Review HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY “Scorched Earth”

It has been a while since Austrian metal act Harakiri For The Sky released a studio album. It was four years ago when “Mære” hit the shelves and the re-release of the first two albums helped to bridge the time until new songs add a new chapter to the story.

Harakiri For The Sky, that’s M.S. and J.J., and it’s their post-black metal anthems that impress. The band also shows their compositional skills when it comes to their songs. Seven new pieces shape the tracklist of the album and all of them have an extraordinary length. The fact that most of the songs are 10 minutes and longer is one thing, but the fact that you do not get the idea to listen to lengthy tracks is what makes this album so special.

Harakiri For The Sky stay true to their roots. Blackened heaviness is what drives each of the tracks. With such a foundation, the twists are what give the album a good flow. There are also quieter and party mystic sections that break the basic pattern and add tension. The orchestration of songs like “With All I Surrender” is a showcase for this approach. There is a rather calm and atmospheric base that runs through the entire song, while the harsh guitar sound and the hoarse vocals of J.J. create a musical tension that makes it exciting from beginning to end.

What you have to get used to are the vocals. They are very expressive and the way J.J. screams out the lyrics is something special and sometimes a bit demanding for the listener. At the same time J.J. integrates a lot of feeling and emotion into his way of singing. It is the bittersweet taste of despair and melancholy that swings with every word. It is a journey into the human soul that is reflected in the lyrics – a world that also contains darkness, sorrow and misery.

Interesting are also the songs with guest appearances, like “Too Late For Goodbyes”. It is Svalbard’s Sereny Cherry who contributed with some vocal parts and it is the contrast between J.J.’s screams and the clean, almost fragile vocals of Cherry. It adds a dynamic to the song that is much welcomed.

“Scorched Earth” wraps the human soul in a dark haze of melancholy and sadness. The album is not made for the upcoming spring season. It is mourning and sorrow that are the basic vibe of an album that will avoid sunlight like the plague. These songs are a deep dive into the abyss of the human soul and therefore lyrically and musically demanding.