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Cost: $10
Like a thunderstorm that comes out of nowhere, Perth's
Hailstones Kill 200 relentlessly assault the senses with June
19, 1932 - twelve pulverizing bursts of grind madness with ear
piercing vokills, blasting drums and insanely shredding guitars.
Run for cover, for the clouds will open up on December 18 2004 through
Grindhead Records.
DOWNLOAD:
I Am Not Afraid
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What We Do is Secret Mag
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Perth has had a history of
harvesting fast hardcore punk since the early 90s, the most popular
bands being Heist, Rupture and Nailed Down. These bands also seem to get
more recognition outside of the country than at home. The constancy of
raucous music being churned out from this area may be linked to the fact
that Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world and depending
on the particular person, could make you a little crazy. Or maybe its a
pure frustration that stems from the rest of Australia ignoring the west
coasts musical output in general? Frustration can be the key to
producing unsettling fucked up noise. Hailstones Kill 200 (who share
members of Jed Whitey and All In Deep Shit) generate an intense sound.
HK200s music is a fine line between stop start hardcore and straight up
blasting grindcore, with these songs (12 of them in under 9 minutes)
sounding harsher as the disc follows its path. At times they throw in
some tech-metal riffs but they are over within a split second even the
purists wont notice. I find the singers voice to be unique (for this
style) and I could picture the other members of the band locking him
into a room, pressing the record button and then proceeding to violate
the poor bastard. Its torturous. It was a pleasant surprise when a
friend played me an un-mastered burnt copy of this CD a few years back.
It floored me then and it floors me now. Unfortunately we proceeded to
get sufficiently stoned and in between listening to live recordings of
Aesop Rock and watching League of Gentlemen DVDs, I misplaced the copy
he had given me. So dear reader I am very excited (even if you arent) to
see this recording available for all of us to enjoy and I implore you to
keep an ear or an eye out for the music these freaks in the west are
creating. They produce some damaging music. If you consider yourself a
fan of ruthless music, then find this EP at haste.
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The Metal Forge
- Continuing the flurry
of metal acts to come out of Western Australia is Perth grindcore
quintet Hailstones Kill 200, who is vocalist Matt, guitarists John and
Nick, bassist Rohan and drummer Dan. Their debut release is an EP on
Grindhead Records titled June 19 1932 and their modus operandi is a
short, brutal and extreme mix of hardcore, grind and punk across the 12
songs on this EP.
The discordant hyper blasts and rhythms of 40Hr (Albert DeSalvo), Stand
In Line and Power Of The Stranger reminiscent of the likes of Dillinger
Escape Plan, Nasum, Sore Throat, Intense Degree and early Napalm Death.
They rain sheer brutality as they aurally violate your senses through
razor blade guitar tones, grinding blast beats and Matt’s mid range
scream. I’m Not Afraid and Needle Or The Box unleash sub 16 second grind
ambushes a-la early Napalm Death before Everything For Nothing slows
things down enough to show the first real signs of dynamics.
As one of only three songs clocking in just past the one minute
milestone, Spiderectomy also explores different song dynamics mixing
blasts of pure chaos with slower and more accessible passages bookended
by blinding spurts of grind. Guns Company, Balga By The Sea and Story Of
My Life all return to the comfort of blisteringly short non stop grind
in the vein of Sore Throat and the like, whilst Chapter 37 and Chapter
41, both of which are epic by Hailstones Kill 200’s standards running at
just under 90 seconds each, show slower, more melodic but no less
extreme examples of menacing riffs, and panic stricken vocals.
Like any ferocious storm, they can form out of nothing and be all over
in a matter of minutes. Hailstones Kill 200’s debut EP, June 19 1932 is
the modern day musical equivalent of Mother Nature’s wrath and it’s all
over in less than nine minutes. No doubt this won’t be for every metal
fan, but for grind fans, there’s enough here that’ll satisfy without
overstaying it’s welcome.
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Brutalism
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This is a EP (or MCD) from
crazy Australians who called themselves Hailstone Kill 2000. This is an
attack of chaotical grind/hardcore/punk with experimental influences
towards technical metal and noise. Guitarrriffs are mindblowing with
dissonant chords, grooving parts and mayhemic onslaughts. Drums are
raging with powerviolence blasts, crazy breaks and moshparts. Vocals
complete hatred and rage with hysterical screams making this mix of
styles even more chaotical. All is played very very tight and recorded
with precision and great sound so you better buy before you die by
hailstones.....
