Hay Perro-Desert Of Nowhere

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Formed back in 2006, Chicago, Illinois's own Hay Perro first appeared on our site back in March of 2011 thanks to their bad ass debut album, "Eastern Ideas of Death"*, before taking part in an excellent interview with site founder Metal Mark the following month (http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2011/04/interview-with-brian-and-chris-of-hay.html). It was that very interview which peaked my interest in this Chicago "crossover" band and now (after three long years of waiting) we finally get to hear the band's sophomore output "Desert Of Nowhere". Released earlier this month, and unfortunately only available as a digital download at the moment, "Desert Of Nowhere" is (sadly) Hay Perro's swansong. That unfortunate announcement (and indeed it is one once you've had a chance to let this punk/hardcore/heavy metal band rampage you're body like some crazed, meth-fueled grizzly bear freaking the freak out!) was included with the e-mail inquiring as to whether or not we would be interested in covering this release (the obvious answer was HELL FUCKING YES). Still, if this 10-track fist punch to the face album (one which sets the pace early on thanks to the two minute plus opener "Upheaval Dome" before running you over with the kick in the head cut "Arm The Children") is to be the last we hear from Hay Perro then by all that is Hell Fucking Bent For Heavy Metal it's a good way to call it quits! On their second (and now last) release, which again one perfect cocktail featuring all of this band's numerous influences (Black Flag, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Voivod, Minutemen, Husker Du, Thin Lizzy, Minor Threat and Black Sabbath) and more (Ramones, Discharge, Jesus Lizard and The Misfits) we have a line-up of Chris Grubbs (guitar, bass, vocals), Brian Gonas (guitar) and Emily Agosto (drums). With Nate Perry providing additional vocals on "Arm The Children" and "Spirals Of Wire" (two cut throat numbers!) and the members of Hay Perro (https://www.facebook.com/HayPerro) doing their utmost best to redefine the term "crossover" (as a point of reference check out "Aflame In The Sun" which combines old school punk rock, metallic hardcore and some smashing garage rock and roll of yesteryear into one killer closing track!) things have never looked so promising fro this Chicago act. All of which makes their announcement to split up that much more puzzling, but sometimes bad things happen to good bands and there's nothing that can be done about it. Available for a measly $5, "Desert Of Nowhere" comes with my stamp of approval and it will be "topping the charts" when it gets to be that time of the year when "Best Off" lists start rolling out!


http://hayperro.bandcamp.com/album/desert-of-nowhere



Metal Mark's spot-on review of  "Eastern Ideas of Death"
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2011/03/hay-perro-eastern-ideas-of-death.html

Interview with Brian and Chris of Hay Perro

Hay Perro play a fantastic blend of metal and punk rock. I recently got to interview Chris and Brian to find out more about the band and their music.

MM-Please introduce the members of your band.

Chris: I’m on guitar and vocals, and I do most of the songwriting. Brian plays guitar as well. Dan plays bass and Emily plays drums, and are brother and sister. Brian and I are not even a little bit related.

MM-Tell us a little about your band’s history.

Brian: It’s a bit convoluted, but the short version is our old bass player had rented a practice space, and his other band bailed on him, so we all joined up and started Hay Perro. Ben, the old bass player left the band to get his master’s about a year and a half ago, and Dan came in and has been with us ever since. We’ve done a couple of EP’s and a split 7”, but this is our first album and definitely our strongest work.

MM-Who are your musical influences?

Chris: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Voivod, Minutemen, Husker Du, Black Sabbath, and to some extent any song or band I’ve ever heard and liked.

MM-How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?

Chris: Aggressive guitar music with harmonized riffs.

MM-Tell us some about your new album?

Chris: It’s our first full-length. I’ve never felt that any of our recording efforts before this really presented a cohesive statement about what we do, and I think this one does. Some of the songs we’ve been playing for a few years now, and some of them were written just before recording, but everything seemed to fit together well.

MM-What are some of your favorite tracks and why do you like them?

Chris: Well, I like them all. I’m particularly happy with how “Eastern Ideas of Death” came out. It’s the longest track on there, and in some ways was the most difficult to record, but it paid off. It has a bunch of riffs, this extended harmonized bridge part, and it reaches this heavy climax where we threw in some guitar and organ overdubs. It’s pretty awesome. “No Visions” I like a lot too as an example of our catchier side.

