Interview: Ken Geiger Sits Down Again with Full Of Hell's Spencer Hazard

Photo: Nick Lacuna

21st Birthday Celebration

By Ken Geiger

How does one celebrate their 21st birthday? I feel like the stories I have heard involve drinking lethal amounts of alcohol at the bars. Did I end up doing the same thing? Unsurprisingly, I did not. Instead, I went to go catch the wild behemoth that is Full of Hell live at the Highline Ballroom, playing alongside Cattle Decapitation, Revocation, and Artificial Brain. While I enjoy some of those bands a great deal, none of them could quite match the live intensity that the Ocean City, Maryland grindcore outfit brings every single time they step on a stage.

I cannot say that I instantly was head over heels for this band either when I first heard them. It took some intense listening sessions to realize that they were not just your average grind or powerviolence band that is setting out to write nothing but a minute and a half of riffs and call it a song. Full of Hell are setting trends that I feel many new underground bands aspire to incorporate into their own aesthetic: great merchandise, frequent collaborations with other artists, and an embrace for noise music that not everyone is brave enough to accept. It is truly something else that excites me to no end.

I managed to catch up with the band's guitarist, Spencer Hazard, on this night in the city to figure out more about Full of Hell than I already knew. What makes this band work their asses off so much? Can anyone define their sound? Is Buffalo Wild Wings still worth eating at? The man himself answers it all below.

K: Ken S: Spencer

K: How has the tour been so far?

S: It's been great so far. I think each band has collectively said this is one of the biggest tours they've been on, especially us. The turnout is good, reception to our music is great, and I feel like we're playing to new crowds.

K: What made you pick the songs you've been playing?

S: So it's mostly just Trumpeting Ecstasy stuff. Last time we toured with the Cavalera Brothers, the record wasn't released yet. So we definitely wanted to give people more of the newer songs.

K: How did you get Limbs Bin to play noise with you guys for this tour? What do you think he adds to your live sound?

S: He did merch for us on our tour with Entombed A.D. earlier this year, and on the way back from that tour, he did opening sets for us. So, when it came time to do this tour, we kind of thought "why don't we try to just do a collab set this time?" It's progressed slowly over the course of the tour. We're adding drum machine at some points in the set, some trash percussion here and there.

K: Do you think any recorded stuff can come out of this collaboration?

S: Oh, definitely. We wanted him to be on Trumpeting, but it never panned out. We felt that maybe the record would have been a little bloated if we added some of his elements to what was already there. When we write this next one, though, we will keep in mind some ideas that he has and put them in there.

K: Moving onto the new record, it sounds like all the songs flow so well into each other. Were those songs recorded individually, or done in one long marathon run?

S: With this record, every song was written individually. Some songs were written like forever ago, while others were written right up to the day we began recording. We wanted the record to feel natural, but it wasn't written or recorded to serve as one big piece. There were just some noise interludes to kind of make some songs flow better together.

K: How did it feel to work with so many big names in metal? You got to work with Aaron Turner, Kurt Ballou, Nate Newton to name a few. Are those guys fans?

S: It's a surreal feeling. I mean with Aaron Turner, we all grew up being huge fans of Hydra Head Records (the label that Turner runs). That was the label of the generation Dylan and I come from. But since both us and Sumac (Turner's latest band) were on Profound Lore at the time, we just decided to call and ask him if he wanted to do it. It turned out he was a huge fan.

As for Nate, we had played with Converge in Europe; so the connection was there already. Overall, though, I feel like we have become peers with these groups we looked up to when we were younger. It's no longer just little kids being like "oh, can you guys please be on our record?" It's a friendly collaboration thing.

K: Speaking in the vein of collaboration, how did it feel to feud with Santos from Old Man Gloom on Facebook?

S: Well isn't that top honor if you want to be an internet troll?

K: (laughs) That is true.  Anyways, are there leftover songs from the Trumpeting recording sessions?

S: There might be riffs, but I can't exactly remember. I do remember, though, that when we were writing for the record, there were songs meant for the split we did with Nails that originally going to be on Trumpeting, and vice versa. I think, if those songs were on the album though, instead of the split, it would have given it a whole different feel.

K: In general, I feel like Full of Hell is one of the bands that never stops working. I see clips online. You went back to the studio before this tour. A second collaboration with The Body is being sold at the merch table now. Where does this drive to keep working at such an insane pace come from?

