#Flashartmark 11/02/2021 2 min read0 39

Loathe // The Things They Believe // Album Review

Over the last few years, I can’t think of any band within the rock and metal scene that has become a household name as quickly as Loathe. After the release of their incredible album Let Them In And They Took Everything (ILTIATTE) last year, the band haven’t let the pandemic stop their momentum as they’ve just shadow dropped their newest adventure within music, The Things They Believe.

To start with, this album is not a metal release in the slightest as is obvious by the first two tracks, The Things They Believe

and Don’t Get Hurt. Instead, fans have here an adventurous and experimental album in the form of an ambient instrumental release.

Upon an inspection of the track titles, it’s obvious to see what the band used as inspiration for the album, especially with track 5, The Year Everything and Nothing Happened

. With a soft fuzz that sounds almost like rain hitting a window and an audible soundscape that sounds like a dream created in musical form, it’s easy to take away that the band are sonically talking about 2020 and the metaphorical rollercoaster the year was for everyone. This is created by the soothing sounds that slowly build into this anxiety-filled noise flows that then effortlessly into – Remember – that would fit perfectly on the soundtrack to a horror game such as Silent Hill with its dark undertones that flood your mind. This is also observable in tracks such as Black Marble

.Further, into the release we have Perpetual Sunday Evening, which reiterates the idea that Loathe created this album as a way to talk about last year. Once again, with the soothing sounds mixed with darker elements that add in anxious themes I see this track as the band speaking about how they feel towards last year as musicians who missed the opportunity to tour while riding the high of ILTIATTE while also being a time they could reflect on the future of their careers within the industry and plan their next move.

The Things They Believe is an incredible achievement for Loathe. Instead of rushing out a follow-up release while they had massive amounts of media attention, they’ve became even more experimental than before while creating a truly incredible instrumental album that shows the sheer level of talent the band have, both as musicians and composers. I genuinely cannot remember the last time a musical project made me this excited and I’m going to be eagerly awaiting whatever the band decide to do next.

The Things They Believe is out now via Sharptone Records.

Review: Daniel Stapleton