Dying Fetus – Galatos: December 5, 2025 (13th Floor Concert Review)
American heavy hitters Dying Fetus and 200 Stab Wounds tore Auckland’s Galatos a new one last night with support from Christchurch’s Organectomy.
With a sold-out show and steady stream of regretfully tardy souls looking for tickets on social media, this may have been the most anticipated death metal show of the year.
Organectomy
Organectomy opened the evening confidently to an almost fully packed room. Vocalist Alex Paul had inviting presence, asserting that we are all friends here and to not let the bands have all the fun by not moving enough on the floor….and movement on the floor there was!
Potentially missing their bass player for this gig and aptly playing to a bass line backing tracks, Organectomy are clearly an experienced band and accomplished musicians. Their songs flashing with smart melodic leads and chaotically catchy drum patterns.
However, I found my mind wandering as their songs often lingered too long in the muddy waters of relatively straightforward mid-tempo breakdowns under conventional guttural vocals. As a result, the arrangements at times tended to meld into a big soupy noise. Yet according to the enthusiastic audience response, I was very much in the minority of wanting the band to ‘bolt the gate’ with a greater frequency.
A punter who held Organectomy in high regard, having seen them several times, highlighted they are a slam band after all. Leaning into the slower, down-tuned grooves was part of the appeal.
Thus my takeaway is that one of the great things about a thriving underground scene is that we are exposed to the many facets of death metal. I’m learning about the various subgenres as I work my way further in, the labels help give context and highlight the influences a band might be leaning into. No doubt I’ll have the opportunity to see Organectomy again, I’m hoping their sound will grow on me.
200 Stab Wounds
Two albums and an E.P into their career, there is already a fair bit of buzz around Ohio’s 200 Stab Wounds; words to the effect of leading a ‘new wave’ of death metal. True to the hype, 200 Stab Wounds delivered one of the most exhilarating heavy music sets I have ever seen.
Songs such as Hands Of Eternity, Drilling Your Head and Defiled Gestation all showcased the breadth of their technical chops during the set. Abrupt time signature changes, unexpected grooves that vanish a moment after establishing themselves, all delivered at full volume and intensity.
Whilst there were chats with the audience here and there between a few songs, the pace was relentless. It felt like the only time during the set that anyone caught their breath was during the minute long prerecorded sample played mid-set where the band located their alcohol and removed items of thoroughly sweat-drenched clothing.
Whilst 200 Stab Wounds are anchored in brutal death metal, it was the significant punk influence that ramped up the tempo and excitement in their set. The punk vibes are most apparent on their latest album MANUAL MANIC PROCEDURES and they were further confirmed with Steve Buhl’s guitar plastered in band stickers from the likes of Black Flag, Misfits, D.R.I and Suicidal Tendencies. His live vocals also sounded more shouty and thrashy compared to the growls laid down on record.
The money I had budgeted for a Dying Fetus t-shirt was evidently spent at the end of the night on a 200 Stab Wounds shirt. They stole the show.
Dying Fetus
It was all the way back in 2009 when Dying Fetus last disgraced our shores. Since then, the band has only gathered momentum with a series of albums that are somehow more accessible, yet even heavier than what had come before.
It took a couple of songs for Dying Fetus to warm up, hampered initially with a guitar amplifier issue and an unusually quiet PA. The atmosphere shifted considerably when they locked into third song Subjected To A Beating. The sound came right, the band locked in, and the floor went absolutely nuts.
I was impressed by the clarity of each instrument. John Gallagher’s riffage and sweep-picked guitar solos had every bit of precision, bite and aggression that you would expect in a band of their calibre. However, watching Sean Beasley play his bass was the unexpected highlight. He has a muscular style; two handed tapping, abrasive slides and whole sections where he was shredding notes in union with the guitar. His playing is a vital component of the Dying Fetus alchemy that I hadn’t appreciated until watching him live.
Dying Fetus played a relatively representative spread of songs from across their catalogue. The one-two punch of Pissing On The Mainstream and Kill Your Mother/Rape Your Dog were excellent choices of the material that continue to hold true in theme for the band. They are songs that clearly emphasise distaste for generic music culture; the later inserting absurd and hilariously offensive lyrics that ensure any chance of being adopted by the mainstream is obliterated. Long may Dying Fetus reign in the underground!
All up, a fantastic night of death metal in multiple variations. Catch Organectomy, 200 Stab Wounds and Dying Fetus in Christchurch tonight (6 December) and tomorrow in Wellington. Bring your money as there is lots of killer merch available for all the bands.
Chris Warne
Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Ming Lyu:
Dying Fetus:
200 Stab Wounds:
Organectomy:
