Not many bands are able to channel the entire Tiamat experience (the whole death metal meets Pink Floyd thing) while playing shoegaze death metal. With songs that often clock in at ten minutes or so. In fact, I'm not aware of any others who do so successfully.

Kval Laho (Hypnotic Dirge)

The press copy for this calls the sound "atmospheric ambient black metal," and I'll go along with that--just give a very long leash to the atmospheric and ambient elements. These songs wander greatly, with extensive quiet moments interspersed by cascading walls of guitar. As that goes, the band's label isn't a bad description of the sound, either.

This is the first full Kval album for this Finnish band. The first Kval album was a reworking of an album recorded when the band went by the name Khaossos. I've always been dubious of the notion that changing a band's name can change the quality of the music, but for whatever reason this is a big step forward. Into what, well, that's more difficult to say.

Very few metal bands (of any style) can be classified as adventurous, but those are the ones that prick up my ears. The overall effect of these songs is stunning and devastating. Hang on for dear life, and you will find beauty in the pain.

Jon Worley