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AntiMUSIC
- If adjectives such
as searing, caustic, and discordant come to mind, then (Perth-based)
grindcore outfit Hailstones Kill 200 should prove to be what you're
looking for. With their latest release, June 19th, 1932, these grinders
from down under have seemingly avoided a cut and paste approach to their
particular brand of sonic terror. The recipe comes over with authority,
and establishes its frenetic but oblique attack at once. With June 19th,
1932, Hail Stones Kill 200 have taken an abrasive skin of expansive,
cacophonous chordwork (in the vein of acts like DEP, Pig Destroyer,
Agrophobic Nosebleed, et al), and stretched it across a foundation not
unlike Nasum or (even) early Napalm Death.
Within the quickly marching twelve tracks contained in June 19th, 1932,
HK200 have swerved noticeably (and refreshingly) from the three-finger
model, opting instead for diminished, augmented, and (even) chromatic
combinations to cauterize the contents of their sound. The overarching
tempo of the recording is essentially free of dirge-time rhythms, though
these rare moments (happening in tracks such as "Everything for
Nothing", and "Spiderectory") provide a means of decompression in
between the otherwise relentless assault of the brain-needling, chaotic
tug-of-war.
Indeed, the wind down riffs are, on the whole, well placed throughout
the recording. One gets the sense that these phrases are there for
strategic purposes--- to coil back the steel springs, so to speak, so
that the song can have a musical vantage point to lunge from and
(naturally) inflict the greatest amount of virulent impact. The guitar
mix scours the eardrums with unbelievable grit and grain, and the drums
are clearly mixed midway to deliver a sharp, gut-popping blow with every
note.
Less guttural and falling boulders, more broken glass and anti-tank
ordinance--- such is the way of July 19th, 1932. This recording bleeds
with the speed of a mortal head wound. Get it, and give your speakers a
good thrashing.
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Vomit The Soul Zine
- Crushing release!!
This is the very first time I listen to HAILSTONES KILL 200, and I know
nothing about them, but be sure this MCD is fucking incredible!! This is
fast Grind Core that could be compared to bands like NASUM, LENG TCH’E
and DEFORMITY, the whole stuff played in an ultra fast way! Tracks are
original and don’t sound just like another band! Tracks are rather short
as the whole running time of the MCD is 8 minutes for 12 tracks, but
even if tracks are short, there are interesting enough and got
interesting structures, with a lot of repetitive riffs, with ultra
blasting drums and screaming vokills! Buy or die! HAILSTONES KILL 200 is
a fucking great band!! I’m just looking forward to listen to a full
length release of something like 20 for 15 minutes, eheh! Buy or die!!
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Pyromusic
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June 19 1932' has to be one
of the shortest released I've heard all year. At just 8:29, this 12 track
EP is an interesting, albeit very brief introduction to Hailstones Kill
200.
The first thing to come to mind upon my first listen of 'June 19 1932' was
The Dillinger Escape Plan a band whose material I don't mind, but isn't
really my cup of tea. I can appreciate the ferocity and technical skills
required for such music, but I'd rather listen to something else. This
also means I'm not particularly well-versed in this style of music, but
for what it is, I can see that 'June 19 1932' is a very, very strong EP
and daresay it's well worth the time of anyone who is interested in what
has been dubbed Mathcore - menacing riffs, screaming vocals, pummelling
drums, twisted sounds and frenzied ferocity.
Production is more than adequate and each track stands strong on it's own,
with enough variety to give a distinct personality to validate the
inclusion of each and every song. I imagine these guys had very bloody
fingertips after each recording session for this EP and I'm sure they'll
need medical treatment when they've finished recording their forthcoming
album.
Recommended for fans of Dillinger Escape Plan and the like.
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Deadtide
- This album feels like
a massive storm of killer hailstones as they make me think of Pig
Destroyer, though a bit less interested in stalking and more interested
in alcohol. They don't waste any time as this recording has 12 songs and
lasts 8 and a half minutes. The music is total chaos that is hard to
describe and can only be properly experienced, like all good grind
records. The production is pretty good and the whole thing is over
seemingly before it starts... It's not the fastest (grind) album ever,
but it makes up for it with being one of the more chaotic records out
there. Kind of like Nasum meets Pig Destroyer meets a large stash of
mescaline. This isn't a record. It’s a divine shitstorm. Anyway it'll
amore than tide you over until the next Pig Destroyer album. Something
in the water down under that leads to crazy people methinks. I need to
try some of it.
