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Rating: On this gloomy morning, as I checked notifications on Deb and even my personal profile, I was embarrassingly surprised to realize I haven’t written any reviews since October 2024... The usual problems, the usual mental “hang-ups,” recurring anxieties made worse by the fact that two months ago I had to quit my job, coming just a few steps away from a gigantic nervous breakdown.
I’ll try to start writing again, and for me it feels right to do so with one of the very few works from 2025 that truly swept me away, conquered me, even helped and supported me during the challenging previous months. As always, since as far back as 1980, Music (of every genre, with no distinction) has been an extraordinary friend, ready to bring me emotions, to help me forget or at least set aside for a while the mental disorders that for decades have been an integral part of my (un)quiet life.
"Scorched Earth", Terra Bruciata, is the sixth full-length effort by the Austrian duo.
A dense, dark album, lasting well over an hour, not easy to digest—much like the already substantial discography of Harakiri for the Sky.
Many musical genres come to the fore while listening to these long tracks, each averaging over eight minutes: Guitar-driven Shoegaze, Post Black Metal, Post Hardcore. The immediate comparison that springs to mind is the French band Alcest: the same sonic approach, the same sandpapered voice that seriously threatens the singer’s vocal cords. Instrumental passages of unheard ferocity give way, even within the same song, to reflective moments where the noise calms, softens—but the peace, the quiet, is short-lived, as the heaviness of the guitars resumes its reign, spitting fire and blood.
The band’s well-known sonic versatility is dramatically highlighted in tracks like "With Autumn I'll Surrender", where a gray and enveloping keyboard sound—which actually reminded me of the great Dark Tranquillity on the album Haven—accompanies the rest of the instruments in a “climbing” gallop, ending with an emotionally intense finale. There’s a video for this track that I now invite you to watch.
The songs follow a similar structure: like a timid mountain stream at first (...of course my beloved peaks would come to my aid...) flowing calmly at the start of its journey; a journey that becomes increasingly impetuous, clear waters rippling as they descend the valley, becoming muddy, uncontrollable fury... The heaviness to the ears takes over, becoming a summer storm.
They have the courage to demonstrate their aforementioned sonic versatility with a Radiohead cover!! This is "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" and the result is absolutely superb.
Excellent work, among the top five of the year; top marks...
Ad Maiora.
Tracklist
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