I can sum up this contender for metal album of the year with one word: epic! Imagine John Williams (who wrote the soundtracks for the Star Wars films) and Chuck Schuldiner of Death getting stoned together and writing an album and you will be on the right track towards grasping the sound of Full of Hell. Comparisons to the early works of Mastodon would also not be far off the mark.

The album roars out of the gates with the song “Horns of Steel,” the lyrics of which are the inspiration for the album title, and the thunderous assault of heavy riffs lets up only briefly between songs. The tracks “Heavenless” and “Gods in Broken Men” showcase the band at their best, with the perfect blend of heavy riffs from bassist Rob Icaza and rhythm guitarist Andrea Black combining with the soaring guitar solos and throaty roar of Vincent Hausman. The technical beats and fluid fills of Timmy St. Amour on drums holds everything together. Apart, each of them is a skilled musician, but together they are a metal churning machine attacking your eardrums with the precision of a predator drone and leaving you begging for more. The album is light on guitar wankery, with tracks “You Jackals Beware” and “The Scorpion’s Last Sting” along with the previously mentioned “Heavenless” and “G.I.B.M” demonstrating the most technical leads, but trust me when I say you will be too busy head-banging to care.

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Full of Hell is one of those albums that you want to listen to from start to finish. While other bands write songs that play well live and then surround them with filler or throw together a bunch of random songs and call it an album, it is clear from listening to Full of Hell several times that the band spent a lot of time and effort crafting a whole album, and not merely a collection of songs. Recordings are always great, but there is nothing like the experience of seeing a band live, especially if you are one of those people who hold out on buying an album until after. Howl does not disappoint in this department, sounding as flawless live as they do on CD, only a hundred times louder. They have toured relentlessly this year, and show little sign of letting up before year’s end, so check their Myspace for tour dates and see them when they come to your town.

(Relapse Records, PO Box 2060, Upper Darby, PA 19082)