Words by Kurt Orzeck 

What is a band of musicians to do after they’ve completed what will almost surely go down as their magnum opus? We already hear your canned responses—“Be grateful you managed to pull it off!,” “Get started on the next one!,” etc. But for anyone who knows the difference between an artistic endeavor and messing around on their home computer, it’s a legit question. Harakiri for the Sky cofounder and vocalist Michael "JJ" V. Wahntraum seems to agree in an interview with Knotfest conducted shortly before Friday’s release of Scorched Earth (AOP), Harakiri for the Sky’s eighth record.

From issues regarding climate change and the resulting ecological disasters to political upheavals and insurgencies to the seemingly unsalvageable decimation of institutions in countries across the globe, no theme better sums up international social behavior in 2024 than "scorched Earth.” And no metal band articulated the forces behind that anarchic spectre and resulting phenomenon than Harakiri for the Sky, the fearless and unparalleled post-black metal band that has led the charge channeling these topics while simultaneously boldly going where no other band in the subgenre (yes, even Paysage d'Hiver, Bosse-de-Nage and other reputed acts of similar ilk) dare venture.

“We see Scorched Earth as some kind of conclusion, musically and lyrically,” Wahntraum confesses. “Musically, it felt to us like we took every good thing we made in the first five albums. And this is how [this album] came out. I can't find any word other than ‘conclusion.’”

Now there’s a candid comment you don’t hear every day, whether it be from an artist, musician, public figure—or whoever, really. Equally anomalous—and what makes Germany’s Harakiri for the Sky a true diamond in the rough [or in the sky]—is that they’ve kept their promise to do their own thing, without anyone telling them what to do, since forming in 2011. Sure, it cost them popularity and financial gain—be honest, had you heard of Harakiri for the Sky before reading this article?—but Wahntraum expresses no qualms about it. Especially because, if Harakiri for the Sky had devised a more rigid plan for Scorched Earth, they would’ve had to feed it into the shredder anyway.

“[Scorched Earth] took more time because of COVID,” Wahntraum stipulates. “The real bad thing about having that much time is you're sitting at home all the time, you have no motivation. And when you have no input from the outside—because you can't leave your city or your flat or whatever—you also have no creative output. And so it all took a little longer than usual.”

Nonetheless, Wahntraum takes a glass-is-half-full—or maybe a sky-is-half-clear—view of the world.

“That actually meant we had no hurry, but [it turned out to] be a good thing,” he concedes. “Four years between two albums is not our usual length we would take—but it's also not too long a time.”

If Wahntraum comes across as lackadaisical, that’s because he is. Having grown up in a village in the Alps with fewer than 10,000 residents, he has a broader and more worldly perspective than most of his peers. Rather quietly, Wahntraum’s fairly reclusive collective crafted eight albums since forming in 2011, and they’ve proven to be widely influential because of the band’s ability to segue so fluidly from post-metal to post-rock—all the while making the occasional black-metal or post-hardcore pit stop along the way.

Even though Harakiri in the Sky are arguably more responsible than Deafheaven for forging the so-called “black-gaze” sound, Wahntraum isn’t the guy who would harbor any resentment or ill will about such a thing. Quite frankly, neither vocalist probably cares much about such vocabulary.

Now animals—there’s a topic Wahntraum is jazzed to discuss. Astute observers may have noticed that Harakiri for the Sky’s albums each depict an animal on the cover. While each piece of album artwork is unnerving, the one adorning Scorched Earth may be the most horrifying of all: a pack of satanic-looking goats headed right at ya.

“There's a reason why the album is called Scorched Earth, because the world is burning,” Wahntraum justifies. “All this geopolitical shit is always a little bit difficult, but generally … everything's changed for the worse. There is no middle way, it seems. There's just radicalism on both sides. It fears me. I don't think that the world takes a good turn for now, but I don't know.”

With that in mind, it seems like now is an opportune time for Harakiri to start a new chapter in their career. And maybe the rest of us would benefit by doing the same.

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Scorched Earth, the new album from Harakiri For the Sky is now available via Nuclear Blast Records. Get the album - HERE

Catch Harakiri For the Sky live as the band embarks on the Shining Over North American Tour next month with Swallow the Sun along with Ghost Bath and Snakes of Russia. Shortly after the band's trek of the US, Harakiri For the Sky will begin their European headlining tour, in the Scorched Europe Tour kicking off in April. 

Get a complete list of dates and cities below. Get tickets - HERE