Born To Be Alive

Dying Fetus is a group that has been blasting since 1991 – and while usually referred to as a death metal band, have “always skirted the line between death metal, hardcore and grindcore”, long before the idea of 'deathcore' even existed. Williams however has only been in the fold since 2007, and stands as the group's sixth drummer. Now a three-piece, the group has experienced many line-up configurations over the years, with vocalist/guitarist John Gallagher the band's only original member.

At the time of the interview the group had just completed a massive US tour in support of legendary metalcore group Hatebreed, with their Relapse-released seventh record Reign Supreme still ripping its way around the world off the back of a 2012 release.

“That was the second time we've toured with them, and it was great to go and bring our music to their audience, and have our audience mix in with theirs,” comments Williams on playing to a more hardcore-oriented crowd. “We kind of cater our setlist to play some of the more hardcore-influenced songs and bring those to that audience. There's a little less of a 'scene gap'. We cater our setlists to certain crowds.”

When asked which type of crowd Williams prefers, there doesn't seem to be a clear favourite.

“A death metal tour can be a lot more comfortable, just because you're around the audience that you already cater to, and we have a better status in that scene. In can be a more comfortable situation,” he offers. “But when you play a hardcore show, the crowd is a little different – I wanna say rambunctious. They're no doubt just as enthusiastic as a metal crowd is, and they bring their own unique vibe to it. They're both great for their own reasons.”

The band's name, while something most seasoned death metalheads would barely blink at, is probably a little more shocking to kids more used to hardcore bands though?

“We've always dealt like that with any scene in regards to the way our name is perceived,” Williams smiles. “It's almost a way that we can filter out anyone that wouldn't be our fan anyway. We play death metal. We play extreme music. We have a name that is equally as extreme as the music we play. It can alienate and identify you to certain people. If that works out in our favour, good, but you know, I don't think we're going to be winning any Grammys based on the name alone.”

Williams has been a part of the band's last two albums, which also includes 2009's Descend Into Depravity, and remarks that the second time around was, “absolutely more comfortable. It was a very similar process, where I was kind of given homework assignments, where it's a song, and it might be stuff that I've worked on in the past, it might be something that John put together in the pre-production studio, it might be something Sean [Beasley, bass/vocals] put together in the pre-production studio. I'll learn it, add my twist to it, and put it through the pre-production process again and make it into the song it is. By the time we go into the studio the song is ninety percent there. I have my time to listen to the stuff, and add my own twist to it on the drums, and then you guys get what you get – a Dying Fetus album.”

Dying Fetus will be playing the following dates:

Friday 19 April - Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW
Saturday 20 April - The Evelyn, Melbourne VIC
Sunday 21 April - Beetle Bar, Brisbane QLD
Tuesday 23 April - Amplifier Bar, Perth WA