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All Music Guide:
Though forever doomed commercially speaking by their controversial name, Maryland's Dying Fetus has endured beyond most observers' wildest expectations, and to do so, they've weathered a slew of hardships that would have felled (and did) most other bands.
Formed in the waning days of death metal's glorious heyday (1991, to be exact) by John Gallagher (guitar/vocals), Nick Speleos (guitar), Brian Latta (guitar), Jason Netherton (bass), and Kevin Talley (drums), Dying Fetus combined their death metal with hardcore influences in order to develop their own form of American grindcore. But while pioneering bands like Napalm Death and Carcass had taken the U.K. and Europe by storm, this subgenre never really caught on in America, and had been utterly buried by grunge by the time Dying Fetus released their 1995 debut, Infatuation with Malevolence, which, admittedly, did little more than collect their old demos into a single package. A
fter downsizing to a quartet with Speleos' departure, the band truly began to hit their 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. All the while, 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 jaunts, the band kept themselves busy by re-releasing an expanded version of their debut in 1999 and the Grotesque Impalement EP in 2000, but trouble was just around the corner.
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 much to everyone's surprise, Gallagher wasted no time hiring an entirely new lineup consisting of vocalist Vince Matthews, guitarist Mike Kimball, bassist Sean Beasely, 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 fifth album, 2003's eagerly awaited Stop at Nothing. The blistering War of Attrition followed in 2006.
Wikipedia:
Dying Fetus is an American death metal band originally from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their consistently hook-laden song structures, characterized by blast beats, complex riffing and heavy breakdowns. Additionally, their reality-based lyrics characterized by political/modern themes are notable in death metal. Various line-up changes throughout the years have left John Gallagher the remaining original member, as well as the band's driving force. According to vocalist/guitarist John Gallagher, the band name was chosen when the members were still teens and was intended to be offensive.
History [edit]
Beginnings (1991–1996) [edit]
Dying Fetus was founded in 1991 in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, by John Gallagher (guitar, vocals) and Jason Netherton (bass, vocals). The band began in earnest when the pair met up with guitarist/vocalist Nick Speleos in 1992. It was decided then that Gallagher would fill in on drums until a proper drummer was found. The writing of this period resulted in the 1993 demo Bathe In Entrails In late 1993, the band found drummer Rob Belton, as well as guitarist Brian Latta, who replaced the departing Nick Speleos (which also thrust John Gallagher back into the role of guitarist and vocalist). Together the new four-piece lineup recorded the Infatuation with Malevolence demo in early 1994, later released together with the first demo in 1995 as a compilation on California Indie label Wild Rags Records. Songs included all tracks from both demos as one CD.
In 1996, the band released their first album, Purification through Violence, on short lived Illinois label Pulverizer Records. The album marked a further refinement of the band's developing sound of death metal riffing, combined with heavy slams, over seven original songs, and one Napalm Death cover, "Scum". Drummer Rob Belton left and the band was joined briefly in 1995 for a year by drummer Casey Buckler, with whom they performed live, yet never recorded with.
Rise to underground prominence (1996–2000) [edit]
With no promotion and no label, Dying Fetus toured off and on, sporadically, for 4 years straight starting in summer 1996 with their first full US tour alongside Kataklysm and Monstrosity, with the first appearance of future drummer Erik Sayenga as drummer replacing Casey Buckler. However by 1997, Erik Sayenga had left the band, and after a short Texas tour in May 1997, drummer Kevin Talley joined full-time in the summer of 1997. At this point, the band caught the attention of German indie label Morbid Records, who signed them early in 1998 for a one-album deal. Almost immediately afterwards, the band released their 2nd album, Killing on Adrenaline.
Morbid Records supplied the band with scant promotion in the death metal underground, and the band subsequently rose to slightly higher prominence, yet the band's live performances still gained them the most attention. However, guitarist Brian Latta left the band in late 1998, ushering in new guitarist “Sparky” Voyles, and in 1999 the band embarked on their first headlining tour of the US, over three weeks dubbed the "Underground Terrorism" tour. The tour was followed shortly thereafter by the Grotesque Impalement EP, which the band released on their own Blunt Force Records label imprint.
Relapse Records, new lineups (2000–2003) [edit]
By 2000, Dying Fetus caught the attention of another underground metal label, the indie company Relapse Records, who subsequently signed the band. To date, all Dying Fetus albums have been on Relapse Records.
Once more returning to Steve Carr's Hit and Run Studios in Maryland (where each previous Dying Fetus album was recorded), Dying Fetus recorded in the spring of 2000 their Relapse debut, Destroy the Opposition. This album featured even stronger political themes, and songwriting that was to highly influence the "deathcore" scene in subsequent years. The album was included in Decibel's Top 100 Albums of the decade list for the 2000s (Decibel Magazine Special Edition, December 2009), as well as to Decibel's "Hall of Fame" (#89, July 2012).
However, following the release of Destroy the Opposition, original member Jason Netherton left the band for personal reasons, and thereafter guitarist Voyles and drummer Talley left the band only months after the album's release (they since went on to form the band Misery Index). Gallagher recruited guitarist Mike Kimball, singer Vince Matthews, bassist/backup vocalist Sean Beasley, and the returning Eric Sayenga on drums.
With the new lineup, the band released their 4th album, Stop at Nothing, in 2003, another album featuring Carr’s production and strong political themes. A promotional video was shot for the track “One Shot, One Kill”.
Five members, return to form (2003-present) [edit]
Sean Beasley performing in Bratislava, Slovakia in 2009.Dying Fetus toured extensively for Stop at Nothing, and got airplay for the music video for "One Shot, One Kill" on Headbanger's Ball. Another tool that led to exposure of the band was more mainstream metal attention of Relapse Records (with acts such as Mastodon gaining popularity), as well as a full North American tour with GWAR in 2005. However, the Stop at Nothing lineup dissolved slightly in the years that followed as drummer Erik Sayenga parted yet again, and singer Vince Matthews went on to form Criminal Element. However, Dying Fetus came back yet again, bassist Beasley took over on vocals, and drummer Duane Timlin (ex-Divine Empire/Broken Hope) joined the ranks in 2006.
That lineup then recorded War of Attrition, which was released in March 2007. Themes include attacking reality TV, the war on terrorism, racial ignorance, and the flaws in the criminal justice system. Songs include “Homicidal Retribution,” “Raping the System” and “Parasites of Catastrophe.” Dying Fetus’ second music video was made for “Homicidal Retribution.”
Yet another lineup change occurred on the Dying Fetus front in July 2007: drummer Duane Timlin was fired due to incompatibilities. The newest drummer for the band is Trey Williams, from the local Baltimore band Severed Head. Mike Kimball also left the band and they've remained a trio since.
On September 15, 2009, Dying Fetus released their seventh album, Descend into Depravity on Relapse Records.
On December 15, 2011, the band announced a new album, Reign Supreme, would be released on June 19, 2012.
The band released the first single, "Subjected to a Beating", on April 2, 2012.
