It’s no secret that metal isn’t considered the same evil force that it once was, thanks to certain acts using it more or less as a tag to boost their cred (don’t pretend you don’t know who they are). At least some modern acts are rallying against this – Cane Hill’s industrial-metalcore mutation is the most pertinent example, with Loathe now following suit on ‘The Cold Sun’.

And let’s get the obvious out the way first – if you like Cane Hill, Loathe will be right up your alley. There’s the same grisly mentality in this Liverpool mob’s mind, cross-breeding rusty nu-metal with down-tuned metalcore on ‘It’s Yours’ and the eponymous track ‘Loathe’ to outstanding effect. Granted, it’s not done as emphatically at times – some of the choruses could really benefit from being dirtied up a bit like on ‘East Of Eden, and the numerous interludes fail to add much to a formula that already feels successfully realised.

These areas aside, Loathe really hit a sweet spot when it comes to this very abrasive, unhinged style of metal. The guitar tone has that ideal bone-crushing weight to it, showing its exposed edges on tracks like ‘Never More’ and capturing that dark, twisted air on the grinding dirge of ‘P.U.R.P.L.E’.

It’s a credit to Loathe that this is the route they’ve decided to take. Compared to Cane Hill’s most recent efforts, ‘The Cold Sun’ isn’t quite up to that level, but it’s exponentially preferable to another face in the metalcore crowd. It’s ugly, nasty and definitely worth paying attention to.

3.5/5

‘The Cold Sun’ by Loathe is released on 14th April on SharpTone Records.

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Words by Luke Nuttall (@nuttall_luke)