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Class 6(66)

Dying Fetus: Killing on adrenaline

07/01/11  ||  InquisitorGeneralis

Introduction

Recently, Lord K purged the Class6(66) and went through a ton of old pieces in that sections like pieces of shit through a goose. That’s bad for the staffers (mostly former) whose half-assed efforts got the flush. However, for those of us around the pick at the carrion remains it has created some new opportunities. In this case, I get to give the proper treatment to a landmark album by one of my favorite bands. “Killing on Adrenaline” is the album that brought Dying Fetus to the masses and has had a huge impact on many different death metal sub-genres; grindcore, death/grind, gore, brutal, metalcore, and (the much despised) deathcore.

This is not the best Dying Fetus album. That would be the next one after, “Destroy the Opposition”. However, this is classic because this is the record that saw Dying Fetus evolve from a gory death metal band into a violent, political, technical death/grind band that also brought in elements from other genres, most notably hardcore. They perfected this sound on “Destroy…” and have been pumping it out ever since, albeit with varied and rotating line-ups.

I’m torn on this issue because on one hand I love me some Misery Index, the band formed by Fetus-founder Jason Netherton and drummer Kevin Talley along with guitarist Sparky Voyles. However, if these guys had stayed in Dying Fetus, I think the results would have been awesome. Still, I like what John Gallagher has done with Fetus since and I now have two death/grind bands to flog the dolphin to so nuts to me. I love Misery Index, but nothing brings the pain like that old-school Dying Fetus shit. On with the killing…

Songwriting

8. Dying Fetus definitely amped up the technicality for this record and the result is a collection of songs that are much more memorable than previous records. Besides “Grotesque impalement” and “Eviscerated offspring”, I don’t really listen to early Fetus because few of the songs really hook me in. The tracks on “Killing on Adrenaline” are just more interesting: better grooves, more time changes and section, and better musicianship.

The main testament to the band’s songwriting improvement on here is that they made quality short songs like the live staple “Kill your mother, rape your dog” and “Judgment day” along with longer, more intricate tracks like the über-heavy “Fornication terrorists” and “Killing on adrenaline” itself. Plus, the breakdown on “Intentional manslaughter” may just be the best ever put to tape. Sometimes things seem a bit spastic and thrown-together though, hence the ocho score. They would get those kinks worked out later though.

Production

7. “Killing…” does not sound bad but compared to later Fetus releases it is not up to par. Each instrument is clear but the overall sound seems a bit too low. Every time I put this on, I find myself having to crank up the volume a bit. I love the sound of “Destroy the opposition” and “Stop at Nothing” so I guess I am using hindsight here. “Killing on Adrenaline” sounds good enough, but the production definitely could have been a bit better.

Guitars

8. Most people focus on John Gallagher’s burp-a-burp vocals and forget that he is a pretty solid guitar player. Check out the main riff on “We are your enemy”. I do not know how much of an influence Brian Latta had on this record but seeing as the guitar sound and style has remained constant along with John’s time in the band regardless of who (if anyone) is also on axe-duty I am guessing he is the man with the grindy death/groove plan.

Bass

8. Jason Netherton will always be underrated as a bass player as his vocals and political views seem to eclipse his talent on ze bass guitar. Combine Jason with Kevin Talley’s killer drumming and you have an excellent rhythm section.

Vocals

7. Jason and John unleash their patented two-man burp’n‘growl vocal assault to max effect on “Killing on Adrenaline”. I have no issues with the style, but sometimes I wish these two would zip-it and just rock teh fuck out! I get it guys, you are pissed off at society and want to spread the word. Less is more though and a few tracks, most notably “Intentional manslaughter” and “We are your enemy” would benefit from a few less vocal lines. Also, John’s low vocals would definitely improve after this. On “Killing…:” Jason is no doubt the better of the two.

Drums

9.5. Talley these days might be a for-hire mercenary who can’t stay in a band for longer than six minutes, but back in 1998 he was tearing shit up. This was his first record with Teh Fetus and the differences are immediately noticeable. There is a lot more blasting and high-speed double bass on here than on previous records. However, Talley is able to toss in massive amounts of creative fills and those patented Fetus breakdowns that help give this record is classic, signature sound. There are too many stand-out moments on here to list. Just listen to the fucking record and you will hear that in ’98, Talley was one of the best.

Lyrics

9. If you like violent, anti-establishment lyrics this is the album for you brother. Each song is packed to the brim with at least 400,000 lines of government-hating venom. This is the plus side of having two vocalists: one tires out and the other can jump right in and keep the left-wing lines flowing. Need proof?…

KILL YOUR MOTHER AND RAPE YOUR DOG!!!!
fuck these corporations and their fucking record stores
I don’t want my fucking paycheck feeding money whores
these fuckers flood the market with their fabricated shit
and laugh as this pathetic fucking music gets them rich
stay the fuck right out of my life I don’t need your fucking advice
You don’t even know what our shit is all about?
so don’t even try to figure it out
fuck your Spice Girls and your fucking Pearl Jam it’s all a bunch of shit
fuck your Dave Matthews and your fucking REM
you god-damned bitch, fucking clueless
KILL YOUR MOTHER AND RAPE YOUR DOG!!!

Fuck Pearl Jam, fuck the Spice Girls, fuck Dave Mathews… and fuck you.

Cover

8. Besides the bland logo (more on that in a minute) I like the cover. Seeing as this entire album is pretty much a big fuck you to Uncle Sam and the legal system, it is fitting to see the bitch of justice about to get her cum’uppins here. Oh, and if the torn and haggard Stars and Stripes doesn’t clue you in to “Killing on Adrenaline’s tone and content you should be riding the short-bus to school.

Logo

5. I don’t hate the plain, bigger letter logo that Dying Fetus changed to on this record but the metal head in me prefers the older, more gory one. The logo could be worse, but it is not raising any boners.

Booklet

N/A. Long fucken gone jack.

Overall and Ending Rant

If you go back and look at my review for “Destroy the Opposition” you will see I actually gave it a score lower than the one I am giving here for “Killing on Adrenachrome”, even though I have stated numerous times that I think “DtO” is a better record. Well, I covered “Destroy…” early in my first tenure here and if I could I would go back, give it the Class6(66) treatment, and jack that bitch up to a solid 9. “Killing on Adrenapenis” is a slight notch below that, but still a great fucking piece of extreme music and an album that has had an undeniable impact on the now flourishing world of brutal metal. Case in point, I just recently (a few months ago by the time you read this) witnessed Dying Fetus tear shit up in concert. They closed with “Killing on Adrenaline” and “Kill your mother/rape your dog”. I think that shows that this record is still relevant twelve years later…don’t you?

8,5

  • Information
  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Morbid Records
  • Website: www.dyingfetus.com
  • Band
  • John Gallagher: vocals, guitar
  • Brian Latta: guitar
  • Jason Netherton: bass, vocals
  • Kevin Talley: drums
  • Tracklist
  • 01. Killing On Adrenaline
  • 02. Procreate The Malformed
  • 03. Fornication Terrorists
  • 04. We Are Your Enemy
  • 05. Kill Your Mother/Rape Your Dog
  • 06. Absolute Defiance
  • 07. Judgement Day
  • 08. Intentional Manslaughter

Class 6(66) -reviews

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