Reviews: Full Of Hell, Night Shall Drape Us, OU, Darkness (Reviews By GC, Rick Eaglestone, Mark Young & Richard Oliver)

Full Of Hell - Coagulated Bliss (Closed Casket) [GC]

Since their formation in 2009 Maryland’s Full Of Hell have released an absolute shedload of stuff on a variety of labels which include numerous collaboration albums, EP’s and now they are preparing to release their 6th album Coagulated Bliss, in the course of their career they have mixed powerviolence, hardcore, grindcore, death metal and noisecore all into one and that sound like something I can get on board with!

Half Life Changelings has an upbeat and slight pop melody to the first 8 seconds before all hell breaks loose and then its and uncompromising mix of grind and death metal that has all the nastiness needed before Doors To Mental Agony is a sludgy and thick death metal track all thrown together in just over a minute and a half and even manages to slow the pace down at the end to just throw you of guard before one last blast of violent grindcore finishes the song off nicely. 

Transmuting Chemical Burns has an awesome bass lead D-Beat mid 80’s hardcore feel at the start before the now familiar grindcore hits but it never loses that groove either and the way both styles are done is magnificent Fractured Bonds To Mecca then dials everything down and falls straight into doomy and uncomfortable noisecore that drags along and has an unsettling and downright horribleness running through the whole song and the changing up of tempo’s is also another curveball before the hardcore punk stomp of the title track Coagulated Bliss is here and gone in a blink of an eye in another wonderful display of short, sharp, shock treatment only for them to then thrown in Bleeding Horizon which at 6:13 is almost as long as the first 5 tracks combined. 

To start its just a slow and brooding guitar and slight feedback that sets the tone that’s build into a slow and droning riff with the vocals paired back and echoing over everything just enough to create a suffocating feeling, this doesn’t stop for the duration of the song towards the end we get a bit more depth added and while I appreciate the attempt to mix everything up drastically, I definitely feel this song is just that little bit too long, this of course doesn’t last long as the beautifully titled Vomiting Glass is 56 seconds of absolute grinding chaos that wakes you up again and reminds you to not get to complacent while listening to this album. 

Schizoid Rupture is a gloriously OTT old school death metal track, the vocals are thick and heavy to match the thundering drums, but both seem to drown out the guitars a little bit and make it hard to really pick out the vast majority of riffs but still an enjoyable track non the less, Vacuous Dose goes full of grind again and is a savage and unruly noise that shows for me that they should probably concentrate more on this side of things because when they do it just sounds phenomenal like on Gasping Dust which is another violent attack from all angles and again the unrelenting nature of this song is what makes this album such a good listen. 

Gelding Of Men then throws in an experimental alt-rock mixing jagged and jarring noisecore style in and as the song goes on just seems to get more and more aggressive and shows another way of doing things, Malformed Ligature closes the record with a mix of slow and doomy death metal with a little blast of grind thrown in for good measure.

It’s plain to see that Full Of Hell don’t like to do things half-hearted, when they put their foot down, they are an urgent and invigorating blur of violence and savagery but they can also take it right back and make you feel uncomfortable and anxious, the mix of styles creates a nervous energy in you and not knowing what is coming next is the real high point of this wonderful mindfuck of a record. 9/10

Night Shall Drape Us - Lunatic Choir (Season Of Mist) [Rick Eaglestone]

Finland’s Night Shall Drape Us unleash their own Blaze In The Northern Sky with eight heretical hymns on debut album Lunatic Choir

The albums opener Hymn Of Rebellion really lulls the listener into a false sense of security at the very start with its almost prog like tones that is before the tremolo and crashing of drums into a melting pot of fury with anthemic screams which continues into the entirety of Dead Eden which highlights the rawness that really unpins the release.

For me Ethereal Constrictor really nails the aesthetic of the album, this may be down to the atmospherics the layered vocals or just the overall grandiose nature of the presentation but whatever it maybe it is then smashed out of your subconscious as Ashes Of Man introduces the halfway point of the album kicking and screaming into oblivion.

It feels like each track is looking to outdo the previous one & well, Unification is no different – wave after wave of tempo increase, sharp guitar work and visceral vocals aplenty and if I had to select a track for someone new checking out the band it would have to be this as the inclusion of other dynamics that are subtly lurking really build up into a substantial serving of satanic majesty

The aptly named Lunacy And Horror is nicely constructed again containing fresh elements that enhance the blistering descent which weaves into Under The Dead Sky which after me mentioning for previous track I can now categorically that this is 100% the albums most relentless track and the windswept woefulness deserves a corpse painted chef’s kiss.

Lunatic Choir concludes with the short no nonsense The Queen Of The Red Streams and is a great closing choice and fitting for such a great debut offering.

Although initially conceived as a solo project the decision to form an unholy Nordic alliance bringing other musicians into the fold has proved a glorious manifestation of a collective goal. Uncompromisingly & Unrelenting.7/10

OU - II: Frailty (Inside Out Music) [Mark Young]

OU is a 4 piece that arrived on the progressive/fusion scene in 2022. Dummer, Anthony Vanacore bringing together the necessary component pieces and releasing ‘One’ via Inside Out records. OU have brought their unique vision to bear on II: Frailty, and having the mighty Devin Townsend along to Co-produce it can’t be a bad thing. This time round they look to push the envelope of prog past breaking point.

Frailty starts and straight away that promise of bringing the best of fusion sounds is delivered. Lynn Wu’s vocals have a dramatic range, moving through different gears from a gentle delivery to full bore. The mix of piano and guitar brings a heady mix with Lynn’s vocals dominating. Everything is super tight, the arrangement ever building and expanding with some of the gnarliest guitar tones coming in like a monster stomping on famous landmarks. That mix of the heavy with those clean but strident vocals is royal and serves as a statement of intent. 

