INTERVIEW: Dylan Walker – Full of Hell

FULL OF HELL have been on a tear for the past 10 years. The group has personified extremity in their musical outputs, and they have only grown more ferocious over the time of their career. With the dawning released of their new record, Weeping Choir, we had the chance to fire some questions over to vocalist Dylan Walker to answer and reveal some light on the bands workings. His answers are personal and like a diary entry, so prepare to enter the mind of the bellowing beast of FULL OF HELL, one of grindcore’s finest expors.

Given how the band has reached its 10 year milestone, can you give a quick story of how FULL OF HELL came to be?

Dylan: The band was formed by guitarist Spencer Hazard in 2009. Shortly after Dave and I joined and years later Sam became our fourth or fifth bass player. We’ve been touring since the beginning and haven’t stopped since. Because we went on tour with only a 7″ and did everything DIY and in the dark for the most part, we had a lot of interesting travel mishaps. Those were very important in our development and helped to keep us grounded and grateful.

What has changed over the years?

Dylan: I think we’ve learned the most from our failures, as opposed to our successes. They’ve tempered our expectations and helped us brace against further disasters in a way that we are able to be more prepared when facing them.

What has been the stand out moment for FULL OF HELL?

Dylan: There have been many for me, but playing in Tokyo with MERZBOW was definitely among the top moments for us all. It felt very surreal.

If you could, what would you predict for the next 10 years of FULL OF HELL?

Dylan: I can’t predict the next 10 years, but I hope that it just involves a lot of touring and recording.

What can FULL OF HELL fans expect from the Weeping Choir?

Dylan: I think it’s a very cohesive blend of all of the things we’ve been trying to do for years. It’s just our best approach to a sort of “unified” sound yet. It feels well rounded to me.

How do you balance the intensity that being round extreme music brings?

Dylan: I don’t think any of us feel the need to try and balance anything in regards to extreme music in our periphery. There’s nothing about it that feels alien or unnatural so there’s never a moment where we have to think about a balance. The people that we collaborate and tour with are almost always good people. Extreme music does not equal extreme human beings necessarily. So, I’m not sure what would need to be balanced.

Where do the inspirations for new music come from?

Dylan: We get inspiration like anyone else, everything in our surroundings influences what we write and and what we hope to write in the future. Obviously other musicians and artists are peak sources of inspiration but we all have our own sources as well, any artistic medium really.

What is the meaning behind the Weeping Choir title?

Dylan: “Good is evil and evil is the Night and the night is God, who spews forth from the unknowable to greet us in mourning” – MM

What are the themes it explores?

Dylan: It’s a natural tie in to the previous album, Trumpeting Ecstacy. This album is a metaphorical journey into the underground, the upheaval of forbidden knowledge and all of the pleasure and turmoil that would come in it’s wake. In other ways, it’s a sort of study on grief in the wake of failure.

How did the recording process for the album unfold?

Dylan: It was very easy and pleasant. We recorded for five days at God City in Salem. Things went very quickly and smoothly, nothing abnormal to note.

Do you prefer to write splits with other bands, or full lengths?

Dylan: I don’t think a preference can be given, they’re different experiences. Full lengths are nice because it’s a larger statement that you have control over, but splits are a nice union between hopefully like minded bands. If you were referring to the collaborations, those are very special because you are creating something new entirely in a room of people that you aren’t in a band with, so it’s almost like watching the album create itself, and you really aren’t sure where it could go.

Weeping Choir is set for release on May 17th via Relapse Records.

Like FULL OF HELL on Facebook.