Review by Jeger on September 8, 2024.

Revenge - who hasn’t fantasized about jamming a knife into the forehead of someone who’s wronged them? Or maybe you’re like me and you got ripped off on a coke deal, it just didn’t sit right, so you had to go back and knock his fucking teeth out. Oh, how sweet the feeling, but imagine taking it further, to the point of sheer bloodlust. Break into his house! Stalk him down and cut his whimpering fucking head off. Now that’s the Dying Fetus's way of doing things… In 2017, Dying Fetus unleashed Wrong One To Fuck With via Relapse. 

Aside from a few albums and a handful of bands, death metal has always been conceptually cartoonish and dumb. A 12-year-old could think of most of this shit, but with Dying Fetus, the horrors of death are tapped into the roots of the human condition whereas things like revenge, adrenaline-fueled killing sprees and torture hit the cortex like a straight shot of cortisol, as opposed to laughing at the cover of “Eaten Back to Life”. It’s animalistic and yet it’s refined all the same, much like a murderer - driven by primal lust yet as calculated as the human mind is only capable of… 

If it’s not unsettling, anxiety-inducing, and fucking dreadful then guess what, kids? It ain’t death metal. “Wrong One to Fuck With” is the epitome of all these things and anticipating each bludgeoning passage is like watching the claw hammer drop. “Fixated on Devastation - that savage dual-vox threat so masterfully contrasted by blinding flashes of technicality, sledgehammer rhythms and slitting double-bass currents, breakdowns, and unpredictable changes in tempo. Only the first fucking track… In what is probably Dying Fetus’ most “death metal” album, you’ll also experience Morbid Angel-level compositional madness in tracks like “Panic Amongst the Herd” and “Die With Integrity” that bring to mind “Altars of Madness” era Azagthoth. The latter further delving into the realm of murder and into our minds’ pre-death defaults - cowardice or integrity? We all get to learn that about ourselves, hopefully not looking into the rage-tear-drenched and bloodshot eyes of our own killer. 

What separates Dying Fetus from the New York and Florida boys is not only their Maryland resident locale, but mainly it’s in the cinematic quality of their music. It’s like you’re right there squirming on the floor or on the other side of things with an implement of slaughter in hand and inching toward the kill. It happens every day, and that’s the vibe here, the reality of the situation… 

Fuck man, shit you can drink whiskey and bang your fucking head to - “Reveling in the Abyss” - breakdown after breakdown and such masterful vocal timing - beautiful even as it closes with such a subtle touch of melody. Then it’s back to the business at hand and that is “Seething With Disdain” and more strap-em to a chair vibes. The balance between what is technical and what is brutal throughout this album is like a finely-keeled line where each element intertwines in orbit and perpetual flow. Like grim overseers to it all are guitarist/vocalist, John Gallagher and bassist/vocalist, Sean Beasley.

Uncompromising as always are Dying Fetus. The very best yet somehow overlooked and it’s unfathomable to me. We have just under an hour’s worth of world-dominating brutal/technical death metal here and it’s enough to make you just wanna find that motherfucker from back in the day. Chug, chug, chugging and slamming your way as you “Weaken the Structure”. You’ll be begging for more, it’s a spree now… 

Thrash-level speed, anthemic roars, and china-rides to sweeten the deal during “Fallacy” and all the blood-soaked trimmings: intense visuals if you’re high like me and John just like a mad scientist behind the axe. Trey Williams just drilling it in like a fucking jackhammer behind the kit the whole way through - perpetual and unrelenting like the rhythm of the pulse of psychosis. And if you’re a fan of everything this band has ever done, then you will take in the closing track as you would a mercy kill. A final show of force and a testament to everything this band has done so well over the course of their career. And some heavy fucking groove/melodic flow on top of it. Wrong one to fuck with, remember? Yeah, don’t forget that you’re a murderer. We all are, most of us just haven’t met the right asshole. Revenge as sweet as freshly-drawn blood spewing from that motherfucker who ruined your life. The Dying Fetus way of doing things… 

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Fran on October 25, 2020.

Dying Fetus’ last albums are lethal and since Descend into Depravity which was a great album, they just have got better and better. Reign Supreme was an excellent follow up and Wrong One to Fuck With is the cherry on the pie; probably their best record since Destroy the Opposition, my favorite album from the band. The band’s work is very professional both in studio and live since the release of their 2nd LP, so you get what you expect from a band with such credentials: top quality brutal death metal with hardcore influences.

Composition wise they follow the same formula that made them famous, maybe just adding an apex of melody. Slow paced sections are often still there, with their groove and heaviness in all their glory. Mixed with those breakdowns we can hear killer riffs introduced by the guitars and then marked violently by percussion, followed by frantic blast beat sections performed at hyper speed. Soloing, tapping and sweep picking sections are rather technical and amusing, keeping some balance between melody and aggression. The bassist does an excellent job following the guitars, considering those figures are harder to play on bass due to the size of the frets. Hardcore punk riffs show up occasionally; adding variety to the sound of the band that has so many different textures.

