I’d not heard of Harasai before. The strange thing was that when I listened to “PsychoticKingdom” it was as if I had. My initial impression of this band from Germany was of a fusion between Dark Tranquillity, In Flames and At the Gates. “Resist to Rebuild” told me that Harasai have an ear for a good metal melody. There’s lots going on. The song structure is good and the riff, operating in a death-thrash framework, is familiar and comforting. This is followed by a thrashing melody on “The Liquid Everything”. The growly vocals work. There’s plenty of energy and again it’s multi-faceted. The riff this time is colourful and sophisticated. As I was getting the idea, there’s a break and a measured and majestic section slowly ignites – great stuff and great instrumental work. A big scream takes us further into the band’s thrash side. There’s an acoustic interlude as the band display a progressive face. Sometimes on this album it is more subtle than at other times. On the later “Dying Race Domain” the acoustic break is incongruous and almost for the sake of it on top of the technical death-thrash affair which precedes it. On “Three Kings”, it works as the acoustic section runs into an orchestral strain and ultimately another strong and powerful majestic metal ending. As the album went on, I remained impressed with the free-flowing and fiery melodic passages. If “Donner und Blitzen” were a style, it would sound like this. But whilst the energy is undeniable, the solos are good, the riffs are good and it’s all power-packed, I could imagine myself at a concert with several pints down me and lost in this constant metal mayhem. But at times it doesn’t go forward or work, as on “In Circles Forever”, where the harmonies are drowned in a sea of technical fury.
It was nice to listen to a proper, old-fashioned album full of thrashy songs which didn’t rely on each other to make any particular sense. “Heretic Souls” is the epitome of this. A bit Varg-like, it’s full of typical fire and brimstone, driven on by rampant drums and defiant guitars. There are a couple of decent acoustic tracks and a pointless piano piece, but I felt that Harasai needed to manage the changeovers better between styles. If there’s acoustic work, then it needs to have its moment and blend into the other parts. “The Art of the Sun” is one track where the mix works, as for once the acoustic work starts the track before developing into a heavier framework. One track where it does work well is the title track. The guitars are ultra-charged and the riff is strong as usual, then a dreamy acoustic passage emerges. It is well sung and the atmosphere is heightened, before a return to fire and thrash. There’s a similarity with Opeth in the way this track develops, particularly in the recognition at the end that the two contrasting styles can mix. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen very often and we’re left with fiery, melodic passages at the dominant end of the polar scale and briefer softer sections at the other with out a real sense of overlap between the two.
Solid as this work is, I didn’t think it was the complete package. The integration of ideas doesn’t always work, yet it is clear that Harasai are not frightened to exploit a range of sounds and styles. “Psychotic Kingdom” isn’t ultra-original either but whilst I have some reservations about the way in which the progressive elements are developed, I commend the band for the metal melody and overall energy.
(6.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
Leave a Reply