Very few names strike fear into the hearts of those outside the metal realm like Dying Fetus. Their unadulterated and unabashed brutality is established from the moment they walk in the door. They’re honestly some of my favorite music to share with my neighbors at 4 A.M. on a Sunday morning. Now on their eighth full length record, the band very clearly has their shit figured out. ‘Wrong One To Fuck With’ is a modern brutal death metal monstrosity that will raise the bar for metal bands the world over.
‘Wrong One To Fuck With’ is definitely the wrong album to fuck with. Savage from start to finish, there isn’t a moment to stop and catch your breath. “Fixated On Devastation” opens with a furious flurry of notes before dropping into the first of what you can assume will be many nasty grooves on the record. Per the usual I can’t understand a goddamn thing John Gallagher is saying, but that doesn’t mean the noises he makes still don’t make my balls all tingly for reasons I still can’t explain.
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“Panic Amongst The Herd” is one of the more simple tracks on the record, but that doesn’t make it boring by any means. Laden with fat, neck wrenching grooves, your blood is bound to boil. It hits hard and heavy with blasts galore. The drums throughout the record are absolutely killer. Trey Williams is very much on top of his game on this album. His drums sound tight, crisp, and razor sharp. They’re exactly where they need to be, driving the music along like a freight train from hell.
“Seething With Disdain” has one of my favorite types of intros, the long and low gurgling growl. It sounds so visceral and disgusting I swear it would work great in a movie as a monster noise. The riff work towards the end of the track is pretty crazy, I can easily picture their hands bouncing up and down the fretboard as they pull off these ridiculous lines. Sean Beasley of course is my main man, just slaying some nasty bass lines, which seem to go a little unappreciated and under mixed, but that’s where I come in. To remind the world that this guy is hiding in the back of the mix holding the whole thing together. You can hear him grinding along pretty well in tracks like “Die With Integrity.”
“Ideological Subjugation” is one of my favorite tracks off the album. It has an almost thrash vibe with the down tempo riffing which is super catchy. Of course, in classic Dying Fetus fashion, there are sweeps aplenty which kick right back into the super thrashy riffs. This song flat out kicks ass.
This album seems to be less ridiculously tech-y and more focused on sheer brutality, which is fine by me, albeit a little bit of a cock tease. I love the stupid sweeping sections, like in “Fallacy” where you’re just left wondering how the actual fuck these guys are playing so many notes so fast, especially when you see them play live. I’ve had the pleasure of catching them once so far and I was absolutely blown away. Not only do these guys crush it in the studio, but they execute everything perfectly live. As soon as you hear how ridiculous this album is, you’ll know you have to get out and see it for yourself, too.
The bottom line here is Dying Fetus prove yet again they are the wrong ones to fuck with. Heavier than all hell, ‘Wrong One To Fuck With’ is a modern brutal death metal colossus that I think fans are going to absolutely love. While the album isn’t as technical as previous works, that’s more of a personal preference than an actual issue. The grooves are savage and catchy, the brutal riffs are fast and in your face, and the vocals are as indecipherable as ever. It is a 100% unadulterated Dying Fetus record, through and through.