Man, get a load of Full of Hell, dropping excellent new album, and Relapse debut, Weeping Choir tomorrow, gracing the cover of our April issue, and just generally being one of the young bands taking extreme music to even more extreme places in 2019.
To celebrate the release of their album, and to figure out what makes these guys tick, we rounded up drummer Dave Bland and found out what five heavy albums changed his life. From harsh noise to groundbreaking industrial metal, the list is as diverse as the sounds that Bland’s band lay down; read on to find out what albums helped inspire Bland to explore new sonic terrain with Full of Hell.
Napalm Death – Harmony Corruption (1990)
This is my favorite album from Napalm Death. Harmony Corruption was hugely influential to me, especially from a drumming standpoint. Mick Harris created the blueprint for exactly how the blastbeat should be played, in my eyes. This is where I believe he was at peak performance and this album really showcases it. When I first saw the Live Corruption video I was completely blown away and knew from that point on that playing soft would never exist in my world. Everything about this album still amazes me. I’m a huge fan of everything Napalm Death has done but this and Utopia Banished, to me, are perfect examples of death metal played by punks. Harmony Corruption is a true progression of all members and their instruments and one of the best death/grind releases ever. This is such an important album that I really credit for shaping my style from a young age.
Melvins – Ozma (1989)
The first time I heard this album I immediately replayed it over and over again. The riffs were so amazing and I was caught off guard by the rhythmic genius of Ozma. The Melvins are a band that will never get old to me and are a band that holds so many amazing albums in their catalog. Dale Crover is one of my all-time favorite rock drummers, along with Bill Ward. I believe he is sometimes overlooked but to me creates some of the most interesting fills and beats. His use of odd times and flams really creates so many interesting drum parts. The Melvins still hold one of the best live performances ever for me. Dale Crover and Coady Willis make the extremely hard task of playing in sync with each other look very easy. The scale in the beginning of “Let God Be Your Gardener” will forever be one of my favorite riffs of all time. The Melvins will always be [in my] top-three favorite bands of all time for me.
Merzbow – Venereology (1994)
Masami [Akita] is an absolute legend and his entire discography is something I hold in high regard. This was the first Merzbow album I ever heard. There’s a slow churning rhythm to this record that is extremely heavy to me, and the metal influence really shines through. I can remember accidentally hitting the play button on my phone while throwing up my weight in tequila one night. Being an album that Masami was drunk while recording, it makes me laugh to think maybe I fulfilled something there. This album opened me up to so many things that I would have never discovered if not for hearing it. That being said, this and everything Merzbow has done is extremely important and life-changing to me.
Godflesh – Streetcleaner (1989)
This record is such a classic to me and the sounds are so crushing in every aspect, front to back, of this record. The drum machine sounds are perfect and primitive. I’m still blown away every time I hear the tones on this album. The bass tone is amazing alongside the drums, and the beats that were created for this are some of my favorite. Justin Broadrick’s vocals are so captivating and monstrous. I remember hearing this and being like, ‘Wow, this one of the heaviest things I’ve ever heard.’ This is one of the best industrial metal records and an album that I have listened to so much and still [do] to this day.
Slayer – Hell Awaits (1985)
This is the first CD I ever bought. When I was 11, my dad took me to a record shop and I asked the clerk to point me to something faster than Black Sabbath, so he gave me Hell Awaits. This was my introduction into Slayer, and this led me to buy South of Heaven a couple days after. The intro scared the shit out of me and I knew I was hooked from the start. This is one of the most important records to me because it really pushed me past a threshold of playing that I didn’t know existed until hearing Slayer. “At Dawn They Sleep” will forever be one of my favorite songs. Dave Lombardo is one of my favorite fast and hard-hitting drummers of all time. He paved the way for me in terms of double bass, and I consider this album to be the biggest influence for me at a very young age and an album that developed crucial fundamentals.
