ALBUM REVIEW: Garden Of Burning Apparitions – Full Of Hell

Few bands, if any, have become as synonymous with sonic violence in recent years as FULL OF HELL. Imbuing their mix of death metal and grindcore with a vicious experimental edge, the four-piece have gone from strength to miserable strength over the past decade or so. Garden Of Burning Apparitions is their fifth full-length, arriving over two years since the critically-acclaimed depravity of Weeping Choir. That might not seem like a huge gap, but it is the longest the prolific grindsters have gone without releasing a record since their formation in 2009. Fortunately, Garden… is worth the wait. It’s another wholly uncompromising record, and one that further cements the band’s position at the forefront of extreme music today.

Given their reputation, it’s no great surprise that FULL OF HELL have broadened their sound once again for this record. Specifically, Garden… sees them throw a heavy noise rock influence into the mix, adding a fresh angular dissonance to proceedings. This fits well with their established brutality, and arguably becomes more pronounced as the record goes on. Tenth track Reeking Tunnels is perhaps the most obvious example of all, its stomping noise rock riff erupting into punky power chords and breaks of guitar-driven dissonance. 

Even with these added elements, those who’ve come to Garden… looking for FULL OF HELL’s more sickening grindcore fare won’t leave disappointed. Opener Guided Blight quickly allays any fears otherwise, a 59-second flurry of blast beats, tortured shrieks and grim guttural vocals. Recent single Eroding Shell is another prime example, its opening riff swiftly obliterated by  pummelling deathgrind. As ever, frontman Dylan Walker is vicious throughout. He’s a perfect foil to the band’s all-out savagery, providing a harrowing mix of high and low screams. Drummer Dave Bland also deserves a mention, his machine gun blasts imbuing the record with a constant forwards propulsion.

There are also plenty of moments on Garden… where FULL OF HELL embrace the more avant-garde leanings heard on its 2019 predecessor. Fourth track Derelict Satellite is particularly deranged, a horrific concoction of harsh noise, clattering percussion and distant screams from Walker. Non-Atomism mines similar territory, its frantic blast beats struggling through a mire of abrasive electronics and effects. Elsewhere, even the band’s more straight-ahead grind finds itself choked out by their experimental edges, perhaps most obviously on lead single Industrial Messiah Complex. This track stands out as one of the album’s best, with Walker taking aim at American mega-churches and what he describes as their “commodification of spirituality” to merciless effect.

It goes without saying that FULL OF HELL have never been an accessible band. Clearly, that’s not the point, but it does mean that Garden… can prove something of an ordeal at times. If there even is such a thing as an obvious entry point into music like this, it’s probably not here. That said, if you’re already on board, it doesn’t get much better than this record. With short songs and a solid degree of variation, the band ensure that a 20-minute runtime flies by in their company. The production by Seth Manchester lands perfectly too, accentuating the band’s suffocating intensity while still capturing all of their razor sharp edges.

All this results in yet another success for FULL OF HELL. While their recent form means fans are unlikely to expect anything less, Garden… is an album that will no doubt continue the band’s impressive upward trajectory as one of the most compellingly extreme acts the world has ever known.

Rating: 8/10

Garden Of Burning Apparitions is set for release on October 1st via Relapse Records.

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