Cypriot Heavy Metal Act Hardraw
Cover art by Kostas Tsiakos
On April 5th, Hardraw released its second full length album Abyss of Mankind with Black Pitch Records. Hardraw is based in Cyprus and crafts an epic metal sound reminiscent of Jag Panzer, Angel Witch and Saxon. Dramatic momentum and emphasized harmonies give it a nostalgic flavor that brings back the sound of NWOBHM.
Formed in 2005, the band’s first album was Night Of The Wolf (2012), featuring lyrics with a historical saga flair. The new album, Abyss of Mankind, carries on the groove with more aggressive riffs and progressive melodies than its predecessor. The last track, The Riddle Disciples, is dedicated to the memory of the late Mark "The Shark" Shelton (MANILLA ROAD). It features Jag Panzer vocalist Harry Conklin and Gianni Nepi.
Axe-grinder Andreas Kyriacou (Receiver) took a quick moment to talk about the new album.
When you were just beginning with this... just making music, playing with ideas, where was the point when you went... “Hey... this is going to be a full album”? To try and put it more simply- Was there a particular song, or was there a point in time that made you decide it was time to put together a full album?
The initial songs for this album were written for quite some years now (For some songs this is more than 10 years) and it was ambiguous back then when the time for a new full album was due. For me personally however, the moment I realised that we are heading for a new full-length album was the time we composed our opening track "The Cry of Persaina". When I got out of the rehearsal studio back in 2019 (I think) I thought to myself that this is a turning point for the band.
You guys have been making music for a long time. How did you hook up with Black Pitch Records?
Through the years we were on and off contemplating on how we would move forward in terms of getting our music further out to the world. During that time we were in discussions with promoters and key persons that were willing to partner with us, but in all instances the various delays, the covid era, the bad timing and the lack of willingness pushed those plans out. Therefore following these attempts we thought of reaching out to Pitch Black Records which was known to us due to its heavy metal activity in Cyprus, as a label and through event planning, and due to the certainty of their professionalism and the fact that releases can be handled and pushed as much as possible, our friend Phivos was contacted. After listening to the album he immediately got in touch, letting us know that he would love to proceed with it. So... here it begins
Hardraw formed in 2005, and this is their second full album. It’s available at bandcamp now:
https://pitchblackrecords.bandcamp.com/album/abyss-of-mankind
