Biohazard and Dying Fetus

Storming out of Brooklyn in 1987, Biohazard first made a name for themselves in the thriving New York City hardcore punk scene, playing shows with the likes of Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front. However, the band were always far more open minded and experimental than their NYHC peers. From the very beginning they were taking their blend of thrash metal and hardcore punk and adding influences from hip-hop to it, which got them noticed by Maze Records in 1990. The band signed a deal with them and released their self-titled debut album the same year, and although it still managed to sell a respectable 40’000 copies, it wasn’t promoted as well as it could have been, and the band were soon looking for another label to take them on.

The band arguably hit the jackpot in 1992 when they signed to Roadrunner Records, making them label mates with the likes of Sepultura and Type O Negative. They capitalised with their breakthrough record “Urban Discipline”, a record which sold over a million copies and gave MTV’s heavy metal show Headbanger’s Ball the most played video in their 17 year history in the form of the single “Punishment”. In 1993 the band moved off Roadrunner and signed to Warner Bros., releasing “State Of The World Address” the year after. This record equalled its predecessor’s commercial success, making them the hottest heavy metal band in the world for a period of time.

Ever since then the band have remained stalwarts on the American metal scene, even though they split for two years, reuniting in 2008. While they’ve never quite for the recognition they deserve for being a prototype Nu-Metal band before Korn took it over ground a couple of years after they debuted, they’ve still got legions of devoted followers. This isn’t even to mention how they can still blow the roof of any venue they play as a live act, and to this day, Biohazard come highly recommended.

With a name like Dying Fetus, it probably goes without saying that anybody who likes to while away their spare time watching videos of cute kittens on YouTube is best advised to steer well clear. You’ll certainly struggle to find anything in the vein of ‘Walkin’ on Sunshine’ in their back catalogue, but what you might uncover - assuming you’re that way inclined - is a slew of some of the most impressive technical death metal records of the past couple of decades. The Maryland trio - comprised currently of John Gallagher, the only remaining founding member, on guitar and vocals, Sean Beasley on bass and vocals and Trey Williams behind the kit - are among the pioneers of this particularly complex offshoot of the death metal genre.

Their records, which include the likes of 2007’s ‘War of Attrition’, 2009’s ‘Descend into Depravity’ and 2012’s ‘Reign Supreme’, are characterized by intense, furious guitar work, Gallagher’s hellish vocal delivery, and unerringly sophisticated percussive work. The former two of those records introduced a move, in the group’s sound, towards groove-based metal, but with ‘Reign Supreme’, they made the decision to return to their roots - much to the delight of their international fanbase, which they regularly perform in front of - the band are regular fixtures on both the U.S. and UK touring circuits.