HAILMARY – Choice. Path. Consequence. Solution.

Shane | 11 February 2013 | Reply

Self released
Released: November 2012
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
9/10

Aussies are a funny bunch sometimes. Partisan til death about our local sporting teams we may be, but in some respects we allow the sheer multi-culturalism of our society to get the better of us: being so abundantly open to external influences, we sometimes remain blind to the incredible homegrown quality we produce.

Take our local bands, for instance. We will routinely remain pleasantly oblivious to a world class band playing locally every Friday night, yet be more than happy to pay top dollar to see a sub-standard touring band. Peculiar pecadillos, indeed…

Hailmary are from Perth, and might easiest be described as ‘grunge’, but there’s a lot more to their sound than that lazily simple tag could hope to describe. Whilst the Alice In Chains influence is undeniable – singer/guitarist Kevin Curran readily admits that AIC’s Dirt is his favourite album – Hailmary’s sound is brighter, more positive, and contains less of the sludgey downtuned darkness than was synonymous with the grunge movement.

Curran’s vocals have never sounded better; whatever hoops he’s made his voice jump through have broadened his range and depth significantly.

From the proto-metal of Yellow Light Of Death, through the glorious Reminiscence and the most AIC-alike track on the album, Wake Up, Curran and Hailmary never let up for a moment, the music textured and boasting hidden delights to be enjoyed upon repeated listens.

Two Wrongs and Weighing You Down are two tracks that wear their Seattle influence on their sleeve – but again, there’s a brightness there which sets Hailmary apart from being mere copyists. Yesterdays Friend burrows deep and you’ll find it’s melody and driving jackhammer riff replaying in your head for days to come and Monday Mundane is a tailor-made anthem for not wanting to go back to work after the weekend.

The Way It Was stands out for entirely different reasons – a tender, semi-acoustic ballad featuring another stunning vocal from Curran, it has a psychedelic Beatles edge to it, and another undismissable melody.

Choice. Path. Consequence. Solution. is a magnificent album by anyone’s standards – not just in the sense of a local scene. It features standout performances, mature, edgy songwriting, and is not only world class, but possesses the potential to be a complete game changer for these four West Australians. Get a piece of them while you still can.

https://www.facebook.com/hailmarybandpage

http://www.hailmaryband.com