Dying Fetus has a grudge against our lives.
Since its formation in 1991, the American band led by John Gallagher (guitar/vocals), and joined for many years by Sean Beasley (bass/vocals) and Trey Williams (drums), has become a veritable benchmark in the Brutal/Technical Death/Grindcore scene. In 2023, the band announced the release of Make Them Beg for Death, their ninth album, on Relapse Records.
The band immediately attacks at full speed with Enlighten Through Agony, a solid composition with jerky riffs and as devastating as ever alternating vocal placements. Blasts and gut-wrenching harmonics take turns fuelling the devastating moshparts before Compulsion for Cruelty unveils its sharp leads, creating an interesting but extremely well-managed contrast with the aggressive basis. Even during the most elaborated passages, the sound remains constant, barely letting the pressure off as we move on to Feast of Ashes, an equally solid track in every aspect, which surprises us with a real explosion before the moshpart takes over. The solo is much more melodic, while remaining anchored in an Old School vein which quickly gives way to catchy violence before the short virulent Throw Them in the Van comes to molest us with its wild, energetic Grindcore influences. Unbridled Fury soon kicks things off with its aggressive yet relatively groovy approach, featuring frenetic accelerations that transport us between the fiery riffs, as does When the Trend Ends, which adopts a similar pattern to keep our skulls wagging frantically. Every change is methodically calculated, allowing the band to effectively add the piercing lead parts characteristic of their sound, and the same can be said of Undulating Carnage, which pours its stunned palm-mutes into the heady riffs. The livelier parts are not to be outdone, allowing the band to create waves of fury just like on the belligerent Raised in Victory / Razed in Defeat, which will blow us away with those double-kick rolls which regularly appear to energize the hurricane. The album draws to a close with Hero’s Grave, which puts the emphasis on screaming lead parts, while keeping a massive rhythm complemented by ever-powerful vociferations, followed by Subterfuge, which begins with a danceable sound, almost immediately replaced by riffs that alternate heaviness and liveliness.
Dying Fetus have made us wait a long time before finally offering us Make Them Beg for Death, but their blend is so catchy, polished and unmatchable that we can easily forgive them for having taken six years to compose.
95/100
