Loathe – “The Cold Sun” [Album Review]

Are you looking for a good mixture of hardcore, metalcore and a little bit of djent? If you are, then please have a listen to Loathe’s debut record, The Cold Sun. This is a heavy, enjoyable piece that’s easy to get along with despite its complicated standing as a concept album. For a debut record, The Cold Sun is exceptionally well-made and brimming with good ideas.

Despite its allegiances to the metalcore and hardcore genres, The Cold Sun sets itself apart with alludes to djent, industrial and progressive metal. This is an album about a dystopian future, following the adjacent timeline between two protagonists. It tells stories of darkness, destruction and can get as detailed as following someone’s nightmare during sleep paralysis. To go along with the dark subject matter, Loathe gave the record a dark, technical sound that combines the elements of the genres listed above with bits of electronic. The final product feels surprisingly tight and flows well, despite the seemingly disparate parts of its whole.

This is down to excellent work from all involved. Erik Bickerstaffe, Shayne Smith, Connor Sweeney and Sean Radcliffe all did a great job on their respective fronts, whilst Kadeem France’s aggressive and clean vocals round out the record really rather well. The Cold Sun doesn’t sound like a band’s debut record. It’s accomplished in almost every regard, but it does, unfortunately, fall short of true greatness.

As it combines elements from all sorts of genres rather well, The Cold Sun gives off odd feelings of similarity and uniqueness at the same time. You can’t quite help but feel like you’ve heard it before, maybe countless times, but you will be taken aback by its aptitude to surprise around any corner. The album should have been longer, too. Standing at 35 minutes, you leave wanting a little bit more. There’s progression to be found here, but the short track lengths mean it is only found in small packages. While it may be a fleeting visit, The Cold Sun offers an accomplished, enjoyable and heavy trip through a dark tale of dystopian future.

The Cold Sun Track Listing:

01. The Cold Sun
02. It’s Yours
03. Dance On My Skin
04. East of Eden
05. Loathe
06. 3990
07. Stigmata
08. P. U.R.P.L.E
09. The Omission
10. Nothing More
11. Never More
12. Babylon

Run Time: 34:49
Release Date: April 14, 2017

Check out the video for “It’s Yours”