MM-What has been the response to your album so far? Brian: The response has been very positive. We’ve been getting some good reviews and some great feedback on the album. People really seem to like how various genres come together to make a unique record.

MM-What is the music scene like in Chicago these days?

Chris: I feel unqualified to make any kind of definitive statement about it, because this city is so big and there are so many bands. There is a whole lot of metal going on here, of all different flavors. There’s some great stuff happening, and I’m sure there’s plenty I don’t know about - it’s tough for me to keep up. I do think there’s a pretty open-minded audience in this city for the kind of stuff we’re doing.

MM-What bands have you shared the stage with so far?

Chris: Slough Feg, Bible of the Devil, High Spirits, Zuul, many others.

MM-Who would you love to share a stage with?

Chris: Any and all like-minded bands.

MM-Have the high gas prices impacted how many shows you play in recent months?

Brian: I wouldn’t say it has really affected us that much. When we go out of town, the primary focus is about playing in front of new audiences and getting more people to hear the music. The financial aspect is not a huge factor in whether or not we play more or less.

MM-What do you think about the metal/punk rock scenes in general these days?

Chris: Like always, there’s good music and bad music. I don’t give much thought to the state of any given scene. We just kind of keep our heads down and do what we do.

MM-Why should someone buy your new album?

Chris: To borrow my earlier phrase, because they like aggressive guitar music with harmonized riffs.

Brian: It really is a unique album that has a great energy to it. There’s some punk, some thrash, some doom and some NWOBHM, it really draws from a little bit of everything. Fans of aggressive music will not be disappointed.

MM-What are some of your favorite albums of 2011 so far?

Chris: These days I suck at staying on top of new music. From time to time I’ll hear new shit through other people, but I rarely feel like I have time to find it myself. “Nucleus” by Dawnbringer and “The Animal Spirits” by Slough Feg are two newish albums I’ve enjoyed recently, but I’m pretty sure those came out in 2010. I lose track of time.

MM-Choose the band you prefer from each of the following pairs and tell why you picked them.

Gang Green or DRI

Chris: DRI. Our sound draws from metal and punk, and needless to say DRI does that quite well.

Trouble or Impaler

Chris: Trouble. Psalm 9 is definitely one of my favorites. I could listen to “Assassin” alone all day. Plus, they’re from Chicago!

GBH or the Exploited

Brian: That’s a difficult call. Both bands were definitely influential by blending punk and metal, and I grew up listening to both of these bands a lot, but I’m going to have to say GBH. Kawasaki Live was a pretty big part of my adolescence.

Iron Maiden or Judas Priest

Chris: Ugh, that is a tough one, but I’d have to give it to Maiden. They just press this primal FUCK YES button in my brain like no other band. Not that Priest doesn’t. But yeah. Maiden.

MM-Is there anything else you want to say about your band, your music or anything else?

Chris: We really appreciate you taking the time to check out our record and put these questions together. At the end of the day, no one really gives a shit about another rock band, but it’s great when people take an interest in our music. We believe in what we’re doing, and we have a good time doing it. Also, dear readers: buy our record.

www.myspace.com/hayperro

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2011/03/hay-perro-eastern-ideas-of-death.html

Hay Perro-Eastern ideas of death

Self-produced
2011

I began this review like three times with different introductions and I eventually scrapped all three. Each time I kept getting into long explanations about metal and punk and the history of or lack of blending the styles. Instead I am just cutting straight to talking about Hay Perro. They don't walk the line between metal and punk/hardcore. No instead they run back and forth between the two worlds pulling from both sides. The music combines a heavy dose of early Iron Maiden with some explosions of hardcore. Some times the two styles are done seperate and on other occasions they are combined to some extent. The vocals are of a punk rock style complete with plenty of force and grit. The vocals blend perfectly with whatever style of music the band is cranking out at the time. I have heard plenty of bands who claim to be both metal and hardcore, but their sound tends to lean more towards one side over the other. Hay Perro are they pull strong elements from both forms of music and get the best of both worlds. Hay Perro are the real deal because they get the most of it all that they play and they sound like they really mean it. The album gets even better as it goes along and I enjoyed more each time I listened to it. If there is one complaint it was only that I wish the album had more tracks on it because I was really getting into it and it was over. Definitely track this disc down and check it out.

http://www.myspace.com/hayperro