Loathe formed in Liverpool in 2014, and were put on the radar of many after debut album ‘The Cold Sun’ earned them best new band nominations at both the Metal Hammer Golden Gods and Heavy Music Awards in 2018. From there, they perfected their adventurous spin on metalcore, nu metal and djent on ‘I Let It In and It Took Everything’, an album which shot Loathe straight to the upper echelons of the UK’s alternative music scene. Inspired by bands like Deftones, Korn and Slipknot, whose unorthodox approach to heavy music led the nu metal culture in the 2000s, the album has already inspired droves of new bands in the 2020s.

Since the release of ‘I Let It In and It Took Everything’, the band followed it up with ambient companion LP ‘The Things They Believe’ in 2021, and concert recording ‘Audiotree from Nothing’ in 2023 which showcased the energy of their live performances. The last studio update came when they cancelled their 2022 tour dates to concentrate on writing their fourth album, leaving fans rabid for updates. In 2024, Loathe confirmed the album would be out in 2025, and when single ‘Gifted Every Strength’ dropped last May alongside live performances of a then-unknown song, speculation became rife that the album was just around the corner – however a solid announcement didn’t come until this Monday, the 27th of April 2026.

New single ‘Revenant’ was the first thing to be revealed, confirmed to be the mystery song the band was playing live last year. Featuring Eric Balderose and Jami Morgan of US alt-metallers Code Orange, performing here under their new side project NOWHERE2RUN, ‘Revenant’ is a harsh, noisy blast of overdriven bassy grooves, a blistering attack on the ears. While other Loathe tracks ease up the pace with atmospheric interludes and melodic clean vocals, this one revels in being as brutal and dissonant as it can be.

After the release of the single Loathe wasted little time in presenting ‘A Stranger To You’ to the fans. According to news site Lambgoat, the album has been produced and engineered by the band alongside Ed Al-Shakarchi, who has previously worked with acts like Action Bronson and Imogen Heap. The full track listing including ‘Revenant’, ‘Gifted Every Strength’ and another unreleased track they’ve played live named ‘اثينا’, looks like this:
 
1. Entrance
2. Block Of Flats
3. Fortress Down
4. Gemini
5. Nothing Like The Knife
6. Harder To Pretend
7. اثينا
8. Revenant
9. The Way It Breaks
10. Meet My Maker
11. Fangs
12. The Ladder
13. Gifted Every Strength
14. No Stranger To You…

‘A Stranger To You’ releases via Sharptone Records on the 17th of July, with streaming pre-save links here and official pre-orders here. Loathe are playing live across Australia through May, before returning to Europe for a festival tour in June including Manchester’s Outbreak Fest. Earlier today, they announced a run of US dates for this September and October, with tickets for that on sale on Friday the 1st of May.

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Began in 2011, the festival prides itself on featuring diverse, up and coming bands within progressive and experimental metal that are noted for their innovation and creativity. The festival offers a fully inclusive atmosphere where bands and fans alike have the opportunity to network and share ideas.

Speaking on the future of the festival, the event said, “we are taking this opportunity as a new beginning. The main even will return in a different form down the line.”

Pulling a headlining slot represents a huge opportunity for Loathe who are often cited as one of the most exciting new bands within the UK scene and beyond. Formed in 2011 by guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe, the band signed to SharpTone Records in 2016, re-issuing their first EP Pepare Consume Proceed. From there, the group began grabbing the attention of critics and fans alike, with many praising the sound and experimentation of songs.

Nominated for awards from the likes of Metal Hammer Magazine and featuring on festivals such as Slam Dunk and Download, the band looked set to explode as a major force within the scene when the Covid pandemic struck leaving many bands considering their survivals. The band persevered, releasing songs and projects that sustained interest for listeners before the band had a chance to get back to performing live.

Loathe, often a difficult band to pigeon-hole into one particular genre or sound, have been praised for incorporating elements of electronics to boost the atmosphere of certain songs which many critics have cited as an effective accompaniment to their djenty, industrial sound. This has proved a real positive for the band, allowing them to fit seamlessly on bills with a number of different acts within a variety of genres.

