‘…the hype surrounding this release was simply unmatched, yet somehow, the band have exceeded expectations in every way…’
Is there a more impactful band on the realm of modern heavy and alternative music than Loathe?
Constructed between 2011 and 2015 under the name Our Imbalance, the Liverpool outfit would release their first EP as Loathe in the October of 2015. They were quickly marked out as a band with potential, and in 2017, the band released their debut full-length record, ‘The Cold Sun’. A concept record with a sound heavily influenced by djent and progressive metal, it solidified their reputation as cult favourites of the heavy scene, with highlights such as ‘It’s Yours’ and ‘Stigmata’.
2018 saw no slowing of momentum, and the band released a split EP with Holding Absence; support acts for the tour included fellow Merseyside hardcore outfit God Complex, the Pinchin brothers’ electronic project Modern Error, and a little known anonymous duo known as Sleep Token. The then-five-piece would continue to release music throughout late 2019, building towards their 2020 sophomore record, ‘I Let It In And It Took Everything’. An absolute masterpiece of modern metal that has shaped the landscape ever since, the band brought shoegaze elements into their bludgeoning heavy repertoire. ‘Two-Way Mirror’, ‘Screaming’, and ‘Is It Really You?’ were unlike anything else being released by heavy bands at that time, and showcased a brand new way of thinking and creating for metal outfits.
Loathe would release an accompanying instrumental record, ‘The Things They Believe’, in 2021, and one single in 2022. In the four years of relentless touring and studio silence, Loathe managed to become bigger than ever before, and Loathe LP4 was now one of the missing holy grails of heavy music. Anticipation was high; the hype felt impossible to match by any reasonable artist. But if the history lesson on Loathe should indicate one thing, it is that this four-piece are no reasonable artists.
‘A Stranger To You’, released at long last in July, is the sound of a band seeking complete and utter transformation of themselves; more than a mere victory lap, this is the work of a band pushing themselves further than ever before, and continuing to leave much of the heavy scene choking on their dust. Doubling down on the dry, claustrophobic production style of their 2022 single, ‘Dimorphous Display’, the record is a riotous barrage of raw aggression and gripping melancholy, never letting you guess where it will go next.
The record opens with the gorgeous introductory number ‘Entrance’, layering bucki sugar’s meditative spoken word over gloomy, sparse piano chords; it is a rumination on success, effort, legacy and loyalty, setting the scene for the record perfectly. Swirling synths begin to coalesce, and then the track tumbles away to reveal the stabbing opening bars of ‘Block of Flats’, a behemoth onslaught of progressive metalcore that might be one of Loathe’s finest works yet. Teaming up with Olli Appleyard of Static Dress, the track deftly weaves elements of dance and R’n’B into the utterly furious djent riffs to produce something packed with enough adrenaline to restart your heart.
The percussion from Sean Smith is simply incredible, and that continues to be the case across the entire span of the record; no matter where you look on ‘A Stranger To You’, Smith is laying down rhythms that are devastatingly creative and utterly enthralling. He offers relentless, cruising momentum on the shimmering ‘Fortress Down’, whilst guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe takes the lead vocal role, his sumptuous tones working wonderfully with the rich, glittering instrumental.
Accomplishing one of the year’s finest three track runs on a record, the heaviness is brought back with the apocalyptic ‘Gemini’. A two-pronged attack of seismic weight, what starts out as a djent-toned metal behemoth morphs into a pounding gabber cut that sets every cell of the body on fire; it is an unparalleled experience to witness the electrifying hardcore dance genre brought to life through organic instrumentals, and the riotous breakdown in the track’s climax serves as a moment of ultimate release.
There are two further heavy cuts on the record, arriving in the form of ‘Revenant’ and ‘Gifted Every Strength’. The former brings on board duo NOWHERE2RUN for a guest appearance, as the band rip through one claustrophobic sonic bombardment after another; clear song structure is replaced by pure, unapologetic aggression. Conversely, ‘Gifted Every Strength’ is a clearly segmented progressive behemoth that ebbs and flows between cascading, jazzy guitar melodies and pummelling distorted riffs. It is Loathe in full-swing as musicians, showcasing an incredible understanding of their own skills and how to push them to their limits.
All of this weight is intersected by moments of softness that range remarkably in scope and approach. ‘Fangs’ is a smoky and smooth affair that brings in suave R’n’B ideas into the mix, buoyed by a swaggering bass performance from Feisel El-Khazragi and elevated by a superb combination of lead vocals from Bickerstaff and Kadeem France. ‘The Way It Breaks’ sees El-Khazragi taking the lead vocal role for the first time to produce a sumptuous, introspective affair, decorated by a guest guitar solo from Mansur Brown. A final guest appearance is also made on the dreamy, acoustic-focused ‘The Ladder’, with Jordan Rakei offering not only a beautiful second verse, but joining France during the surprisingly and subtly psychedelic climax.
All of this is wrapped up perfectly with the unparalleled catharsis of ‘No Stranger To You…’, taking the shoegaze ideas that the band have played with and delivering them in a beautifully bittersweet and melodic manner. Loathe are consistently enigmatic in their lyricism, leaving much up to self-interpretation, and that has continued to be the case for this record, yet ‘No Stranger To You…’ offers the clearest insight into this album’s themes. ‘A Stranger To You’ is an ode to metamorphosis; the ways in which we change, for better and for worse, and how our relationships are impacted by it. However, even with the weight of expectation and the curse of fame, this is Loathe reminding those they love that they are still just four lads based out of Liverpool that love music.
Will ‘A Stranger To You’ prove to be as influential as ‘I Let It In And It Took Everything’? Perhaps, but it is difficult to imagine any other band coming close to the creativity Loathe have put on display here; “genre-bending” has come to simply mean throwing trap hi-hats over metalcore riffs, and not delicately balancing ideas from progressive metal, R’n’B, and shoegaze.
But even if ‘A Stranger To You’ does not spawn a million aspirational bands trying to capture the magic of ‘Two-Way Mirror’, that doesn’t mean that what the band have achieved here isn’t yet another masterpiece in progressive metal that leaves their contemporaries in the dust. It took five years for the band to release a new record, and the hype surrounding this release was simply unmatched, yet somehow, the band have exceeded expectations in every way.
Now, when’s the next album lads?
RATING: 96/100
For Fans Of: Void Of Vision, Deftones, Code Orange, Love Is Noise, Thornhill
Physical copies of the record are available to purchase here.
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