REVIEW: Nicolas Cage Fighter - I Watched You Burn

When you first hear their name, you might not know what to expect. Bands with names like this often turn out to be gimmicky and tend not to take themselves seriously, especially when they're named after an actor with the same reputation – but NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER exist to buck that trend. The Australian death-driven hardcore rockers have been on the scene for years, with their debut album dropping in 2022, and they're back with another aggression-fuelled, ear-crushing record, I Watched You Burn. The album is "a bit of a concept album" says vocalist NICK MORIARTY, diving into the ideas of life, death, and what it truly means to be human. It takes all the depth of their debut release, and amplifies it tenfold.

Title track I Watched You Burn comes roaring at us like a ghost rider from hell. Immediately we're kicked in the teeth by MORIARTY's raw, guttural screams, and JUSTIN ELLIS' intense guitar riffs. It sets the scene for the album – darkness-tinged, relentless, and evoking the suffering and despair of the immortal protagonist witnessing his world slowly fall apart around him. Valley of Agony capitalises on that, hitting us with a wall of sound heavy enough to shatter your eardrums instantaneously. CONNOR McMILLAN brings his filthy basslines, while MATT DAVENPORT continuously punches us in the face with the clashing of drums, as if he has a score to settle.

Godforsaken Silence does anything but live up to its name – it's noisy and thunderous, and vicious in the ways it strikes us. In the wake of the merciless breakdown, we can already picture that when the mosh pit clears, they’ll be bringing out the dead. What follows is The Executioner, in which MORIARTY and ELLIS tear at each others' throats with guttural vocals fighting for dominance against unabating axe riffs. It's an intense face/off that thrashes us around and leaves us begging for air – but still they do not relent.

Soon after is Tempest, carrying yet more grit and aggression, and a pounding drumbeat that could demolish concrete. The track hits almost four minutes in length, but with the sharp, unhesitant violence it exudes, it feels like it's gone in sixty seconds. Garden of the Grieving Mother is another rip-roaring track, as brutal and unforgiving as it is sickeningly catchy, while Death in Bloom drags out an extended breakdown, acting as the one (brief as it is) respite we're given in this release.

Legacies of Dust has the band meeting their namesake in the determined, unbroken punch after punch they hit us with, all the ferocity of a rage-filled cage fighter running through their blood. Existing Beyond Death is an immediate follow-up, a sure-fire pit-killer with its kick-ass riffs and fist-swinging beats – good luck to anyone trying to escape unscathed. This all leads to an ultimate culmination when Tarnished Remains appears. The intensity reaches its peak with this closing track, vocals dragged up from deep within MORIARTY's core. ELLIS is more frenetic than ever, and DAVENPORT's drums are an unremitting assault, all while backed by McMILLAN's persistent, load-bearing bassline.

I Watched You Burn is an incendiary, unrelenting piece of work that has NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER at their best – their breakdowns are brutal, their riffs are disgustingly grimy, and their vocals are staggering. This follow-up to their debut album is a worthy successor in every way, dialling up the intensity and aggression to the extreme. One thing is for sure – the band must truly know what it's like to suffer the unbearable weight of massive talent.

Score: 8/10

I Watched You Burn was released on September 12th 2025 via Blood Blast Distribution & Bleeding Art Collective.

Words: Naomi Colliar Duff

Photos: Nicolas Cage Fighter