Interview: Harakiri for the Sky

J.J. from the band Harakiri for the Sky was nice enough to answer a few interview questions for The Metal Wanderlust. Their new album Arson is out now via AOP Records and can be purchased HERE. Also if you have not done so be sure to read the review by Hayduke over at our partner site Mospitnation, the link can be found HERE.

Thank you for the opportunity to conduct this interview. I would like to preface by saying that the new album is absolutely stellar.

What was the inspiration behind Arson lyrically/musically?

J.J.: I’d say life on a daily basis. Broken relationships, estrangement, and loss and so on. There is a lot to write about.

Can you touch on the line-up for Arson?

J.J.: It’s the same as always. M.S. is writing the music and I write the lyrics and contribute the vocals. The only difference is, that we worked with a “real” drummer this time, Kerim “Krimh” Lechner, also known from Belphegor and so on.

Was there a specific song writing process for this album or was it the same as previous works? Can you elaborate?

J.J.: It was like always. I wrote the lyrics during the last 2 years, most of them 2016. Not my best year so far.

Would you say that this release would cater to newer and or older fans of your music?

J.J.: I don’t really get the difference. In my opinion we didn’t change at all since the first album. I just think we write better songs these days. And yeah, for sure the recordings got more professional, since we record it in a real studio these days, and not at home like “s/t” and “Aokigahara”.

What drew you into the Metal Scene?

J.J.: I’m not really a part of a so-called scene. I hate Metal Heads, they are dumb. The only Metal I like is Black Metal. And Slayer.

(That’s the truth, but to be serious: Me and M.S. are really not much in a scene or whatever, I don’t even know if something like that exists in Austria.)

What are your thoughts on the Internet and today’s music scene?

J.J.: I think it’s great. I think this year will be one of the best for new music so far, so many great albums are and will be released this year. I’m looking forward to the end of the year.

When it comes to the Internet: I think it has a very sad and depressing status these days. You can ruin somebody’s life in a few minutes by posting shit about this person or band. Look what happened to Marduk a few days ago? Somebody is saying they bought Nazi shit on some right winged mail order. Maybe?! But who really knows and can proof it? Same with WolfXDown last year. Their guitarist may be a misogyny asshole and may have punched his Ex, but if he really did, the girl should have gone to the police and not be writing stupid blogs. Internet has many bad sides these days. This is one of them.

What are the plans for the future (Touring/Recording)?

J.J.: I can’t talk about it yet. There will be a few festival gigs this year plus 1-2 tour announcements. We will not record anything this year, as the album is just out for like 2 months. Maybe next year, who knows?

Are there any bands that you are listening to right now worth mentioning?

I listen to a lot of new stuff these days. I’m already looking forward to the new MOL album “Jord”, which will be out next week. SVALBARD is also releasing an album in spring. I got the new AFSKY LP yesterday, will give it a listen in the evening. Aaaand the new ANTLERS is great. New WIEGEDOOD is also brilliant. Give it a listen.