For the release of Maere, their highly anticipated fifth album, I had the honor to ask J.J., Harakiri For The Sky’s vocalist, some questions.
Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time. How would you describe Harakiri For The Sky to someone who never heard about the band?
JJ (vocals): That’s a pretty hard question. I’d say pretty melodic and sad, but on the other hand with a spark of melancholy and hope. Also quite atmospheric, because of all the clean guitars.
How did you get the name idea back in time?
JJ: That comes from a song title of norwegian band Snörras and the music video of Glosoli from Sigur Ros. Always searched for a name, that feels like Post Rock feels to me: Running towards a cliff and fly away.
Maere, your fifth album, is about to be released. How do you feel about it? Does the album meet your expectations?
JJ: Yeah, totally, I think it has the best fitting sound till date and also the songs a pretty much there where we always wanted to be. I think we progressed a lot as musicians and songwriters, I hope our fans can hear that on Maere.
Can you please tell us where does its name come from, and how does the composition process happened? Was it different from the previous albums? Does the collaboration with AOP Records help you with your music?
JJ: Sure, AOP is a very very supportive label, that’s why we are still with them since the first release. Maere the title comes from some kind of nightmare, a ghoul that is sitting on someones’ chest during the night and keeps him from sleeping. My lyrics to me are something similar, a nightmare that keeps me from sleeping. The compositions were arranged between the months after Arson was released and autumn 2019, the vocals follow shortly before the first lockdown happened. I think it differs from previous albums like Arson, because it’s way more depressive than everything we did before.
It is already your fifth album in ten years, what is your secret to be this productive? Do you think is it easier to work as a duo rather than a full-band?
JJ: It’s definitely easier, but every band constellation has its own vibe. I think there’s no right or wrong. I think we are that productive, cause music is nearly everything we think about in life, we are writing music and lyrics, a soften we find the passion for, and there’s so much happening in life everyday that’s worth writing about. It’s our daily catharsis, that’s why we work on new material so much.
You asked Kerim « Krimh » Lechner? again to record drums for this album, how did you? first get in touch with him? Did he add his touch, or were the drum parts already fully written?
JJ: He’s a friend of M.S. (guitarist and composer, ed.), and was living in Austria by the time he first took part in Harakiri For The Sky. Most of his parts are already written by M.S., but he adds his personal note to every of the songs while recording. He’s an awesome drummer, and we are glad he took part on the album.
I know that your songs are always very personal, but how do you choose the events to talk about? What else can give you inspiration to write music and/or lyrics?
JJ: Everything I write about is a story that happened in my life. I can’t imagine writing about something I haven’t been through. For sure the lyrics are very personal, and it’s also painful sometimes, but that’s some kind of catharsis, I really need to handle these things.
Which one is written first, music or lyrics? Why?
JJ: First comes music for sure, lyrics are written when the song as such is already finished. Sometimes we play seperate parts longer, when it fits the story, but mostly we know how to write the songs the way both lyrics and the songstructure work together.
I personally feel more Black Metal influences on this album, in comparison to the previous one, do you still consider your music as a Black Metal subgenre? Do you still like to play your firsts songs?
JJ: For sure Black Metal will always be a very important part of Harakiri For The Sky, but for sure it is also not Black Metal as it is defined, when we talk about the genre and its roots in the 90s. I still like to play our old songs live, for sure, as they are still an important part of the band. But on the other hand I mostly enjoy playing the new stuff, because it is still new and so the music and the lyrics are more touching and current to me.
On this record, you have two guests, Neige? from Alcest? and Voice? from Gaerea?. How? do you decide who you want to collaborate with? Is it different from your previous collaborations?
JJ: Neige is something like the hero of our youth to us, although he’s for sure not that much older as we are. But he wrote some of the most impressive Post Black Metal albums when he was still very young, so he always has been a huge influence to us. That’s why we asked him to take part on the album, and are very glad he did. He has one of the most impressive voices in Black Metal generell, clean and screaming. When it comes to Gaerea, M.S. met Rouven a few years ago in Portugal and directly became friends with him. I also liked him from the very beginning, as he is a Hardcore kid as me, listening to Converge and all that stuff. Also his voice is totally awesome and I think is fitting the song very well.
How did you choose the singles to reveal first? Do you have a favorite song on this album?
