“Havuportaali” blurs the boundaries between genres. Tuhka draws not only from black metal darkness but also from the hypnotic, pulsating rhythms of electronic music, crafting a sound where primal chaos and brooding calm coexist in harmony. Tuhka, ‘ash’ in Finnish, is a most apt moniker – music that rises from smouldering depths, only to drift into the cold northern night.
“Havuportaali”, the project’s last demo, evokes a profound sense of desolation, driven by the hypnotic repetition of riffs and minimalist, machine-like beats. At the core of Tuhka’s sound is an affinity for the atmospheric and obscure, inspired by select pioneers of Scandinavian black metal – yet it’s clear that Tuhka’s creator forges his own path.
Recorded in isolation, “Havuportaali” blends live instrumentation, looping, and digital manipulation. The raw, barbaric simplicity of the drum tracks, shaped through a Roland Octapad and synthesisers, creates a cold, lifeless pulse that perfectly complements the monotone riffs anchoring the album. Throughout, atmospheric synths – reminiscent of 70s kosmische musik, 90s underground trance, and psybient – form a bridge between the grim black metal foundation and a more introspective, ambient dimension.
