Reign Supreme is the seventh studio album by Maryland death metal institution Dying Fetus, released on June 19, 2012, via Relapse Records. The record marks a deliberate return to the band's earlier, more groove-driven roots after the predominantly technical direction of their 2009 album Descent Into Depravity, with guitarist and vocalist John Gallagher describing it as "a return to form of older Fetus albums — more modern production, though, of course. Everything's tight, the sound is crushing, the drums are amazing." Recorded as a trio — Gallagher alongside fellow vocalist and bassist Sean Beasley and drummer Trey Williams — the album spans nine tracks (ten in the deluxe edition, which adds the bonus track "Dead Whores Love to Fuck") and runs just over 37 minutes. As Relapse Records describes it, the album "simultaneously pushes the boundaries of brutality and technicality while returning to their uncompromising roots," combining mind-bending musicianship with earth-shattering breakdowns, the band's trademark dual vocal attack, and their characteristically uncompromising sociopolitical commentary.Across its compact runtime, Reign Supreme moves with the focused, no-wasted-motion intensity of a band fully in command of their craft. The album opens with the technically demanding "Invert the Idols" before unleashing the groove-heavy assault of "Subjected to a Beating," widely regarded as one of the album's strongest moments. Highlights include the riff-dense "Dissidence," the politically charged closer "The Blood of Power," and "From Womb to Waste," while Gallagher's guitar work throughout — balancing explosive technical passages with devastating mid-paced riffs and well-placed solos — earned particular praise from reviewers. Metal Storm awarded the album 8.5/10, Metal Injection gave it an 8/10, and Spin scored it 7/10, with the general critical consensus placing it among the strongest entries in the band's catalog and a high-water mark for early-2010s brutal and technical death metal.
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