Following collaborations with Merzbow and The Body, Full Of Hell will soon release their new album on the Profound Lore label.
Entitled Trumpeting Ecstasy, the album sees the band offer even more energy with frontman Dylan Walker offering up a range of vocal delivery across the record’s tracks. Above, you can get a sample of the new record via the video for the album’s title track.
A disorientating affair, the video, which was written, shot and edited by Jordan Musheno and Ian Killian, is suitably gloomy to fit the track’s scuzzy, industrial streak with guest vocals offered up from Canadian singer/songwriter Nicole Dollanganger. Converge’s Kurt Ballou provides guest bass while the track also features a sample of The Body’s Lee Buford.
The album is out on May 5 and the band will play UK shows in July in support of the album’s release. The tour takes in shows at London’s Kamio (July 14), Leeds’ Temple Of Boom (July 15), Glasgow’s Audio (July 16), Soup Kitchen in Manchester (July 17) and finally Bristol’s Exchange (July 18). Keep reading on for a quick chat we had with the band about the album just below.
Following the collaboration with Merzbow for your last full-length, did that change how you worked as a band to writing the album this time around?
Absolutely. Working with Masami was an important experience for all of us and we learned a lot. The concept of improvisation wasn’t something we’d explored previously, and with Merzbow in a live setting it was very important. We’ve been able to apply things we’ve learned from that experience to what we’re doing now in subtle ways in the studio.
‘Trumpeting Ecstasy’ features Nicole Dollanganger, how did that collaboration come around because on first listen it seems like her voice should be a contrast to the music you’ve produced?
We were looking for a stark contrast. It’s kind of like chiaroscuro, but sonically instead of on a physical art medium. Her voice is beautiful and we felt that it accented well against the ugly sounds, and vice versa. They amplify and compliment each others’ strengths. We found out that we were mutual fans of each other’s work and it seemed like a great time to do something like this.
The video for ‘Trumpeting Ecstasy’ is quite extreme, how much input do you have as a band when producing the accompanying art, or do you just put your trust in the directors to match your style?
Our input on videos varies, but for this video, it was very hands on. I was involved in writing the treatment, general aesthetic direction, and we shot it on my property in Pennsylvania. We enlisted two of our very talented friends to handle the process.
How have you been able to translate the more visceral sense of your music to the live performances? Is that always considered when you’re writing or does it just naturally evolve while touring?
It’s actually been quite the opposite. It’s more a sense of trying to translate the live experience to the records, and that’s been a learning experience. We always feel like we can do better with the next one. This band prioritized playing live from day 1. Over the years, we’re all becoming fonder of making records than playing live, but it was always the most important thing for us, so that was what came first in our minds. We’re trying to find a balance in making the records sound huge, but allowing them to still feel organic and noisy. The touring and playing definitely molds where our sound is going.. So, while the sets are pre-set before a trip, over time we find our space and adjust accordingly.
