Last year, enigmatic outfit Loathe were the first band to put out a release via the SharpTone Records imprint with the re-issue of their debut EP, ‘Prepare Consume Proceed’, which, over the coming months, managed to build an almost cult following for the band nice and early in their careers. Their blend of crushing metal verging at times into djent territory with the odd subtle sprinkling of electronics and some ambiguous dark concepts proved to be a winning formula.

Now back with a full-length in their arsenal, not only have the band built on their sound and in turn their rapidly growing fanbase, but they’ve also built on the concept surrounding the material. ‘The Cold Sun’, in brief, is based around a post-apocalyptic tale conceived by the band. The record follows the adjacent timeline of two protagonists (A & B), who exist during a dystopian future, stricken by tragedy and the ever looming apocalypse.

Despite keeping things very much up to interpretation bar the bare bones and complete basics of the concepts they deliver and work with in their music, the band have given us said ideas on a track-by-track order from ‘The Cold Sun’.

For some references to the work from their aforementioned ‘Prepare Consume Proceed’ EP, you can also read the track-by-track the band provided us of that (here).

01.) THE COLD SUN

‘The Cold Sun’ acts as a singularity event for the universe the concept revolves around.

02.) IT’S YOURS

‘It’s Yours’ follows the theme of a narcissistic killer giving into temptation, whose actions eventually lead him to a self-inflicted demise at the hands of character A. This song also acts as a continuation from ‘Rest; In Violence’.

03.) DANCE ON MY SKIN

‘Dance On My Skin’ refers to the song ‘Banshee’ and delivers a similar theme. Character A experiences an event of sleep paralysis which includes a premonition uttering the words “The world is dust and so are you” in repetition. This causes character A to fall into a deep trance.

04.) EAST OF EDEN

An introduction to character B, ‘East of Eden’ follows B’s rise to power within an outcast community banished by the human race for their asymmetry.

05.) LOATHE

‘Loathe’ takes place within a climactic occurrence of conflict between the outcasts and the humans. Its theme revolves around unity and overcoming malicious transgressions.

06.) 3990

‘3990’ is a visualisation of the void that character A is travelling through during their inactivity.

07.) STIGMATA

‘Stigmata’ reveals that character B is following the order of a higher power, whilst also developing their own agenda through the fruition of temptation.

08.) P.U.R.P.L.E.

Thematically similar to ‘It’s Yours’, ‘P.U.R.P.L.E.’ also follows temptation as character B develops similar tendencies to the killer introduced in ‘Prepare Consume Proceed’.

09.) THE OMISSION

Character A encounters the higher power within a rift in his trance-like state. The being speaks in many tongues “Feast your eyes, absolve all ties, dissolve all lies. Pure sacrifice, all left behind. Lingering light, dissolving with life.”

10.) NOTHING MORE

The battle eventually comes to a close with the outcasts suffering defeat, which infuriates the higher power.

11.) NEVER MORE

Trapped within the being’s anger, character A is forced through spaghettification as they are transported back to reality.

12.) BABYLON…

Overseeing the remnants of a world torn apart by difference, character A pleads to a grey sky, directing his despair to the higher power.

‘The Cold Sun’ is available now through SharpTone Records.

You can pre-order it online now via the band’s website (here), iTunes (here), Amazon (here), and Google Play (here).

Keep up-to-date with the band and what they’re up to via Facebook (here), Twitter (here), and Instagram (here).