Full of Hell are seemingly unstoppable. After an incredibly busy 2023 you might have thought the band would take a step back for a moment to breathe, but no. Coagulated Bliss is the follow up to 2021’s noisy and nightmarish Garden Of Burning Apparitions. Announced in mid-March, it was showcased alongside the striking new artwork by Brian Montuori. Where the artwork may have been a hint, the first moments of opening track ‘Half-Life of Changelings’ is a clear indication that this isn’t quite the same Full Of Hell. Straight out of the gate there is a massive melodic hardcore melody, not noisy feedback-laden suffocation. There is a more tempered pace and a deliberate sense of rhythmic punctuation. In less than ten seconds, all of those changes are introduced before giving way to frenetic guitar licks and pulverising blast beats and guttural vocals, culminating in seventy one seconds of the trademark ferocity the band have excelled with for fifteen years. It’s still Full Of Hell after all.
The choice of singles was a great way to slow drip feed this fundamental change in the bands sound. Lead single ‘Doors To Mental Agony’ immediately blasts into a gnarled old-school death metal stomp, a punchy call-to-arms delivery of the vocals before the track is bursting at the seams with intense blasts. Similarly follow up single “Gasping Dust” surges forth with brain melting ferocity; skirting between pummelling death metal and relentless grind for a breathtaking sixty nine second run. Finally, the title track breaks the chains completely showing their hand and delivering what is arguably the best track Full Of Hell have ever written. An actual sing along chorus with defiant accented punch on the delivery, catchy noise rock melodies paired with sludge riffs and the harrowing intensity the band always bring to the table.
A massive component in the tonal shift of the band’s sound comes from the choice of production staff. Returning to long-time collaborator Kevin Bernstein as the recording engineer, the band opted to take those recordings and pass them to mix engineer Taylor Young (Judiciary, Jesus Piece, Cannabis Corpse, Cruelty) and mastering engineer Nick Townsend (Filth Is Eternal, Spanish Love Songs, Fleshwater) to glean their perspectives. This has given Coagulated Bliss’ production a very unique feel to it compared to the rest of the band’s catalogue. Lifting the suffocating weight and opening up the space, giving the band a crisp metallic hardcore/modern hardcore production and stepping away from being raw for the sake of raw.
There are more deliberate showcases of this metamorphosis in the songwriting; ‘Fractured Bonds to Mecca’ being built around a very deliberate drum machine pattern, incredibly reminiscent of their acclaimed collaborations with The Body. It makes use of percussive sampling and a more subtle intention of dread woven throughout the simplistic driving beat that eventually deteriorates into samples feeding back and starting to oscillate. Another is the fully developed and explored doom and drone worship brought from their work with Primitive Man in the form of the six minute ‘Bleeding Horizon’. Opening with dissonant clean guitar chords, aching feedback that gives way to monolithic pulverisation from the guitar and bass drones, flirting with melodic doom territory at points with vocals leaning toward necrotic in their delivery. ‘Gelding of Men’ is another interesting standout, fully embracing noise rock sensibilities and a dramatic flair in the forceful rhythmic hits, regressing into deranged howls and calculated blasts of noise at a consistent mid-tempo nod.
The instrumental work of Coagulated Bliss is sensational. Guitarist Spencer Hazard, bassist Samuel DiGristine and drummer Dave Bland have collectively written some mind melters this time around. Truly stepping out of the Full Of Hell comfort zone and executing these new integrations flawlessly, yet never losing the spark of that undiluted fury. Moments like the opening melodic hook of ‘Schizoid Ruptured’ will bury themselves deep into your head, followed by urgent and anxiety inducing drive in the drums and with the guitar/bass melody. The band still find the space to be themselves amongst it all; the second half of the album is truly breathtaking in its staunch intensity. From a lyrical perspective, Walker has shied away from the more fantastical, metaphorical lyrics of previous releases, and Coagulated Bliss is very much grounded in reality. Choosing to focus in on the ills of the dedication to the over-pursuit of happiness, whether that be addiction, greed or anything meant to manufacture happiness and the reality of everyday life and the American dream in small towns, informed by their own experiences growing up in Ocean City, Maryland.
Collaboration is always a driving force for Full Of Hell; they couldn’t help but include guests with Ross Dolan (Immolation) on “Gasping Dust”, as well Jacob Bannon (Converge), being included on phenomenal album closer ‘Malformed Ligature’. Speaking of, the hefty emotional weight the track festers throughout the album’s closing moments. Its a powerful final note to end on, the blistering metallic hardcore bookended by profound emotive melody. Samuel DiGristine’s saxophone makes an appearance on the track, no longer just a noisy zooz flute used to stoke the flames of intensity in the vast claustrophobia of the band’s soundscape, actual melodic sensibility is considered and it follows the minor riff played by Hazard.
You never truly know what to expect with a Full Of Hell album; they’re never a band to rest on their laurels, but Coagulated Bliss is something special, using the past few years of their collaborative works to adapt and build on their sonic toolkits in every way. This is easily the strongest songwriting of the band’s studio efforts and their best work to date, feeling like they’ve reached a point where they’re truly embracing themselves and what they want Full Of Hell to be. With the album’s run time lingering around twenty five minutes, there’s no excuse to let this pass you by, especially when it feels like it passes by in an instant of bliss.