The Finnish death-doom spearhead Kuolemanlaakso, starring vocalist Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow the Sun), are about to release their first album in eight years. The band’s third full-length, ‘Kuusumu’, was co-produced, mixed, mastered, and engineered by Triptykon and Dark Fortress guitarist V. Santura, with whom the band has worked on all of their releases. Kuusumu will be released in 2022 via Svart Records.
“The recording break stretched unforgivably long, but in doom, there’s no rush. It was great to get back to business with the guys and have the opportunity to invite a couple of old friends to help us out, too. Kuusumu’s keyboards were produced and co-arranged by Aleksi Munter (Swallow the Sun, Insomnium, Ghost Brigade), and Lotta Ruutiainen (Luna Kills) did some amazing singing on a couple of tracks. In my humble opinion we took many steps forward on ‘Kuusumu’”, says guitarist-songwriter Laakso.
On Kuusumu, Kuolemanlaakso stretch their artistic boundaries even further. The album contains the trademark Kuolemanlaakso heaviness, but also more bombastic, fast, and meticulously arranged material. The first single, “Katkeruuden malja” (featuring Lotta Ruutiainen), represents the catchier and lighter side of the album.
“’Katkeruuden malja’ draws its inspiration from grief and misery. Musically it’s almost tripping in the landscapes of recent day Tribulation, but with melancholic and Kalevala-infused melodic influences, that sound very Finnish to me. The music video sort of mixes and matches the frost theme of the album with the color palette of the cover artwork.” states Laakso.
Kuusumu will be released in 2022 and can be pre-ordered via the Svart Records webstore. The first digital single, “Katkeruuden malja”, is out now via all digital/streaming platforms.