Review by Jeger on December 13, 2024.

Austria's Harakiri For The Sky - harbingers of life's three pillars: love, life and death have returned once again with benefactions of heartache's bounty. The voice of introspection and of the afflicted, as signaled by post-black metal of the epic consort. Straying not far from the artistic pathway that they themselves paved in 2011, Harakiri For The Sky has proven to be a reliable outlet for the processing of life's many woes that befall us all, whether they be encapsulated in depression, bereavement or addiction. But it's in the gift of the silver lining that truly awakens the spirit. Intentional or not, the music can be quite uplifting; sparking from within a blaze of fiery will to push on. After all, suffering is the great motivator, and personally, I'll be damned before I succumb to the worst that life has to throw at me…

Every one of Harakiri For The Sky's albums has been highly reviewed. They realize their art with class and with majesty unparalleled. In the depths of sorrow's fertile soil, remarkable beauty can be found - seeds of renewal and perseverance - blossoming into life anew as rain pours into once-withered taproots. The time is coming just over the annual's clouded horizon for another grande life experience, as Harakiri For The Sky prepare to release their brand new LP, Scorched Earth, via AOP Records on January 24, 2025.

Expect greatness: gratifying melodies, haunting atmosphere and rhythm like the pulse of hearts ablaze with the yearning of a thousand years. From playful piano tinkering to the most godlike epic passages and just the unbridled power of it all are like elements fit for cinema. What an impactful experience! I generally avoid post-black metal records, but HFTS just do it with such dignified grandeur that their albums just cannot be ignored. Scorched Earth is certainly no exception; quite possibly their finest offering. Seven blessed tracks and two bonus cuts that feature session contributions from artists like Tim Yatras (Austere), Serena Cherry (Svalbarduk), PG (Groza) and Backwards Charm's Daniel Lang. All stops pulled here once again and the final product is just majestic. From the opening track 'Heal Me' with its lulling melancholic passages to 'With Autumn I'll Surrender' with its towering distorted grandiosity, all the way through to the dense-as-lead closer, 'Too Late for Goodbyes', Scorched Earth provides the listener with a most precious glimpse into the realm of all things deep and boundary-pushing.

Undeniable… A work of musical perfection from top to bottom: the cover art, the overall aesthetic, the music and the concept are all as delicious as chocolate. An engineering specimen - a place for everything and everything in its place - tonality and mixing of an otherworldly level of class. Everything sonically booms and radiates such colorful scapes into an atmosphere alive with the joyous harmony of stunning guitar leads and  sacred piano sonatas. An accomplishment of the most important magnitude is Scorched Earth. As your agony throbs and as your longing stretches into clouded skies, it's to the sound of music of the most profound variety.

The night is nigh! The perilous day coming to rest as the golden sun sets into periled horizons of perdition's promise. Light a candle in remembrance of better days and look deep within your innermost spirit to find the will to carry on this eve. Harakiri For The Sky have done the suffering for you and have realized it with the siren-like beauty of Scorched Earth - an album that will surely stand unmatched for the majority of next year. A new career plateau scaled and rested upon with quiet austerity. Harakiri For The Sky are about to etch their names into the hallowed halls of black metal legend with this opus, and it couldn't be more well-deserved. Prestigious, impassioned and magisterial… Bravo!

Rating: 10 out of 10