Long live love!
🔻 MEDIA FEEDBACK
4 / 5
➤ "There are bands that come out of nowhere, ignite immediately, and leave a lasting impression. HARKON undoubtedly belong in this category … an album that uncompromisingly balances emotional power and metallic precision … passion, aggression, and a fine touch of melancholy …"
(MetalUnderground AT)
9 / 10
➤ "… fantastic production... HARKON seem to effortlessly weave a very atmospheric soundscape ... Vocals? Well, they fit perfectly and leave nothing to be desired ... A truly fantastic album …"
(Bleeding4Metal)
4 / 5
➤ "... I like it quite a lot. The songs are varied and have rough edges that you can really get hooked on... Björn Gooßes uses his voice just as well with hard vocals as he does with the softer passages, mastering them with the appropriate tone."
(Handwritten Mag)
87 / 100
➤ "… the spark was there from the very first listen ... it's very catchy. Singer Björn has a very pleasant, warm voice and is undoubtedly the one who rounds off the overall picture ... songs that sound like they were made from the same mould ... so powerful that you can't get them out of your head ..."
(Hell Spawn)
8,5 / 10
➤ "...an album that delves into the depths, demanding both heart and mind, carried by a force that is palpable but never overwhelming ... opens doors between melancholy and determination ... epic and dramatic like a stage play ..."
(Saitenkult)
7,5 / 10
➤ "... varied and audibly well played ... score points with their inventiveness and originality ... progressive and frighteningly tight …"
(Crossfire)
7 / 10
➤ "... demonstrate independence ... skilful breaks, slightly proggy guitar figures, and vocals that alternate between velvety smooth and snotty ... the production is powerful, and despite their catchiness, the songs are beautifully detailed ... sounds fresh ... has heart and soul ..."
(Hellfire)
➤ "Despite the 'kick-ass factor', there is also plenty of room for profound and melodic elements ... frontman Björn Gooßes delivers expressive and varied vocals that can be both soothing and energetic ... diverse, powerful, and played with heart and soul, I can recommend this album without hesitation."
(MetalZone - Support The Underground)
➤ "… progressive, multi-layered Metal ... broad proof of their skill. From ballads to intricate songs to stompers, always polished and with dark, raspy, equally expressive vocals …"
(Sonic Realms)
➤ "… a sharp, melodic gut-punch from the North Rhine-Westphalia quartet … balances aggression and atmosphere with surgical precision: riffs churn and twist, vocals shift from clean to caustic, and the chorus lands like a warning …"
(Wanna Hear a Great Song Today?)
➤ "Quality, melody, impact, and an incredible Heavy Metal … grit, energy, and a sound reminiscent of Fates Warning showcase the band's power in this great 12-track, 50-plus-minute album."
(Nada Hay Bajo El Sol)
➤ "What sets HARKON apart is their unmistakable sound: melodic Heavy Metal with progressive nuances, refined by catchy choruses and instrumental precision. From the very first bars, you can tell that this band leaves nothing to chance—every riff, every pause, every break has weight ... powerful, honest, and full of passion."
(BlattTurbo)
| Action: | HARKON |
| Title: | Love And Vore |
| Base: | North Rhine-Westphalia • Germany |
| Style: | Progressive/Melodic Heavy Metal |
| Genre: | Melodic Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal |
| FFO: | Fates Warning, Queensrÿche, Nevermore |
| Type: | Album |
| Format: | CD + Vinyl + Digital |
| Label: | Doc Gator Records |
| Distro: | / |
| Release: | Oct. 31, 2025 |
Bulletpoints
🔘 The long-awaited debut album
🔘 A sophisticated symbiosis at its finest
🔘 Delights and grows with every listen
After their 2019 EP "Ruins Of Gold", 2025 finally marks the birth of HARKON's debut album "Love And Vore"!
As keen as the double-edged lyrics and the word play on the widespread phrase of 'love and war' ("Vore" is the short form of Vorarephilia, a paraphilia characterized by the desire to be consumed by, or to personally consume, another person or creature, which is perfectly visualized by the cover artwork), the songs on "Love And Vore" are as balanced as diverse.
From the hard hitting opener "Watch The World Go By" via micro-epics like "Blood Will Have Blood" to the wheather-beaten ballad "The Errorist", "Love And Vore" is a true cornucopia of heavymetalism - help the whole world hear it!
"Love And Vore" has been supported by the Wacken Foundation.
[ The Errorist • Lyric video ]
HARKON say about it:
"'The Errorist' is about seeing mistakes not as failures, but as opportunities. Everyone makes mistakes, but you can learn from them to find yourself and, in an increasingly divided world, perhaps also to find each other again, while distinguishing true terror from supposed error."
[ Watch The World Go By • Music video ]
HARKON reveal:
"'Watch The World Go By' is about still seeing beauty in the rockiest road ahead - even if it sometimes means letting the outside world, with all its blunders, pass you by."
Once again HARKON teamed up with Cornelius Rambadt (Disbelief, Bonded, Sodom, The Very End, Darkness and many more) for recording and mix as well as Dennis Koehne (Lacuna Coil, Caliban, Orden Ogan, Grip Inc., Exumer and many more) for mastering to wrap "Love And Vore" in an organic and warm, yet contemporary and face-melting sound: PROGRESSIVE/MELODIC HEAVY METAL!
Also the album's visual aspects were meticulously taken care of:
While the band photos were shot by Sebastian Freitag (a photographic artist, balancing between fine art, live & portrait photography) the artwork for "Love And Vore" has been created by HARKON's own Björn Gooßes a.k.a. Killustrations, who has been creating vast eye-candy for bands, festivals, labels, authors and companies from more than 30 countries, crafted with a mixed media approach between compositing, photography and object installation.
FLASHBACK
So what's HARKON all about? Metal? Definitely! Hardrock? Yes! Prog? A bit. HARKON are sitting on the fence and make themselves at home right there. They offer playfulness without showing-off, they spin a colourful thread yet steer clear of patchwork, they balance between jackhammer and vanilla sex and still manage to give each track its own, yet still recognizable HARKON-flavour.
Neither one trick pony nor newbies, HARKON are grown Metal men and have played hundreds of stages all over the globe with their other/former bands (e.g. The Very End, Adrian Weiss Band, Night In Gales, Forces At Work). Still they dare to start afresh - because it feels right, because the songs kick ass, because this world needs a bit of HARKON!
➭ Linktree
•
EMAIL
•
TRACKS
01. Watch The World Go By (04:21)
02. Double Down (03:43)
03. Blood Will Have Blood (03:58)
04. Take It Slow (03:59)
05. Disconnected (03:50)
06. Thistleblower (04:24)
07. The Errorist (04:50)
08. Dead Sun Rising (04:20)
09. The Disease (03:37)
10. Round And Round (04:29)
11. One In Vermillion (04:08)
12. Five Years From Now (CD Bonus Track) (04:47)
Total: 50:26 min.
•
LINE-UP
○ Björn Gooßes • Vocals
○ Volker Rummel • Guitars
○ Marcel Willnat • Bass
○ Lars Zehner • Drums
•
DISCOGRAPHY
2019 • Ruins Of Gold • EP
2025 • Love And Vore • Full-length
•
VISUAL CREDITS
Band: Sebastian Freitag
Artwork & Logo: Björn Gooßes
•
INTERVIEWS ➭ HARKON are available via Phone, Zoom & Email
📢 𝗣𝗥 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 • 𝐸𝓈𝓉. 2001
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