2012 has clearly been the year of the veteran. With incredible releases from Cannibal Corpse, Meshuggah, Unleashed, and heck even Six Feet Under put out a solid record (incredible I know), the Old Dog Tour De Force has gained quite the momentum in the first half of the year. Atleast for me the first 6 months get rounded out in style as Baltimore’s Dying Fetus returns with easily their best album in the last 12 years entitled Reign Supreme. A fitting title if you as me.
Maybe I’m a bad candidate to review a Dying Fetus record because I’ve literally loved everything the band has put out. I’m one of the few the even enjoys the first post-classic lineup breakup album Stop At Nothing. While that album wasn’t as creative and felt rushed compared to previous records, I think it gets a bad wrap mostly because of the feelings from fans that came from losing Jason, Sparky, and Kevin from the lineup and it was also following up with the bands most popular album to date in Destroy The Opposition. Still with all those negative factors surrounding it, the album wasn’t terrible. Proving that they could do much better they followed up with War Of Attrition. This was huge improvement but there was a noticeable inclusion of more grindcore elements than previous records. This trend would continue into 2009’s Descend Into Depravity.
Now the band seems to have things figured out and have returned to a sound that is much more fitting of them. As a matter of fact this album almost replicates the chemistry that was found on Destroy The Opposition. While the records in between are good in their own right, the signature grooves and heavy breaks that Dying Fetus was known for is definitely a welcomed treat back to the fold. Instead of only appearing sporadically, these key elements are once again in the main display. The hooks are infectiously catchy and scattered solos are quickly being ingrained into my head.
What most impresses me about this record is the fact that’s a 3-piece version of the band that is pulling this off. They also had the smarts to not include many, if any, parts that can’t be pulled off live. Instead of recording like a 4 or 5 piece band, they strip it down enough that when performed on stage it can sound like it is on record. I respect that because when you expect one thing and get another live, that can disappoint an audience.
This really is an album that you can throw on and just let it ride from first song to the last. As much as I liked the last few records, this is a return to the bands true form. I can’t wait to see these songs played live. For a band that I thought would burn itself out a decade ago, they keep coming back stronger and stronger. The originators of deathcore are clearly here to stay.
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