Maximo David

“Down on my knees, pray to the moonlight.” It’s been over half a decade since Loathe’s sophomore smash, I Let It In And It Took Everything, took the world by storm. That’s a sentiment you’ll likely see strewn across the many reviews and thinkpieces that are bound to pop up, but I think it’s pertinent to remember that I Let it In… wasn’t an overnight success. In fact, it was mostly in those years following its release that the band’s presence truly started to take shape.

“I want to move on, but Iʼve lost what made me strong.“ Time and time again, metalcore is proven to be the true sonic essence of damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Everyone has something to say, even if it is self-contradictory to their own partialities. Too many cleans? Posers. Imperfect mix? Shills. Even the slightest whiff of commercial success, in which music becomes a somewhat viable means of making a living? Sellouts.

“Broken glass, fractured light, pull me closer, make me fight.” Matador’s new album is a demonstration of how far they have come since 2019. On their instrumental debut They Were Here Before Us, they established their sound as a tried and tested combination of doom and post metal. ‘Atmosdoom’, as they put it – you could also say it was ‘destined for Desertfest’, at least, if their hometown of Vancouver could ever host one.