Review || Full Of Hell - "Coagulated Bliss"

 

You'd think that after a busy year dropping collaboration EPs, Full Of Hell would take some time off to recharge and re-acquaint themselves with their noisy roots. Alas, this is not the case; the Maryland outfit returns on April 26th with their 6th full length, and most polarizing release yet, "Coagulated Bliss".

Containing 12 tracks (in typical Full Of Hell fashion), the album has a duration of 25'. Pretty normal so far, right? Right. And that's one of the few familiar things about this album. Recorded shortly after "When No Birds Sang", "Coagulated Bliss" carries all the lessons Full Of Hell learned during their collaborations and is a testament to progress. The band is no stranger to experimentation and never afraid to take their craft a step forward. This time the amalgamation of their new insights results in yet another visceral record projected through the most unexpected elements. A determining factor to the final product is the lack of the usual all-encompassing darkness. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean that the album is happy but that there's more room to breathe, in a way, and I will elaborate. 

Stepping out of one's comfort zone is always daunting. While the album's core still lies in the powerviolence dissonance we know and love, there is a very interesting mixing-and-matching of borrowed details from various genres. The melodic hook in the intro of opener "Half Life Of Changelings" will have the listener questioning their speakers for about 10", until the actual pummeling begins. The deceptive packaging of the majority of the tracks enhances the overall experience, as we can never be certain what the next parts are going to sound like. We see the band move seamlessly from Converge-esque post hardcore passages to sludgy outbursts to downtempo moments to drone/ambient fills to metallic hardcore riffage. Granted, incorporating them into one's trademark sound is an intricate job but Full Of Hell manages to pull it off seemingly with ease. 

This doesn't mean however that Full Of Hell completely lets go of their structural foundation. The pulverizing drumwork, sickly bass and soaring guitars build soundscapes that sound equally chaotic and sharp -props to the crystal clean production, which allows all instruments to shine. On vocal duty, Dylan Walker is joined by Ross Dolan of Immolation and Jacob Bannon of Converge. The band accommodates both guests by adding traits of their respective genres on the songs they appear on; "Gasping Dust" has an outstanding death metal character, while "Malformed Ligature" is an absolute INSANITY of a song, which ends with a sax part.

If I had to pick favorites, I'd definitely go with "Doors To Mental Agony", "Transmuting Chemical Burns", the title track and "Vacuous Dose". 

Overall, Full Of Hell have created something quite idiosyncratic; each song on its own may sound uncomfortable or out of place without the general context, but once the tracklist is played in its entirety, it tells the story of the American dream gone wrong. Still angry, still violent, and yet quite emotive, "Coagulated Bliss" is a fascinating record from every aspect.

8.5/10

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