The production of the album is super modern and professional, the mix is super balanced; bass guitar tone can be fully appreciated, it has a smooth distortion and it's equalized so that the sound of the string hitting the fretboard gets in the high end of the mix. It's also super thick and crunchy, all these details help the bass to cut through the sound of the rest of the band while serving its purpose as a companion for the six strings. Guitars are down tuned as hell but their lows don't collide with the bass, its distortion is super raw and sharp but has 0 ground noise or analog feel on it. The sound of the drums is pristine but not over produced, it still appears human with a brilliant technique, precise as a Swiss watch. Brutal and elegant at the same time. The vocalist is on top of his game on this album, his growls are super low and deep and sound totally frightening. This modern production style fits the sound of the band perfectly.

I found very interesting that a band can reach a second peak of creativity after all these years around, that's the difference between commercial bands that play for money and real committed musicians that play because they love it and don't give a fuck about the rest. Total respect for these guys.

Rating: 9.3 out of 10

Review by Yener on May 13, 2019.

Dying Fetus have ALWAYS been the wrong ones to fuck with. With a name like Dying Fetus, you've pretty much forsaken any form of commercial success from the very get go. John Gallagher, being the badass he is, doesn't care about that. Dying Fetus is Dying Fetus. They've always pumped out quality albums, some better than others, but there has never been a weak one. And this one is on the higher spectrum of albums they have released throughout their 26-year career. 

First thing to note - the old Dying Fetus logo is back. YES.

Second thing to note - gruesome album cover. In fact, John had a whole different idea for the cover, which involved a woman's torso with her organs hanging out, but Relapse stepped in and said no. Don't go soft on us now, Relapse!

It's also great to see that Dying Fetus have had the same stable line up for ten or so years now. Trust me, death metal line ups don't get much better than this. Still a three piece, the boys from MD can make enough noise to make you go deaf for a few days. I've seen them live and it was quite the experience. If they stroll through your town, prepare for decimation. Don't miss it.

Onto the music, and this one is an easy one to review honestly. The band pick up from where they left off with Reign Supreme, but actually give it a few more shots of adrenaline. The songs on here are angrier, faster, more technical and just flat out more fun to listen to.

Dying Fetus has always been a band known for their stellar guitar work (you have John to thank for this) and here it's no different. The riffs cut and slash, grind and pound, skewer and impale. Just the right amount of technical wizardry mixed in with John's trademark bouncy riffs. Sean puts in a stellar performance as usual, and Trey just beasts through this rock-solid slab of metal. The vocals are top notch. They are always top notch with Dying Fetus. Both John and Sean sound great. 

The songs themselves as I stated earlier are more fun to listen to than on Reign Supreme, and that's mostly down to the arrangements. The songs have enough content in them to keep you interested, enough twists and turns so you don't really know where you'll be ending up next, but when you get there it makes perfect sense. I only wish the sound production would be a bit punchier (Reign Supreme sounded amazing), but this still sounds pretty great as it is. You'll want to turn up the bass a bit on your home system, however. 

I'm not going to go into detail about particular songs or sections like I usually do, because there is simply so many of them. You'll just have to throw on a good set of headphones and enjoy all the intricacies for yourself.

Always worth the wait, Dying Fetus never fails. Never. Like I said before, they are ALWAYS the wrong ones to fuck with.

Standout tracks: Panic Amongst the Herd, Die With Integrity, Reveling in the Abyss, Seething With Disdain, Unmitigated Detestation.

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on September 23, 2018.

Ugh, the production on here is too flat, that's why I deem Reign Supreme (2012) to be a better sounding album mixing/sound wise. But the riffs are about as good as on here than they are on Reign Supreme. Their predecessor is probably their best that they've ever put out. But to those who give this album a better rating, they may argue that the guitar licks are better here. I disagree. For a band that formed in 1991, they still have it, though most of the original line-up is gone. This trio is what remains and yes despite the flat out appeasing comments I've thrown into this introduction, I did like the album.

You get a better listen to what's going on in the guitar department here than if it's coming out of your boom box or stereo. It's just everything is intensified, on here it's just a flatter sounding record and the guitar tone is a little bit less than good. I like the licks, but I don't like the guitar vibe. It doesn't sound as good as when they did on Reign Supreme. The arpeggios are still whizzing up and down the fret-board, but they're not with as much precision. The pig-sounding down picked riffs alongside the vocals fit well. But is album is no "God" or an album that they've put out. Some people tend to think, "well, oh yes this is the best they've done in years." I disagree.

Listen to Reign Supreme compared to this one and make your determination. So getting to the music, they do a lot of crazy fret-work it's just not their best. They should go back to the Dying Fetus basics here and keep the trio, just remember what their last album was like, you'll get the vibe. 

Tempo changes all over the place and the combination between the deep growls along with a little variety makes it more appealing. But the production is just crap, they have a box-like recording. I'm not exaggerating. If people think I'm overstepping the mark in what I'm saying, I say well "listen to the album and compare it to the last record, what do you hear the most difference between those two?"

I would download this album first on Spotify or listen to some songs like "Die With Integrity" and "Weaken the Structure." I don't suggest to run to the store and make a purchase with it. That way you'll not be disappointed in case you ignored my review of this one. Wrong One to Fuck With was somewhat of a disappointment to me.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

(Originally written for: http://www.secret-face.com/)