Jeff Christopher recently had the chance to sit down with Dave Bland, drummer for Full of Hell, and ask him a few questions about the new album, and his playing. Here’s what Dave had to say…
SDM: The new album, ‘Garden of Burning Apparitions’ is the 5th studio album from Full of Hell. Did you take a different approach to write this material, as opposed to the previous albums?
Dave: I can say that this is the proudest I’ve been of my performance on any recording. Certain events in my life have pushed me to practice more than I ever have. A real progression that I can feel. There is always room to learn in every aspect of playing. I’m very influenced by big band jazz, dub, gospel, and the obvious metal drummers. I’ve wanted styles like that to shine through on different recordings before but I really believe that it does with this one.
SDM: Tell us a little bit about your current setup. Which company (or companies) are you currently blasting with?
Dave: Currently I’m playing a Ddrum Max kit and I’ve started using a Gretsch side snare in my setup (13” hybrid maple snare with a brass ring in the middle). It has no snares, tuned up as far as possible, filled with metal trash on the inside for some extra noise, and a delay added to it like a dub snare. I’m using a Ddrum brass 14 x 6 snare called the hammer. My cymbals are Zildjian… you can see the specifics below on this page.
SDM: The first time I experienced Full of Hell live, was at Southwest Terror Fest, where FoH performed a collaborative set with The Body. Is there another band that you all have wanted to collaborate with, in a live setting?
Dave: There are definitely more bands that we want/will collaborate with in the future. It would be amazing to do something crazy like a Melvins or Godflesh collaboration. There are things in the work so eventually, we will be touring and collaborating with another band.
SDM: The last couple of times I’ve seen Full of Hell perform, you all have performed the cover of the Melvins song, “Oven” during every set. A lot of people have mentioned that Melvins are an influence on their music. Who are some of your personal influences, as far as drumming goes
Dave: Drummers that influenced me on this last Full Of Hell recording specifically are Tony Willams, Tony Royster Jr., Dale Crover, Steward Copeland, and Dave Witte. I could go down a huge list that influenced me since the start but those are the drummers that really push me nowadays.
SDM: You’re currently in another band, called Jarhead Fertilizer, with current and former members of Full of Hell. How did that project come to be?
Dave: Jarhead Fertilizer started about 10 years ago when I was 18 and half the band was 14. I wanted to start a power violence band in the same vein as Iron Lung and Man Is The Bastard. We originally had two bass players and one guitarist. The band has now mutated into more of a death/grind style. I write everything for Jarhead but the rest of the members play live/record. It took a really long time to release a full LP from different circumstances in my life and Full Of Hell being touring so much but Jarhead is on full grind mode now and will be doing as much touring as we can.
SDM: You’re not only the drummer, but you also provide vocals for Jarhead Fertilizer. Have you always wanted to be a contributing vocalist?
Dave: I have always liked doing vocals and really have a respect for a lot of drummers that are able to pull it off well. Writing lyrics is something I enjoy as well. It’s a way for me to let things out that I’ve seen and been through in my life.
SDM: The new album, ‘Product of My Environment’ was released just before the pandemic. Are there any new tracks, in the works?
Dave: Yes we are planning on recording multiple things early this year. I’ve begun writing for a new LP and split. We will be playing a new song on this upcoming tour in December. The next album will have newly added things to look out for which include rap tracks and much more vocal effects.
SDM: You’re gonna get to see a lot of the US in the upcoming months, with Jarhead Fertilizer touring later this year, and Full of Hell hitting the road in early 2022. Do you have any rituals or procedures to prepare yourself for long periods of touring?
Dave: I’m very active while I’m home from touring. Nowadays I do as much stretching as I can. Especially gearing up for a tour. I’ll end up stretching for an hour or so and then begin practicing to a metronome. I always do half practice pad and half actual drum set. I was lifting heavy for a little while but now it’s activities more like boxing, sprints, and kettlebell workouts. Things that promote hitting hard while playing at fast speeds. I’ve also really been practicing control in every aspect (using wrists, swiveling my feet, and my posture). I know that I have a crazy style and I never want to “tone down,” but longevity is important to me. I’ve started to get deep tissue massages and cupping to make sure my body stays good from years of touring and sleeping in shitty positions.
*Photo by Iiro Kuosmanen
SDM: Speaking of new material… I’ve heard rumors that you have a solo project on the horizon. How is that coming along?
Dave: It’s coming along for sure. I’ve been trying to stack as much equipment (effect pedals, drum machines, acoustic drums, effect cymbals, etc.) as I can. It is a mental task releasing material under my own name. Being the main writer in Jarhead adds to the task of realizing my own solo record. That being said I have many ideas and people on board collaborating. People should expect a collection of sounds and artists that influence me today and in the past. Jazz, noise, grind, rap, dub, and techno (to name a few) delivered in an extreme form. I am a huge fan of drum records that are curated by drummers (Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Max Roach, Bernard Purdie, etc.). I hope to shine a light on extreme drumming in the metal/hardcore world in a way that hasn’t been done in the same fashion before.
SDM: We’ve all had a lot of downtimes, over the last year or so. Are there any new bands you’ve been checking out during the pandemic?
Dave: Miasmatic Necrosis, Boldy James, The pop group (Y in dub), and The bug.
SDM: Thank you kindly for taking the time to answer these questions, Dave. Hopefully, we’ll be able to catch you on the road in the near future and get some more live-stream footage for our Facebook page.
Dave: Thank you so much for having me. I’ve been a fan of Sickdrummer for years and it truly opened me up to drummers that changed my life and influenced me. It’s a true honor to be featured. Thank you.
Dave’s Gear:
Ddrum Max Drum Kit:
18 x 22 bass drum x2
8 x 12 Rack tom
9 x 13 Rack Tom
14 x 16 Floor tom
6 x 14 Ddrum snare drum “The Hammer”
6 x 13 Gretsch hybrid maple and brass aux snare
Zildjian Cymbals:
14” K custom hi-hats
19” A custom projection crash
19” A custom medium crash
20” A custom medium crash
22” A custom mega bell ride
18” China stack
22” China
Roland Spx sample pad
Links:
Garden of Burning Apparitions CD LP order: http://relapse.com/full-of-hell-garden-of-burning-apparitions/
Digital Downloads: https://orcd.co/foh-goba
Band Website: https://www.fullofhell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fullofhell
*Photo by Mark Valentino
Full of Hell is an American grindcore band from Ocean City, Maryland, and Central Pennsylvania, formed in 2009. They are currently signed to Relapse Records. They have released five studio albums – Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home (2011), Rudiments of Mutilation (2013), Trumpeting Ecstasy (2017), Weeping Choir (2019), and Garden of Burning Apparitions (2021) – as well as three collaborations – Full of Hell & Merzbow (2014) with Japanese noise artist Merzbow and One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache (2016) and Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light (2017) with sludge metal band The Body – aside from numerous EPs and splits.
