Metalcatto
Let’s say you’re really into Death/Doom and don’t know who Hooded Menace is. Umm, I’m trying to follow up that phrase with a way to forgive you, but it’s hard. Not many bands have continued releasing reliable and even spectacular retro-Metal like these guys. Albums like Never Cross the Dead, Darkness Drips Forth, and Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed are now considered classics. So, you can imagine the bar is high — and since my 80s nostalgia is non-existent, good luck to the band in this review!
It’s kind of crazy that Hooded Menace does it time and time again. The band manages to balance nostalgia and sharp songwriting in a totally natural way. You can feel the 80s slasher cheesiness here, but since the delivery is so serious and committed, you can’t help but get wrapped up in the atmosphere. Having said that, Lachrymose feels like the most Death Metal the band has been in a long time. Sure, there’s still mid-tempo Doom, but overall the album comes closer to MeloDeath territory than anything else. It took me a while to accept that, but eventually, I rolled with it the same way Jason Voorhees rolls after 20 stabs. Like nothing happened!
The precision in Lachrymose is unreal, and I don’t mean it in a complicated way. Almost every track sits around seven minutes and twenty seconds long, and yet they’re so well-structured that Hooded Menace can throw extended cuts at us filled with strong melodic lines and thematic depth without ever dragging too much. It’s a true display of craft. Even though this band has delivered similar work before, it’s still hard to keep sounding this good without becoming more washed out than the Halloween movie series. But enough praise — what are the downsides?
First off, there’s a one-minute intro track that I really wonder if we need at all. Beyond that, it’s tough not to compare Lachrymose with some of the band’s earlier classics. This is a great effort, but those still warm up my ice-cold heart more effectively. That said, props to the band for clearly trying to mix things up and keep the retro sound fresh. I can’t say the same for most so-called “old school” releases out there, which often use that label as a lazy marketing tool to disguise being derivative (yes, I can be harsh sometimes!).
Hooded Menace continues down its path of steady evolution in a way fans will definitely appreciate. I was surprised by the more melodic approach but didn’t miss the Doom elements as much as I expected. Just be aware that the band isn’t doing anything wildly experimental or reinventing the wheel (or the launtai, as the Finns might say), but it’s still an album packed with thrills and that unmistakable old-school horror spirit. Now, time for me to head back to the sauna before I freeze out here!
Label: Season Of Mist
Release date: 3 October 2025
Website:
https://hoodedmenace.bandcamp.com/album/lachrymose-monuments-of-obscuration
Country: Finland
Score: 3.5/5.0
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