The year is close to reaching its halfway point and 2012 has been a good year for death metal thus far. Cannibal Corpse, Aborted, Goatwhore, Six Feet Under, Job for a Cowboy, Cattle Decapitation, and others have all released stellar records. The genre isn’t showing any signs of slowing down during the second half of the year either, with heavyweights such as Nile, Gojira, and Behemoth unleashing new albums upon the world throughout the upcoming months. Dying Fetus, the metal veterans from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, have started the second half of 2012 off on the right foot with their seventh studio album, Reign Supreme.
Like previous Dying Fetus releases, Reign Supreme is stuffed full of dizzying guitar riffs, lightning-fast blast beats, and brutal vocals. All of this is complimented by the outstanding production. Everything is clear and crisp and nothing gets lost in the mix. This does not go to say, however, that Reign Supreme is over-produced. It still has a significant amount of heaviness and thickness to it. Many bands struggle to find a reasonable balance between heaviness and clarity, but Dying Fetus has it down to a science.
An album’s production, however, is not everything. The band needs to have the chops necessary to make the music interesting. Fortunately, Dying Fetus has that, too, down to a science. Throughout Reign Supreme‘s thirty-seven minute duration, Dying Fetus pummels the listener with an expertly crafted metal assault. The guitar riffs are fast and technical, the vocals are as impressive as they’ve ever been, and the drums never cease their attempt to lay waste to the listener. “Subjected to a Beating,” “From Womb to Waste,” and “Devout Atrocity” are my personal favorite tracks.
Reign Supreme is an outstanding release and serves as further evidence of 2012 being a fantastic year for death metal. My only complaint, albeit very minor, is that the album drags slightly towards the end. This is not a huge issue and does not detract too much from this very enjoyable album.
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