The Cold Sun
The Cold Sun makes atmosphere an active part of its heaviness. Loathe surround their low guitar sound with electronic textures, quieter interludes and sudden changes of direction. The strongest songs make those elements depend on each other. The album becomes less convincing when the interruptions stop its momentum instead of building another kind of tension.
The opening title track creates an ambient setting before It's Yours introduces a much harsher attack. The contrast makes the arrival feel substantial, with the guitars and vocal giving the quieter preparation a clear destination. Loathe establish their range without needing to make the opening complicated.
3990 moves towards a darker electronic sound. Its synth character suggests another direction beyond the heavier riffs, while The Omission draws on more prominent beat-driven textures. These passages are interesting in their own right, even if their place within the larger sequence is not always equally successful.
P.U.R.P.L.E. combines the band's heavier ambitions particularly well. The arrangement has a broad, dramatic character, with the rapid drumming towards its ending adding a stronger physical impact. Its intensity benefits from the contrasting sounds elsewhere rather than existing entirely apart from them.
The later sequence is less assured. Several quieter passages arrive close together, allowing the earlier momentum to fall away. The interludes provide a change of atmosphere, but they do not all contain enough distinctive material to justify interrupting the stronger songs.
Babylon... eventually brings the force back, with its later heavier movement connecting to the surrounding eerie setting. It makes a convincing attempt to bring the record's different sides together. The clean vocals elsewhere can be more uneven, offering useful melodic contrast while sometimes making a transition feel less settled than the aggressive playing.
There is a strong identity inside The Cold Sun, even when the sequence needs more discipline. Loathe are willing to explore the space around their heavier music, and the best changes in texture make the whole sound more substantial. A tighter arrangement of the quieter pieces would help the record sustain that promise more consistently.
