by Greg Prato

The 2007 release by Dying Fetus, War of Attrition continues on the same extreme metal path they've been following throughout their career. In other words, it's loaded front to back with growled vocals, indecipherable lyrics (but it's a safe bet that they're quite grisly), metronome-precise drumming, and non-stop thrash riffing. Although just two releases removed from a complete lineup overhaul -- save for mainstay John Gallagher (vocals, guitar) -- Dying Fetus still manage to sound like a finely tuned metallic machine throughout. So much so that at certain points, it sounds like machines are covering for human musicians -- especially on such tracks as "Fate of the Condemned" and "Insidious Repression." Death metal played with the utmost precision is a fitting summary of Dying Fetus' sixth release overall.