Kval are a solo project from Finland that has had music reviewed before in this zine and plays an atmospheric form of black metal and this is a review of their 2019 album "Laho" which will be released on May 23rd by Hypnotic Dirge Records.
Acoustic guitar playing starts off the album before going into a heavier musical direction which also introduces high pitched black metal screams onto the recording. All of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them while all of the tracks are very long and epic in length.
Synths are also added into the heavier sections of the music at times while whispered vocals can also be heard in certain sections of the recording. When guitar solos and leads are utilized they are done in a very modern and melodic style and acoustic guitars are also used on the later tracks.
Folk instruments can also be heard briefly while the vocals also develop more of a deep and angry style in some parts of the songs. Influences of post rock and shoegaze are also brought into the music briefly along with a brief use of clean vocals and all of the music sticks to either a slow or mid tempo direction as well as a couple of songs being instrumentals. The production sounds very dark and heavy while the lyrics cover the decay and rot of the forest floor, applied as a metaphor for the human mind.
In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Kval and if you are a fan of atmospheric black metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Valosula' and "Pohjanritti". 8 out of 10.
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/laho
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