Good God, it just feels like these DYING FETUS albums come out fast and furious, but it's a trick: they've only put out four full-lengths this decade. The sheer quantity of time this scribe spent with at least the first two must account for it being a very Fetus-y millennium thus far. And, I dunno, people bicker about the differences between discs, but, really, is there much difference in any of the band's Relapse-era output? Hell bloody fucking yes, say the message-board hoards. We say it all shreds and leave it at that.
This incredibly detailed and professional analysis includes their latest, Descend Into Depravity, even though to me the album is a teeny bit different in that it is a touch more concise and focused, an even leaner killing machine than before. When I pose this to bassist/vocalist Sean Beasley, he agrees.
"I think so," he says. "We really tried to have more balanced songs on this one. And the production is better than the previous albums. We tried some different things to have better guitar and bass tones."
And, good news for those - present typist included - who were driven to the edge of sanity by the band's obscenely over-processed drum sound in the past. The new one lightens that up a little bit, brings it back down to Earth just a touch, makes it sound like it's actually a person, not a robot, playing those insanely awesome beats and fills.
"The drums are all natural tones, except for the kick trigger," says Beasley, causing legions of semi-groans and a slumped shoulder or two (hey, they're getting there, and the drumming still kicks ass, regardless). "I think it helps with a better production, as well."
Maybe that all helped get the band on to the - get ready - Billboard charts with this album. It was a shocker to everyone to find out that Descend Into Depravity debuted at #166 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and #4 on the Heatseekers Chart (which lists new and developing artists who have never made it into the top 100 of Billboard's Top 200 Chart).
"That was unexpected, but very cool," says Beasley. "You never think playing brutal music could get you on the Billboard charts."
Unexpected indeed, about as unexpected as Beasley's assertion that the band has a stable line-up right now. Followers of the band know about the myriad member changes that have plagued only original dude John Gallagher for years; Beasley feels the band finally is a solid unit.
"I think so," he says. "Trey (Williams, drums) has been with us two years now. Playing death metal is not the way anyone can make a fortune, so money is always an issue. People leave for different reasons, and changes happen, so you just never know. But this feels as stable as ever, since I've been here."
