May 3rd, 2024 @ London Music Hall
Photos By: Kim Baarda
Words By: Jason Deaville
Little old London, Ontario, Canada was given the brutal death metal treatment this past weekend, something the city is certainly not used to. The last time the mighty Dying Fetus came rolling through London was back in 2018 with Incantation and Gatecreeper, which, if I remember correctly, was sparsely attended. That was not the case tonight, as the venue was packed, and it is a large, state-of-the art venue that typically hosts much bigger, mainstream acts. This proves that death metal is stronger than ever in 2024!
KRUELTY
Kicking the night off was Japanese death/doom/hardcore musical terrorists, Kruelty. This was a fantastic choice for an opener on this tour, as Kruelty’s brand of new wave of hardcore influenced death metal is the kind of stuff that gets concert-goers revved up and the pit moving. It’s fair to say that Kruelty definitely brought out a good amount of fans, as the pit filled-up quickly with moshers of the hardcore kind (lots of arms flailing and ground punching).
Kruelty’s set mainly consisted of tracks from their most recent album, Untopia, and their last album, A Dying Truth (released back in 2019 and 2023, respectively). If this set proved anything, it’s no wonder that Kruelty are being noticed in the world of extreme metal… a crushing, hard-working band that you will certainly hear more from in the near future!
200 STAB WOUNDS
Cleveland, Ohio death metallers 200 Stab Wounds have come a very long way in a few short years. Getting their start back in 2019, the guys released their first EP, Piles Of Festering Decomposition, literally a month after the COVID hit. What better way to end a brand new band’s career than lockdown. Thankfully, the guys weathered the shitstorm, and immediately got on the road with some big tours post-COVID, which truly put this four-piece on the extreme metal map.
Tonight, the guys proved, once again, why they are one of the most exciting death metal bands to emerge in recent years. With their sophomore album, Manual Manic Procedures, set to drop on June 28th via Metal Blade Records, I’m sure it won’t be long until we see 200 Stab Wounds headlining their very own stacked tours!
Setlist
Maggot Casket, Skin Milk, Tow Rope Around The Throat, Drilling Your Head, Gross Abuse, Hands Of Eternity, Masters Of Morbidity, Fatal Reality, Itty Bitty Pieces, She Was Already Dead
FULL OF HELL
With the packed house suitably warmed-up, Ocean City, Maryland’s, Full Of Hell, absolutely destroyed with their brand of powerviolence/grindcore/death metal/noise. Certainly a different vibe from the other bands on display tonight. Again, another band that seemed to pull a good amount of punters out, particularly of the younger variety… the pit went absolutely bonkers for their set, which included an endless stream of crowd surfers.
The guys are touring in support of their brand new album, Coagulated Bliss, that was released back on April 26th (you check our review here). Tonight, the guys ran through a good amount of material, which included songs from their six full-length albums and two EPs. An incredibly electrifying set that certainly set the stage for what was to come next…
Setlist
Halogen Bulb, Pile Of Dead Horses, Kopf, Haunted Arches, Crawling Back To God, Doors To Mental Agony, Schizoid Rupture, Vessel Deserted, Eroding Shell, Reeking Tunnels, Coagulated Bliss, Silmaril, Thundering Hammers, Amber Mote, Barb And Sap
DYING FETUS
The packed house literally lost their collective shit as the legends/creators of brutal slamming death metal took to the stage as the sounds of Abba faded out over the house PA. If you’ve ever seen Dying Fetus live, you’ll know that the three-pieced doesn’t move around at all – they stand with feet firmly planted throughout the entirety of their set… they let the fans do the moving for them… and move they did! Immediately, a circle pit erupted in the center of the floor that didn’t let up for the entirety of their set. I truly don’t believe there is a band that get people moving as much as DF.
The guys tore through a carefully-selected setlist of thirteen tracks that spanned their vast catalog of recorded material (nine full-length albums and two EPs, dating all the way back to 1998). There was literally something for everyone, including four tracks from their latest album, Make Them Beg For Death, released this past September.
It’s good to see Dying Fetus headlining their own tours, as the guys have been one of the hardest working bands in death metal for many, many, many years. And, if tonight was any indication, DF can pack a large-capacity club venue without even blinking an eye!
Setlist
Wrong One To Fuck With, Compulsion For Cruelty, Intentional Manslaughter, Feast of Ashes, In The Trenches, Fixated On Devastation, Unbridled Fury, Homicidal Retribution, Subjected To A Beating, Throw Them In The Van, Killing On Adrenaline, Grotesque Impalement, Kill Your Mother, Rape Your Dog
