Song: Loathe - Is It Really You? + Sleep Token Rendition [I Let It In And It Took Everything, 2020]

 

Loathe has an impressive repertoire just in this one album, but the one that takes the cake has to be Is It Really You?. Born from an anonymous story of two lovers meeting in a dream, it's evolved into a surreal experience driven by Loathe's ambient electronic metal formula. The clean singing from Kadeem in this track is a stellar performance and one of his bests in the discography, especially with the gentle gracefulness in the verses and the powerful control in the choruses.

The guitars, drums and electronics need an extreme amount of credit for setting the mood so well, painting a soundscape to the likes of floating through the night sky or the midnight seaside serenity. The calm euphoria that this song manages to invoke is one of a kind, leaving you wanting to have someone to search the sky with.

Loathe is such a diverse band with a range of sound from the softest of ballads to the heaviest of bangers, and I'm glad they let Is It Really You? develop in full form without any need to try and infuse other elements into it. It's definitely one of my favourites from I Let It In And It Took Everything, like a centerpiece in an art collection, and sits comfortably in my heart's hall of fame.

Rating: 5/5

BONUS

The arrival of 2022 marked the start of Loathe's line of collaborative projects, and renditions of Is It Really You? were made with Teenage Wrist and Sleep Token. Admittedly, I didn't feel that the Teenage Wrist rendition was too unique, it was definitely a nice touch and felt different but it didn't seem worth commenting about. Sleep Token's rendition, on the other hand, is such a complete rework that it almost feels like an entirely new song.

Vessel's vocals are undoubtedly the main attraction in this revamp. Accompanied by just a simple piano melody, barebones with effects and electronics, they completely switch up the vibe and energy of the song. I admire how Vessel, with his angelic vocals, can seemingly change the meaning and sentiment of the song so easily just by singing it. Where Kadeem seems to tell a story about new lovers shrouded in mystery and euphoria, Vessel tells one of old flames reliving better times under the stars. (Well, personal interpretation anyways).

I'm just in love with the fact that two of my new favourite modern bands, both so outstanding for their unique style and quality, would come together for a collaboration, on Loathe's best track no less. It's two worlds colliding in the best way possible, with the best of both worlds lining up to make a masterpiece of a track. It feels like a dream seeing this happen, ironic for a song that feels like a dream in itself. Worship as one, as they say.

Rating: 5/5 (but you already knew that)