Live Review: Dying Fetus, Putrid Pile, Defamer

Long-running American death metal outfit Dying Fetus have always done their own thing. They're sort of like the Switzerland of death metal; impervious to the machinations and plotting of the wider world around them. That neutrality has afforded the band an uncanny knack to be able to do whatever they want without it blowing up in their collective face; they were playing slam death metal before slam death metal was a thing (and the world was indeed a better place before the term 'slam death metal' was brought into existence) and they were slinging meaty hardcore breakdowns before, during and after that whole deathcore craze. That's all probably part of the reason why the Beetle Bar is buzzing with death metal aficionados tonight, all ready to watch one of the genre's true originals do their thing.

Likewise, originality has always been a hallmark of tonight's openers Defamer. The four-piece has deftly created a blend of atmosphere and fury in their repertoire of death metal numbers. Tonight they sound in as fine form as ever, blasting through their set with technical flare.

Another original, the one man band Putrid Pile is up next. The cult American outfit has a deep catalogue of death metal to draw upon, and his set runs a gamut of death metal sounds, from the techy blastbeat maelstrom of Food For The Maggots to the lashings of gore across Drenched In Gasoline. Shaun LaCanne does run into a bit of trouble during the set though. Death metal musicians aren't generally going to find themselves in line to win any awards for their visual presence onstage, but anchored by a microphone and hidden behind his pointy guitar, Putrid Pile's set feels like it suffers from a real lack of visual engagement with the audience.

The first time Dying Fetus played in Brisbane, in 2009, they'd just switched from a quartet to a trio, and still seemed to be figuring out the kinks in the arrangement. Each time since that they've been back they've sounded better as a three-piece. Sure, they'll never be able to do justice to some of the double-guitar cuts from their 2008 masterstroke War Of Attrition, but every time they've been back here it seems as though their set has grown to sound fuller. Tonight is the best set the band's ever played in Brisbane, and the crowd really seems to be appreciative of this fact. Guitarist John Gallagher is turning his riffs around on a dime and the rhythm section of Sean Beasley and Trey Williams lock into a really tight groove together, and even during the quickest blast, gnarly songs like Schematics don't get lost in the speed.