Loincloth are an interesting group, one that meshes together various elements from realms of metal but keeps a very distinct sound of sludgy, crushing and almost atonal instrumental metal. Their records sit nice and snuggly on their Southern Lord label, baring resemblance to the general dark ambiance and heavy production that bring together other artists in this territory. Not only do they have their sound up to scratch, but they even get quite progressive within their sound, employing left-field rhythms and grooves that are extremely mathcore inspired and really grab you and keep you engaged. This band have so much going for them, and they truly showcase what it means to do a lot with a little. Not to mention I absolutely love that I can put an image to this music of three shirtless, bearded guys in a claustrophobic room, jamming intensely while getting lost in the power of the riff. But yet, while this record is a fun experience at first, there’s some qualities to it that need some workshopping, because this release wears pretty thin, pretty fast.
I want to love this album; I want to hold this album in my arms and cradle it. I live for this type of music played by the likes of Sumac and Old Man Gloom, and these guys perform it in such a genuine way. It’s so dissonant and barbaric, and there is no BS with this album. But I really can only say that this album is pretty good, and I can’t say it has much shelf life, because at it’s core, it’s very one-dimensional. These guys do one thing, and they do it well, but don’t venture outside of it much. They’re also pretty aware of their restrictive style, as this album is only 30 minutes, with most tracks sitting in the 2 to 3-minute range in an attempt not to drag any riff on too long.
However, I can’t help but feel like this album would have benefited from a little repetition. Certain tracks such as “Poroths,” “Clausa Vulgate” and “Pentacost Dissident” suffer from their short lengths and abrupt endings, making it really tough to feel anything towards their riffs. They pack that initial punch to energize you for a short time, but they don’t loop themselves or grow enough to really hypnotize you, which the band proves they can do on the captivating closing track “Ibex (To Burn in Hell Is To Refine).”
This album certainly had attitude; it is mean and doesn’t care what you think. But mean is all it is—there’s not much emotional dynamic to the music, which if you’re trying to create a post-y type of style, it’s kind of a necessity. But if you want to rock out for a little bit, or are in the mood for something that’s heavy but also grooves, check this out, as Loincloth has both of those down to a science in an awesome way.
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Psalm of the Morbid Whore is available now via Southern Lord Records.