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Rating:
THE REVIEW
"Like gaseous Blue Cheer immersed in quicklime".
There is no better definition to frame the music of Loop; I went back to an old retrospective of the quarterly "Mucchio Extra" on Shoegazing and found this enlightening note with which I wanted to start today's narcoleptic writing journey.
It's 1990 and it's the third album of the English band led by Robert Hampson; an ounce more accessible than the disturbing previous chapters of the discography.
But don't be misled by the term accessible; it is still a harsh, sulfurous work. Continuous, hammering explosions of Noise Rock; endless guitar drones overflowing with ruinous psychedelia.
Guitars never stand still, in constant exasperated motion; supported by a megalomaniac bass and a squared-off drum that hammers at the flanks for the duration of the individual tracks. Backing a detached, monotonous voice that seems to originate from a distant, icy galaxy.
The repetitiveness of a distorted sound, combined with a gigantic sense of sensory and destabilizing hypnosis.
A mystical auditory experience that burns like salt placed on open and bleeding wounds; a monolithic wall that is built around circular and granite sonic mantras. An electric voodoo for an irreversible coma.
Tempestuous noise that positions itself halfway between the stellar expanse of Hawkwind and the noise of Sonic Youth's "Evol - Sister" period.
Listening to the first two tracks "Vapour" and "Afterglow" gives a very good idea of why the guys chose to call themselves LOOP!!
The rest of the journey follows suit...Cerebral shattering...
Ad Maiora.
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Summary by Bot
The review praises Loop’s 1990 album 'A Gilded Eternity' as a masterful fusion of noise rock and psychedelia. It highlights the intense guitar drones, relentless rhythm section, and hypnotic, repetitive sonic textures. The album is described as accessible yet harsh, offering a sensory and destabilizing listening experience. Comparisons are made to Hawkwind and Sonic Youth, emphasizing its unique position in the genre.Tracklist Videos
Loop
Loop are an English rock band formed in 1986 and led by Robert Hampson. Their sound blends hypnotic repetition, feedback-drenched guitars, and psychedelic/space-rock intensity. They released the classic trilogy Heaven's End (1987), Fade Out (1988), and A Gilded Eternity (1990), split in 1991, reformed in 2013, issued the EP Array 1 (2015), and returned with the album Sonancy (2022).06 Reviews
Other reviews
By ygmarchi2
"A timeless record, and perhaps for that reason, eternal—of a golden eternity, exactly."
"When we wake from the dream, we might not even remember, but a sense of dark unease will stay with us for a long time."