Loathe are now in the midst of working on their next full length release while having recently announced a run of tour dates in the US with Chevelle and Three Days Grace.

Tech-Fest will take place from Thursday, 29 June to Monday, 3 July. Find tickets to UK Tech-Fest here. Find tickets to Loathe in Europe and the UK here.

Loathe UK Tour:

19/06/2023 – Hole 44 – Berlin, Germany
20/06 – Backstage (Werk) – Munich, Germany
21/06 – Gebäude 9 – Cologne, Germany
22/06 – Jera On Air – Ysselsteyn, Netherlands
23/06 – Outbreak Fest – Manchester
24/06 – Full Force Festival – Gräfenhainichen, Germany
05/07 – 2000Trees – Cheltenham
13/07 – The Roundhouse – London
28/07 – Radar Festival – Manchester
16/08 – ArcTanGent – Compton Martin

After the disappointment of not being able to tour their sophomore album. The band has taken to making amends to that. The band coming in hot with a short run of shows where they will play Let You In in full. From the heights of “Aggressive Evolution” to the jaw-dropping breakdown of “Gored”. Playing songs that are yet to be heard live. unleashing the gravity of their music across the stretch of the UK, ending in London. Loathe will be warming up to this tour with a support slot alongside rock legends While She Sleeps. This will take them across the UK on a long run of sold-out shows. People of the United Kingdom, Let It In, in its entirety.

Tickets on sale 10am Friday September 3rd at https://t.co/Aj45FuDGUzpic.twitter.com/5gRVKJw2Tk

— Loathe (@loatheasone) September 1, 2021

They will be joined by Slow Crush and Modern Error. Warming up the crowds for some of the most impressive gigs of the holiday season. You can get your tickets to see them here.

09/12/2021- Classic Grand- Glasgow
10/12- Arts Club- Liverpool
11/12- The Asylum- Birmingham
12/12- The Foundry- Sheffield
12/12- The Fleece- Bristol
15/12- The Old Fire Station- Bournemouth
17/12- Patterns- Brighton
18/12- Lafayette- London

At the beginning of the year, SharpTone Record shared a post teasing all acts from their roster with new music in preparation for 2021, including Loathe much to the surprise of fans and critics still hooked on their previous release. Two weeks ago, the band announced the surprise release of The Thins They Believe and confirmed the involvement of saxophonist John Waugh (1975), guitarist Peter Vybiral (Parting Gift), and Vincent Weight in the ambitious upcoming project.

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As a surprising yet appropriate continuation of the critically acclaimed  I Let It In And It Took Everything and the unusually disruptive year that followed its premiere, The Things They Believe offers a musical retreat from reality. Stripping Loathe’s previous record down to its sonic nucleus, it seemlessly expands its themes and forms a beautiful instrumental soundtrack of the troubled times we live in. The Liverpool quintet shared their latest project with the following message:

“The concept for ‘The Things They Believe’ was born from the incredible response to ‘I Let It In And It Took Everything’, which became the impetus to extend the identity and timeline of the record. Creating sonic landscapes and parallels that explore and expand further on the areas within ‘I Let It In And It Took Everything’. As we release this collection of atmospheres, we hope you lose yourself further within this chapter and, much like our love for soundtracks and soundscapes provides us with solace in times of distress and need, we hope you find comfort inside too.”

‘The Things They Believe’ Featuring John Waugh, Vincent Weight and Peter Vybiral. “Sharing the same air” February 7th. A year to the day. pic.twitter.com/FBxnS4OzhA — Loathe (@loatheasone) January 22, 2021

The Things They Believe consists of 12 individual tracks seemlessly intertwined in one 35-minute long ambient piece evoking silent contemplation and melancholy. The instrumental album is built on ambient sonic scapes mixed with real recordings of gentle rain and chirruping birds, occasionally backed with soulflul saxophone. The record is currenty available only as a digital release across all streaming platforms.

