“I used to wear a mask on stage. I had this latex thing that was just pure melting on my face. We were literally in the middle of a desert playing this show...” Frontman of Loathe Kadeem France is reminiscing about some of his band’s more notable live experiences as we discuss their journey from Liverpool start-ups to the country’s hottest new metal band.
No more rocking the mask façade (it’s a thing of the past for them, too), let me introduce you to Loathe: propelling through the industry with their colossal lockdown sophomore I Let It In and It Took Everything, Loathe have since become an imperative new metal band to have your eyes on. Following the success of their 2020 release, this February the group leaked a smaller project, The Things They Believe, an ambient instrumental project featuring twelve euphoric tracks. “The Things They Believe kind of continues expanding the sonic identity and reaffirming the space that I Let It In lives in,” the band’s co-vocalist and guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe confirms. “I wouldn’t really class The Things They Believe as its own standalone thing: it definitely accompanies I Let It In. We’d wanted to do something like this for so long. In a way it was like a decompression, from having spent so much time on the minute details of the album to then creating something more free-flowing and ambient—it was nice to have fun with it. I’m not saying I Let It In wasn’t fun, but it was definitely different.”
