Full Of Hell from Ocean City, Maryland is a band that many readers might have missed over the past years, but is deserving of much praise for their seamless mixture of hardcore, noise, and death metal. Not only has the young band proven that they have the musical chops to keep up with older members of the DIY scene through several releases, but their live performances are always memorable and reveal an unparalleled intensity. Staff interviewer Andrew Clark spoke with guitarist Spencer Hazard about the band's origins, family support, and the mysterious Dave Bland.
Thanks for doing the interview, especially with being on tour. Please introduce yourself and your role in the band.
Hello, my name is Spencer and I play guitar in the band.
I know most of you guys are from Ocean City, MD, which seems like the last place on earth for a band to emerge, haha. What was the initial spark for forming Full of Hell?
Full of Hell was actually formed in the wake of my old straight edge metalcore band breaking up. Members came and went from the old band so we just decided to change the name and we eventually molded into the band we are today. When the band first started I was the only member from Ocean City, the rest of the members were spread out through Delaware. It wasn't until about a year ago that 3/4's of us were actually from Ocean City.
Is there anything about life in that area of the country that influences you guys?
For the most part I would say boredom and disgust of our current state of music in the area. I don't write the lyrics, but I think my mindset comes out in the way I structure songs/riffs.
Turning to your music and seeing you live I am always blown away by their intensity and seemingly cathartic nature. What works you up to this, what I would call, manic state when performing?
I have no idea; it just happens. Itâs not like before we play we say to each other, "Ok, we have to act crazy tonight," we just play as hard as we can and it comes out that way. Most of the time I don't even notice whatâs going on or I feel like my personal performance is lackluster.
How have your friends and families responded to the band? I mean, you guys look pretty clean-cut and probably surprise people when you play.
All of our families are very supportive and try to help as much as they can, especially my parents. Before a tour Dylan usually lives with me for about a week so we can practice and go over everything. My parents are always making everyone a huge dinner so we can have a decent meal before we hit the road. Alot of our friends seem to be into it as well and are very happy for us, but on the other hand coming from Ocean City, I sometimes feel like some of my acquaintances see us as a joke or childish hobby. We are one of the only hardcore bands from an area thatâs over run by boring post-hardcore and pop punk, so they may not take us as seriously.
Aside from touring this summer, are there any plans for a new record this year? The Roots of Earth Are Consuming My House still is awesome even those it has been a few years since its release.
We just released Vol 3 of our noise tape series and our split with the Guilt 0f… should be out in a few weeks. After that we have another split 7" that we are announcing soon, as well as working on our 2nd LP and some other projects/collabs/splits we're excited about.
Sorry to keep moving all over the place in this interview; just so much to ask. Can I ask about the reoccurring image of Dave Bland on merch?
For some reason Dave has just stuck out. He first started playing/touring with us when he was 15, so people have just been blown away by that fact. Also I guess people are just drawn to his goofy personality, we can't really explain it, itâs a gift and a curse. So after the years heâs become sort of a mascot for a us; an uglier Jane Doe if you must.
Last words go to you.
Thanks for the interview and keep an eye out for us in Europe this fall with New Lows.