HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY „Mære”

AOP Records, 2021

Music: Post-Black Metal
Website:
https://www.facebook.com/HarakiriForTheSky
https://artofpropaganda.bandcamp.com/album/maere
Duration: 01:24:00 (10 tracks)
Country: Austria

The Austrian duo HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY released a double album for their tenth anniversary. Supposedly its premiere, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has slightly shifted. But at present we can sink into the sounds of this very depressive-hysterical extreme music…

The album also featured guest musicians, namely the frontman of ALCEST – Neige (who also played in many other well-known or less known bands, such as FORGOTTEN WOODS, EMPYRIUM, MORTIFERA), an anonymous member of the Portuguese band GAEREA and the session drummer Kerim “Krimha” Lechner (known from SEPTICFLESH, DEVIN TOWNSEND as well as from participation in the Polish hordes of BEHEMOTH, VESANIA, DECAPITATED, REDEMPTOR). So the fifth HFTS album is great a piece of great music with some interesting people involved.

“Mære” is almost an hour and a half of emotionally saturated post-black-metal sounds, which not only present hysterical and aggressive themes, full of emotional turmoil, fast and aggressive bites and powerful slowdowns and hits (which is especially emphasized by strong guitar riffs as well as very extensive percussion parts, its transitions, various rhythms or progressive twists, as well as screaming vocals full of emotional bursts in the “emo” style).

But also the album “Mære” introduces a lot of post-rock melodies, atmospheric guitar passages, maybe also a bit of shoegaze trance atmosphere and certainly a bit of folklore melody.

On the one hand, the music of HFTS is simple black-metal chords, impulsive and distorted arpeggios with moody guitar melodies, and on the other, it is also complex rhythms, quite frequent and unexpected changes of themes and intensity of songs (such as human emotions, changeable, impulse, sometimes balanced, other times taking control over a mind). On the other hand, the “Piano” tacts deepen the melancholy with their cinematic and atmospheric melody. Although in some melodies there is a spark of hope somewhere, something positive, some light at the end of the tunnel. However, these are very little feelings.

But this is exactly what “Mære”‘s music is like, very stirring, influencing the listener and his emotionality, even deepening the existing emotional states. And if it is a sadness, a regret or even an anger then the music will deepen these emotions. “Mære” draws the listener into its world, tempts and entwines, even possesses and ultimately suppresses all his positive feelings and feeds him with emotions flowing from the music… depression… melancholy and anxiety.

“Mære” lurks in the dark, when you fall asleep it will get you. Don’t be fooled by it, because it will be too late. It will choke you… There is no help for me. “Mære” got me.

Tracklist:
1. I, Pallbearer
2. Sing For The Damage We’ve Done (feat. Neige)
3. Us Against December Skies
4. I’m All About The Dusk
5. Three Empty Words
6. Once Upon A Winter
7. And Oceans Between Us
8. Silver Needle // Golden Dawn (feat. VOICE OF GAEREA)
9. Time Is A Ghost
10. Song To Say Goodbye (PLACEBO cover)

Line-up:
M.S. – instruments
J.J. – vocals

Rate: 10/10