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Hello and thanks for reading. If you happen to pay attention to the stuff I’ve written about over the years, it probably comes as no surprise that KOHTI TUHOA’s new LP is my pick this week. Funny enough though, it took me three listens to really dig into this record. KOHTI TUHOA is the kind of band who actually does something different on every record. And that says a lot, cos this is their seventh record. Of course there are consistencies between every record, like fast and groovy hardcore played in the traditional Finnish style. They started with much more raw production back in 2014. When Pelon neljäs valtakuntacame around in 2017, they began to move away from that rawness and into “better” production. (That record has some of my favorite artwork.) And I absolutely love the artwork on this new record. I’ve written about KOHTI TUHOA before, and surely I mentioned how I overlooked the band due to the covers being paintings that don’t look decidedly punk. How foolish of me. I was getting ready to say that KOHTI TUHOA had started to explore the heavier side of things with palm muting parts that you could two-step to. But then I realized they haven’t done a record since 2020 and I just know this evolution of sound from seeing them so many times over the last handful of years, haha. So, I think this is the first record where we get that heavy palm muting shit. The intro track is kinda nuts; it sounds like there is like a horn you’d hear on an ISENGARD record and then it leads into some inspirational type shit you’d hear in a movie montage, but then it bursts into that heavy palm muting groove. I feel like if you gave me a record with two-step beats with palm muting, I would hate it, but somehow KOHTI TUHOA makes it work and it doesn’t come off cheesy or jocky. Aside from the stuff you’d expect to hear, and this heavy aspect of the record, there is more stuff happening I’d not heard them do before. “Rikottu luottamus” is not a hardcore song in any sense. It is melodic with stammering drums for the entirety of the verses. This took a few listens to grow on me for sure. I genuinely appreciate that they do things I love, but simultaneously challenge what I like with parts I would never suspect cos they don’t “fit” with what I have in mind. “Myrkkyä” has a total anarcho vibe. Scratchy guitar with more stammering drums that vary in rhythm, but still straightforward. This song was totally unexpected, and it is killer. “Ikuinen syöveri” sounds like it has influence from like MUSTA PARAATI. Less synth-oriented, of course, but it has that vibe. And finally, “Eliitin psykopatia: Älä luovuta.” This one is out there for sure, but a great track to end the record on. It doesn’t even sound like “music” in the first half. The drums are not like beating, but accenting with quick build-ups and rolls here and there, with a general sound of falling apart—like you’d hear after a band’s grand finale encore or whatever. And there’s fuckin horns on it, too. Haha. After falling apart for three minutes, it transitions into some fist bumping, headbanging hardcore played with a straight beat. It comes in mean and hard. I know there is only one preview track available online, but I think this is a killer record, probably the best record I have heard this year. If you haven’t heard that song, you can check it out here. And then, you can pre-order your copy from us after :) Alright, thank you for reading and thanks for your support.