You Can Be My Wave

Full of Hell must be the hardest working band in extreme metal because every year they are dropping projects. I haven't enjoyed all of their projects, in fact, their 2022 EP might be my worst rated record to date. But when the band plays to their strengths, whether that be creating destructive and lightning quick blasts of grindcore/powerviolence or sludgy, doom-filled epics, it typically goes over well. On their 2024 offering, Coagulated Bliss, the grindcore and sludge elements are peppered in all throughout, but it's not the be-all and end-all. It's probably closer to a death metal record which is not really my favourite lane of theirs. That said, the band appears to be on a hot streak as I found myself really enjoying this record.

A contributing factor is that Spencer Hazard's riff game is the strongest it's ever been. Half Life of Changelings and the title track both kick off with some pretty nasty hard rock riffs that have just enough melody to trick you into thinking this isn't an extreme metal record. When it comes to the death metal riffs, I didn't find them anywhere near as rudimentary or corny as I did on the aforementioned EP. Vomiting Glass and Vacuous Dose both have some pretty hellish and speedy death metal riffs that showcase Hazard's improvement. The only riff I really didn't like was Schizoid Rupture. In addition to the negative descriptors I already mentioned, I found the ascending and descending melody to also be terribly monotonous.

The centerpiece of the record, the six-minute Bleeding Horizon, delivers on my need for more sludgy doom metal. Buzzing guitars drone on and on as David Bland patiently holds down the beat. The melody that appears towards the end of the track gives a little solace, a light at the end of the treacherous tunnel if you will. Aside from this track, the only other time we get some metal in this style is at the end of the closer, Malformed Ligature. Of note, Bassist Samuel DiGristine performs some saxophone during this passage; matching Hazard's guitar melody, albeit with fittingly unflattering squawks. I typically find these passages more crushing than the chaotic grindcore moments so I'm happy that the record chose this note to end things on.

Speaking more generally of the record, very rarely is there a dull moment. Vocalist Dylan Walker has one of my favourite death snarls in the genre; it's always a pleasure hearing him scream. David Bland also kills it on the drums. Every grindcore blast beat is played with perfect precision and his creativity shows through his choice of percussion embellishments on tracks like Bleeding Horizon or at the end of Vacuous Dose. The band also experiments with percussive elements to create different textures on a couple tracks. Doors to Mental Agony overlays another, more cavernous drum performance that gives the impression that I'm being stalked down a long hallway by a less than friendly, lumbering mutant. Fractured Bonds to Mecca does away with your typical drum performance in favour of a sequenced booming industrial loop. I will admit I'm not fully on board with this track as the loop is pretty simple and repetitive, however as the track progresses, more percussive layers rumble and pan over the stereo field creating a pretty cacophonous conclusion.

Coagulated Bliss is exactly the reason why I continue to check out this band's releases. While I would like to hear the band write another throttling, straight-up grindcore record, I'm very pleased that I've been won over by this more death metal leaning record. Full of Hell demonstrates that underneath the large umbrella that is extreme metal, they have evolved into quite the chameleon; transitioning from one style to the next with an exceptional amount of proficiency and fluidity. As I said before, I feel like the band has hit a creative peak, and I would love for them to keep this string of quality releases going. I look forward to whatever they have planned next.