The Pitch: Dying Fetus is back with their 8th record, entitled Wrong One to Fuck With. The band continues to evolve the technical side of their playing while churning out slams and breakdowns that make you want to hurt people. FFO: Mortician, Cannibal Corpse, Necrophagist
What I Like: Dying Fetus really nailed it on this record. Wrong One to Fuck With definitely lives up to it's name. It is packed with hardcore-infused slam brutality and stays true to the band's trademark sound, which one can argue hasn't changed much since Destroy the Opposition was released nearly 20 years ago. Songs like "Seething with Disdain" and "Ideological Subjugation" deliver some of the most memorable and pummeling riffs put out this year. The fury of these songs really comes through, and it's definitely easy to get wrapped up in the pissed off vibe of the record.
The release is perhaps the band's most technical to date, but at no point does songwriting take a back seat to showy instrumentation. Any consistent readers of Metal Trenches (surely you exist somewhere) will know that nothing irks me more than a band who is technical for no reason other than to show off. It bores the hell out of me. Fortunately, Dying Fetus manages to bring Necrophagist-level shred to the table and somehow still make it feel tough as nails. I feel like the track "Weaken the Structure" is worth mentioning here, as it opens with an unusually melodic guitar solo and also features a Kerry King-style solo later in the track. It's nice to see that while the band's style is pretty much set, they are not unwilling to occasionally try something a little different.
Dying Fetus continues to function flawlessly as a 3-piece death metal band. Vocal duties are split between John Gallagher, AKA Mr. Dying Fetus himself, and long-time bassist Sean Beasley. These two really work well a vocal combo. John Gallagher sounds like a frog who just took a massive hit of nitrous gas. Despite having little range, his vocals are instantly recognizable and are integral to the band's sound. Sean Beasley, on the other hand, has a less unique but much more articulate vocal style. Which is good when the vocal parts require you know...articulation, such as the title track where he belts out "I was the wrong one to fuck with".
Critiques: 5 years is way too long to wait for a Dying Fetus record.
The Verdict: This is a great Dying Fetus record. If you're already a listener you will love it, and new listeners will be drawn in as well. Order Wrong One to Fuck With in the link below.
Dan's Fav's: Seething with Disdain, Ideological Subjugation