Based on the cover art and album name, I was expecting some form of shitty deathcore, but I should have known better than that from Soulflesh Collector Records. Instead, what we have here is some very impressive Dying Fetus -styled (nay, worshiping — the moniker kind of gives it away I guess) slammy, downtuned death metal from Mother Russia.
Played by three old dudes that look like a mix Russian mobsters and your creepy tattoo having uncle, Fetal Decay are damn solid, though a little obsessed with The Human Centipede (there are two samples on the album — that’s still two too many). However, their musical inspirations are far better presented with super deep John Gallagher-esque growls and barks, thick grooves, squealing blasts and a burly production.
To be honest, opening instrumental “Open Up” didn’t set the tone very well, as a convoluted sample filled almost tech metal mess. However, “Powerful Sickness” sets the album right with pure Dying Fetus stomp and romp death metal with just a dash of hardcore. If you don’t believe me just check out the meaty groove at 4:35 to close out the track. “No Future” starts with a bit of a musical curve ball, but soon reverts to recognizable and wholly enjoyable Destroy the Opposition-ish lope which litter the whole album (I mean c’mon, listen to “One Last Breath”).
What’s a little surprising about this album, apart from the overall quality is that the songs are pretty long. Other than “Open Up”, there’s no short sharp blasts or interludes, but each of the actual songs is 5-6 (and half) minutes long, and each manages to be enjoyable and brutal without too much repeating or recycling. I enjoyed the groove about 4:10 into “Time to Pay” as much as I did the squealing lurch about a minute into “False Pride” or the controlled closing moments of the album with “Final Out”.
As already stated in the beginning, this is yet another surprisingly awesome effort from Soulflesh Collector Records. And for those of you death metal fans yet to discover the likes of Monumental Torment, Fitcage, Scrambled Defuncts, Cephalic Impurity and Leptotrichia, I suggest you head over to SFC Records now and check Fetal Decay out.
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HEAVY!!!
on Jun 1st, 2011 at 22:14Hey, checked this out as I await your MA review. This is good stuff, totally my cup of tea! LOVE the different riffs and effects the guitar player throws at you. Who cares if it’s total Dying Fetus worship, right down to the band’s name, but they definitely throw their own spin on it.
on Jun 3rd, 2011 at 15:17