The Block I was never a really big fan of Dying Fetus, but after Relapse re-issued their entire discography earlier in the year I decided to look into them more and see if they are the death metal masters everyone has made them out to be. To be honest, I personally don’t like them that much, but it’s hard to say they don’t have skill because they obviously have a lot of it. “History Repeats…” is their newest EP which features cover songs of other bands that have influenced them in the past. These bands include Dehumanized, Napalm Death, Broken Hope, Bolt Thrower, Pestilence, and Cannibal Corpse. While they are covering these bands, Dying Fetus puts their own unique spin on every song, but they never stray too far away from the original song. To go along with the six cover songs, Dying Fetus also put an original, grindcore type song on “History Repeats…” called “Rohypnol”, which I’m not a huge fan of.

This release is a good collector’s item for fans of Dying Fetus who are already pretty established with the band. I’m glad I got some of the Relapse re-issues earlier in the year because this isn’t the ideal place to start for new fans of the band. Overall it’s not a bad album and it should provide some enjoyment from hardcore fans, but for me it was kind of bland and uninspiring.

J-Man With History Repeats..., brutal death metal veterans Dying Fetus have decided to pay homage to their influences through an EP of cover songs. Covering such prolific and influential acts such as Dehumanized, Napalm Death, Broken Hope, Bolt Thrower, Pestilence, and Cannibal Corpse, this mini-album should provide plenty of enjoyment for old school death metal fans and Dying Fetus followers alike. Dying Fetus does put their own spin on all of the tracks here, without distancing themselves too much from the originals. The band's brutal death metal sound shines as brightly as ever here, with the trio dishing out some excellent and tight musicianship. The production on History Repeats... is also extremely professional and I think it suits the music perfectly.

In addition to the cover songs, History Repeats... also features a short grindcore-influenced original song with "Rohypnol". This EP is mainly a collector's item for established fans of Dying Fetus, but it's still a very enjoyable listen that's recommendable to brutal death metal fans. History Repeats... shouldn't be your introduction to these American veterans, but it does make for a few fun spins for any seasoned fan. 3 stars are deserved here.

J-Man After releasing two demos in the first half of the nineties, Dying Fetus made their first proper CD release with Infatuation With Malevolence in 1995. This compilation originally contained both of their demos, but the latest reissue on Relapse Records contains a handful of tracks not contained on the original release. Infatuation With Malevolence is a pretty underdeveloped album from most perspectives, but it does hint towards the promise that Dying Fetus would show on their consecutive releases. This isn't a must-own by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a good purchase for any Dying Fetus fan.

The music here is very primitive death metal with plenty of technical touches. The grindcore influences that dominated Dying Fetus' debut full-length aren't as prevalent here, but they are still present. Compositionally, this album is pretty mediocre and largely unremarkable - Dying Fetus improved in this department over time. One of the best things about Infatuation With Malevolence is the great musicianship, and, even though Dying Fetus would grow as musicians over time, it's amazing how skillful they were this early in their career. The production is raw and of demo-quality, but I honestly would take this over the first two Dying Fetus full-length albums any day. The production on those albums is almost unbearable.

Infatuation With Malevolence is a decent compilation album from Dying Fetus that most fans of the band should definitely take a look into. It's lacking in the composition department, but it's a promising start for a band that would end up becoming a crucial part in the U.S. death metal revival. With a new reissue containing boatloads of bonus material on the horizon, any fan of the band who missed out on this may want to finally give it a spin. 2.5 stars is a fair rating, seeing that this is mainly a "fan-only" release. Infatuation With Malevolence doesn't come highly recommended from me, but it's not a bad purchase either.

J-Man The first two Dying Fetus albums were certainly decent, but hadn't completely convinced me of their status as death metal "gods". Grotesque Impalement, a short 21-minute EP released in 2000, was the first Dying Fetus release that really grabbed my attention. Featuring some of the finest material the band has to offer and excellent uses of humor, this EP was a step in the right direction for this Annapolis-based act. There are definitely some flaws here, but Grotesque Impalement is a generally strong effort from Dying Fetus. Now that Relapse Records has put together a version with excellent liner notes and ten minutes of bonus material, anyone who missed out on this the first time around is advised to check it out.

