An extreme metal group with a knack for locating the sweet spot between blastbeats, guttural vocals, and hooks, Maryland's Dying Fetus combine elements of technical death metal and hardcore to forge their own distinctive brand of American grindcore. Emerging in the early '90s, the band earned a loyal following in the metal underground before flirting with mainstream success in the 2010s with Billboard-charting efforts like Reign Supreme (2012) and Wrong One to Fuck With (2017). With guitarist, vocalist, and sole constant member John Gallagher at the helm, Dying Fetus continued to snap necks on their uncompromising ninth long-player, 2023's Make Them Beg for Death. Dying Fetus was formed in 1991 in the waning days of death metal's heyday by John Gallagher (guitar/vocals), Nick Speleos (guitar), Brian Latta (guitar), Jason Netherton (bass), and Kevin Talley (drums). Pioneering bands like Napalm Death and Carcass had taken the U.K. and Europe by storm. Still, the subgenre never really caught on in America, having been utterly buried by grunge when Dying Fetus released their 1995 debut, Infatuation with Malevolence, which, admittedly, did little more than collect their old demos into a single package. After downsizing to a quartet with Speleos' departure, the band truly began to hit its stride with a slew of increasingly confident and inspired releases, including 1996's Purification Through Violence, 1998's Killing on Adrenaline, and 2000's Destroy the Opposition. Their notoriety continued to grow steadily within the extreme metal underground, as did their audience, thanks to a ferocious live presence and incessant touring at home and abroad with similarly aggressive bands like Kataklysm, The Crown, and Behemoth. Between road excursions, the band kept itself busy by re-releasing an expanded version of its debut in 1999 and the Grotesque Impalement EP in 2000. Midway through 2001, Gallagher was handed resignation letters from the other members of the group, who proceeded to join forces in a new project called Misery Index and thus left the future of Dying Fetus very much in doubt. But to everyone's surprise, Gallagher wasted no time hiring an entirely new lineup comprised of vocalist Vince Matthews, guitarist Mike Kimball, bassist Sean Beasley, and drummer Erik Sayenga. A new single entitled "Vengeance Unleashed" was recorded to support the band's touring commitments, which included that year's Wacken Open Air Festival, after which Dying Fetus entered the studio to prepare their next album, 2003's unrelenting Stop at Nothing. The blistering War of Attrition appeared in 2007, followed three years later by Descend into Depravity -- both on Relapse. The latter effort saw the band pare down to a power trio consisting of Gallagher, Beasley, and new drummer Trey Williams. Arriving in 2012, Reign Supreme became their first to reach the main Billboard album charts, a feat the group managed again in 2017 with Wrong One to Fuck With, which fared even better. Dying Fetus showed no signs of slowing down in 2023, releasing their ninth long-player, the savage and groove-laden Make Them Beg for Death. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia & James Christopher Monger, Rovi

Alcatraz Festival 2009

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