S: I mean, I feel as though if you're a musician, why wouldn't you want to keep writing new music and trying new things? That's kind of the end goal of being a musician. We love to be interactive with our art. Even with t-shirt designs, we like to help design them or choose the artists who make our designs. Being hands-on with our band is integral to me. If I'm not writing or touring, I go crazy.

K: Compared to some of your other outputs recently, Trumpeting Ecstasy is not overly experimental. Rather, it's more death metal and straightforward. Was it a conscious decision to write more in that vein? The way I see it, Full of Hell kind of feels like it has become a world where you guys suck in other musicians to work with you. Do you think that the band has a defined sound anymore, and is it what we got on Trumpeting?

S: As with Trumpeting, we wanted to go with more straightforward. The last few releases with The Body and [legendary Japanese noise artist] Merzbow were so experimental, so we just said, "We haven't done something that has defined our own sound in a while." We have been working with other people to try and get a sound. So we wanted to write the record to show more of our own personal characteristics.

I feel as though with our music, it isn't really a collective. We just like to work with other people in a way that pushes our own boundaries, but not let the collaborations define us. I don't like to pigeon-hole our sound. We are massively influenced by bands like Swans, Bastard Noise, and Godflesh. All of whom try and push themselves sonically. That's my biggest thing as a musician. I want to push our music and be as creative as possible.

K: I see the Swans influence, although you have yet to push the 30-minute song threshold yet.  Maybe one day.

S: (laughs) Yeah, one can dream.

K: Moving onto your band's future, though… Full of Hell and The Body are set to release Ascending a Mountain of Heavy. Last time we spoke, you said your previous collaboration, One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache, was not written before entering the studio. Did that writing style change this time around? Did you try anything new in the studio, or are you just comfortable with what you guys do together by now?

S: We tried new stuff. Definitely nothing was written before the studio. We just wanted to try different things with different sounds and drum beats. You can tell that on the record, which is sonically diverse. The record is so different from the other one though, that we want to see how the public reacts to it. There are a lot more harsh elements and experimentation. We feel like One Day is just so sonically crushing, but felt that Ascending could push that sound even further.

K: Now with just Full of Hell itself, is there any other new music coming out? Possibly a new collaboration you could hint at?

S: We have one split written and recorded that's due out next year, but beyond that, we are probably going to just take a little break.

K: You guys deserve it. But before we end this, I need to ask: Why did you betray Buffalo Wild Wings?

S: The last few times I've gone, the food has been subpar in comparison to when I used to go, when it would be a completely magical experience. Now it's become a mundane, boring, every day restaurant experience. Until they gain my trust, I will not be going back.

K: And do you think Family Guy sold out?

S: They jumped the shark when Brian died.

Full of Hell's new record, Trumpeting Ecstasy, is now out on Profound Lore Records.

Additionally, they will be releasing a new collaboration with The Body, entitled Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light, on November 17th through Thrill Jockey Records.

Full of Hell, Trumpeting Ecstasy, 2017

Album Review

by Ken Geiger

Truth be told, I cannot give you some background story of victory in which I discovered Full of Hell back in their earliest days and have been anticipating they would make such a momentous record like Trumpeting Ecstasy. I came late to the party with them, finding their incredibly bleak collaboration with The Body to be one of my favorite records of 2016. As awesome as it was, I still could not help but wonder where the band would go from there. Would they continue down the noise-influenced grindcore path of that collaboration, or would they embrace more of the death metal path that they dabbled in on the Amber Mote in the Black Vault EP? Although I had become more familiar with the former, I am glad they ended up doing the latter because Trumpeting Ecstasy has all the makings to become a benchmark in extreme underground music.
 
The album comes roaring right out of the gate with the lighting quick "Deluminate," and it refuses to let up until the final seconds of the closer, "At the Bottom of the Cauldron." While this album does contain a large amount of influence from grindcore song structure throughout most of the album, it is the little nuances that the band add into these songs that make them so entertaining to listen to again and again. "Branches of Yew" sticks out with its skittish vocals that find vocalist Dylan Walker impersonating Mike Patton, if he were possessed by some demonic spirit. The guitar break in the middle of "The Cosmic Vein" draws equal influence from old school black metal and hardcore punk a-la The Dead Kennedys. The title track is probably the farthest departure from the band's usual sound to date, as it is a song that relies more on an industrial noise song pattern than it does any guitar riffs of heavy blast beats. The track is proof that the band obviously learned well from their time spent with The Body (one of that band's members, Lee Buford, actually appears on this track). Hopefully that is a sound they will explore more of on their own in the future.

