Full of Hell
Coagulated Bliss

LA RECENSIONE

In the context of American grindcore, I've always considered Full of Hell as the greatest modern response to the monumental legacy left by Brutal Truth.

I know that many purists of the genre might not agree with this comparison, but personally, I've often perceived similarities between the legendary band of Dan Lilker & co., and these crazy guys from Maryland. Their willingness to experiment, in a violent, anti-musical, and uncompromising genre like grindcore, brings to mind for an enthusiastic listener like myself, unique and iconic albums such as Sounds of the Animal Kingdom and even more so, Need to Control. Two albums that, in their own way, reinterpreted the genre in an intelligent and effective manner.

Since their beginnings, Full of Hell have been able to gather and amplify the experimental and eclectic elements proposed by the cited albums, with great courage and mastery, if not in an even more original way. Their collaborations with artists like Merzbow, The Body, and Primitive Man have undoubtedly contributed to evolving their music, while also significantly contaminating it. Avant-garde grindcore without compromise, faithful to the old school but rich in inspiration.

And here they return, then, with Coagulated Bliss, released on the Closed Casket Activities label. An album that, exactly as this kind of music commands, aims to smash the listener's eardrums, with twenty-five minutes of exasperated sonic violence, but played with flair and much boldness. In terms of quality, only Trumpeting Ecstasy (2017, Profound Lore) comes close, but Coagulated Bliss excels for heterogeneity and eclecticism. These qualities, not always appreciated by everyone, have sparked various criticisms in the weeks following the release of the album due to a leaner and much more hybrid sound compared to the past. Besides the usual grind assault, the new album adds, in fact, mathcore elements and dissonances typical of the most chaotic and quirky hardcore, with clear references to bands like Converge (Jacob Bannon sings on Malformed Ligature), Botch, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and other illustrious "mathematicians."

For the writer, these sonic similarities are undeniably an asset of the album, not a flaw. In terms of heaviness, this album is no joke! The approach of the Full of Hell is, as usual, earth-shattering and brutal, but also much more dynamic and unpredictable. Tracks like Schizoid Rupture, Vacuous Dose, Half Life of Changelings, Transmuting Chemical Burns, Gasping Dust, Malformed Ligature, or Vomiting Glass demonstrate, once again, an implacable sonic fury, knowing when to slow down or insist with pounding rhythms, also giving space to noise and sludge metal experiments, as emerges from Bleeding Horizon and Fractured Bonds to Mecca. A swarm of venomous, demonic, and uncontrollable insects, ready to scourge everything they encounter... but in musical form.

Coagulated Bliss is further proof by Full of Hell of being a courageous band with a strong identity and a remarkable mastery of their means. These characteristics allow them to create (non)music in total freedom, resulting once again in a powerful, innovative, and absolutely devastating grindcore album.
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