LÄHDÖN AIKA: Alku

Release year: 2019
Label: self-released

There’s a definite hardcore element to Finnish Lähdön Aika’s sound, despite them often being labelled as doom metal or sludge. In fact, I think there’s more hardcore than either of the two aforementioned here.

The hardcore is just very slowed down. Imagine your typical classic hardcore track, maybe from some old school Finnish band, with a running time of probably two minutes tops, slowed down to the six to eight minutes that Lähdön Aika’s tracks clock in, and you’ll start to get an idea of what I mean.

The gruff vocal delivery, a harsh hardcore shout, and the heavy guitars convey depressive atmospheres of despair and hopelessness; there’s little of the serenity of the cover image here. It all feels very hostile; at the same time defiant and hopeless. The lyrics, all in Finnish, shed no rays of hopeful light upon the compositions.

Lähdön Aika’s unusual mixture of hardcore and (post) doom elements works well despite there not being any standout tracks on the album. It takes a few listens to get into the album, but it’s worth the effort.

3.5/5

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