Speaking with ‘FULL OF HELL’ ahead of their AU Tour with THOU!

This August, metalheads across Australia are in for a treat as Full of Hell and Thou join forces for a anticipated tour. These two heavyweights of the metal scene are set to deliver a series of unforgettable performances, showcasing their unique and intense sounds.

Full of Hell, known for their ferocious blend of grindcore, noise, and death metal, are riding high on the success of their upcoming album, Coagulated Bliss, set for release on April 26th via Closed Casket Activities. This will be their sixth studio album, following the critically acclaimed Garden of Burning Apparitions from 2021. Over the past few years, Full of Hell has kept fans engaged with a steady stream of EPs, splits, and collaborations with bands such as Primitive Man, Gasp, and Nothing.

Their Australian tour will not only give fans the chance to experience the new material live but also to witness the raw energy and intensity that Full of Hell brings to the stage.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Full of Hell numerous times over the years—in record stores in Sydney, skate warehouses in Toronto, and even on larger stages in the USA back in the early 2010s. So, I was thrilled to catch up with Dylan from Full of Hell to learn more about their upcoming tour and their latest record, 'Coagulated Bliss.'

The tour will kick off in Brisbane and cover major cities including Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Adelaide. Each city promises an electrifying experience, with both bands delivering their signature sounds

First off, I've been a longtime listener of FULL OF HELL, and I've been listening since your record ‘Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home’ in 2011 so Hello! – Who is joining us today and where are you writing to us from?

Hello! This is Dylan, I sing in Full of Hell. Writing from my home in central Pennsylvania.

Awesome to hear that FULL OF HELL will be touring Australia in August – What are you looking forward to the most about touring here again?

Honestly, I’m really looking forward to spending some time with friends I haven’t seen in a long time. We were lucky enough to have some very memorable Australian tours, the first was put on by a complete stranger who ended up becoming one of my best friends. We had a fair amount of excuses to tour together over the years, but Covid definitely put a hiccup in that. 

Is THOU a band that you've toured with before? And how did the idea to do a split tour in Australia come together? 

We have toured with Thou before and we have been friends with them for a very long time. Bryan always booked our shows in New Orleans and we had the chance to open for Thou and the body in the early days. He always had a good joke or good advice on hand whenever needed and I’ve definitely looked up to him in terms of how to do things yourself, and do them the right way. 

I might nerd out a little in this interview, so just keeping you the loop – I saw Full of Hell in DIY Space/Record store in Sydney many years ago, and believe you played SOYBOMB in Toronto back in 2014, which was a good mate of mine’s warehouse/house – What shows have been the most memorable during the lifespan of this band?

I remember both! Blackwire show was so fun and we still have very fond memories of our times at Soybomb. It’s really hard to get specific with shows, honestly. We’ve been touring for so long and have been SO overly fortunate to play sick gigs and get great opportunities. Any tour or show where it’s with some actual deep friends will always stand out. There moments when I look around and feel that “wow, we’re doing it!” feeling and I’m just very proud of everyone. The most recent would have been the Gatecreeper release a week ago. Seeing them and Jarhead Fertilizer kill it like that was a really cool moment for me.

You have done a ton of wild collaborations over the years with NAILS, MERZBOW, THE BODY – how did the colab record between you and Merzbow come to be?

We have a long friendship with a Hungarian drummer named Balazs Pandi. One of the greatest human beings ever. He has toured and recorded extensively with Masami, and after meeting us and keeping a correspondence he suggested it and set it up for us. It was a huge moment for sure. 

In the past years between touring Australia in 2014 and now returning here – Have you become friends with a lot of other Australian bands/artists, and is there anything you're listening to here that you're excited to explore more when the band tours again?

Yeah totally, there’s an amazing artistic community down there! Really buzzing to see Diploid and Sow Discord again. 

I’ve been following the project for awhile from how has the sound of the band changed and or developed from your earlier records and splits to the recent record ‘Coagulated Bliss’

I would say that’s a bit of a complex question and one I’m not totally equipped to answer for the whole band, but I will say that as we’ve gotten older we feel less and less of a pull to please anyone or to try and prove ourselves. I think it’s really hard for a band to find it’s voice sometimes, and this is our first real band. We’ve grown in public eye in real time from the time we released our first 7” (every members first pressed release ever!) til now. I choose to look at that visibility as a good thing. We have only ever been ourselves and I think we continue to write music that caters to OUR taste. Thankfully we’ve found an audience that’s along for the ride!

Who did you work with for Production for ‘Coagulated Bliss"?

We worked with our old friend Kevin Bernsten at Developing Nations in Baltimore. He’s recorded us so many times over the years and knows us so well. He had his hands all over this one and I think it’s our best work together. 

Who worked across the Creative, and Artwork Direction for the Album Cover for ‘Coagulated Bliss’?

Another old friend - Brian Montuori. He’s a brilliant painter that we met about a decade ago. He’s been there as kind of a big brother figure to give me solid advice as I got older and wanted to pursue art full time and has just been a great friend overall. He helped inspire me in terms of what the record would be about as well. He basically told me that at the age we were, with the life experiences we’ve had (marriage, fatherhood, death etc etc), that it was time we wrote about where we came from. That meant writing a record about Ocean City Maryland and Central Pennsylvania. He distilled everything from there.

Who does FULL OF HELL draw to for influence for writing a record, say ‘Coagulated Bliss’?

This one definitely struck more of a noise rock tone. Spencer was very influenced by old favorites like Melvins, Sonic Youth, Harvey Milk and Dinosaur Jr. 

Are there difficulties touring Internationally vs North America/Can?

I mean, obviously it’s more expensive and challenging when flights are involved. When we tour North America, we can just hop in the van and go.  Australia in particular is so expensive and time consuming to get to, that many bands never make it down there. I feel really lucky that we are given the opportunity to do these things. 

When you're not on tour, what are you working on and how’s that downtime feed the cycle?

We all do different things. The boys do all kinds of stuff, from stagehand work to construction, homesteading, screenprinting and playing in a hundred other bands.  I run a print studio with my wife when I’m home and we are raising our daughter. I love the rhythm I’ve got going at the moment and I’m mainly working hard to maintain that. 

We enjoy giving back and supporting emerging artists, bands, or creatives from your local community. Are there any you'd recommend we check out?

There is a man in the woods behind my house about 2 miles back the road that is a very artistically driven and passionate meth cook. He says he can see God in the glass and that his hands are guided by a higher force. I can’t remember his PayPal right now but prayers work just fine. 

Looking forward to seeing your Sydney show coming up! Thanks for this, and catch you there!

Can’t wait dude! Thank you very much.