LOINCLOTH: “PSALM OF THE MORBID WHORE”

 

(Todd Manning reviews the new album by the Virginia/North Carolina instrumental metal band Loincloth, which will be released by Southern Lord on September 29.)

During the Death Metal explosion of the early ’90s, there existed an anomaly on Earache’s legendary roster, an incredibly complex and off-kilter Doom Metal act by the name of Confessor. Boasting dramatic, high-pitched vocals and very technical music, Confessor stuck out like a sore thumb in a scene dominated by blast beats and death growls. At the time, most people obsessed over the vocals. But nowadays, the world seems to have come around and considered their debut, Condemned, to be a classic, and in those conversations it’s the music getting equal attention.

After the band broke up for the first time, while in the midst of trying to follow up their debut, bassist Cary Rowells and drummer Steve Shelton went on to form Fly Machine and then subsequently moved on to Loincloth, an instrumental trio in which they are joined by guitarist Tannon Penland.

 

 

The trio released their critically acclaimed debut, Iron Balls of Steel, in 2012 on Southern Lord. Now, five years later, Loincloth has returned with their second and final full-length, Psalm of the Morbid Whore, once again on Southern Lord but this time with Tomas Phillips taking over bass duties and Craig Hilton on second guitar.

The reason to go over this history is evident from the first moments of Psalm of the Morbid Whore. The riffing owes a substantial debt to Confessor, although the irony that only the drummer from that band appears on this album is not lost on me. Still, the style is unmistakable, and this is not a bad thing. Loincloth certainly make compact statements of complex riff-driven madness, and album opener “Necro Fucking Satanae” is only just the beginning.

Loincloth construct riff mazes as songs, each one filled with a substantial low-end attack sutured to mind-boggling drum beats. They succeed with each assault, and somehow, despite the technical approach, maintain a Doom Metal feel throughout, particularly through the more melodic turnarounds many of the riffs possess.

Moments of more modern influences do slip seamlessly into the mix from time to time. Most notably, the track “Morbid Whore” hints at more contemporary Doom acts while many of the arpeggios spliced into the riffs, particularly in closer “Ibex (To Burn In Hell Is To Refine)”, hint at a Black Metal influence.

Both Loincloth and Confessor have always possessed a knack for writing Doom-ish material without really using Doom riffs, but rather by sneaking in a few of the genre’s signifiers into their technical constructs. It’s a damn shame that Loincloth has chosen to call it day. They have certainly gone out on a high note, and many a Metal musician will find much to learn about their craft from Psalm of the Morbid Whore, and any fan just looking for quality and original Metal will certainly be satiated.

 

Noisey is streaming the entire album here.

Bandcamp:
https://loinclothsl.bandcamp.com/album/psalm-of-the-morbid-whore

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Loincloth-266521466700945/