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/:: Artist :: Harakiri for the Sky ::\
:: Album :: Scorched Earth ::
:: Year :: 2025 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CD . ::
:: Label :: AOP Records R.date :: 2025-08-23 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: AOP127 S.date :: 2025-01-24 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 273kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 127.12MB .
. .
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 1. Heal Me 7:36 ::
:: 2. Keep Me Longing 10:40 ::
:: 3. Without You I'm Just a Sad Song 10:03 ::
:: 4. No Graves but the Sea 8:01 ::
:: 5. With Autumn I'll Surrender 8:38 ::
:: 6. I Was Just Another Promise You Couldn't Keep 9:01 ::
:: 7. Too Late For Goodbyes 7:53 ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 61:52 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: The despairing musings of a fatalistic mind could be the ::
:: description of any work penned within the depressive end of the ::
:: black metal spectrum, but this summation proves especially true ::
:: for the post-black variant resting at its modern fringe. Though ::
:: a relatively novel stylistic niche, attributing modernity to ::
:: post-black metal is more of an extreme juxtaposition given its ::
:: highly organic and primitive nature, to speak nothing for the ::
:: lyrical critique of modern society that often accompanies it. ::
:: Since the early 2010s, Austrian-born two man project Harakiri ::
:: For The Sky have proven masters of this highly nuanced craft, ::
:: marrying a varied mixture of melodic post-rock, grunge, ::
:: hardcore and atmospheric black metal influences into a ::
:: songwriting template that shuns conventional notions of brevity ::
:: and structure, yet manages to be highly accessible and ::
:: melodically consonant by extreme metal standards. ::
:: ::
:: Following a predictable rhythm in the studio of an LP release ::
:: every 2 years, culminating in 5 highly involved sonic ::
:: anthologies in under a decade, a break in output for about 4 ::
:: years has elapsed prior to the unveiling of their 6th and most ::
:: polished album in Scorched Earth. Very much a product of the ::
:: time that it was conceived in, this 67 minute epic excursion ::
:: into the realm of auditory cynicism delves head first into a ::
:: world divided, moving further from a state of peace and toward ::
:: one of brokenness. Built off the prowess and innovative ::
:: craftsmanship of multi-instrumentalist Mattias Sollak (known by ::
:: his initials M.S.) and the mostly haggard and jagged shouts and ::
:: shrieks of vocalist Michael Kogler (aka J.J.), it is a ::
:: collection of extended compositions that effectively embody the ::
:: isolation and tumult that typified the lockdown era of the ::
:: early 2020s and the political chaos that has since arisen in ::
:: its wake. ::
:: ::
:: Like a flowing stream amid a landscape shrouded in mist that ::
:: hits a larger body with a sudden explosion of force, this album ::
:: is a continual exercise in crescendo where the beginning is ::
:: often a serene atmospheric precursor to a coming storm. The ::
:: opening chapter of this musical story ôHeal Meö enters with a ::
:: soothing melodic piano drone and a gradual swelling of ::
:: fuzz-steeped guitars that lands with a booming, down-tempo ::
:: post-rock thud that eventually finds weaves its way into a ::
:: blasting fury of raw fury. In essence, this is black metal ::
:: removed from its normally dank or frigid element and brought ::
:: into an equally bleak, yet warmer setting. Other entries like ::
:: the massive 10 minute slough ôKeep Me Longingö and ôToo Late ::
:: For Goodbyesö enter similarly chaotic territory, though the ::
:: former dwells a bit more on its serene, piano-driven ::
:: introduction and presents a more elaborate melodic refrain, ::
:: while the latter dispenses with an atmospheric prelude and goes ::
:: even harder into the blackened and blasting extreme while also ::
:: feeling the most overtly sorrowful. ::
:: ::
:: Continuing to adhere to a sound marked by heavy stylistic ::
:: eclecticism, M.S.Æs songwriting arsenal proves more and more ::
:: intricate the closer to the center the album progresses. The ::
:: extended anthem ôWithout You IÆm Just A Sad Songö vacillates ::
:: between being a lullaby and a hurricane of pure agony, and ::
:: frequently blurs the lines between this projectÆs post-rock ::
:: proclivities and a Gothenburg-inspired melodic death metal ::
:: sound. ôNo Graves But The Seaö often mimics the atmosphere of a ::
:: lost ship adrift at the oceanÆs center, and also presents ::
:: MattiasÆ technical chops at the guitar through a series of ::
:: intricate rhythmic riffs and melodic motives. ôWith Autumn I ::
:: Surrenderö stirs the stylistic pot in an almost gothic ::
:: direction while still maintaining a blackened post-metal vibe, ::
:: and the punchy drive of ôI Was Just Another Promise You ::
:: CouldnÆt Keepö finds the instrumentation leaning heavy into a ::
:: modern hardcore sound with J.J. ushering in a correspondingly ::
:: gritty yet occasionally clean cut vocal delivery. ::
:: ::
:: Amid a highly consistent and expansive catalog, Scorched Earth ::
:: is an album that both maintains and expands upon Harakiri For ::
:: The SkyÆs distinctive brand of depressive and stylistically ::
:: rich post-black metal, and is also an appropriate album to kick ::
:: off the mid-point of the 2020s. It comes with a ::
:: reinterpretation of RadioheadÆs ôStreet Spirit (Fade Out)ö as ::
:: an addendum that further reveals a band bent on merging a ::
:: melancholy outlook with just about every subgenre of rock under ::
:: the sun, not to mention showcases KoglerÆs voice in a very ::
:: different light. But even when putting aside the innovative nod ::
:: to one of the biggest household names in 90s alternative rock, ::
:: this is an album that effectively walks a line between the ::
:: esoteric world of atmospheric black metal where extreme music ::
:: becomes more of a mystical and meditative experience and one ::
:: that isnÆt far removed from where rock radio was 30 years ago. ::
:: In a world that seems hell bent on committing seppuku minus the ::
:: element of honor, Harakiri For The Sky has managed to compose a ::
:: fitting soundtrack. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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