Finnish quartet Loath were only formed at the beginning of 2013, but by the end of the year they had already recorded their debut album with K. Lehtinen handling the recording, mixing and mastering. They describe their sound as crust with a twist of grindcore and doom, and for a change that is incredibly accurate. What it doesn’t portray though is the sheer passion, emotion, rawness and brutality of these guys. Drummer L, bassist M, vocalist/guitarist E and vocalist/guitarist V have created something that is dark and oppressive, fuelled by anger and hatred, yet also with enough light and distinction to really make this standout from the crowd. They move from doom to grind, crust to death and black, (sometimes within the same song) yet all with the same harsh vocals and distorted bass and guitars that make this album feel like lead. It is incredibly heavy, and they have produced something that is almost visceral in its’ attack. The more I played this the more I could feel (as well as hear) the impact that the Eighties grindcore scene has had on Loath, yet they want to do it their own way and when they strike the doom chords then bands such as Candlemass need to look out as this is dark and demonic.
One hell of a debut, for those who want their metal to be extremely metallic, yet I also found this incredibly easy to listen to and a real delight, although it is definitely designed not to cause those feelings. Solid stuff.
www.inverse.fi