In an exclusive interview for Kerrang! from earlier today, guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe, bassist Feisal El-Khazragi and singer Kadeem France discussed the inspiration and creative process behind their unusual new release and time spent in lockdown:

​“Throughout lockdown, we all experienced what can only be described as extreme personality changes or periods of self-discovery. We’ve all been quite separated from each other, with me down here in Wales, Erik in St Helens, Connor being stranded in Belgium at this point, while only Kadeem and Sean actually live in central Liverpool. We had begun to find the comfort in ambient music, meditation and that kind of stuff. We wanted to create a similar soundscape to live within the universe of Loathe and the world of I Let It In… It’s just another place that you can go.”

Thank you, @KerrangMagazine.

“We had a great deal of pleasure in making it and taking our minds off everything that’s going on in the world. We wanted to pass that on to everyone else as well.”https://t.co/z11wg6LjKp

— Loathe (@loatheasone) February 7, 2021

The announcement came out yesterday with the ambiguous caption “Coming in 2021” and no further details whether it concerns full studio albums or standalone singles. The list included the four UK acts with highly anticipated new releases, alongside American heavyweights Miss May I, Bleeding Through and We Came As Romans, Japanese metalcore flagmen Crystal Lake, and Aussie punk outfit Stepson. Four extra slots seem to be reserved as “To Be Announced” so we can expect more news coming soon.

Coming in 2021:@DONBROCO @wecameasromans @missmayiband @HoldingAbsence @stepsonpunk @dyingwishhc @heartofgold_88 @loatheasone @CAPTIVES_UK @bleedingthrough @kingdomofgiants @Broadside_ @156Silence @CrystalLake777
TBA
TBA
TBA
&
TBA #sharptonerecords #st2021

— SharpTone Records (@sharptonerecs) January 6, 2021

From all British bands on the list, rising Welsh post-hardcore outfit Holding Absence are the only one with confirmed date for their upcoming album. Back in October 2020, the quartet released ‘Beyond Belief‘, announcing their second record The Greatest Mistake Of My Life for 16 April 2021, a quick follow-up to their 2019 critically acclaimed self-titled debut. Earlier last year the band dropped their first new single ‘Gravity‘ which was recently named on Loudwire’s ‘Best Rock Songs of 2020‘ list, calling them “one of the U.K.’s most exciting new bands“. Holding Absence were also one of the symbolic virtual headliners of the 2020 Heavy Music Awards.

As one of the most popular and commercially successful acts on SharpTone’s roster, Don Broco are also expected to drop a new album this year. Known for releasing new records every 3 year following their debut Priorities in 2012 and its follow-ups Automatic in 2015 and Technology in 2018, 2021 is set to be the Bedford outfit’s year once again. So far there have been two standalone singles from 2019 – ‘Half Man Half God‘ and ‘Action‘ but no new music from 2020. However, the last few months have seen the rock quartet frequently posting studio pics and videos alongside Grammy-awarded producer Jason Perry.

 

 

 

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Leeds alternative metal outfit Captives are the latest act to join SharpTone Records just a month ago, saying they were “humbled to be in the company of such talented and progressive artists” and “very excited to be working together moving forward and creating something special“. In December 2020, Captives shared their new single ‘Glass Heart‘ following the footsteps of their energetic early 2020 release ‘Falling Apart‘. The band is currently in studio getting ready to share their debut album, a highly awaited successor to their promising self-released EP Ghost Like You from 2019.

SharpTone’s announcement also included the Liverpool metal favourites Loathe, but at this stage it is uncertain if there are new singles and videos to be released or a whole album in preparation for 2021, the latter being somewhat unlikely. Less than a year ago, the band premiered their second record I Let It In And It Took Everything as one of the definite highlights of 2020 and an ambitious step forward. Widely praised and admired the album received very positive reviews, with Kerrang! naming Loathe a “genuinely impressive creative force who can do heavy in as many ways as it can present itself to them” and Louder predicting “the ambitious quintet’s rise to the pinnacle of the British heavy underground music scene“.

10 million strong and growing.

Thank you. pic.twitter.com/qht7yEdzh1

— Loathe (@loatheasone) January 2, 2021

Further updates are expected on all of the bands mentioned but 2021 is already shaping to be an exciting year for rock and metal music, with SharpTone Records planning to take central place on the scene.