Indeed mold. The point I was trying to make across should anyone come to this thread, is the *mindset* you need to properly care for a front loader.

And for those that do have FL, and don't keep the door ajar, or use the santize function with bleach more often than not - to peel back the gasket, shine a light to see the outer drum and do you see nice white/grey plastic or do you black stuff.....