Full of Hell runs rampant with innovation

There is a strange perception outside of the metal world that metal is a stagnant genre. Clearly, this is an opinion held only by people exposed only to the most popular artists in the genre, who much, like the rock gods of ages past, have found themselves content to release derivative works and tour their iconic albums. Those who are actually in the scene paint a far more interesting picture than most of the world gets to see. And few painters are as bold and adventurous as Full of Hell.

Primarily classified as a grindcore/power-violence group, Full of Hell has pushed and thrashed against genre conventions from the moment they were founded. There are, of course, moments of Garden of Burning Apparitions where they hew closely to the grindcore ethos of maximum speed and maximum volume. Tracks like “Asphyxiant Blessing” and the late album bone breaker “Urchin Thrones” are as violent and expeditious as anything made in the metal world today. While these elements are inherently recognizable as power violence, they all incorporate elements of noise and industrial tones. These elements help them to set themselves apart from less inspired bands in the space.

But if the flourishes of something fascinating weren’t enough to do the job for someone, then perhaps a full song’s worth of innovation could inspire people. In that case, one should turn to tracks like “Industrial Messiah Complex” and “Reeking Tunnels.” Both of these tracks incorporate elements of industrial and even groove metal into their DNA, allowing them to stand out from the world-rending cacophony of the rest of the album.

Even the noisy chaos of the record inspires. Full of Hell uses moments like “Non-Atomism” and “Celestial Hierarch” to push the limits of their limitless genre. At times the tracks reach such a fever pitch that they feel ripped from the outtakes of Full of Hell & Merzbow, their collaboration with Japanoise icon Masami Akita, AKA Merzbow. But in this chaos, they find a distinct space for their sound by using electronic music production techniques to push their limits further than should be possible. 

Garden of Burning Apparitions not only proves that Full of Hell remains at the top of their game, but they are still crucial innovators within the world of metal. It also shows the metal genre itself is one of the key areas of music where room for experimentation is not only abundant but the pursuit of an empty space within that room is lauded. Perhaps this experimentation will never garner a popular following; it is, after all, a hellish landscape painted with broken guitars, scuzzy amplifiers and blood-curdling screams. But those who do love this little corner of Tartarus are being treated to some of the most innovative music in the world; hopefully, they know it.