What really stole the show for me on this record though were the vocal performances, whether they came from Dylan Walker or any of the various guests. These vocals are what make this band stand out from their contemporaries. They are demented to the point where you almost feel as if they pull you down into whatever pit of despair the band is singing about. This is especially the case on the latter half of "Gnawed Flesh," where Walker repeats the line "Man will fail. Man will always fail." Whenever I hear that moment, I tend to feel almost disgusted at the world based just on the sheer power of the guttural vocal performance. It has been quite some time since a vocal performance has caught me in that manner.

This is easily the best release for extreme metal I have heard this year. This record overall is one of the best releases of 2017. The band managed to live up to the hype that has surrounded them now by simply doing what they do best, which is drag their fans through the depths of nihilism and punishing riffs. Look for the band to tour the hell (no pun intended) out of this record soon, because this could be your last shot to see a band like this play such small venues.

Recommended Tracks: "Branches of Yew," "Crawling Back to God," "Gnawed Flesh," "Trumpeting Ecstasy."

Trumpeting Ecstasy is out now on Profound Lore Records. 

What Ken Geiger Did Before His Summer Vacation

Mastodon at SXSW back in March.

Spring Semester Update

by Ken Geiger

Another short update of essential stuff I have heard in the last few months during school.  Now with my summer vacation here, I can start going back to more individual reviews, rather than just clumps (which I think is great).  But anyways, here is a good list of records and live acts you should familiarize yourself with if you want to stay cool and such.

Best New Music

Mastodon, Emperor of Sand. Mastodon have propelled themselves as emperors of metal (pun intended) throughout the years with great release after great release. Although many do complain that the band have stepped away from their progressive metal sound, I'd argue that this record is a perfect blend of their newfound interest in straightforward rock and technical playing. This album has ended up as one of my favorite records of the year; so I, of course, have to recommend that you go out and pick it up. Hell, you should even see the band live on their upcoming tour, too (featuring some great openers in Eagles of Death Metal and Russian Circles). THE CoolDad himself can vouch for me that even a non-metal fan can see them as a live force.

[CoolDad Note: I can. The thing that really struck me about them was that they seemed to be having so much fun as they played. None of the earnestness I usually associate with metal. Just a band who could really play giving it all they had.]

Best Song: There are about 7 songs I could say are the "best song," depending on my mood for the day. Today, I am going to have to go with the soaring epic that is "Roots Remain."

Pallbearer, Heartless. Along with Mastodon, I can confidently say that Pallbearer is a perfect band for fans of non-metal that want to become acquainted with the genre. Their vocals are beautiful and easy on the ear and their riffs are heavy, yet extremely melodic. The only thing that one could say is a turnoff for these guys is the fact that their songs are very long (two tracks on this release are over 10 minutes). However, no song on here feels like its length is forced by boring or painful compositions. It's pretty amazing when a band can do that.
 
Best Song: The finale of “A Plea for Understanding” is too mighty to deny.

Bones, Unrendered. Bones has built his reputation up for years as a Soundcloud rapper with ambient beats and a quiet vocal delivery. His whispering of bars is almost an instrument in and of itself, giving the instrumentals more emotion. While I have been a fan of some of his select tracks in the past, I think that this project is probably his most cohesive work to date. Definitely a good mixtape for fans of rap and/or ambient music to check out.

Best Song: "MyNephewHasAWhitePickupTruck" not only is my favorite song off this release, but it also might have the goofiest title of any of the songs on Unrendered (and trust me, there are plenty of odd titles on here).

Crystal Fairy, Crystal Fairy. Melvins madmen Buzz Osbourne and Dale Crover team up with Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta and At The Drive-In? Yes please. Give me that music. Give it all to me NOW… This record is kind of what you would expect when you hear those names paired together; a collection of heavy yet quirky riffs mixed with the amazing vocal talents of Teri (and occasionally Buzz). Fans of any of these musicians' previous bands will find this project to be great. As for newcomers, I think if you enjoy heavy, female-fronted rock with a twist of punk in the sound, then this record is for you too.

