Josh Markarian
- Feb 5, 2020
- 3 min read

"I Let It In and It Took Everything" Loathe's Disorienting and Surreal New Album

A disorienting blend of hardcore giving a surreal look into the depths of the human condition

I Let It In and It Took Everything... the title in itself has beauty behind it. Offering a dizzying surreal journey through one's own personal hell, Loathe transcends the mundane of an over saturated industry with their own mind numbing breed of hardcore.

To create, something of equal value must be lost; Loathe let this record consume them at the cost of creation. Clean vocalist and lead guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe explains in a press release with Secret Service PR “We let in the idea of being in this band, and it took everything from us. Without trying to make it sound like a sob story, we needed to build ourselves up again in order to make this record. The idea of what we are doing and the recording of the album is it’’

Disembodied yet complete, there is a dichotomy to the album. There are velvety sections that seamlessly blend into jaggedness and then into ambience. The aggression turns into peace, a balance through transmutation. Loathe exceeds all expectations with this release. In the song “Screaming”, technology collides with metal through the complex syncopation and chaotically rhythmic breakbeats from the programmed drum machine kits.

When describing their sound Kadeem of Loathe said "A mix of everything, if you are into anything that sounds grimey, heavy or gritty and then at the same time have really ambient and chilled out parts. Loathe is definitely the one for you. I would not brand as Nu Metal but if you are into bands like Slipknot or Korn, we get a lot of influence from those bands. So if you resonate with those bands, I am sure you will resonate with our music." in an interview with Sad Music.

Loathe is far from settling into the niche of prog influenced metal, and this release has proven to be their most influential creation to date . I Let It In and It Took Everything paints a hazy picture that unlocks a level of terror that nostalgia simply doesn’t tap into. With spazzing technical bursts, mid song solos, to outros laden with lush, minimal and sci fi soundscapes. Each track has a level of complexity unique in its own way.

'I Let It In And It Took Everything' Track List:

Theme
Aggressive Evolution
Broken Vision Rhythm
Two-Way Mirror
451 Days
New Faces In The Dark
Red Room
Screaming
Is It Really You?
Gored
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…

You can grab ticket’s for LOATHE’s upcoming hometown release day show in Liverpool at O2 Academy 2 HERE. The band will also be performing this year at Sunstroke Festival Ireland, alongside the likes of Deftones, Gojira, Refused, While She Sleeps and Download Festival with Gojira, Killswitch Engage, Mastodon and more.