Full of Hell: Weeping Choir (2019)

One of the most hyped releases of the year is Full of Hell's follow-up to 2017's Trumpeting Ecstacy and the band's first release since signing to Relapse Records.  This is a particularly hyped release from the Decibel crowd.  Full of Hell started their existence as a powerviolence/grindcore band, but began incorporating more and more death metal influence over the years.  The album cover this time around is also a bit of a variation of the theme of the band's last album cover, though I thought that was more visceral and stood out more. 

The first thing to note is that this album is incredibly short and incredibly violent and loud.  The band makes a lot of noise incredibly quickly and before you know it, it's over.  The album starts off with the incredibly chaotic trio of "Burning Myrrh", "Haunted Arches" and "Thundering Hammers".  The opening track is the lead single from the album and these three songs are among the strongest on the entire album.  Featuring extreme riffs and almost pig-squealing vocals, the songs are in-your-face and extremely aggressive.

Things kind of hit a brick wall on the follow-up track "Rainbow Coil" which is much more of an abrasive industrial noise track.  It does not help that it is one of the longest tracks on the album either.  It gives a sense of uneasiness throughout, but it kind of breaks up the flow of the album.  It might have worked better had the track been at the album.  Luckily, it gets back on track with the very next song.

"Armory of Obsidian Glass" stands out the most as it is the longest song on the album, at six-plus minutes, it is twice as long as the next longest.  It is also the slowest, being based around doom-laden deliberate riffing, as opposed to the grindcore-influenced riffs in most of the rest of the songs.  From there, the band takes on much more of an experimental style, shifting frequently and leaving the listener in a daze from the barrage.  The one constant is the raw fury present in every song.

Full of Hell have delivered one of the heaviest and most chaotic releases of the year.  It is pure aggression from start to finish with very little breathing room.  While I tend to lean towards the more obviously metal albums, this kind of death metal-infused grindcore does catch my attention from time to time.  I do not know how often this one will be played as it is definitely a tough listen, but it is truly impressive.