| CD REVIEW Loathe |
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Band : Loathe When you’re living on a Mediterranean island such as Malta, it’s not so evident to be a Metal act, stand alone one of the more brutal type. Still, quintet Loathe has been around since 1999 and have in that time only seen one line-up change, when bassist Mark replaced Estelle to join lead singer Beast, guitarists Kurt & Karl, and drummer Alan. The band self-released its debut EP Abort/ Retry/ Fail in 2003, and followed that up with 2005 EP Up Close And Personal and 2007’s Darkest Night Of The Soul EP. Mainwhile, the quintet frequently left the confines of the Mediterranean shores behind ‘em to do several tours around the British island, sharing stages with the likes of Sabbat, Detonation, Let ‘Em Bürn, Sevenyearsdead, K.O. Kaine (and many more), and late October – early November of last saw the band again on British soil (the fifth time, if my counting is correct) for an 8-date tour with Slab. On their own island (Malta, remember) the band is known as a heavyweight among the Metal acts, playing some legendary gigs alongside local heavyweigths as ItEM, Slit, Beheaded, and Abysmal Torment, besides also headlining the famed Extreme Maltese Metal summer festival…twice! Okay, so by now you’ve understood (or should’ve) that Loathe’s music is of a more extreme nature. On the label’s info sheet, you’ll find the following description: “…The band plays a fiery brand of Metal which fuses elements from the Thrash and Hardcore movements with the brutality of contemporary Death Metal…,” which is a description I can certainly live with, if it wasn’t that it doesn’t quite completely describe, nor quite do justice to what you’re about to hear when you’ll check the band’s MySpace page. You see, for starters the band has a nack at incorporating catchy melodies in their otherwize brutal songs, melodies that’ll soon have you humming or whistling along with the tunes in accordance. They further make things interesting by having not one, but two vocalists, singing in a different style of voice…the main vocal being an icy Blackened high pitch, with the other (not just backings, because they bring a new set of lyrics to the fore on a regular basis) being a deep Death growl. I’ve had a little trouble recognizing the Hardcore elements in the music, what with the relentless riffage goin’ on, but there’s definitely a couple of breakdowns to short slower passages that are remeniscent to Doom. All in all, with all the different things goin’ on, the album will for sure entertain fans of both Thrash and Death Metal. Personally, I needed to listen to the album through the headphones to be able to enjoy it to the fullest. Visit myspace.com/totaloathe and listen to two songs off the 10-track album (duration just over 41 minutes), two off the last EP, and 3 off the one before that! More than enough material, I should think so! 86/100 Tony. |