I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, and the height of that (so far!) has been a really fun panic attack while watching “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” right during the scene where (SPOILERS!) Han Solo dies. It was my second time seeing it, so it’s cool. Anyway, sometimes music that makes me feel the same sensations that occurred then make me back away, for that wasn’t a comfortable time.
Grind/noise/industrial terrorists Full of Hell always have had that same effect on me, yet I always find myself sticking with their music because it’s just so goddamn destructive and fascinating. They tend to do something totally different each time out, they do crazy collaborations (their unions with The Body have made for some aggressive listens), and they set a path that they only slightly commit to before they blow the whole thing up again. The panic-inducers have returned with another explosive record “Weeping Choir,” their full-length Relapse debut, and once again, their power-violent, death-and-grind, doom-laced slaughtering has hit another level. Pulling in plenty of elements that have dotted their other recordings, as well as some new twists and turns, this 11-track, nearly 25-minute record (practically a double album for them) blazes new ground yet again. The band—Dylan Walker (vocals, electronics), Spencer Hazard (guitars, noise), Sam DiGristine (bass, vocals), Dave Bland (drums)—delivers urgent, violent, chaotic fury that definitely will chew on your brain wiring and make you feel like you’re about to lose control.
“Burning Myrrh” ignites right away, with shrieks and growls mixing together to form chaotic fusion (Walker and DiGristine’s tangling vocals are one of the powering elements of this band), while delirious riffs melt into a sludge pile that warps and sets up the animalistic finish. “Haunted Arches” again has the vocals trading off, the track going fast and smeary, and a mathy burst coloring the back end of the song. “Thundering Hammers” begins situated in doomy mud while grim growls lurch, only to be tackled by black metal-style screeches. The riffs clobber and bludgeon, bringing the song to a smothering end. “Rainbow Coil” has industrial charges and noise jolts with vile growls slithering over the panic, and everything achieving an avant-garde fury. The track sounds like being locked into the gears of a machine, which spills over into “Aria of Jeweled Tears” that explodes out of the gates. The vocals punish as the track lathers itself into an agitated assault, while the thick black smoke of industry first waters your eyes and then chokes you out in full.
“Downward” has riffs spiraling out, the vocals shredding, and weird noise welling up before an insane assault unfurls, mashing your brain as it speeds headlong into a death swarm. “Armory of Obsidian Glass” is the longest track by far, ticking in at 6:56, and it simmers in grimy drone, sinewy riffs, and damaging, slow-driving destruction. Misery-inducing doom follows, as the pace disorients and sends numbing vibes, marching into an unexpected clean section. A choral section unleashes majesty before the guts are ripped out, black screeches tear holes, and everything ends in a corrosive bath. “Silmaril” is heavy and gross as growls gurgle and the track steps on your throat, while “Angels Gather Here” dumps noise interference in your lap, acting as a heavy menace before sizzling to death in its own noise. “Ygramul the Many” suffocates, with a fierce heavy toll being paid and sax tearing into the picture to play tricks with your mind. That confusion moves like a cloud to the next thrashy burst, which blows open a hole for closer “Cellar of Doors.” There, doomy death swings like a reaper, the shrieks unload insanity, and the track comes to a smashing finish.
Full of Hell’s music might sound like a full-blown psychological breakdown, but it’s pretty clear from “Weeping Choir” that they’re in complete control, which is pretty scary. They continue to add to their ridiculously prolific resume with this massive fourth record that has no interest in mercy or restraint. This is a band that will leave you a crumbling, heaving pile on the floor, and it’s up to you to try to put your own pieces back together again.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/fullofhell/
To buy the album, go here: https://store.relapse.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/RelapseRecords
Meat Mead Metal 