| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Enlighten Through Agony Compulsion For Cruelty Feast Of Ashes Throw Them In The Van Unbridled Fury When The Trend Ends Undulating Carnage Raised In Victory, Razed By Defeat Hero's Grave Subterfuge DYING FETUS IS: John Gallagher - Guitars & vocals Sean Beasley - Bass & vocals Trey Williams - Drums |  |
It's time to hide the mothers and the dogs, because the pioneers of tech death are back with their first album in six years. I'm of course talking about Dying Fetus and their ninth studio album Make Them Beg For Death. Over 30 years since their formation and coming on nearly 30 years since Purification Through Violence, they are not losing one bit of their brutality. John Gallagher has one of the most distinct voices in death metal, with his very low gutteral that sound like his throat's slightly closed off by his tongue. On top of that, having the more high registered gutterals by Sean Beasley has proven to be a great element to have that contrast. There's not a lot of death metal bands with two vocalists trading off with two different styles. It adds a nice element, whereas a lot of death metal is just focused on one style or the other.
If you were to ask me, Dying Fetus even sometimes manage to surpass the brutality levels of Cannibal Corpse when it comes to certain lyrics, with the exception of the more political ones they dabbled in. Make Them Beg For Death contains all the traditional Dying Fetus trademarks with hardly anything new. They're one of the very few bands that can consistently make the same album and keep it exciting. These days, I find a lot of albums that continue in the same vein tend not to get me as excited anymore because I'm someone who likes to be surprised most of the time. That being said, there are some moments on here that do surprise me in a good way, which I will touch on here.
As things lead off with "Enlighten Through Agony", you can hear little hints of Iron Maiden in the riffing, while still retaining the brutality that we expect, and it's a clear statement that even after nearly 30 years, the Fetus is still delivering the goods at such a high level. It has been since Destroy The Opposition that the band wrote a song that clocks in under 2 minutes, but "Throw Them In The Van" now joins the company of "Kill Your Mother/Rape Your Dog" and "Pissing In The Mainstream". While "Unbridled Fury" may sound like a corny title, it lives up to its name, because it's what you get through the entire album.
There's a reason why the gaps between Fetus records have increased, and that is to make sure each moment has a purpose. Even if some of the transitions may seem absurd, they somehow make them work, and it can be a real head scratcher because there are other bands that do the same thing, but they don't quite hit it out of the ballpark, whereas Fetus does. The way they can transition from an insane blast beat-laden section to a crushing breakdown with a sledgehammer groove is pure magic. The closer "Subterfuge" is a standout moment in particular for this element.
The only thing that kind of irked me about Dying Fetus was the drum production. As a drummer, I'm a fan of big drum production. The snare always seemed to click as opposed to pound. I'm not sure if it's an intentional thing, but if it is, it's an element that's part of the Fetus signature sound. Even if the drums don't pound, there's no denying that Trey Williams is a machine amongst machines. That being said, Make Them Beg For Death offers some of ther tastiest death metal that 2023 has to offer.
If you were to ask me, Dying Fetus even sometimes manage to surpass the brutality levels of Cannibal Corpse when it comes to certain lyrics, with the exception of the more political ones they dabbled in. Make Them Beg For Death contains all the traditional Dying Fetus trademarks with hardly anything new. They're one of the very few bands that can consistently make the same album and keep it exciting. These days, I find a lot of albums that continue in the same vein tend not to get me as excited anymore because I'm someone who likes to be surprised most of the time. That being said, there are some moments on here that do surprise me in a good way, which I will touch on here.
As things lead off with "Enlighten Through Agony", you can hear little hints of Iron Maiden in the riffing, while still retaining the brutality that we expect, and it's a clear statement that even after nearly 30 years, the Fetus is still delivering the goods at such a high level. It has been since Destroy The Opposition that the band wrote a song that clocks in under 2 minutes, but "Throw Them In The Van" now joins the company of "Kill Your Mother/Rape Your Dog" and "Pissing In The Mainstream". While "Unbridled Fury" may sound like a corny title, it lives up to its name, because it's what you get through the entire album.
There's a reason why the gaps between Fetus records have increased, and that is to make sure each moment has a purpose. Even if some of the transitions may seem absurd, they somehow make them work, and it can be a real head scratcher because there are other bands that do the same thing, but they don't quite hit it out of the ballpark, whereas Fetus does. The way they can transition from an insane blast beat-laden section to a crushing breakdown with a sledgehammer groove is pure magic. The closer "Subterfuge" is a standout moment in particular for this element.
The only thing that kind of irked me about Dying Fetus was the drum production. As a drummer, I'm a fan of big drum production. The snare always seemed to click as opposed to pound. I'm not sure if it's an intentional thing, but if it is, it's an element that's part of the Fetus signature sound. Even if the drums don't pound, there's no denying that Trey Williams is a machine amongst machines. That being said, Make Them Beg For Death offers some of ther tastiest death metal that 2023 has to offer.
FINAL RATING
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