Umbra Cornuta
In its entire beauty, Laho gave me the strong feeling I am watching an empty canvas coming to life, revealing slowly, an unforgiving wasteland. Synesthesia spark. Miro Lamo's talent is outstanding. The atmosphere is immense, with plenty of delicate and ambiental moments, oozing emotions. They are shadowed and engulfed by harsh guitars and cold, hostile vocals. The kantele use is magical, laying out Finnish traditional tones to the whole act. Impressive work!
Favorite track: Valosula.
H.L.
KVAL play excellent epic and atmospheric Finnish black metal. Rough, but also very beautiful and often surprisingly melodic. The pace is mainly somewhere between creeping and mid-tempo but that makes the dark anthems really intense and gloomy. Strong album!
Favorite track: Laho.
Sonny92
This, Finn Kval's second release under that banner, consists, principally, of gorgeously melodic atmospheric black with a bite and an edge to it in the vein of WiTTR. A change of pace is offered by a couple of neo-folk and ambient pieces, particularly the albums gentle coda, Kaihon kuiskaus. All in all, head and shoulders above the majority of one-man atmo-black outfits swarming to attract your attention in the ever-burgeoning black metal miasma.
Favorite track: Laho.
“Laho” Shirt
The official Laho t-shirt, with the Kval sigil created by Moonroot Art
Printed on Gildan Heavy Cotton by Cursed Earth Apparel. Available in Small to XXL.
“Laho" 6 Panel Digipack
Kval’s second full-length chapter, printed on a 6 panel digipack with album artwork from Moonroot Art
Kval Rounded Woven Patch
9cm rounded woven patch, with a merrowed edge. Features the Kval sigil designed by Moonroot Art
Kval Logo Sticker
11cm x 7cm all-weather sticker with the original Kval logo
Kval Laho Button:
3.2cm rounded button, featuring the new album artwork from Moonroot Art
Kval Signed Card
15cm x 10cm Postcard sized artwork photo, signed by the artist
Includes unlimited streaming of Laho
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
...more
ships out within 3 days
Purchasable with gift card
€30EURor more
T-Shirt/Apparel + Digital Album
The official Laho t-shirt, with the Kval sigil created by Moonroot Art
Printed on Gildan Heavy Cotton by Cursed Earth Apparel. Available in Small to XXL.
Includes unlimited streaming of Laho
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 3 days
Purchasable with gift card
€15EURor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Kval’s second full-length chapter, printed on a 6 panel digipack with album artwork from Moonroot Art. Comes with Kval logo sticker while supplies last.
Includes unlimited streaming of Laho
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 3 days
Purchasable with gift card
€12EURor more
Streaming + Download
Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
Two summers ago, Finnish Black Metal project Kval released their debut self-titled album, an album which was originally released under the moniker Khaossos in 2015. Kval has spent the past few months writing and refining the tracks for their follow-up release, entitled Laho, the first album to be written for Kval from the start.
Compared to the previous album, Laho ("Rotten" in English) has a brighter and more colorful atmosphere musically while the lyrical themes on Laho references the decay and rot of the forest floor, applied as a metaphor for the human mind. Our inability to live in the moment, the loss of innocence, and the ever-present corrosion of our optimism and descent into cynicism encompass the themes of Laho, wrapped in captivating and entrancing Atmospheric Black Metal.
As with the previous self-titled album, fitting and imaginative hand-drawn cover art was crafted by Moonroot Art. Laho will be presented as a 6 panel digipack and released on Hypnotic Dirge Records on May 23, 2019.
credits
released May 23, 2019
"This is engrossing, utterly absorbing atmospheric black metal that has moved beyond the confines of its original birthing grounds, and now operates in increasingly rarefied territories. Laho fulfills all of the promise shown previously by Kval, and produces an album that is emotive and captivating."
-Wonderbox Metal
"Dedicated to forest floor decay as an allegory for brain-rot, Laho is ceaseless in its persistence and beautiful in its grimness. Kval has been simultaneously delicate and existentially unstoppable with this release, offering extended moments of gentle reprieve from the black metal onslaught to pad the album’s dynamics. This is an album of many dualities — slow/fast, big/small, hard/soft — and exploring each one through its atmospheric lens results in joyous but devastating listens."
-Invisible Oranges
"Laho is a work of utmost beauty and conviction, and coupled with their debut album, is sure to establish Kval as a major name within the genre."
-Astral Noize
Album art by: Moonroot Art
Artist pictures by Marko Kivimäe, Howls of Winter V, February 16, 2018
****
Hypnotic Dirge Records releases are available on Bandcamp for streaming and unrestricted digital download for free / by-donation. (All donations go towards physical releases and other label expenses)
Our philosophy is rooted in the principle of open-source and unlimited access!
Hypnotic Dirge Records is an independent record label and webshop based in Saskatchewan, Canada and Lisbon, Portugal active since 2008. Our intention and raison d'être is to release quality expressive and eclectic art through aural manifestations.
Crushing blackened doom from this German band that counterbalances blinding fury with moments of surprising, melancholy melody. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 8, 2023
