Photo by Zachary Jones
On their new EP Broken Sword, Rotten Shield, Full of Hell sharpen their blade with ambition. These seven new songs are a blistering meditation on love, loss, and the crushing inevitability of grief. Through a fantasy-tinged lens, the band crafts a world of dog knights and noble quests, only to tear it all down in a violent reckoning with mortality. As vocalist Dylan Walker explains, these symbolic protectors—pure-hearted and loyal—stand in for the real-life companions we lose, and the void left behind when they’re gone.
The EP’s lead single and video, “Knight’s Oath,” captures the tragic beauty of unwavering devotion, portrayed through a surreal tale of anthropomorphic warriors driven by honor and grief. Meanwhile, the title track lays bare the record’s core idea: that in the face of time and death, all living things are rendered equal. Full of Hell vocalist Dylan walker says the song is about “…absolute dedication to your charge, be it a person you love or held tenet, and the ignominy that comes with a sudden defeat. That idea acts as a metaphor for the grief you feel when you lose an animal companion. It feels pointless, cruel, and void in the moment. The video channels those ideas and takes the viewer on a quest with our noble dog knight and his cohorts as they quest for glory and wealth in the face of darkness.”
Following the overwhelming acclaim of 2024’s Coagulated Bliss—named Decibel Magazine’s best grindcore record of the year—Full of Hell continue their creative streak with a record that’s both conceptually rich and sonically devastating. Produced by Kevin Bernstein (Misery Index, Pig Destroyer), Broken Sword, Rotten Shield balances suffocating heaviness with moments of bleak melody and reflection. It’s a record that expands Full of Hell’s world while digging deeper into what’s always driven them—confronting pain with absolute honesty, and turning it into something crushingly real.
Incoming May 16th via Closed Casket Activities [pre-order], Broken Sword, Rotten Shield arrives just ahead of a major North American tour with Harm’s Way, Kruelty, Jarhead Fertilizer, and Clique. See tour dates below and look for more news from Full of Hell soon.
Full of Hell, on tour:
May 15 Daytona, FL – Welcome To Rockville
May 16 Athens, GA – Georgia Theater
May 18 Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Metal Fest
May 19 St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill Duck Room
May 20 Louisville, KY – Portal
May 21 Nashville, TN – Exit/In
May 23 Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves
May 24 Austin, TX – Empire Garage
May 25 Houston, TX – Secret Group
May 27 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
May 28 Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
May 30 Richmond, VA – The Canal Club
May 31 Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
Jun. 01 Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
Jun. 02 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Jun. 04 Amityville, NY – AMH
Jun. 05 Hartford, CT – Webster Underground
Jun. 06 Boston, MA – The Middle East
Jun. 07 Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount
Jun. 08 Toronto, ON – Axis Club
Sep. 18 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life
Sep. 20 Worcester, MA – New England Metal + Hardcore Festival
