Finnish sludge extremists Lähdön Aika are set to issue their Hourevuode EP this Friday, Nov. 24. Self-released in an edition of 50 tapes and presumably infinite downloads, the 20-minute outing is a caustic crasher and basher, but is rife with atmosphere as well, basking in elements of post-metal as the eight-minute opener and longest track (immediate points) “Katelepsiapatsas” maybe layers in acoustic guitar with its electrics as it pushes closer to its finish, having emerged with a great gnashing of teeth from its ambient middle.

The weight of the tones in Akseli Kahra and Aki Heikiheimo‘s guitars and Anna Uski‘s bass aren’t to be understated, but the dynamic extends to tempos as drummer Sampo Kuisma pushes the subsequent “Kolmas Solmu” at a speedier, hardcore-informed clip while maintaining the claustrophobic distortion. There’s even a chorus, whether or not one speaks Finnish, and a break into a noisier middle, some banging-on-a-thing percussion and a building rage marking the path to the residual drone that caps.

Furious, then, but methodical too. A little flash of electronics opens the 2:27 “Houreet,” which is a stretch of ambient and gently distorted guitar, a meditation on reverb with a resonance that sounds like a happy studio accident so that’s the narrative I’m going with. Vocalist Eeli Helin (Fawn Limbs, Ditch Organ, etc.) smoothly shifts to lower-register growls for the closing redux of “Ihmisraunioita 2023,” the original track taken from the band’s 2004 self-titled debut EP, which had five songs.

“Ihmisraunioita,” the first one, was made with a different lineup and is a hardcore cruncher delivered in raw, compact form. By comparison, “Ihmisraunioita 2023” is a churning malevolent sprawl; a brutal culmination for this short outing that places emphasis on how far Lähdön Aika have come in their nearly-20-year run. They’ll likely spend at least part of 2024 celebrating that anniversary. As a herald for that, Hourevuode (“hell bed?”) rightly focuses on the now rather than the past and portrays a band in steady, consistent progression.

Along with the requisite slew of shorter outings and splits, Lähdön Aika have three albums out, the latest of which is 2019’s Alku. That was the final appearance of founding frontman Marko Nyman, whom Helin replaced for 2021’s Valonaara four-songer. Unless they decide to not, which is always possible, one assumes they’ll get around to making a fourth LP sooner or later, and the hints of diversity around the central bludgeoning of their sound — the acoustics, the electronics, the ambient elements so carefully mixed here — could very easily come forward to stand alongside the guitar and bass and drums as the vocal cacophony cuts through in Helin‘s impressively harsh, not-unipolar scream.

I don’t know that they will, but it might be fun to find out, and if Hourevuode is where that experimentation happens while the group continues to integrate their new vocalist and celebrate 20 years together, well, it’s a good thing they made it heavy enough to be up to the task.

Some more info follows, courtesy of the PR wire. Please enjoy:

The Finnish sludge/doom quintet Lähdön Aika are releasing their new EP Hourevuode on November 24, 2023, on tape and digital formats. The four-track monolith constitutes of three brand new songs alongside a revision built on the foundation of a song from their debut released all the way back in 2004. On that note, Hourevuode is simultaneously a celebration of the band’s present self in all of its devastating glory, as well as its twenty-year history, showcasing both accustomed and new nuances and tonal aesthetics to Lähdön Aika’s output.

While the wall of near-immovable pummeling rhythms front the band’s signature sound, there’s new flair introduced by means of noisy electronics on the new EP, as well as perhaps the most hook-oriented compositions the band has crafted in their two decades of existence.

Lähdön Aika are:
Eeli Helin – vocals
Akseli Kahra – guitar
Aki Heikinheimo – guitar
Anna Uski – bass
Sampo Kuisma – drums

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