Review Summary: Does it break your heart the way it breaks mine?
Let’s address the obvious first: Loathe were
not ready for what 2020’s
I Let It In... would snowball into. The timing of its release seems almost haunting in retrospect – right at the precipice of the world shutting down and live music coming to a screeching halt. The album would go on to marinate over time and cement itself in a dark, brooding, yet occasionally hopeful time capsule. Its twists, turns, and inventive sound design felt wholly fresh for a band merely on their second album; sporting enough alt-metal tendencies and emotional highs to appease just about every fan of heavy music. The pressure to create a follow-up has clearly been a thorn in their side for years now, especially with
I Let It In... being heralded as some sort of second coming of Deftones-adjacent metalcore. After teasing “Loathe 2025” last year and only dropping one new single, followed by a familiar touring schedule under the
I Let It In... cycle, Loathe has finally delivered the next chapter in their fascinating career. So does the long, long-awaited
A Stranger To You successfully carry the weight of six years’ worth of anticipation?
Well yes and no. It’s hard to shake the feeling that we should've had this album eons ago, especially amidst the tour cancellations and vain promises of the record's supposed “gold” status that loomed for years. On the other hand,
A Stranger To You is absolutely the follow-up fans could’ve hoped for – equal parts familiar yet wholly adventurous, Loathe aren’t shy about showcasing their newfound abilities as songwriters. “Block of Flats” is unlike anything the band has done before, a Frankensteinian, near brit-pop-esque experiment that has to be heard to be believed. Whereas "Fortress Down" and "Meet My Maker" almost act as brilliant sequels, rounding out a trilogy started by "Screaming"on
ILLIATE. The latter is capped off by crazy amounts of metric modulation that lets drummer Sean Radcliffe push and pull with seemingly no restraint.
And boy is “The Way It Breaks” an absolute career highlight for Kadeem and Co, with both him and Erik presenting their best vocal melodies to date and a closing guitar solo that is heaven sent. For a band that’s now built a massive following thanks to the likes of “Is It Really You?” and “Two-Way Mirror”, the softer cuts on
Stranger far surpass anything the band has done in the past. I’d be remiss too if it didn’t bring up lead single “Gifted Every Strength”, which ebbs and flows unlike anything else in the genre, gently pulling away from grimy guitar attacks and panicked screams into somber instrumental passages and punishing syncopation – its unpredictable switch-ups wouldn’t be all too out-of-place in a Led Zeppelin writing session.
More disappointingly are the traditional, heavier offerings on
Stranger, namely “Gemini” and “Revenant”. For a record steeped in melody and lusher soundscapes, these two songs feel like they have the absolute least to say on the album and end up being the closest we get to filler material. They’re not terrible per se, but Loathe’s ability to expand their musical palette throughout the album’s 55 minute runtime far outweighs any and all attempts here to try and be all-out heavy and fans expecting anything here reminiscent of cuts like “Gored” or “New Faces In The Dark” are likely to be let down. Even so,
A Stranger To You is easily Loathe’s most accomplished effort to date: the musicianship and subtle use of harmonies, brazen guitar attacks and strenuous rhythm sections are often breathtaking and dripping with originality. Whether or not it’ll cement itself as an elusive masterpiece like its predecessor remains to be seen, but either way,
A Stranger To You is a hell-of-a mission statement for a band not afraid to buckle under the weight of immense expectations and in some cases, willing to rise above and beyond them.
