We’ve already got used to the fact that Norwegian label Fysisk Format is an endless source of radical, experimental and mind-expanding music that brought us a number of amazing artists like OKKULTOKRATI, HAUST, DEATH IS NOT GLAMOROUS, DUVEL, and lots more. Today, we’re introducing another intriguing band from their roster called HARABALL, a Norwegian five-piece hardcore group, who are one month before the release of their new effort “Hypno”, coming out on April 20th, four long years after the release of their second album “Half Tux”.
The quintet bonded over a love of noisy, raw, yet catchy hardcore punk and spooky surgical interventions on its sonic backbone, the alchemical mixture of which turns much more adventurous than the original core influence would lead to you to experience. Check out their new single “Bacterion” and enjoy the infectious energy that shines through!
Singer Jon Eivind commented:
Bacterion started out sounding very middle eastern, but then we worked it over into something more tribal. A treat for all drummers out there, with our Lebanese Rolex (Daniel) showing excellence in the field of tom-toms. Lyrically we’re in some kind of William Burroughs-twilight zone with a story about living in a butthole under the rule of an evil germ, supreme Bacterion.
Due for release on April 20th via Fysisk Format, “Hypno” was recorded and mixed by guitarist Trond Mjøen and mastered by Chris Sansom and features some of Haraball’s strongest and most eclectic material to date. Whilst the first two albums have been praised by the underground punk press for their blitzing fast and catchy hardcore, the listeners are in for something slightly different this time around as the band have thrown in some different elements into the songwriting.
“It took a lot of time to write ‘Hypno’. We started off writing a follow up to ‘Half Tux’, but got tired of it half-way through and ended up removing everything that sounded like hardcore. The songs are more experimental, longer, and noisier and Trond now has a synth,” says singer Jon Eivind. “But even without da capos, light tones and harmonized sing-alongs, we still sound ugly and anti-social. We’re always trying to dumb the music down, making it as tribal and hard as possible. This time around, it just took a lot of dumbing.”
HARABALL is: Jon Eivind Eriksen – vocals; Vegard Holthe – bass, backup vocals; Daniel Wakim – drums, Percussion, backup vocals; William Øberg – guitar, backup vocals; Trond Mjøen – guitar, synth, backup vocals.
Be sure to check out another new track called “Coyotes”:
HARABALL’s five members combine 50 years of experience playing hardcore. Bass player Vegard and guitarist William played in one of Norway’s most infamous straight edge bands, Tiebreak, until it exploded in a frenzy of fights and masculine love. Shortly after, William, drummer Daniel, guitarist Trond and lead singer Jon Eivind started the band Fairfuck, whose 7″ was the first release on danish Kick ‘n Punch records (Regulations, Amdi Petersens Armé). A lot of unfinished business still lurked when Fairfuck called it a day, and after 10 years of lobbying from William, HARABALL saw the light of day. When guitar-maestro and producer Trond got a minute off from his dayjob in serious rock bands like Euroboys and Mirror Lakes, all this culminated into “Sleep Tall”, released in april 2013.
HARABALL hail from Kongsberg, a small norwegian city but with a hardcore scene that is more including than most, with fewer fractions and less focus on political correctness. This can explain Haraball’s demotic, broad appeal.
