NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER

NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER “The Bones That Grew From Pain”

By Theron Moore

Props and kudos to Australia’s NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER for their clever and kitschy take on American actor and living screen legend, Nick Cage’s name. It could’ve been worse, maybe NICOLAS CAGE FREE or NICOLAS CAGE THE ELEPHANT? The name aside, what it comes down to is...does it rock like “Con Air” or does it fizzle out like “Ghost Rider?” It’s heavy-screamo-extreme metal and if that’s your thing, you lucked out. In my book, it falls more toward the “Ghost Rider” spectrum but to each his own.

“The Bones That Grew From Pain” is ten tracks of metal tinged hardcore if you can call it that. Track three, “Coughing Nails,” might be the best track on the record but that’s kind of pushing it. As a whole the record is a mishmash of musical genres which include (but aren’t limited to) hardcore, thrashcore, metalcore, you name it, it’s all floating around in NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER’s sound which, if you haven’t guessed by now, is all over the place.

For this reason, it’s hard to get a firm grip on the band’s identity and what they’re trying to convey from a sonic standpoint. There’s nothing new, or original, or exciting about their music. We’ve heard it before. The sixth track, “Weeping Sore,” might be the second best track on the record but it lacks direction.

Unfortunately, “The Bones That Grew From Pain” is very much paint by numbers and generic that doesn’t know what or who it is. It’s got heavy riffage and scary vocals but beyond that it lacks depth and more importantly, a roadmap. The band seems more like NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER FLIGHT than a band who is focused with intent to leave scars. For this reason, I can’t recommend it. If you’re a Hot Topic kiddo you’ll love it!

METAL BLADE

NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER