- Country: Austria
- Style: Post-black metal
- Label: AOP Records
- Release date: 19 February 2021
Harakiri For The Sky’s fifth album runs close to 85 minutes, and that number tells you a lot before you press play. The Austrian duo of M.S. and J.J. have never been interested in brevity, and Mære sprawls without apology. It was due out in January but was pushed back to February because of pandemic-related production delays.
The sound is the familiar one. Long, melancholic tremolo leads, a constant mid-paced drive and J.J.’s hoarse, wounded screams sitting on top. Session drummer Kerim “Krimh” Lechner gives the songs a tighter, harder spine than before, and it helps.
The best moments come early. “I, Pallbearer” opens with real urgency, and “Sing For The Damage We’ve Done” brings in Alcest’s Neige, whose clean voice drifts over the riffs exactly the way you’d hope. “I’m All About The Dusk” is long but never stalls, and “And Oceans Between Us” has one of the album’s strongest melodies.
It does sag in the second half, where a few songs blur together, and the closing cover of Placebo’s “Song To Say Goodbye” will split listeners. Still, few bands in post-black metal write sadness this convincingly. Cut twenty minutes and this would be their masterpiece.
Best tracks:
I, Pallbearer
Sing For The Damage We’ve Done
I’m All About The Dusk
And Oceans Between Us
Author’s rating: 8.4/10
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