Dying Fetus – Manchester Academy – 4th December 2024

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a death metal show, so when I heard that Dying Fetus was going back on the road alongside Chelsea Grin, Despised Icon, and Vitriol, I decided it was worth going. Not to mention they were playing at Academy 2, which I already have a soft spot for. It was all shaping up to be a good night.

For those who may not have heard of Dying Fetus, they are an American Death metal band that started in 1991 in Maryland. The band is comprised of Sean Beasley, Trey Williams, and founding member John Gallagher.

It would be criminal of me not to mention the pre-show music. The last thing I expected to hear in a death metal show was jazz renditions of popular metal songs (Break Stuff being a particular highlight).

Opening up the night was Vitriol. I was confused to see a two-piece band come out on stage however, I learned not long after their set that the Bassist quit mid-tour leaving it as a remaining two-piece.

They didn’t have a long set but they delivered on it with a set that didn’t stop once it started and some amazing vocals from lead singer Kyle Rasmussen. Also, have to give hats off to Matt Kilner for arguably some of the best blast beats of the night.

One thing that was a shame was their stage space. Them being the first of four unfortunately comes with the cavoite of having to work around all the other drum kits and equipment limiting the space they had on stage. Make no mistake, with the limited space they still brought the aggression and franticness that the band brings in their music. I just would have loved to have seen Kyle get to run around the stage and cause some more chaos on stage.

They got the crowd going though and the pits opened up wide after the first couple of songs and they set the stage for what was to come for the rest of the evening. Glad the guys carried on the shows without the bassist and didn’t decide to pull out the remaining dates as it was truly great to get to listen to these and one to watch as I can see these guys going places.

Following on from these was Montreal-based Despised Icon. I love bands with two lead singers. I can’t tell you why I do but I love it. They bring an energy that is difficult to replicate (and admittedly difficult to photograph).

These guys are something else. From the opening song, the crowd surfing started setting the scene for what the rest of the set was going to be like. I hadn’t heard of these guys before the show but there were a lot of fans wearing their t-shirts and having a look after the show made me realize these guys already had a pretty big following in the scene.

They had some of the most complicated signature changes I have heard outside of prog metal and didn’t even miss a note on them which is a credit to how tight of a band they are. The 7 song set was great to hear with a notable favorite being ‘MVP’ from 2009’s ‘Day of Mourning’ which had such a cool breakdown that the band and crowd all got into it in unison which was amazing to see.

The highlight of the evening was going to Chelsea Grin. I have known of the band for a long time but have never gotten around to listening to them and didn’t get the chance to before the show. That will be one of the biggest regrets I had about the gig.

The chants of their name as they were getting ready to come out were cool to hear and made it very clear that this was a crowd that was completely behind them the entire set.

Opening with ‘Hostage’ the band immediately caught my interest, along with the guy who ended up going into my back due to the crowd surfing which I am convinced had to have started before they even began to play for him to already be over the barrier that quickly.

Tom Barber may be the best Deathcore lead singer I have ever heard. Something about his vocals just made him stand apart from everyone and will be the biggest takeaway that I have from the entire show.

The band was incredibly solid instrumentally, especially with the lineup changes that they have had this year it wasn’t noticeable at all during the set and they played like a band who had known each other for a decade.

I’m hoping for them to do another tour again soon because they are a band that I don’t want to wait to hear or see them again.

Before we got to the final band of the evening, we were first treated to the true anthem of death metal music—the Village People’s YMCA. If I thought the jazz renditions were weird this might have managed to top it. However, there is something about seeing a death metal crowd do the YMCA that is somewhat appealing.

Then it was time for Dying Fetus to take to the stage and they made sure they made their presence known from the start opening with ‘From Womb to Waste’. The crowd didn’t wait to get into it either turning the photo pit into no man’s land and constantly having to check to make sure a rouge crowd surfer foot.

John and Sean both got into their power stances and delivered that iconic sound that Dying Fetus has become synonymous with, which stayed with them for the entire 12-song set. Pairing this with a crowd that was more than happy to listen to the demands to bring the aggression it was a nonstop set with enough walls of deaths and mosh pits to make any metalhead happy.

It featured tracks from the start of their discography through to 2023’s ‘Make Them Beg for Death’, enough to make the newest of fans happy and the ones that have been there from the beginning.

I do have to admit though that I just couldn’t get into this set myself. Don’t get me wrong, the band played amazing and sounded amazing and put on a show but, with a 10:05 start time for the set along with me just working a full day shift before the gig I had become exhausted.

It’s a genuine shame to have to admit and I want it to be clear that the band is incredible live and worth watching just make sure you haven’t worked a full day before the gig or that crowd will wear you out very quickly.

Overall, the show was great from start to finish with performances at the highest of standards which is great to see. Chelsea Grin is a notable standout from the evening and a band that has earned their position in the scene and Vitroil being a band I want to keep an eye on as their career progresses.