Harakiri for the Sky
Aokigahara

“Shadows”, part one.
It was a hot morning that August. I could hear the cicadas singing in the distance as I sat on the bank's steps, waiting for it to open before heading to work. There was a slight breeze in the air, the sky was partially veiled but did not threaten rain... Then a blinding glare, a whirlwind of indescribable force shattered every atom of my body and dissolved me into the air: only my shadow testified to my presence on the cold marble steps of that bank, which the explosion completely leveled.

“Shadows”, part two.
That roof tile needed fixing: as soon as I learned it wouldn't rain the next day, I prepared all my tools and went to sleep. In the morning I leaned the ladder against the roof, then went back inside to get what I needed and went out again. I had just placed a foot on the ladder when I saw out of the corner of my eye the shadow I cast on the ground expand immensely: I turned towards what I thought was the sun but felt my retina burn immediately. I had no time to scream; all that remained of me was vapor, and a shadow fused along with that of the ladder leaning against the house wall.

Their debut had already made a strong impression, but I never expected a record like this “Aokigahara” from the Austrians Harakiri For The Sky. Not that their previous work was bad, it just was a bit too indebted to the "urban" post-black metal trend (Lantlôs, Heretoir, or Amesoeurs style, to be clear), and it lacked originality and solid anchors. But with their second album, they hit the mark, taking cues from Deafheaven's airiness, the melodic sense imbued with melancholy from Thränenkind, and adding a good dose of personality to the mix. If we really have to find a flaw, it might be the vocals, an angry scream that can eventually tire and seem monotonous, echoing a bit in the listener's ears by the time the last tracks are reached, but it's a minor detail and strongly subjective.
The nine songs flow very smoothly, thanks to a duration never too long and a distinct sense of melody that perfectly matches the black roots roughness of the band, making every minute enjoyable and keeping the album fresh even after several listens. Unfortunately, the CD version does not include a standout track present instead on vinyl, the cover of “Mad World,” which I highly recommend getting. Where the version made famous by Gary Jules was tinged with poignant and resigned melancholy, here the rendition in post-black metal style assumes connotations of desperate vindication, making it one of the album's peaks.

For those who love these sounds, so hated by many TRVE black metal purists, “Aokigahara” is an album to have and devour in one breath, a worthy representative of a genre that now boasts some distinctly prominent elements, easily recognizable and identifiable in the crowd.