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.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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LAHO, the Finnish dark electronic project of Konsta Vehkala, released the seven-track album “Death Machines” on June 26, 2026. The digital release gathers three of the project’s 2026 singles with four new tracks, among them a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Behind the Wheel”.

LAHO blends industrial, EBM, futurepop and darkwave, with lyrics centred on dystopian themes and the darker side of human behaviour. Vehkala writes, programs and produces the project alone from Jyväskylä, Finland.

“Death Machines” is the first LAHO album to feature vocals. Vehkala built the project’s earlier catalogue as instrumental work before resuming LAHO in 2024 after a 13-year break. The single “Programmed”, released on February 12, 2026, opened the new phase, followed by the singles “The Great Collapse” and “Last Rays of the Sun”.

LAHO ‘Death Machines’ tracklist and the Depeche Mode cover

“Death Machines” runs seven tracks: “Programmed”, “The Great Collapse”, “Cold New World”, “Decimated Memories”, “Fading Out”, “Last Rays of the Sun” and “Behind the Wheel”. The first, second and sixth tracks appeared earlier as standalone singles, while the other four are new to the album. The closing track reworks Depeche Mode’s “Behind the Wheel”, written by Martin L. Gore and first issued on the 1987 album “Music for the Masses”.

Vehkala recorded, programmed and produced the album himself. He has tied the project’s lyrics to technology and modern life, describing the opening single “Programmed” as “a heavy hitting electronic track about our life in the ever-growing synthetic world.” The album is available digitally through Bandcamp.

About LAHO

LAHO is the solo project of Finnish musician and recording engineer Konsta Vehkala, based in Jyväskylä. It began in 2006 under the name Lahonnut Konkelo, a run of electronic and industrial experiments, with the name soon shortened to LAHO. The first EP, “The Other Side”, appeared in 2007 as a self-released CDr and was later reissued by the Italian netlabel Ekleipsi.

Ekleipsi also issued the debut album “Escape from the Dying Star” in April 2009, a ten-track record made between 2007 and 2008 that mixed electro-industrial, synth work and distorted guitar. Vehkala followed it with the standalone track “The World in Flames” (2009), the single “Mechanigod” (2011) and the one-off digital release “Walking in the Air (1984 mix)” in December 2021.

The project then went quiet for 13 years while Vehkala focused on other work. He resumed writing for LAHO in 2024 and added vocals as a permanent element, ending a previously instrumental catalogue. The 2026 singles “Programmed”, “The Great Collapse” and “Last Rays of the Sun” introduced the new direction. Alongside LAHO, Vehkala plays drums in the Finnish melodic metal band Psychework and has performed and recorded with Gian, Vipermilk and Lojohh, while contributing recording, mixing and mastering work to other Finnish acts. “Death Machines”, released on June 26, 2026, is the project’s first vocal-led album and its first full-length since 2009.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Finnish dark electronic project LAHO releases the digital single “Programmed” on 12 February 2026. The track is the first preview of a six-track EP scheduled for spring 2026 on Mausoleum Music.

The “Programmed” single was written as a response to life in an increasingly synthetic, technology-saturated environment. LAHO describes it as “a heavy hitting electronic track about our life in the ever-growing synthetic world.”

Behind the project we find Finnish musician and recording engineer Konsta Vehkala, who handles all instruments, programming and production. The new material marks a shift from his earlier instrumental work as the current EP sessions introduce vocals as a permanent element, after a catalogue that was previously fully instrumental.

A lyric video for “Programmed” was released on YouTube, you can watch it below.

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 she 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 long 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.

In 2026 you can expect a six-track EP teased now by the single “Programmed”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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