Full of Hell and The Body in Paris (@La Mécanique Ondulatoire 29/04/2016)

Merely a couple of days after the noise shattering onslaught that was Rotten Sound’s show at the Glazart, Paris was once again struck again by a call of extreme music of the finest kind. If any of the bands’ respective backcatalogs weren’t enough, one needs to give Full of Hell and The Body’s jaw-drop heavy One Day you will Ache like I Ache to guess that the night was going to end with a severe case of tinnitus. After all, by combining the monumental sound of The Body with the ear-piercing noise onslaught of Full of Hell one can expect no less than a hellish racket ready to shatter the earth and skies. With a reputation devoid of any tendency to disappoint on stage or in the studio, it should come to no surprise that the cavernous Mécanique Ondulatoire of Paris opened it’s doors with only a handful of tickets left for sale.

Full of Hell were up first, jumping right into business by blasting away with quick fire rounds of chaotic, abrasive outbursts of magnificent and torturous grindcore songs of the finest kind. Sure enough, the onslaught was as loud as one might have expected, though anticipation did little to undermine the sheer intensity of the bands’ set. Ear protection was an absolute necessity to reduce the loudness down to a level roughly equivalent to that of a loud concert without ear protection. Thankfully, the bands’ sound remained surprisingly clear and comprehensible throughout their set, allowing us to instantly recognise which songs were being played (which may pass off as a luxury in the context of certain grindcore shows). Taking what little space they had at their disposal onstage, the 4-piece sure displayed some impressive stage presence, with frontman Dylan Walker tearing his throat to shreds while pulling off the most pissed-off glare you’ve ever seen. Drummer David Bland’s performance was nothing short of mind-blowing, blasting away at insane speeds that are barely comprehensible to the human brain. Given the speed and intensity of the show, it should certainly come to no surprise that the bands’ set barely reached the 30 minute mark. Despite what would seem like a short set, the band delivered every bit of promise within that short span of time, leaving little to no room for disappointment.

Following up on this high-note, The Body were ready (no pun intended) to keep things going, slowing things down ten-fold with their pachydermic sound. The two-piece from Rhode Islands’ raw, guttural atmosphere submerged the jam-packed room with an impressive wall of sound, with sludgy riffs and gloomy drone doom sections. The stone-paved walls of the narrow venue reinforced the cavernous acoustic of the bands’ imposing sound; the drumset crashed and pulsated with an incredible force atop the immensity of the guitar sound. Despite the more drawn out, slow nature of the bands’ music, the set did not seem to last much longer than that of their tour comrades, which did make for a slight disappointment. With that being said, the disappointment would not be there had The Body delivered a short performance half as good as the one they played.

A great evening of extreme music thus came to a close. Far from overstaying its welcome, it will have certainly marked the minds and ears of its enthusiastic audience that made the show an overwhelming success, undoubtedly leaving some of them with some ringing ears as a keepsake. Living up to their reputation and name, Full of Hell & The Body have yet again conquered the city of Paris, guaranteeing an abundant and eager turn out for Full of Hell’s next date in Paris alongside Nails.

A huge thank you goes out to Kongfuzi booking, Matt and the bands for making this article possible!

Be sure to check out the bands on their websites and social media

Full of Hell

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/fullofhell

Bandcamp

https://fullofhell.bandcamp.com/

Official Website

http://fullofhell.com/

The Body

Official Website

https://www.facebook.com/thebodyband/

Bandcamp

https://thebody.bandcamp.com/