Metal Rage
I must admit that I was kind of afraid that this would be another one of
those grind releases that has been done over and over and over again, but
as soon as I heard the first two songs, I knew my fear was very misplaced.
Originality is something I give lots of credits, and these guys have
managed to do that on this twelve track recording.
To begin with; it has a
groove that doesn’t keep pounding your head off. It gives you time to
recover now and then. Besides that, the songs are very refreshing to me, I
could find only one accurate description for their music and that is Burnt
By The Sun meets Nasum. Perfect! Interesting breaks, real fast chaotic
parts and a voice that conveys total hysteria and panic.
The vocals are the only thing that I’m not completely satisfied about. It
fits the music perfectly, but if the EP lasted much longer I would get
irritated by the high screams. Perhaps adding another member with a brutal
grunt would be a cool idea…?
I must compliment vocalist Matt with his vision on life, It’s exactly the
same as mine; “do whatever you feel you should, living moment by moment,
but don’t come to be asking for a fucking handout. It’s also about fucking
chicks.” This I call a genius.
Now this record lasts little over eight minutes (and yes there are twelve
tracks on it, do the math) but it shows a very potential band from
Australia, which I would love to see on tour with a band like Blood
Duster. Honestly I think these guys could get to higher levels and I’m
really anxious about their full length album which is in the writing
process I believe.
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Adrenaline Fanzine
- Wow. The best thing
about this disc is that the songs are short (longest song clocks in at
1:29) because if they were any longer my eardrums would be in my lap
screaming. This is definitely Grind-Core at it's sickest. Think early
Napalm Death (very early) and Anal Cunt mixed with only the most noisy
passages of Dillinger Escape Plan and you get what I prefer to call a "Shitstorm
Sensory Assault". I think that sounds much better than HAILSTONES KILL
200 but that's just my opinion...and I'm an idiot.
To get a mental picture
of this band you need to look no further than their hilarious bio which
reveals that the "full grunt of their set...is often left in beer and
vomit soaked disarray", and that lyrically (there's lyrics?) the band's
mindset, among other things, is "also about fucking chicks". The music is
definitely not for the faint at heart or for that matter people who need
at least SOME hook, groove or melody from their metal. However, if you're
into those short little bursts of mayhem that last 20 seconds or less like
"Hang the Pope" from Nuclear Assault and you always wished aloud that they
would put out a whole album of those silly little diddy's than by golly
this is for you. Because I'm sure this stuff rests comfortably near the
black hearts of the two or three of you that actually find this appealing.
Then again if it's all about the booze, vomit and chics who am I to crash
anyone's party? Rock on dudes!
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My Last Chapter
- I had never heard of
this band before, but I'll definitely check out their future releases,
as this is their debut. 12 tracks of chaotic grindcore á la Pig
Destroyer, Discordance Axis, Fuck the Facts etc. Well, this is the debut
of Hailstones Kill 200, as mentioned before, which has a weird name and
weird layout. To be honest, weird, or should I say fucked up, is a
phrase that could be applied to pretty much every part of this recording
(even the promo sheet's a weird-ass piece of paper). Spastic and chaotic
tunes of hardcorish mangling grindcore! Crushing drums, icy riffs and
wicked, frantic screaming. Fucking cool stuff! Hailstones Kill 200 is
apparently busy writing new material for their upcoming fullength. And
I'm definitely eager to get my hands on it as soon as it's out, 'cause
this kicks arse! Chaos under control!
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Diabolical Conquest
- This dense EP is
attention-grabbing and charismatic in its approach. The sound production
and general feel of the riffage owes much to The Dillinger Escape Plan,
but with a berserk fizzy-edged Nasum quality. The level of technicality
is somewhere between these two bands; never attempting to outmanoeuvre
the former and retaining the effective bluntness of the latter.
The band are a tight and capable unit that weave death, grind and
mathcore influences into pithy packets of sabre-toothed ferocity.
Furthermore, most of the quicksilver songs have their own recognisable
quirks and crazed delivery. Thick clanging bass intros, shuffling
disharmonics, volatile breakdowns, syncopated grooves, intermittent
blasting, dissonant chords punctuating fretwork - all in a very short
space of time.
Strictly speaking there is nothing new here, but the band already have
found an eccentric niche that may actually satisfy a broad fanbase. So
far we only have a synopsis to judge; now we await the red-blooded
onslaught of a full album.
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