Best Song: When you have a riff machine like King Buzzo in your band, it is often difficult to pick favorite songs. I think though overall as a band though, this project shines through best with the track "Moth Tongue." The guitars are undeniably catchy, the drums are classic Dale Crover and Teri does some of her best vocal I have heard up until this point on here.

Blame God, Strategically Confined. Blame God guitarist Mark Valentino once said this EP was "the best way to waste 10 minutes of your day." Well, he's pretty dead on in saying that. This EP is unrelenting in its delivery, and it's a good representation of what this Long Island-based grind act is all about. This is a definite must-listen to for fans of bands such as Pig Destroyer and Insect Warfare. For anyone who lives up in the Long Island area, Blame God will be playing some great bills this summer, opening for the likes of Gatecreeper and Negative Approach.

Best Song: The opening track "Deny" is catchy in its riffs, and a great introduction to what this band is all about.
 
Best Live Acts

Eyehategod. New Orleans sludge institution, Eyehategod, had one of the more interesting and somewhat depressing stories of 2016. Their singer, Mike IX Williams, was in need of a liver transplant and had to sit out their tour with Discharge and Toxic Holocaust. As a result, Lamb of God vocalist, Randy Blythe, stepped in for the dates. While Randy was great live, I felt that I missed something by not seeing this legendary band play with Mike. Fast forward to Easter weekend in Philadelphia; and there I was, seeing the legendary Mike IX front the band everyone had grown to know and love him for. Despite nearly dying, Mike sounded great with the band. His vocals are still as harsh as ever, and the band just churns out riff after riff. On top of that, the band's stage banter was great (Although I wish that guitarist Jimmy Bower had taken my debit card with him. It would've been an honor). I do not know if the band have any plans to come near again; but, if they do, they are a band you do not want to miss. Their rabid fanbase and aggressive playing will make for a show you will not soon forget.

Full of Hell. My plan is to review the new Full of Hell album separately from this piece, because that album deserves some long coverage. In the meantime, let me talk about how the band killed it at Union Transfer this past winter. The band have become very well known for their chaotic live shows, and this one did not tarnish that reputation at all.  Full of Hell were able to pummel through both old and new songs with absolute precision, and included some creepy noise interludes when possible. My favorite part of the set had to have been when drummer Dave Bland and vocalist Dylan Walker shared a moment to showcase their drumming and screaming skills as Walker did a Mike Patton type of screaming solo over the final drum solo of the night. This is definitely a band any fan of punk, grindcore, metal, etc. will want to see live.

Today is the Day: As a part of a Record Store Day in-store performance, I was lucky enough to catch the legendary Today is the Day rip through a blistering 40-minute set at the Rough Trade in Brooklyn. Playing mostly material from their seminal Temple of the Morning Star album, the band gave everyone in the crowd a compelling demonstration as to why they have become legendary in underground circles. Singer/guitarist Steve Austin always appears as if his chest is literally going to explode with each scream in a showcase of some of the most passionate yells I have still heard to this day. The band remain surprisingly active, despite their longevity, and plan on touring after they record a new record. I recommend keeping up with them so you can have a chance to witness them live. Today is the Day are worth every penny you will pay to see them, and if you think I am lying about that… I really cannot help you because you must be out of your damn mind.

Ivan Saladin: This New Jersey grindcore outfit is one I was able to witness at an undisclosed location one weekend back in April, and they appealed to me almost immediately. Their set caught my eye at first because the first half was a musical reinterpretation of a Metal Gear boss battle. The other half had some pretty punishing and catchy riffs, which you know I happen to be a very big fan of. Heavy music in New Jersey needs to have weirder stuff like this going on, because it rules hard. I hope to see these fine gentlemen play again in the future, and I hope people reading this will take my word, and come out with me to hear whatever the hell they have up their sleeve next.
 
That's all I have to say for the final few months I have been away. Now that I am free of school-related obligations, I promise to do more in depth coverage as I had in the past. My first mission: review the new Full of Hell album, so be on the lookout for that. I feel like it is bound to be another great summer here on the Jersey shore.

