Originally written by Erik Thomas.
I’m not a huge fan of covers, so an entire release of cover songs — even if it’s by a heavyweight like Dying Fetus — is kind of a shaky proposition for me. However, Gallagher and company have issued a pretty well-chosen collection of tracks that seem to be split between bands that Dying Fetus admires and bands that are directly part of Dying Fetus’ DNA.
First up is a cover of “Faded into Obscurity” by short-lived fellow East Coast slammers Dehumanized, a band that was messing around at the same time that Fetus was coming up, and this track from the band’s lone Prophecies Foretold album is hardly distinguishable from Fetus’s 1998 material — slammy, brutal, slightly hardcore-influenced death metal.
Next up is Napalm Death’s “Unchallenged Hate,” which at two minutes long, is one of the most epic-length songs taken from From Enslavement to Obliteration, but is a blistering number. Another short blast is up in the form of Broken Hope’s “Gorehog”, from their 1991 debut, but as he does with all the tracks, Gallagher makes it his.
At this point, Dying Fetus delivers an ‘exclusive’ new song for this release called ‘Rohypnol”, but in reality, it’s a 44-second throwaway track that gives way to the next three covers, which are the best of the bunch, as they are covers of more known, classic tracks rather than of direct influences or of a similar style to Dying Fetus. First, there is Bolt Thrower’s seminal “Unleashed Upon Mankind” from Warmaster, which needs no dissection and seems to find a little groove in Fetus’ rendition; then comes Pestilence’s “Twisted Truth”, and while I respect the choice, it’s a slow and repetitive track, barely allowing Dying Fetus to flex their considerable muscle, and it’s the weakest on display on this release. Personally, I would have preferred something from Consuming Impulse.
The EP closes with a nice redeemer in Cannibal Corpse’s “Born In A Casket”, another classic track from a classic debut album, and Dying Fetus gives it a perfect NYDM sheen to end a release that’s a nice addition to their discography, but is more of a collector’s oddity than a must-have.
