Dying Fetus – Make Them Beg for Death (Relapse)
Friday, 1st September 2023
Crazy to think that the last Dying Fetus album was 2017’s Wrong One to Fuck With, as the band always seems to maintain a certain presence. But it’s true that they don’t release albums as often as they used to (nor should it be expected, this far into their career), and Make Them Beg for Death is the band’s ninth full-length effort. Given Fetus’s influential take on the genre, you can expect the band to hold to the same high standard as ever – losing no sense of momentum as they get older.
The Dying Fetus format reigns supreme still, but really expect it to hit you with all cylinders from beginning to end. If anything can be made about how it improves upon what the band already does well, there’s a sense of urgency and conciseness to the tracks. Tracks get to the point quick, with no wasted time or meandering, most sticking to the 3-4 minute range. They manage to bring in grooves, blasts, and frantic riffing all within a span that’s going to give you all the visceral aggression you can take and never let go. Aptly named “Unbridled Fury” illustrates this well, clocking in at 3:31 and checking off all the boxes from above with style points to spare. It’s controlled chaos in all the right ways, with zigzagging riffs at blazing speed only relenting to pull you into chunky, headbangable grooves. The previous track, “Throw Them in the Van” is total carnage as the album’s shortest track and works as a genuine steamroller of a song. But equally important is the band’s sense of melody, something that usually comes out in the massive grooves they pull you into. Closer “Subterfuge” commands your attention with intricate mid-tempo riffs that are as intense as they are memorable, with well-timed slowdowns working their way in to make sure you are able to soak up the complexity or groove along – whichever you happen to choose.
Still the masters of hardcore-laced death metal that grooves as hard as it blasts, Dying Fetus continue to provide an engrossing and brutal experience. Make them Beg for Death is exactly what fans have come to know and expect, yet the subtle tweaks and improvements show Dying Fetus just as hungry for success as in their younger days.
