Kuolemanlaakso

Kuolemanlaakso – Kuusumu Review

Kuolemanlaakso – Kuusumu Review

Kuolemanlaakso have been a tricky beast to track over their 10-year existence. Featuring Swallow the Sun’s Mikko Kotamäki on vocals and several members of Chaoweaver, they started out as a straightforward doom-death act. They evolved into something stranger and more expansive by their sophomore opus Tulijoutsen, blending several genres together into an intriguing and unique sound. Two years later they befuddled everyone by releasing M. Laakso – Vol I: The Gothic Tapes, which had nothing to do with their prior sound, replacing it with a rocked-out, cheesy goth metal. It was such a startling departure that I wrote the band off entirely. Five years of silence followed, and now they return with Kuusumu and yet another shift in sound and style.” Beast of unknown origin.

Revulsion – Revulsion Review

Revulsion – Revulsion Review

Revulsion has crept along the darkened edges of the Finnish death metal scene for over a decade. Despite this long existence, they only had an EP and a single to show for their wretched existence. 2021 finally sees them crack the ice and release their debut full-length on an unsuspecting world. Their self-titled effort has some gruesome things in store for death metal fans, with a hefty, burly style based around thick grooves seasoned with just enough doom and dissonance to avoid sounding like another old school act.” Old dogs, new album.

Swallow the Sun – Songs From the North I, II, and III Review

Swallow the Sun – Songs From the North I, II, and III Review

“It has finally come to pass. A metal band fell so in deeply love with their own music that they just had to release a TRIPLE album. Not a three part conceptual piece stretching over several years, mind you, but three (3) full albums dropped at once for fans to have a righteously extended soak in.” We never thought the day would come, but it’s here and it’s a big one.

Madam X’s Top Ten(ish) of 2014

Madam X’s Top Ten(ish) of 2014

“As 2015 makes her grand and stately entrance, bear with and support me as I try to hunt down even more new blackened death metal albums that sound exactly like Septicflesh.” Madam X has her foibles, but she also has plenty of quirks. Join her as she unveils a Top Ten(ish) list sure to bumfuzzle and befuddle.

Kuolemanlaakso – Tulijoutsen Review

Kuolemanlaakso – Tulijoutsen Review

“The majesty and grandeur of the Finnish wilderness has been source material for a veritable fuckload of metal bands over the years, with Amorphis and Korpiklaani, being the better known examples. Those untamed forests and pristine lakes apparently beckoned to the folks in Kuolemanlaakso as well, since their sophomore album is a loose conceptual piece focused on the Finnish countryside and the national folklore that featured it so prominently.” Nature-themed doom death from Finland seems like an easy sell. Are you buying?

Things You Might have Missed 2013: Kuolemanlaakso – Musta Aurinko Nousee

Things You Might have Missed 2013: Kuolemanlaakso – Musta Aurinko Nousee

“Since all my “Things You Might Have Missed” this year came from the doom genre, I thought I’d shake things up with… some doom/death! Yes I know, not a very big shake up, but worthwhile metal is worthwhile. Anywho, Kuolemanlaakso is a Finnish doom/death act with an insanely complicated name, composed of members from Swallow the Sun and Chaosweaver and they rock a rather simple, but very effective style of death/doom that somehow remains accessible.” This is a release Steel Druhm was supposed to review last month, but he was too overworked (he’s essentially an indentured servant with an iPod and a keyboard). Since he liked this quite a bit, he wanted to be sure you didn’t miss it and feel remorse later. You can thank him with beer.