JJ: I think everyone has his own favourite song on the album, but when it comes to the first singles you have to make a compromise and also think about which ones work best as videos and all that. My personal favourites are I,Pallbearer and Us Against December Skies, cause the lyrics mean the most to me. But as an artist, for sure, every song has its own special meaning, cause it will always reflect a time of your life and has a deeper meaning to yourself than to anyone else.
The last song of Maere is a cover song from Placebo?, which is a bit far from your musical? world. How did you choose this song to cover? Was it easy to integrate it to your universe?
JJ: We have the band policy, that if we cover a song, it will never be a cover of a Black Metal track. So we mostly choose Indie Rock or Grunge songs. Song To Say Goodbye has a special meaning of course, as I really heard it alot at the time I was 17 or 18 and moving out of my parents’ flat to Vienna. So I’m very glad we chose this one. Also the lyrics fit Harakiri For The Sky very well I think.
I was lucky enough to see Harakiri For The Sky? on stage three times in France, from? Le Klub, a very small and packed venue in Paris to a great stage in Motocultor?. Do you? have a special ritual or routine before a show?
JJ: Not really. I think we are the same guys on stage that we are when you meet us in the crowd or the backstage, everything comes pretty naturally. And that’s what I really like about being in this band. It’s no construct, it’s just us. But most of the time, I enjoy small clubs more than big shows, cause the crowd is so near to the stage, and everything is so much more honest and pure.
Is it easy to play such emotional music in front of people, and to scream your feelings to their face?
JJ: Most of the time yeah, but if I have a bad day it also can be difficult for sure. But mostly I’m into it after a few minutes, so it never gets boring or something, it’s just awesome, even it can get exhausting after 3 weeks on tour and playing everyday.
Do you prefer small venues or big festival stages? Does it change anything for you?
JJ: I prefer small venues, as I said before, but both sides of playing live are great.
Can you now live with your music’s incomes, or do you still have a dayjob? How was it at the beginning of the band?
JJ: I still have a dayjob for sure, I’m writing and working for SLAM Alternative Music Magazine, which I do since 2011. Pretty awesome.
Do you have any hobbies aside from music? What would have been your dream career if you didn’t begin music?
JJ: I’m very much into skateboarding since I was a 12 year old bastard. I’m also much into hiking, like everyone that grew up in the mountains. And for sure I really love to travel foreign countries and to hang out with my friends. I also like reading and I’m pretty much into Psychology, but I think that’s pretty it.
JJ at Motocultor 2019
I saw that you had to postpone your next European tour with Gaerea? and? Schammasch to 2022 due to the Covid crisis, but how did you gather such a line-up for this? tour? What can we expect from this tour?
JJ: I just hope it will be a tour as we know from the days before the pandemic, I’m not sure what people can expect, but I think the band package is pretty cool.
While we are talking about Covid-19, how did you face the situation personally? Did it also affect the new album in any way?
JJ: Not really, as the album was already recorded back then, but we had to reschedule the release date which was planned for September.
What if I ask you to compare Harakiri For The Sky?’s music with an austrian dish? Which one and why?
JJ: I think it’s the black humor and the cynicism which is popular in austrian music, and I think that’s where we see ourselves too, as well as people and musicians. But as you may know, we have a few great Black Metal Bands such as Summoning, Ellende or Weltenbrandt, so I think we are in a good companionship.
What is your best and your worst experience as a musician ever?
JJ: I’m pretty sure we avoided most bad experiences. I just really dislike when journalists quote my answers wrong, but that’s a thing that happens pretty often, also because English is not my mother tongue. So I try to speak as clearly as I can, but sometimes it happens anyways.
Do you remember the very first time you picked an instrument up? When and how was it?
JJ: In my family everybody is able to play at least one instrument, also in M.S. family, so this happened pretty early. I played to flute a few years, until I picked up a guitar with like 14, covering Misfits and Ramones songs. The next thing was Darkthrone and all that stuff, but I’m not sure if a got a mediocre guitarist before the age of 23 haha.
Last question: which bands would you love to tour with? I let you create a tour with Harakiri For The Sky and three other bands!?
JJ: I’d say Alcest, Converge and maybe Amenra, this would be pretty huge.
That was the last question for me, a huge thank you for your amazing art, and for the time you took to answer this interview. See you in Paris, and last words are yours!
JJ: Thanks for the interview. Hope tours and music are back on track asap. Stay Gold.