Harakiri for the Sky - Mære

Angry Metal Guy 70

If there’s ever been a band that reeks of potential, it’s Harakiri for the Sky. Standing separate from twinkly genre-mates with muscular songwriting and a refusal to stagnate, these Austrians have released album after album of incredibly strong post-black that always hinted at true greatness but never quite achieved it. Keeping the likes of Deafheaven and Alcest at arm’s length, they hit their peak with III: Trauma, which earned the respect of Mark Z. and others in the process, while successor Arson fell into the realm of solid yet forgettable. Will fifth full-length Mære reclaim former glory? Or will it be its own worst nightmare?

Bloated runtimes and myriad ideas have tainted former efforts, and Mære offers the longest release yet, clocking in at a whopping eighty-five minutes. Giving Harakiri the benefit of the doubt, if any post-black act can accomplish a prolonged state of engagement, they can. Expect much of what we’ve come to expect: melody-infused riffs, desperate barks, layers of melodic solos and sustaining notes, passages of blackened fury, and just enough experimentation to keep listeners on their toes. Sans a few hiccups and its demanding length, Mære puts Harakiri for the Sky back in good graces, even if their potential continues to outweigh its content.

Maere by Harakiri for the Sky

Basking in beautiful melodies and solos without forsaking viciousness, Harakiri for the Sky excels at its implementation of layers, reinforced by flawless songwriting and instrumental performance courtesy of Matthias Sollak, while J.J.’s raw vocal attack injects brutal and stunning desperation. Tracks like “I, Pallbearer,” “I’m All About the Dusk,” “Once Upon a Winter,” and powerful closer “Song to Say Goodbye” utilize stunning melodies layered upon a strong rhythmic foundation with a solid bass presence, recalling Downfall of Gaia‘s hyper-melodic crust or Insomnium‘s brand of emotive melodeath. The most memorable moments are these fusions of the beautiful and the punishing, creating a sound uniquely desperate while also tastefully balanced. The use of piano in the layers of “I, Pallbearer” and “And Oceans Between Us” bring a whole new level of emotion to the sound, while the folk melodies of “Us Against December Skies” and “Time is a Ghost” recall the contemplative beauty of October Falls‘ A Collapse of Faith. Perhaps what’s most refreshing about Mære, compared to Arson, is that there are memorable moments upon memorable moments, reinforced by nearly perfect mixing and production. The passages and movements flow seamlessly, furthermore, making it a consistently enjoyable and engaging listen.

The biggest setback of Mære simply lies in its length: an average track runtime of eight minutes and an album of an hour and twenty-five minutes is prone to missteps simply by the amount of content. As such, the intro of “I’m All About the Dusk” and passages of “Us Against December Skies” and “Time is a Ghost” can feel directionless. Perhaps another casualty of the length is that tracks can feel worn out or reused. “Three Empty Words” is a good example, that while its melodies shine in its second half, it more often than not feels like a copied and pasted “I, Pallbearer,” while “Silver Nail – Golden Dawn” feels like an inferior “I’m All About the Dawn” and is left reeling by a faulty melodic passage.

Ultimately, Mære is a fantastic improvement over Arson that finds Harakiri for the Sky capitalizing on memorability and moments while simply overstaying their welcome. It’s easily their best album since III: Trauma, maybe their best album overall, but even then, I can’t help but feel that once again their potential outweighs the content. Since their inception, these Austrians have always stood apart from the post-black “Les Légions Scintillantes”¹ in their more muscular approach, but their discography is marred by “buts:” case in point, Mære is a stunning piece of post-black, but it’s simply too long and as such has some filler to cut. However, once again, don’t hesitate to pick up Harakiri for the Sky‘s fifth full-length. While we’ll keep waiting for the opus magnum that this duo is so clearly capable of, it’s nevertheless an absolute tour-de-force of stunning songwriting and serene melodies that will have you revisiting this Mære again and again.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: AOP Records
Websites: harakirifortheskyofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/HarakiriForTheSky
Releases Worldwide: February 19, 2021

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