No way around it, this is quite the shocker. I found out about the Liverpool-based metalcore group Loathe by looking through Rate Your Music and noticing their newest album I Let It in and It Took Everything is the top-rated album on the site for 2020. When I read they were metalcore I was admittedly confused. Not that the genre is bad in any way. It had quite a boom in the early 2000’s with some groundbreaking albums including The Stings of Conscience by Unearth, Jane Doe by Converge, and even Avenged Sevenfold’s Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. My confusion arises in the fact that metalcore has become a formulaic mess in modern times and there are few groups that I find worth my time and won’t deliver a rehash of the basics like Code Orange and bands within further sub-genres like Protest the Hero’s engaging mathcore and even Infant Annihilator’s chaotic and self-aware deathcore. When going into I Let It in and It Took Everything I was praying for something at least interesting and not an album desperately trying to get on both Octane and Liquid Metal on Sirius XM with pure mediocrity. I can say confidently that this is definitely interesting and a pleasant surprise for the genre.

Best way I can describe Loathe is half fuck you up metalcore and half Deftones-esque ethereal wonderment. It’s a compelling juxtaposition especially in how they utilize both. They’re not afraid to use both styles in many songs. Transitions are cohesive and provide a middle ground between the two styles as it transforms to the other style. This had all the potential to come out sloppy and jarring, but they stuck the landing in this department. Both styles are done great, although I find myself enjoying the heavier sections more on average. They pack a wallop of aggression that gets me headbanging everytime. The drumming is a large part of which with the production that brings it to the forefront with the bass for rugged momentum that feels unstoppable until it hits one of those ethereal walls. The guitar work is nothing to sleep on either. Often I get a Daughters vibe from the disturbing and maddening guitar tones and screeches like on “Aggressive Evolution” and “Heavy is the Head That Falls with the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts”.

Jumping to the other side of things, there is true beauty displayed in the softer sections. The vocals are free-flowing and meld with the brighter guitar tones excellently. Although the vocals are clean there is still a very light raspiness that accents the shoegaze aesthetic like on “Two-Way Mirror”. Plus the very distant tremolo picking hidden within the spacey atmosphere is a nice touch on that track and many others. Near the back-end of I Let It in and It Took Everything Loathe takes a more melodic approach on tracks like “A Sad Cartoon” and “A Sad Cartoon (Reprise)”. Heavier moments are still present, but the tone is more mysterious probably to counteract the bludgeoning metalcore that made up the first half. “I Let It in and It Took Everything…” and “Is It Really You?” exemplify this middle ground between the two styles; although the latter feels clunky in the percussion and the vocal lines ride too close to hard rock for my liking on a track of its nature. This album isn’t without its faults, but it doesn’t ever ruin any songs completely.

Digging deeper, we can look at the breakdowns. They are never expected and catch you by surprise which is what I want in a metalcore album. Most of the breakdowns are creative, but there are a few that feel run-of-the-mill like on “Gored”. Thankfully their brutal production keeps it enjoyable. Now I know that many like to write off the lyrics of metal albums often because they are unclear to those who do not have a trained ear. With the heavenly moments on I Let It in and It Took Everything it allows some exceptional lyrical moments to shine. Sure many are cryptic representations of anger and sorrow presented in a poetic manner, but when there is a clear motif the stories are something special. Like “Two-Way Mirror” which is about the singer’s relationship with his father and how they were never close growing up but as he grew up his relationship with his father blossomed. “Heavy Is the Head That Falls with the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts” seems to be about a struggle with one’s own thoughts and how one can sink into a state of self-hatred when those thoughts begin to bend reality. “Broken Vision Rhythm” discusses more outward struggles like drug abuse and how they can devolve someone to a shell of their former self. Very bleak topics are discussed and become surreal with the two-sided coin that is Loathe’s style.

Like I said before, I Let It in and It Took Everything is not without its faults. It sure as hell is great though. Not only do Loathe expand on the metalcore shell with even more brutality and ingenuity, but they also utilized gazey atmospheres to accent a more diverse collection of emotions. I honestly didn’t expect to find a metalcore record this year I would love that wasn’t Code Orange, so this was a pleasant and welcome surprise. It’s not reinventing the wheel or anything. It is undoubtedly refreshing though. I love metalcore when done right, so I can say confidently that big fans of the genre will adore this piece.

Favorite Tracks: “Aggressive Evolution”; “Two-Way Mirror”; “New Faces in the Dark”; “Red Room”; “Heavy Is the Head That Falls with the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts”; “A Sad Cartoon”; “A Sad Cartoon (Reprise)”; “I Let It in and It Took Everything…”

Rating: 8/10

Released: 02/07/2020

Label: SharpTone Records

Genres: Metalcore, Alternative Metal, Art Metal, Art Rock

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RATING SCALE

Perfect Excellent Great Very Good Good Meh Disappointing Bad Horrible Pitiful Bottom of the Barrel