On paper, this makes perfect sense. A collaborative effort between Full of Hell and Nothing stand as two of the most creative outliers in their respective genres, and the mission statement of  When No Birds Sing (Closed Casket Activities) is to fuse the juxtaposition of their varied sonic palettes. Brace yourself, as Full of Hell is the overpowering force when the album opens. 

Screamed vocals gnash their teeth as the jagged riffs slice at your ears. In the last couple of minutes, the song drones off into the strummed guitar and ambient experimentation you could see Nothing getting into. The pendulum swings the other way for “Like Stars in the Firmament”. If you know what Nothing does, then it’s on the more dream-like shoegazing and less of the grungey, nineties flavored alt-Rock that colored their most recent output. This song is a fair introduction to the band but drifts into the clouds, thus never coming close to exploring the full range of what they do. 

“Forever Well” consists of an atmosphere so intangible that it is barely a shimmer in the waves of sound until the drums come in. Halfway, Full of Hell kicks into what they do. This is the first song where the two bands optimally blend together. The airy shoegaze singing and the throat wrenching screams exist in this song. 

The title track takes less time ebbing into motion. A choir of surreal vocal layers chime in, like another instrument rather than a verse being established. The experimentation pays off. Full of Hell drummer Dave Bland is behind the kit for the duration of the album, as Nothing’s drummer is touring with his other band, Night Sins. Bland brings an interesting energy to the title track that counterbalances the pulse of the guitar. 

Expectations are high for the album closer, as if they are going to make some magic like they did on “Forever Well”… it has got to happen here. It takes almost two minutes for things to darken before a metallic explosion. There are both screamed and sung vocals, and the atmosphere takes the place of where a distorted guitar might normally sit.  

This is a cool album and is better than the bulk of projects dabbling in shoegaze this year. This collaboration was not what I expected, but given the caliber of the bands, the bar was set pretty high. The strongest moments are when things come to an equal balance from their respective genres to create something that is dynamically stunning. Fans of both bands should be pleased with the overall results.  

Buy the EP here:

https://www.fullofhellandnothing.com/

7 / 10

WIL CIFER