia” showcases, Cage Fight do have the ability to pull out greatness from fundamentals. The blend of melodic riffs will have each listening headbanging along, and the piercing screams of Aspe have the technical proficiency matching many of the genre’s stalwarts. The track ebbs and flows between its influences with confidence, satisfying on all fronts. These include hardcore sensibilities which bring Exuvia back down to earth, allowing for the headbanging to be swapped for a spin kick or two. The biggest curveball of all comes on closer “Élégie” as Cage Fight dive head first into the melodeath pool. The ballad style song is a style that few would have expected, as Aspe blends haunting cleans with anguished screams to give a pertinence to the closer. Each step is masterfully matched by Monteith‘s guitars, which has come to be expected from their work in TesseracT.
It’s difficult not to be slightly torn by what Cage Fight has produced on Exuvia. It’s a mix of great material alongside other tracks that don’t fully hit the mark, and some that completely miss it. At their height on the likes of “Oxygen“, “Exuvia” and “Élégie“, Cage Fight stand tall as an act who could be blue chip of the genre. Yet at other moments on “Un Bon Souvenir” and “Pick Your Fighter“, their shortcomings become too obvious. There is a nagging sense that a near four-year wait to strike with their follow-up has not allowed Cage Fight to discover what works and what doesn’t with their audience, which many acts of that moment did. Yet, if all the positive elements of Cage Fight‘s sound are picked and not left for another four year wait, they could produce something that truly breaks through.
7/10
Exuvia is set to release May 1st via Spinefarm Records, and can be pre-ordered here.