Dying Fetus stopped by Pontiac, MI after over five weeks on the road with openers including Undeath, Frozen Soul, Bodysnatcher, and Chelsea Grin.
The evening started with Undeath from Rochester, New York. Pontiac showed up ready to mosh right out of the gate when the band opened with “Rise from the Grave” from their 2022 album It’s Time… to Rise from the Grave started. Moshing and crowd surfing were both in full swing by the end of the second song which earned the crowd the adornment of “you guys are f**king insane” from lead singer Alexander Jones. As the set continued so did the energy and there was even a frisbee disk flying around, which at one point the lead singer threw back into the crowd. They wrapped up the set with “Lesions of a Different Kind” from their debut album of the same name which earned them a Ric Flair ‘Wooo’ from the crowd when the set was over.
Up next was Frozen Soul from Dallas, TX. They started with an entertaining sound check before opening by spraying the audience with foaming bubbles as they began “Encased in Ice” from their debut album Crypt of Ice. As the set continued, lead singer Chad Green gave a strong emotional message about those who have been lost in the recent past. The rest of the set was dedicated to all those from the metal community who have passed including the late Trevor Strnad of local band The Black Dahlia Murder. Chad continued by sharing a touching message about mental health, then continued by saying, “we have to talk about s**t. I’m tired of losing my f**king friends.” Then he proceeded to tell the crowd, “We love each and every one of you.” This encouraged the crowd to keep up the rowdiness through the rest of the set. The third band to hit the stage was Bodysnatcher from Melbourne, FL. They began with “Wired for Destruction” from their latest album Bleed-Abide. While they are heavy metal, the crowd gave off hardcore show vibes during this set. The music was hard, the crowd was wild for the whole set, and there was even a person dangling from the upstairs balcony. They continued the emotional message just before the last song of “f**k cancer” from lead singer Kyle Medina. The closing song “Twelve/Seventeen” was the crowd’s favorite of the set. Up next was the direct support band Chelsea Grin, who opened the night with the title track from My Damnation. The deathcore heavy-hitters started in Salt Lake City, UT in 2007. They were led by the growling master Tom Barber, who was a long-time frontman of Lorna Shore from 2010 until 2018.The crowd started out brutal as soon as the first chords hit. The night continued with a mix of songs from the majority of their past albums. The audience truly came alive when their classic “Playing With Fire” from Ashes to Ashes started. Cheers were loud and horns were high once the song was over, then Tom asked the crowd “are you ready to bounce?” The crowd obliged and proceeded to sing the opening chorus to “Scent of Evil” perfectly. They ended the night of crowd-pleasing bangers with “Hostage” from their last album, Eternal Nightmare.
As the lights dimmed and the ambiance became dark and ominous, the three members from the headliners Dying Fetus began emerging one by one. Dying Fetus started in 1991 in Marlboro, MD with current original member John Gallagher on guitar/vocals. Sean Beasley on bass/additional vocals and Trey Williams on drums joined John on stage.The set included songs from their career-spanning discography starting with “Schematics” from Stop at Nothing. Even a long evening of heavy bands was not enough to deter the energy in the room. The crowd, who were already going strong in the mosh pit, really came alive once “One Shot One Kill” started. Then two daredevils took their head-banging to the next level by turning it into rafter suspending. Security quickly intervened to ensure everyone’s safety. The night continued with an ever rowdy crowd who were encouraged by Sean to make a “human centipede circle pit.”
Sean provided a closing sentiment for the crowd of “eat vegetables, go to school, don’t procrastinate. Goodnight.” This was a lighthearted message to end a lively night of dark heavy metal. With just one more week of a six-week tour, there is still time to check out this impressive lineup if you can.
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