For nearly 20 years, Finland’s Hooded Menace have established themselves as a formidable and influential force within the death-doom metal community. Known for their deep, atmospheric sound that combines crushing heaviness with haunting melodies, the band have garnered a dedicated following worldwide.
Their seventh full-length album, Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration, is scheduled for release on October 3 through Season of Mist. This upcoming release marks a significant milestone for the band, as it exemplifies their continued evolution and commitment to pushing the boundaries of their genre.
Lasse Pyykkö, the band’s founding guitarist and the primary creative force behind their distinctive sound, has once again infused the new album with a blend of their signature crushing heaviness and a daring sense of innovation, promising fans an exciting and powerful musical experience.
A Riff Hunter’s Evolution: Defining a Melodic Death-Doom Colossus
The album continues to advance the band’s approach on The Tritonus Bell. Their sound is, at this point, straight-up melodic death doom, with riffs that are as catchy as they are crushing. For Pyykkö, a self-described “riff hunter” extraordinaire, this evolution is not a calculated shift but the natural result of a dedicated pursuit of heavy metal’s essence.
“It’s just like riff hunting,” he explains. “You play repeatedly until you come up with something you like. The riff IS heavy metal–the most important element.” This relentless focus on the riff remains the bedrock of Hooded Menace, but the structures built upon it on Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration are more intricate and atmospheric than ever.
A Homegrown Process: Total Creative Control in Joensuu
Recorded primarily in Pyykkö’s hometown of Joensuu, Finland, the album signifies a deliberate shift toward local control and hands-on involvement. Working with engineer Heikki Marttila at Guru Studio and utilizing home studios, Pyykkö aimed to be involved in every step—a stark contrast to earlier projects.
“Previously, we’d just send emails about how things should sound,” he notes. “This time I wanted to take part in every stage of making the album.” This meticulous, localized process, while exhausting, resulted in their most cohesive sound yet. “Being involved in everything was also pretty exhausting,” Pyykkö admits, “because you get too deep into it and can maybe lose perspective a little bit. I was really burnt out after that. But I was able to take part in all the mixing stages, and it was a great process.”
Expanding the Doom Palette: Cello, Synths, and ’80s Ambiance
The album weaves compelling new textures into the band’s signature heaviness, crafting a rich and layered listening experience. Most notably, Pyykkö incorporated the cello—an instrument he “never thought we would actually use.” Played by former bassist Antti Salminen, its melancholic cry adds a haunting, emotional depth to the music, especially on the first single, “Portrait Without a Face.” “I was kind of surprised myself that we used the cello for the first time,” Pyykkö confesses. “The cello jumps out so well; it’s distinctive and still melancholic. It adds something new.”
Further expanding their sonic palette are synths heavily inspired by Iron Maiden’s Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. These elements, combined with MicroPitching effects, give the album an authentic ’80s vibe. “We wanted to have a particular kind of 80s vibe to it,” Pyykkö states. “I’m kind of proud that we have the guts to do that. Somewhere in Time was a huge inspiration.” This influence even extends to the album artwork by Wes Benscoter, which Pyykkö feels shares a chromatic kinship with the yellows of Maiden’s Live After Death.
Lyrical Surrealism and Bold Covers: From Dali to Duran Duran
Lyrically, Pyykkö crafts abstract horror landscapes, drawing from a deep well of gothic and cosmic dread. He compares his lyrical style to the surrealist paintings of Salvador Dalí, aiming to create a surreal and potentially horrifying setting through impressionistic and frightening imagery and symbolism. “Inspiration mostly comes from horror movies or this particular vibe,” he says. “They are quite abstract sometimes and kind of poetic, I guess. I prefer people to interpret the lyrics on their own.” True to form, the album explores themes of decay, eternal damnation, and spectral terror.
A standout moment is the band’s cover of Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer,” which Pyykkö describes as ‘almost like an unreleased track from a Paradise Lost album.'” He elaborates: “It’s a pretty melancholic song. I’ve always been a fan of Duran Duran. I think it sounds more like Paradise Lost than Hooded Menace. But then again, we owe a lot to Paradise Lost.” This cover, along with the acknowledged influence of Black Sabbath’s Headless Cross era, underscores a creative mind drawing from a wide and personal well of inspiration.
The Unshakable Studio-First Philosophy
At the core of this creative endeavor is Pyykkö’s unwavering studio-centric philosophy. He reiterates Hooded Menace’s commitment to the album format, openly critiquing the modern industry’s touring-centric model. “I don’t particularly enjoy gigs,” he states frankly. “I’d much rather be writing and recording music. I’ve experienced it; I’ve tried it, and it’s not my favorite.'”He sees the band’s return to a studio-focused approach as a form of liberation. “Now that we’re back to being a studio band, it’s much simpler … I’m doing this for fun. Why bother?” His stance is principled: “I think bands might make albums just to go on tours because that’s where the money is. And I think that’s wrong. You should focus on making the best albums you can.”
From the neon-lit synth intro of “Twilight Passages” to the galloping doom of “Pale Masquerade” and the sonic abyss of “Into Haunted Oblivion,” Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration stands as a testament to Pyykkö’s bold and unique vision. It is a carefully crafted journey through melodic, mournful, and monumental death-doom that immerses listeners in a profoundly emotional and haunting soundscape, leaving a lasting impression. The band’s unique vision and creativity shine through in every track.
Photos courtesy of Hooded Menace
