Full of Hell/ Calm the Fire. — Split 7 inc

So here we have a split EP from the Maryland’s Full of Hell and Poland’s Calm the Fire. Some like to exclaim that the 7” format is dead...a waste of petroleum products. However, I’ve always found the format to be the most perfect delivery system for hc/punk in all it’s guises and permutations. It’s a great format to introduce listeners to new bands who are likely purchasing the record based on a single artist. Such is the case of this split on Holy Roar Records. You had me at Full of Hell, but now I’m curious about Calm the Fire.

For the A side, Full of Hell offers four tracks of take no prisoners, hardcore mayhem. They blaze through their side in little over four minutes time. I’ve sung praises of their work on last year’s LP Rudiments of Mutilation and this short entry in their discography likewise satisfies my hc/punk sweet tooth. I queued up their side on the way to work this morning right as I hit a stop light. The light turned green only a fraction of a second before their side ended. Full of Hell beat the light...barely. Blink and their 4 tracks are over. You know the deal (or at least should…), FOH play fast as fuck hardcore assault with elements of grindcore, power violence, and metal with undeniable nods to acts such as His Hero is Gone and Converge.

Calm the Fire, while not too far from the path that FOH laid out on the first side, seem slightly “calm” (pun intended) in their approach by comparison. Their side is chunkier, meatier with 2 tracks running around the 3 minute mark a piece. There’s a much more controlled feel to the hardcore damage they deliver. I’m not as crazy about the vocals on their side, which are sung with a raspy growl, kind of akin to a burlier Hot Water Music or Leatherface.

At the end of the day this is a well balanced split between by 2 bands grounded in the hardcore idiom, yet with different deliveries. For my preferences, Full of Hell ruled the day, but Calm the Fire certainly gets honorable mention.