Hooded Menace “Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration”

Label: Season of Mist · Year: 2026

On Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration, Hooded Menace take their unmistakable death-doom core and push it into more progressive, heavy-doom–oriented territory without losing their identity so much. The album is built on the band’s classic slow-burn heaviness, but this time the riff traffic is denser, more dynamic, and noticeably more adventurous. Songs evolve rather than simply crush, revealing a clear step forward in compositional ambition.

Much of this progression comes from Lasse Pyykkö’s songwriting approach. He leans deeper into progressive structures and traditional heavy metal phrasing, yet these elements are absorbed naturally into the band’s doom framework. It’s something Finnish bands often excel at—developing complexity without sounding forced or disconnected from their roots. The result is an album that feels both familiar and surprisingly expansive.

Production-wise, the record is well thought out and confidently executed. The guitars are thick and commanding, the rhythm section supports the shifting structures effectively, and the overall sound enhances the album’s darker, more epic/heavy atmosphere than doomy death metal.

Having followed Hooded Menace since 2007, it’s fair to say this is their most heavy-metal-oriented and progressive release to date. That shift may surprise some long-time fans, but the band still clearly sounds like Hooded Menace—just heavier, less death metal and more forward-thinking than ever.