After falling in love hard with Loathe's music having listened to I Let It In And It Took Everything, I knew I would eventually want to go through their earlier catalogue, as I do with every great band. The Cold Sun was the obvious next step, both being the next most recent record but also as the record that seemingly put them on the map (from what I read and heard, at least).
The Cold Sun immediately has a rawer, less refined and grittier sound than its successor, in the best way possible. The moment It's Yours comes in, with Kadeem's distorted screams, their absolutely stank guitar tone and energetic war drums, the spiritual mosh pit inside of you will start seeing blood. They keep this intensity up in many of the songs to follow in the tracklist, especially on East of Eden and P.U.R.P.L.E..
It's clear they've always had an affinity for ambience. I love how the ambience adds a lot to the sound and atmosphere of I Let It In And It Took Everything, and it is no different here. The only minor gripe I have is that it feels just a little bit out of place, especially near the end. Putting two full ambient tracks side by side felt like a weird choice, and made the latter half of the tracklist feel very deserted and sparse compared to the front. Despite that, I commend how it still adds to the soundscape of The Cold Sun.
This record feels like them trying to find their sound, and I love that even before they figured it out they were already making bangers. They clearly are stellar musicians capable of making quality tracks wherever and whatever it is they touch, and this is what makes them one of my favourite bands.
Rating: 8/10