The music on Grotesque Impalement is very similar to what was on the first two Dying Fetus albums. That means you should expect very technical brutal death metal/grindcore played in a raw and unpolished fashion. The only change here (and it's a fairly major one) is that Dying Fetus included some 80's heavy metal influences in "Hail Mighty North / Forest Trolls Of Satan (Anno Clitoris 666)" and the bonus track "Dumpster Love" (which is absolutely hilarious and worth hearing for everyone). The original EP also consisted of two re-recorded demo tracks, two cover tracks (Baphomet's "Streaks of Blood" and Next Step Up's "Bringing Back the Glory"), and a reproduction of the intro to Grim Reaper's "Final Scream". If you get the Relapse Reissue (which I would recommend), you get the aforementioned "Dumpster Love", the previously unreleased "Reduced to Slavery" and a live version of "Purged of My Worldly Being". Musically, this is a fairly strong EP and Dying Fetus had clearly become much more talented musicians by this point.

I had an issue with the production of the early Dying Fetus albums, and although some work could be done here, this is a huge improvement. Grotesque Impalement generally has a powerful and full sound.

Grotesque Impalement is a very good, and often great, EP by Dying Fetus that I'd recommend all fans of eclectic death metal to look into. This was the best release that Dying Fetus had formulated up until this point, and the end result is fairly pleasing. I have a few issues with the consistency of the music, but a 3.5 star rating is still deserved. This is an album that will smack you in the face with brutal riffs and vocals, and the fact that I'll still occasionally laugh proves the versatility that Dying Fetus had mastered on this EP. I'd recommend fans of the band and extreme metal to take a look into this.

J-Man Two years after their flawed, but promising, debut full-length, Dying Fetus returned with Killing on Adrenaline. This album is often regarded as a large improvement over their debut, but I tend to hold both of them equal. This album suffers from many of the flaws that plagued Purification Through Violence, but it also has that level of "charm" that made their first CD worthwhile. I have a major issue with the production on Killing on Adrenaline and the overall lack of variation deteriorates my enjoyment further. Although this is far from the perfect death metal/grindcore hybrid, it's another solid effort from Dying Fetus that fans of the genre should take a look into if they haven't already.

The music on Killing on Adrenaline is almost identical to that of Dying Fetus' debut. That means you should expect a grindcore/death metal hybrid like Napalm Death or Terrorizer. This is a very raw album, and polish was certainly not high on the priority list of Dying Fetus. While I appreciate the stripped-down approach, the album is prone to getting a bit monotonous about halfway through. For an album that was originally under 35 minutes, that's certainly a bit of an issue. There are a handful of memorable riffs throughout, but a good deal of the album is fairly unremarkable. Fortunately, there are a few things that make Killing on Adrenaline somewhat worthwhile. The lyrics are slightly more serious this time around, but they're even more enjoyable than they were on Purification Through Violence. The musicianship also feels tighter and more precise, and although I have some gripes about the raw approach, the talent that Dying Fetus possesses is unquestionable.

My biggest issue with this album is ultimately the weak production. This has the same terrible sound that plagued the first album. The drums (especially the snare which sounds like a piece of plywood) sound really weak and detract from the overall quality of the music. A good production would've done this album wonders.

Killing on Adrenaline is another solid, but not outstanding album from Dying Fetus. If you liked their debut, this is in a similar vein and almost equal in quality (in my opinion). The superior way to purchase this album nowadays is in the 2011 Relapse Records reissue which has 2 bonus tracks (one live performance and one demo) as well as a great essay. Still, this extra material isn't enough to change my rating above a 3. There are certainly great things to be found on this CD, but they are often covered up by a weak production and a general lack of variation. Still, fans of Dying Fetus and death metal/grindcore should definitely get a kick out of this one.