Full Blown Chaos

Back in the late '80s, hardcore and metal seemed to be undergoing some sort of stylistic melding, as bands like Sick of It All and Warzone slowed down and began playing chugging, downtuned riffs. Then Judge came along and detonated a nuclear bomb within the scene; they were the heaviest of all; so heavy, in fact, that they covered Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks." Well, Full Blown Chaos are the heaviest hardcore band since Judge. Indeed, they're practically a death metal group, from their cover art to their song titles. Vocalist Ray Mazzola has a guttural, throaty roar that sounds like someone taught a grizzly bear to talk, and he's backed by crushingly heavy, staccato riffs and plenty of double bass drumming. The dual guitar leads on "Silence Is Broken" are straight from the Judas Priest catalog. Full Blown Chaos were signed to Stillborn Records, the label run by Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, for a while, and it's easy to see why: they share the impulse to cross Sick of It All with Slayer, Gorilla Biscuits with Pantera. This is a fist-pumping, bicep-flexing album that could easily appeal to metalheads if only the bandmembers were willing to grow their hair. As long as FBC continue to talk about themselves as a hardcore band, though, they'll be limited to hardcore audiences, and they deserve better.