Purge brings more of the electronica to the fore; background space being filled with the kind of soundscapes you’d hear in Blade Runner (Big Up Vangelis - Ed). This is not the prog I expected, it’s something else. The crazy Meshuggah riffs and drums with their stabbing feel, the building ambient sound behind, and again Lynn’s vocal stylings over it is mesmeric. There is a spot about 3 minutes in that is amazing, what the drums are doing are mental. Its brilliant stuff, especially when Devin gets in on the act and provides backing vocals that just round their sound out. 

The breadth in scope becomes further apparent with Ocean, it starts with a more restrained approach, less noisy guitar and more keyboard. This sounds like Prog, but with that modern filter applied to it. The one constant to it is Anthony Vanacore’s drums. They are just supreme, providing both the anchor and the propulsive force in moving the song forward at speed. Guitars too, with Jing Zhang dropping riff bombs that fit so well within the electronica.

Redemption is a haunting piece, soft piano and barely breathed vocals with an arrangement that builds gradually, the sound swelling just enough to carry us through to Capture and Elongate (Serenity) which starts with drum / electronica that reminds me of Raw Sex (duo that supported French and Saunders – google it, you will get the reference) in tone but not in execution. When it kicks in it is glorious, using the noise as a break and loop us back to the maddening keyboard, that starts, stops and starts again. When they get heavy, its heavy but still within the context of the song.

Spirit Broken brings back the guitar, focused and controlled with an arpeggiated section that is hypnotic when combined with the almost angelic vocals. If anything, this is like prog that I am used to, simple chords repeating without actually going somewhere. It’s the first misstep of sorts for me, of course, the vocal performance is total quality, but it feels as though the song is treading water.

Yyds is crafted from those classic prog chords that evoke a feeling of cosmic places, keys that are wandering whilst the drums are doing their magic and then they drop the technical on proceedings, just listen to it from 1.37 to 2.25, it’s a machine-built jam session and is something to behold. I actually can’t decide how to describe it, except that it is the sound of a band just on fire. Is it even prog anymore, I think that they are moving far beyond what the image of prog is. 

Reborn is the polar opposite of Yyds relying on Lynn to carry the song with an arrangement of keys to support and serves as a reset before they hit us with the final track, Recall. Unfortunately, Recall is a maddening track, the first half consisting of electronica and vocals repeating but going nowhere. The second half changes only slightly, a vocal refrain that is different, a loop that went on too long. They wish to push that envelope of what is expected from Modern prog, which is fine, but I think your last song has to be a song, one that is epic to really make it stick in the memory.

One thing I should have mentioned is that Lynn sings in her native language, not English which gives the album a unique feel but also hampers slightly. For me, the last track could have been removed and it wouldn’t have affected it one bit. The quality on display, the craft and sense of arrangement is top class. Each of the band are pulling in the right direction, all totally focused on the song. Admittedly out of the 9 songs there are 2 I didn’t care for, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. If this is the state of progressive music in 2024, then it is in a great place. 8/10

Darkness - Blood On Canvas (Massacre Records) [Richard Oliver]

2024 sees more obscure and cult old school thrash metal rearing its head though since their reformation in 2013, Darkness have been fairly prolific with a steady amount of releases. The German thrashers formed in 1984 and are probably best known for their 1987 album Death Squad and 1988 album Defenders Of Justice.  Since their comeback they have released two full length albums and two E.P.’s which were very solid but unspectacular releases. Now with the release of their sixth album Blood On Canvas it seems that Darkness have finally hit their stride and released an album that can stand tall alongside their first two albums.

Darkness have deemed this to be “the most ferocious album to date” from the band with songs that are “more aggressive and heavier than anything else in the Darkness discography” and upon listening to Blood On Canvas it is hard not to argue with this statement. Someone has definitely lit the fire underneath the collective feet of Darkness as this album does absolutely rip your head off and is an all out thrash metal attack. The latter albums by the band did have their ultra fast and aggressive songs but there were also plenty of plodding moments but Blood On Canvas mostly dispenses with any mid paced or slower moments with the sole intention of decapitating listeners with the sheer power of their thrash attack. 

If you like to more aggressive side of thrash then this album has plenty to offer from the savagery of album opener Wake Up In Rage, the raging attack of Nights In Turmoil and the speed assault of Defcon Four. The only moments of respite come in Human Flesh Wasted which opens with a brief acoustic intro before leading into one of the most ferocious songs on the album and the closing 8 minute plus title track switches between some gentler and more melodic moments and those of pure thrash chaos.

The line-up for the album remains the same as it was on the Over And Out E.P. in 2020 bar guitarist Meik who departed the band during the production process so Blood On Canvas was recorded as a four-piece. The band are on truly ferocious form with drummer Lacky truly pounding his kit, guitarist Arnd delivering some thrashtastic riffs and some very sweet solos and bassist Ben pounding out those beefy basslines. Frontman Lee is the only weaker link with his ferocious barks sounding a bit one dimensional at times though his vocals are in keeping with the aggression of the music so it is a very minor criticism.

Darkness have never been seen as an essential thrash band even by the most ardent fans of the genre but Blood On Canvas really sees the band up their game and it is easily the strongest release since their debut album Death Squad 27 years ago.  This is a pure thrash white knuckle ride which delivers on speed, aggression and attitude which are the essential component parts of any good thrash album.  Death metal may be more violent and brutal, black metal may be darker and more evil but when thrash kicks it up a notch there is nothing else like the sheer rush it gives. Blood On Canvas has those moments in abundance and will definitely be seen as one of the strongest thrash releases of the year. 8/10