Retox Played Voltage Lounge and The Body / Full Of Hell Played Maket Hotel. PLUS Interview with FOH's Spencer Hazard, 9/8-9/9/16

Retox

My Own Back to School Jam

Words and Pics by Ken Geiger

Syllabus week had arrived.  To me, the last chances of freedom that we associate with the summer vacation had come, and I had to take advantage of it.  This meant time to find some awesome concerts.  Luckily, two of the best acts around today had conveniently decided to play in the tristate area on Thursday and Friday.

Retox: The first one was California’s mighty Retox. I have been following these guys literally since the beginning, and have spent so much time with them when they come to the east coast that it feels like they’re older brothers to me at this point. I still remember the first time I saw them play to a crowd of 3 at the Asbury Lanes. I still think of it as the best show at the Lanes that no one even knows happened. But, I digress. It had been 2 and a half years too long since I had seen Retox, and I had the chance to change that. First stop was at Creep Records for a meet and greet the band was doing. I caught up with all the guys, who still remembered me as “the only reason I remember that bowling alley show.” Then before I knew it, we got into the Retox van and drove to get some dinner and go to the venue. The day couldn’t have gotten any better in my eyes, but of course I was wrong by the time the actual show started.

New York experimental outfit, The Netherlands, opened the show. Armed with guitar, synth, drums and a vocalist who sounded like a robot with all the effects he was running through his mic, they delivered a chaotic set that ranged from crushing noise rock anthems to short bursts of chaotic energy. I definitely recommend that anyone who is into the noise rock genre around here to check these guys. I know I have to explore further now.

Then came Mexican goth punk band, Silent. New signees to Retox singer Justin Pearson’s Three One G label, these guys delivered a wild set that most Three One G bands are known to do. Perhaps my favorite moment of their set was when singer Jung Sing plucked a kid who could not have been over 5 years old from the audience and let him experience the show from the performers perspective. I hope that kid can remember that as a life changing event from years down the road.

He Whose Ox Is Gored from Washington came after that and delivered probably the heaviest set of the show. Much different from the punk sounds that had been going for most of the night, this post-metal outfit put on a raging set filled with hard-hitting songs and great interludes of synth and atmospheric drones. Another band I think I have to keep in my radar for the future.

He Whose Ox Is Gored

Then came the ever so great Retox. They gave the crowd about 14 or15 songs (as I can remember) clocking in at about 25 minutes, and it couldn’t have been any better. The musicianship of the instrumentals, Pearson’s awesomely shrill vocal delivery, the live intensity that literally radiates off of all four of them as they perform… It just works to their advantage in the best way possible. Then to invite Silent’s Jung Sing to do vocals on the Ugly Animals cut “Thirty Cents Shy of a Quarter?” I had lost it by that point! But what I say cannot really do it justice. As Retox drummer Brian Evans told me after the show, “We’re a band you just have to see live to get it.”  No words have ever been so true.

Retox w/ Jung Sing (Silent)

The Body and Full Of Hell: Still feeling the effects of the Retox show from the previous night, it took me a while to realize the next day that I was going to witness the collaborative set between the Body and Full Of Hell that very night. Now, for anyone familiar with the more experimental sides of the underground punk and metal scenes that exist, this show was nothing short of a huge deal. Both bands had been building their respective names up big time in recent years with prolific collaborations and individual albums. I had been fairly oblivious to their existences, but when these two joined forces for this year’s One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache, I could no longer ignore. These two bands were forces to be reckoned with. The journey to the Market Hotel was set then. 4 acts all representing different ends of the extreme music spectrum, some of the most intense audience reactions and even a chance to sit down and talk to Full of Hell guitarist Spencer Hazard all came out of this eventful evening.

Limbs Bin was the first to take stage. Being just a one-man noise act, he ran through a surprising 20+ song set in just about 3 minutes. That is not a typo.  If you are not familiar with the world of noise music, then Limbs Bin is a great place to start. Sets that last that long are the norm (plus song titles like “Jazz Rich” and “End White Supremacy” are thrown somewhere in that mix too).

Trenchgrinder came up shortly after and gave us a good set of a pretty straightforward mix of crust punk and death metal. The riffs were grimy, the drums were blast beating and the vocals were shrill as all hell, fitting in as an instrument of their own respectfully.

