Artist: Dying Fetus
Label: Relapse Records
Release Date: 5/13/03
|
|
Title: Stop at Nothing Artist: Dying Fetus Label: Relapse Records Release Date: 5/13/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
|
4 | ||
|
4 | ||
|
4 | ||
|
|
Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
Well boy do I feel stupid. No, I didn't get my penis stuck in the vacuum again, I'm talking about my preconceived notions when it came to Dying Fetus. For those of you who are uninitiated, Dying Fetus lost all but one of their members after the release of their stellar album, Destroy the Opposition, and with such a mass exodus of talent, I had little faith John Gallagher would be able to resurrect anything even remotely relevant. This wasn't entirely my fault, I had heard through the grapevine that Dying Fetus had gone in a different direction, or just couldn't play live anymore, et cetera, et cetera. Of course, as is often the case with grapevines, they can be chock full o' sour grapes. One listen to Stop At Nothing proves this all to be untrue.
"Well boy do I feel stupid. No, I didn't get my penis stuck in the vacuum again, I'm talking about my preconceived notions when it came to Dying Fetus." First off, and most surprisingly, this new album is unmistakably Dying Fetus. One would think that that was impossible with 4/5 (yes that's 80%) of the band members leaving, but it's true. Not only does it sound like Dying Fetus, they haven't really lost a step. Dying Fetus remain not only an important, but a leading band in the American Death Metal scene. And while comparisons shouldn't really be necessary, I'm sure many of you out there only want to know one thing: Yes, it is better than Misery Index.
It does seem that the drumming has lost a step, not surprising when you consider the man who left the job, but it gets the job done and is impressive in its own right. The riffs are brutally heavy and utilize the groove and technicality we've all come to expect from this band. In short, new members Sean Beasly (Bass), Vince Matthews (Vocals), Erik Sayenga (Drums), and especially Mike Kimbal (Guitars) have (seemingly) come out of nowhere to aide Mr. Gallagher in brushing the ashes off the phoenix that is this band (Dying Phoenix? Could work? Nahh.).
"This is a great record and a gift for the Fetus faithful." My early favorite songs "Forced Elimination" and "One Shot, One Kill" could easily sit proudly among the tracks of any of their previous records, and lead me to believe that John must have the same grit, drive, and fortitude that a newly fired Dave Mustaine had so many years ago, when he found himself suddenly alone and looking to pick up the pieces.
This is a great record and a gift for the Fetus faithful. As I said before, this album made me feel stupid... and oh yeah, I lied, I did get my penis stuck in the vacuum again. One word review: Resurrected.
Death's Review:
[M.O.D. and Dying Fetus? It must be Sparky Voyles' and Kevin Talley's ex- bands week at Metal Judgment!]
"Radical lineup changes be damned, the band delivers the riffs, the drumming, the groove and the metallic power you've come to expect from the Fetus name." Dying Fetus return after an almost-three year absence to deliver Stop at Nothing, their second album for Relapse Records. Radical lineup changes be damned, the band delivers the riffs, the drumming, the groove and the metallic power you've come to expect from the Fetus name, despite the departure of three key members since the release of the last album. While I definitely still think Killing on Adrenaline is the band's masterpiece, the new album stands tall with Destroy the Opposition, and should easily satisfy the legions in the pit on tour in the coming months.
There was a time I wasn't so sure about what this new record was going to sound like. In many ways, I had kinda written off Dying Fetus absent Talley, Netherton and Voyles but after seeing the Fetus perform live earlier this year I realized that the band's core sound hadn't really changed all that much overall. Although visually the revamped Fetus looked kinda "hardcore" at first, the riffs heard here are definitely metal and the underlying technicality is still there. Sure, the band's fanbase might somewhat "unify" the metal and hardcore scenes, but musically this is essentially good old American death metal, with the "mosh" riffs emphasized a bit I guess. It might have a subtle hardcore leaning, but this is not Atreyu or Haste. This is guttural, dual-vocal death metal, and - all in all - is a pretty good record.
"This is guttural, dual-vocal death metal, and - all in all - is a pretty good record."
Hel's Review:
It is an unsettling thing when a band you considered a favorite undergoes major staff restructuring. Left wondering whether the new incarnation could come anywhere near the glory of the prior line-up, fans of Dying Fetus have spent the last three years pondering the implications of the wholesale changes that have taken place.
"The thing that immediately leaps out is the difference in drummers." For those not yet educated in the history of Dying Fetus, John Gallagher is the only remaining member of the band who had been involved in the seminal releases Killing on Adrenaline and Destroy the Opposition. The sole bright spot here is that most of the songwriting for both of those records was done by Gallagher himself, lending some promise that the newest incarnation of Dying Fetus may not be too far off from the original high water mark.
"While I think the musicianship on the new album, as a whole, does not meet the astoundingly high level of the previous Dying Fetus incarnation, they actually do come admirably close." Though I am embittered by the loss of the other band members, I resolved to attempt to give this album a fair shake, so I decided to revisit the previous two records to recapture my previous mindset about this band, and enable myself to more accurately compare this album to the Dying Fetus template in my mind.
The thing that immediately leaps out is the difference in drummers. While new skinsman, Erik Sayenga, performs his duties with admirable competence, the simple fact remains that Kevin Talley is one of the greatest metal drummers to grace our generation. So, just as many people competently performed the duties of Dave Lombardo's office in Slayer following his departure, they likewise always failed to match his brilliance. And so it goes with the new incarnation of Dying Fetus.
But, on the whole, Stop at Nothing is a much better album than I expected them to return with. After seeing the new line up live, and not being particularly overawed by the experience (unlike the last line up, which unerringly knocked me on my ass live), my expectations for this record were at an all-time low. So I am pleasantly surprised by this development. While I think the musicianship on the new album, as a whole, does not meet the astoundingly high level of the previous Dying Fetus incarnation, they actually do come admirably close. So, Dying Fetus fans, give this one a spin, and see for yourselves, this band's not done wreaking havoc just yet.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.