I recall once being told that it was “unfair” to make comparisons amongst a band’s discography. The reason one does that is to measure consistency and growth, or lack thereof. Apparently that’s not obvious to some. So you can bet when Dying Fetus drop an a-bomb like Wrong One to Fuck With, there’s going to be comparisons. But the album will be weighed against its own merits as well. Not that Dying Fetus have anything to prove at this point. After all, this is one of death metal’s finest, most brutalizing units.
Dying Fetus don’t fuck around, as the album title would rightfully suggest. And they’re also not a band with a perfect discography. Stop At Nothing comes to mind concerning skippable discography. But then they have untouchables like merciless Destroy the Opposition. And I don’t think anyone is expecting Dying Fetus to reinvent their sound at this point in the game. So it becomes a question of how fucking hard can the trio hit us with a sledge?
Wrong One to Fuck With can hit pretty goddamn hard. What you’ve come to expect from the band: groove, technicality and brutality are all here in spades. Opener “Fixated On Devastation” gives you a little bit of everything all at once: a tasty, shreddy riff, a funky bit of groove, blistering speed, and some heavy-as-hell drumming that sounds like it’s thudding around inside your skull. It’s dizzying and satisfying. And as the track thunders forth, you can tell this album has already earned its title.
What’s always been the most tricky thing, to my ears, about techy albums is bringing out a cohesive, interesting whole. Something that doesn’t get so lost in its riffing that it just shoves one after the other, after the other, after the other down our throats. Dying Fetus have almost always held this balance. John Gallaghar’s frantic fretwork and Sean Beasley’s thick bass-lines have a chemistry most bands can only dream of. Match that with Trey William’s standout drum work and it’s easy to see why Wrong One to Fuck With works so well. Tracks like “Die With Integrity” provide incredible build that only picks up more and more steam before swinging between a sinister drive and sporadic bursts of rage.
Recently, Dying Fetus have been kicking up the song count from album to album. Eight was the magic number for six albums. Then came Reign Supreme bumping the count to nine, and now it’s up to ten. As great as Wrong One to Fuck With is, its fifty-minute runtime can burn you out. There is a lot crammed into these songs and as stand out as a lot of it is, it’s easy to get lost amongst the riffs and tempo changes. It lacks not for adrenaline or pure, unfiltered rage. Things just get a little on the long side, especially with over half the tracks clocking in at over five-minutes. Yeah, if you didn’t think you couldn’t do a lot with five-minutes, you clearly haven’t heard this band before.
Wrong One to Fuck With is another fantastic entry in the Dying Fetus catalog. When up against their past discography, I’d say this ranks as a damn good album. Something like a sister piece of Descend Into Depravity. But regardless of that, if you like Dying Fetus then you’ve probably already torn into this menacing motherfucker. If you haven’t, I don’t know what you’re waiting for.
Score: 8/10
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