Laho – Death Machines (Digital EP – Laho)
Laho is a Finnish project that originated in 2006. After releasing a few records during its early years, the project went quiet for a long time before being reactivated a few years ago. “Death Machines”—which feels more like a seven-track mini-album—was inspired by today’s dystopian world, as well as by self-reflection and other dark themes.
The music is indeed quite dark, but that is not the whole story. This record reveals two sides: on the one hand, a powerful production featuring menacing yet brilliant basslines topped with razor-sharp sequences; on the other, a completely different style with a Cinematic feel, including one entirely instrumental track. Personally, I prefer Laho’s harder side, which occasionally reminds me of early Combichrist, albeit with a certain polished touch. This is also evident in the vocal production, which is powerful yet has something of a ‘Power-Pop’ quality. It comes as no surprise, then, that the album concludes with a remarkable cover of Depeche Mode‘s “Behind the Wheel,” delivered in a dark and intense style. I think it’s a great track, by the way.
Laho seems to be a sort of Janus—a two-faced project, with its powerful side completely winning me over. (Rating:7½).
Listen to “The Great Collapse”:
About Laho
Laho is a Finnish dark electronic project led by musician and recording engineer Konsta Vehkala, who is based in Jyväskylä and is responsible for all composition, programming and production. The project is an outlet for solo works by Vehkala and blends industrial, EBM, futurepop and darkwave.
The project began in 2006 under the name Lahonnut Konkelo as a series of electronic and industrial experiments. The name was shortened to Laho shortly afterwards. The first EP, “The Other Side”, appeared in 2007 as an independently issued CDr, combining instrumental industrial metal with a slightly experimental edge. It was later re-released by Italian netlabel Ekleipsi, which also issued the first full-length album “Escape from the Dying Star” in 2009.
“Escape from the Dying Star” was recorded between 2007 and 2008 at the Cable_Hell studio and released digitally in April 2009, offering a mix of electro-industrial, cybernetic synth work and distorted guitar. The album held ten tracks including “Program”, “Dead End” and a remix by Technomancer. Later in 2009 Laho issued “The World in Flames” as a standalone digital release, followed by the single “Mechanigod” in 2011 and a one-off digital track “Walking in the Air (1984 mix)” in December 2021.
After these early EP and album releases, the project entered a 13-year hiatus as Vehkala focused on other bands and production work. Writing for Laho resumed in 2024, leading to a new series of songs, this time including vocals.
Parallel to Laho, Vehkala maintains an active role in the Finnish metal scene. He plays drums for the melodic metal band Psychework and has performed and recorded with groups including Gian, Vipermilk and Lojohh, as well as contributing recording, mixing and mastering work to a wide range of Finnish underground acts.
“Death Machines” is Laho’s first release since writing resumed in 2024, and its first EP built around vocals throughout.
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