Full of Hell brings vein-jolting and gripping themes on Broken Sword and Rotten Shield.

Last year, the metal band Full of Hell released the bombastic albums Coagulated Bliss and Scraping The Divine featuring Andrew Nolan. Both albums blew up some people’s minds with ear-bleeding music, and on May 16, the band will be dropping the EP, Broken Sword, Rotten Shield. What is great about the whole thing is how the blistering instrumentation and vocal performance give Broken Sword, Rotten Shield a face-smacking dose of in-your-face metal music.

The title track is a soul-shaking ditty with a heavy death metal vibe. Right off the bat, the sound of soaring guitar playing and erratic drum playing welcomes listeners to Full of Hell’s chaotic world, while the vocalist dazzles the mind with his powerful grumbles and shrieks. If people want to hear classic head-banging music, “Broken Sword, Rotten Shield” will satisfy that need thanks to the band’s musical talents.

Now, “Corpselight”  is an entirely different ditty because the sound of the bass guitar shaking the background can be felt through each riff, and another significant part of this creepy composition is hearing the vocalist eerily yell out the lyrics in a dark and twisted way. Additionally, the darkness on “Corpselight” evokes a lingering sense of knowing what evil things lurk in the mystical darkness.

Another eye-catching number is “Mirrorhelm,” and what is truly enjoyable about the whole thing is how the music can make listeners feel as though they are either watching a scary movie or hiding from a killer monster that wants to eat them. Right off the bat, the sound of the organ playing scary notes fills the air with threatening sound, while the noises of the monster can be heard moving around in the dark and gloomy theme, which makes “Mirrorhelm” just as exciting!

Ending Broken Sword, Rotten Shield on a high is “To Ruin and The World’s Ending” and in ways, the instrumentation and vocal performance gives this ditty a strong anthem vibe thanks to the surging guitar riffs and drum playing creating a catchy tempo. In contrast, the vocal performance dazzles the mind with endless shrieks that are filled with relentless anger.  Honestly, “To Ruin and The World’s Ending” sounds like the band is continuing to walk on a road that is constantly filled with looming darkness.

Ending Broken Sword, Rotten Shield truly shows how musically strong Full of Hell is as a band, and this EP is just as good as the previous albums they released last year. Surely, these songs will sound just as good and insane live as well.