Kuolemanlaakso are back, unlike you've never heard them before! As the title aptly implies, "M. Laakso - Vol. 1: The Gothic Tapes" is the first solo album of Kuolemanlaakso mastermind Laakso. It showcases his songwriting catchier and more varied than ever. "Kuolemanlaakso started out as my one-man solo project, which quickly escalated into a full-action monster with shows in the biggest clubs and metal festivals around Finland. As our singer Kotamaki will be occupied with Swallow the Sun's touring duties for a long time, I finally had the opportunity to record an actual Kuolemanlaakso solo album", Laakso rejoices. Compared to the previous Kuolemanlaakso releases, a lot has changed and much has stayed the same. For starters, "M. Laakso - Vol. 1: The Gothic Tapes" is not a death doom album. While the trademark heaviness, gloominess and melancholy are still solidly present; the color palette is vastly wider. The album is a journey through a wide range of emotions steered by nyctophilia, love for the dark. Whereas "Uljas uusi maailma" (2012), Musta aurinko nousee (EP, 2013) and "Tulijoutsen" (2014) were compared to acts such as Celtic Frost, My Dying Bride and Ajattara, one might hear echoes of Sisters of Mercy, Tiamat, Paradise Lost and Amorphis on this release. What's also different is the language, and using Laakso as the lead vocalist.
