Nicolas Cage FighterCast You Out (EP)

Australia’s best-named heavy band, Nicolas Cage Fighter, are coming into 2021 swinging. Coming fresh off some absolute belters last year, the Ballarat act have put together a heavy as hell EP with Cast You Out–proof that these guys aren’t fucking around.

MORE: BRING ME THE HORIZON: The Tide Is Turning // KILLER BE KILLED: Reluctant Heroes // MR BUNGLE: Surprise! We’re Death! REVIEWS: MR BUNGLE: The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo // BRING ME THE HORIZON: POST HUMAN:SURVIVAL HORROR // KILLER BE KILLED: Reluctant Hero // YOU ME AT SIX: SUCKAPUNCH

Following on from the two-track Hell In Me in 2020, and their first full EP since their debut 3350 way back in 2013, the boys have certainly made an imprint in the Aussie heavy scene with this new record, with each song on the 5-track EP somehow feeling heavier than the last.

The tone of the record is set clear as day with the aggressive and energetic opener Black Jackal, boasting some absolutely bone crushing riffs and deep gutturals, hiding a much more emotional message in the lyrics beneath it. The band have a clear hardcore energy to their sound laced with more deathcore and metal infused elements, delivering one crazy listening experience. Each track on this short and sweet EP delivers another gut punch to listeners, with low-tuned, metallic riffs chugging along at 100-miles-per-hour track to track. The EP exudes a raw and confronting sound, fitting of a band of a much higher calibre.

A record that’s heavy enough to make you want to rip your face off, Nicolas Cage Fighter have delivered one hell of a knockout with Cast You Out.

Title track Cast You Out continues to show off the band’s chaotic sound, with erratic riffs channelling a bit of Every Time I Die with the more extreme edge of Converge, making for some dirty breakdowns and an all-round mental heavy sound. Between guitars screaming out in ecstasy on Dead Ends and the chant worthy line ‘Get out of my head’ on Devil’s Head, there’s no debate that Cast You Out is a record that goes hard. There’s so much aggression and anger pumped through each track of the EP that every song picks up the energy more than the last. While listeners will be keen for a full length after a taste of this EP, head-bangers will be dealing with severe whiplash when they get a taste of a full-length Nicolas Cage Fighter LP.

As not to discredit any single track from this wall-to-wall brutal record, closing track Exiler delivers one more savage sucker punch to bring this five-track to a close, with all the deep growls, down-tuned guitar licks (and even a sneaky bass line) that you’d hope for. A record that’s heavy enough to make you want to rip your face off, Nicolas Cage Fighter have delivered one hell of a knockout with Cast You Out–and you better believe there are more good things to come in 2021 from the Ballarat heavy act.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Cast You Out, Dead Ends
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Converge, Thy Art Is Murder, Every Time I Die