Trenchgrinder

After that, we were met with a long wait for Gas Chamber. That could really be forgiven though because when this experimental outfit took the stage, it was really like nothing I had seen before. First of all, it is almost impossible to find these guys on social media. Enough digging around helped me find that they have a word press site if you want to find any of their stuff (https://gaschamberhardcore.wordpress.com/). The songs never really stopped, they just bled into each other with some horrifying drone interludes to fill the dead space. They had the chaotic tendencies of grindcore to get the crowd moshing, but also were able to insert moments of prog and atmosphere that makes me think they might take notes from some more melodic acts, like Neurosis or King Crimson. I think the biggest regret of my night had to be that I didn’t think to stop at their merch stand and pick up a record afterwards. At least the hunt to find their stuff is over for me.

But as much as these first few acts were great, it was time for what I really came to see; the Body and Full Of Hell collaboration. It started just as the record did, eerily silent. Body drummer Lee Buford was starting to play the opening beats to the One Day You Will Ache… eponymous opening track. Everyone in the crowd knew what was to come. Finally, the full band chimed in with Buford to deliver a wall of noise that I think can only be rivaled, in my opinion, by that of Swans. And from there, the onslaught did not really stop. We got to hear more from One Day You Will Ache, the Full of Hell cut “Thrum in the Deep” from their album they did last year with Merzbow, some improvised harsh noise (with a saxophone thrown in the mix, nonetheless), and even an amazing cover of the Devo classic “Gates of Steel.” Between all the music and crazy crowd, these two bands managed to deliver a set that left me exhausted and in pure awe. The Body are known for rarely performing their collaborations more than once live, but let’s hope they really decide to do another round of shows with Full Of Hell in the future.

The Body / Full Of Hell

Interview with Spencer Hazard (K= Ken S= Spencer)

K: One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache has been out for over half a year now, I was wondering why it took so long to do a tour behind the album. I had heard you already did a tour with The Body around the release time of the album, but did not do any stuff off the album.  So why now?

S: Well we did a European tour with The Body, and their actual drummer (Lee Buford) cannot tour overseas, so they had a fill in drummer. We didn’t feel it would be right to do the collaboration without both members. It didn’t feel like it would be a true collaboration. And also, both bands are so busy all the time, so it took a little planning to have both bands’ schedules actually line up.

K: In terms of the actual live set, there are songs from the collaborative album, as well as songs from both of your respective catalogues. Are there any songs that were suggested that did not end up making the final set?

S: Oh yeah, of course. We wanted to play a couple of the songs, but since they are so manipulated in the studio, we wouldn’t have been able to pull it off in a live situation. Even the songs we play live, we had to practice them differently. You can tell they’re the songs still, but they come off differently. There was no way we would have been able to play something like “Fleshworks” [track 2 on the album], just because it’s so manipulated in the studio. We did throw in a cover though, “Gates of Steel” by Devo. We also wanted to do “Pet Sematary” by the Ramones, but it just couldn’t work out instrumentally.

K: And actually speaking of the studio, I had heard that with this album, there was a lot of improvisation. Was any of the music actually written prior to going into the studio, and how was it just doing improvisation, as opposed to having prepared material?

S: Nothing was written at all. Basically we would come up with a beat, or a rhythm section and add different instrumentation on top of it. Like, Lee would come up with a drum machine idea or Dave [Bland, Full Of Hell drummer\ would come up with an actual drum kit idea. And then around it, I would write a guitar riff or something. So nothing was written until the computer was turned on and was like, “OK. Go. Record.” It was all spur of the moment type of stuff.

K: and how long was recording?

S: About a week.  Not even a week, like a work week. 4 or 5 days of initial recording. Then The Body and the producer sat down with it and manipulated it in Garageband or Pro Tools because that’s what The Body does nowadays. They look at the music as a chance to experiment and almost like a DJ type of thing.

K: Actually speaking of The Body and their newer work, how does it feel to be the album cover of their newest album, No One Deserves Happiness?

S: It’s actually not me. It’s actually an old painting from like the 17th or 18th century. But for some reason, it kind of just looks like me.  Maybe it’s the way I part my hair (laughs)? It’s just coincidence.
K: And the last thing I can think of about your tie in with The Body… Why did you guys decide to do a Leonard Cohen cover (“The Butcher”)? Whose idea was it to do it and how did you go about basically rewriting that song?

