Dying Fetus performs at Polo Ground in Shillong. Pictures by UB Photos

American band Dying Fetus took Shillong by storm at the Rain Revolt on Saturday by belting out one chartbusting track after another from their seven acclaimed albums.

On a warm afternoon, for the hundreds of death metal fans, all roads in and around Shillong led to the Polo Grounds to witness Dying Fetus on their maiden tour to India. Alongside Dying Fetus was Shillong’s very own Plague Throat, Underside (Nepal), Third Sovereign (Aizawl) and Cheisrah (Bangalore).

Dying Fetus’ seven albums include their latest, Reign Supreme. The others are Descend into Depravity, War of Attrition, Stop at Nothing, Destroy the Opposition, Killing on Adrenaline and Purification through Violence.

The death metal band, originally from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was formed in 1991, and is popular for its crowd-puller song structures.

Their only remaining original member, John Gallagher, was here to present head-banging numbers, much to the delight of the young, enthusiastic crowd.

The band belted out numbers from their own seven albums, which set the crowd into motion, but at the same time, assembling them (the crowd) to turn the “pit into an entire moshpit”.

Gallagher, the band’s frontsman, said the moment he reached Shillong he had a pleasant feeling about the once-upon-a-time Scotland of the East with the confidence that the show would go just as planned. And it did!

If the band took Shillong by storm, then Shillong took the band by surprise, as it never expected to see a huge and an enthusiastic crowd in an inconspicuous place swaying to the roar of death metal beats. According to Gallagher, Dying Fetus rose to extreme heights as all the band members not only remained devoted to their work, but also allowed the “metal spirit” in them to live on.

Stating that life for artistes has always been a roller coaster — it has taught them to sleep in the most uncomfortable places after undertaking long and stressful journeys — Gallagher confessed that Shillong has captured the fascination of the band! Given a chance, they would not hesitate to revisit this stage and entertain music aficionados again.

Dying Fetus is the second death metal band which regaled the city, the first being Sepaltura in 2007.