Labels: Southern Lord
Review by: Kunal Nandi
“Fuck false metal” is their motto, their chosen method seeming to be a deadly combo of the mathiest hardcore without one of those vocalist dudes that always fuck things up. And it’s stunning.
The two songs here are from their four-song demo. A third track can be found on a Swami Records compilation, which goes to show that these guys have fans in places you wouldn’t expect them to. Then again, Loincloth has a real pedigree, with ex-members of bands who used to be around in the EIGHTIES! Christ, that’s a long time ago. Guitarist Pen Rollings used to play in Breadwinner and Honor Role, so he clearly knows his hardcore onions. Drummer Steve Shelton was in Earache Records stalwarts Confessor, and has one of those drumkits that has loads of bits to it, which he uses to its optimum.
Of the two songs, I prefer Church Burntings, which is a slow but painfully heavy number that twiddles about a bit, wrong-footing you at every turn, before lumbering into this truly beautiful crushing denouement. On the flip, New Jersey is a faster, more chaotic, double-kickdrum kind of affair, but a classic nevertheless. The weird thing with both these tracks is that they encourage repeat listens, and before long, you’re humming along.
A magnificent record, and I hope they begin getting together more than once a month for practise in the future.