Harakiri for the Sky — Scorched Earth

Harakiri for the Sky are an Austrian post-black metal band formed in Salzburg and Vienna in 2011. Scorched Earth is the 6th full-length album from the duo of vocalist, JJ (Michael "V. Wahntraum" Kogler) and multi-instrumentalist Matthias Solla, formerly of black metal band Bifrost.

The album opens with "Heal Me", and after a really melodic start that reminds me of the myriad of softer metal bands who have risen to fame over the last 20 years, like Evanescence or Nightwish, the guitar cuts in and the vocals take on a desperately emotional quality. I’m also loosely reminded at times of modern Bring Me the Horizon, however, when the blast beats kick in, things take a much heavier turn. "Keep Me Longing" is next and begins with a beautiful piano-led intro, before kicking into a much heavier blast beat-driven section. The track follows a similar path as the opener, mixing quieter sections with heavy, fast blast beat-driven post- black metal goodness. Vocally, JJ has a raw emotional vocal style that can be both clean and rough. At over ten minutes long, it’s an epic slab of hard rock/ heavy metal that doesn’t outstay its welcome despite its length. "Without You I’m Just A Sad Song" is another ten-minute epic, and after a brief keyboard-led intro, we settle into a more melodic metal vibe. As the song progresses, vocalist JJ becomes ever more emotionally charged. "No Graves but the Sea" sits somewhere between where the other tracks have been sitting thus far. A mid-paced rocker that feels almost short at eight minutes long. Just after the midpoint, there is a rather nice Opeth-esque musical breakdown, however, the track is largely made up of blast beats and heavy metal drum and guitar patterns. " With Autumn I’ll Surrender" is the album’s lead single and one of the more commercial tracks on display here. It’s still a pretty up-tempo, aggressive track, but it has plenty of melody. "I Was Just Another Promise You Couldn’t Keep" insists on grabbing your attention and keeping hold of it. Heavy and melodic, it’s one of the album’s more addictive tracks that seems to draw you in across its epic nine minutes. The album closer, "Too Late for Goodbyes" featuring British post-hardcore band Svalbard, this allows for a real diversity in the sound of the final track, with Serena Cherry’s crystal clear vocals juxtaposing the usual aggressive black metal style growls. 

The digital release of the album features a bonus track, a rather enjoyable cover of Radiohead’s "Street Spirit" that works quite well in a heavier style. Overall, Scorched Earth is an emotionally raw slab of molten post-black metal. Melodic, aggressive and ultimately reflective. Harakiri for the Sky have produced a gem of an album that sounds unlike any other band that I can think of. It takes the listener on a bit of an emotional journey. It’s a glorious experience that I hope those black metal fans with a love of shoegazy/ progressive music give a chance to.