S: It was a song that our singer [Dylan Walker] had wanted to do for a very long. I guess he felt like the lyrical themes reflected other lyrical themes of the stuff he was writing. Basically too, the song is a couple notes so we just played the song, but Chip [King, singer/guitarist/noise maker of The Body] played it in his tuning to make it sound more manipulated.

K: Now to turn more towards Full Of Hell, you guys have been a band about 7 years right?

S: Yeah, coming up on 8 years in February.

K: So I have to ask, a lot of people consider musical genres that you guys are lumped into, such as grindcore or powerviolence, stale or derivative over time. What made me interested first in you guys was that Neurot Records, known for its association with experimental artists like Neurosis and Oxbow, was putting out the Full Of Hell and Body collab. So how do you continue to challenge yourselves and experiment with almost 8 years under your belt? Who are your influences for staying this fresh?

S: First and foremost, I would consider Full Of Hell to be a punk or experimental band.  We have obvious grind or powerviolence influence. I feel like saying you are punk or experimental makes you feel more open ended to do whatever you want. As far as influences go, we are more of the what we are into at the moment type of thing. I think we have always worn our influences on our sleeves, but we put on our twist on that kind of stuff. We actually have a new LP written, and we are just waiting to record it in December actually. It’s more experimental death metal sounding. Justin Broaderick [of Godflesh and Jesu fame] is actually going to be singing a song on it. It sounds like, you know, Human Remains and stuff like that; bands that want to push the boundary in that genre. Another collaboration with The Body is something we have been talking about too. Part of us want it to sound way more chaotic, while the other half want more of an industrial type sound. So we have to see where we meet in the middle with that. But, above all, with a band that has been going this long, you have to just take in as much music as possible and incorporate it into your own style.

K: So the site that this interview is being put on does a lot of coverage on local bands. I want to ask then, is Full Of Hell a full time band?  Do you guys do any work outside the band, and if you are, do you have any advice for any bands starting up that may want to focus a lot of their time on just their music?  

S: I mean me, Dylan and Sam [DiGristine, Full of Hell bassist] all work jobs, whether they be seasonal or as much as we can when we are home. We still are an underground band and we try to operate DIY, so we cannot really make living wages off of it. My suggestions for bands is that I feel like a lot of bands have too high of expectations on that whole “making it” type of thing. I have a lot of friends’ bands that did not have any initial success about 4 or 5 months out and just got discouraged. So you have to just keep working hard, pushing yourselves all the time. That has to be my main advice for bands that want longevity and tour as much like that.

K: Another local thing, I know you guys played the Meatlocker recently. Is there any type of local venues in the area like that you still play or enjoy playing?  

S: Yeah we play DIY spots all the time. I cannot think of any at the moment actually. Most of the ones I think of are either shut down or have gone out of business or have gone under renovations. I had an awesome time at the Meatlocker though. ABC No Rio was great; I know they are just renovating that. I hope the new spot is just as good. But there are no particular houses around the area that I can think of though.

K: OK. My friends wanted me to ask these last few questions, so I am just going to rapid fire them off to you. First one, is dicks out for Harambe an actual action or a metaphorical idea?

S: I think it is a metaphorical idea. You know, you do not want to be caught in public for a sexual offense. So just keep that to the internet.

K: Alright, and I think you are well versed in these last few questions since they pertain to Buffalo Wild Wings. So, what’s your favorite sauce from there?

S: I just like standard hot. Also, they have this buffalo rub and I hate dry rub stuff. It’s okay on certain things, but when you get fried chicken, it’s just like putting too much salt and pepper on it. I would rather have the wings just soaked in a sauce. And I like just standard sauce.

K: Do you own any stock in Buffalo Wild Wings?

S: No because I do not know if it’s a private franchise or public franchise. But it is something I should definitely look into.

K: (Laughs) You definitely should. And, last one, would you ever think of going to Buffalo Wild Wings with fans after a show?

S: Possibly if I have time. Most of the time, they take too long getting orders out. My girlfriend and I go all the time and most of the time we are just sitting there forever. And half the time, the shows end super late.

K: Plus they never have anything that good to watch on the TVs there. But I want to thank you very much for giving me the chance to sit down and talk to you man.  I cannot wait for the show tonight and I wish you guys the best of luck down the road!

S: Thank you very much man.