Back to the Grindcore: Md.'s Dying Fetus

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"WE'RE STILL PUTTING in work; we're not rock stars," says John Gallagher, vocalist and guitars of the Upper Marlboro-based death metal band Dying Fetus. "I never wanna think that I am bigger than I am because you get all crazy and content, and that's when bands start [---ing] up."

Despite humble beginnings and dizzying lineup changes — Gallagher is the only remaining original member of the quartet — Dying Fetus is still going strong after 17 years of face-melting shreddage. It plays the Maryland Death Fest this weekend, an event the band last attended in 2003. Its profile has gone up since then. "War of Attrition," the band's 2007 release, saw the biggest Dying Fetus sales to date, says Gallagher.

But after they celebrate big sales, the band members trudge off to their day jobs. (Being a highly respected death metal artist doesn't always pay the bills.) "It's very humbling when you have to go back to the real world," says Gallagher. "The old dogs are still out there because they don't want to throw in the towel yet. They like the glory, the recognition, the accolades."

While "War of Attrition" feels fiercely political — "Arriving far too late, forecasts ignored, inadequate response" from "Parasites of Catastrophe" — Gallagher says the music is a reflection of society. "[Politics] is not really all that consumes me. I just have too much going on with this music."

Dying Fetus has come a long way from its roots in a semi-rural county, but Gallagher hasn't left every trace of his hayseed history behind: "Being a country boy down there in Calvert County, there isn't a lot to do. So I guess me with my guitar and my Iron Maiden records really paid off."

» Sonar, 407 East Saratoga St.,
Baltimore, Md.; with Grave, Disfear and many more, Fri.-Sun., daily passes, $25-$45; three-day pass, $90; supremebrutality.com.

Written by Express contributor Adaora Otiji
Photo courtesy John Gallagher