Black Metal recieves a bad reputation around the world for the activities surrounding it in Scandanavia, specically Norway, where this extreme form of music takes root. Its bad reputation comes mostly from a few radical bands responsible for LITTLE things (you know, like murders and church burnings and stuff) but when it comes down to the music, there is perhaps nothing more intriguing. Behind the corpse paint and bloody stage props (just head over to YouTube and watch some videos of Gorgoroth playing live in Poland) there is an oddly epic, almost majestic sound inhabiting the genre. Looking at pictures of the Norwegian landscape one can understand the origin of such dark, intrense soundscapes. Black Metal elitists frequently discount all American Black Metal as being illegitimate and fake, but Brooklyn band Liturgy takes that accusation of weakness and inferiority and throws it out the window. They display an intesity that I haven’t seen in the other Black Metal bands I’ve heard. Their 2009 debut “Renihilation” reveals a style dominated by barriers of guitar drones and blast beats that is entirely insurmountable. This wall of sorts is accent by insidious taunting in the most frightening of voices that I have ever heard. From growls to near screeches guitarist/vocalist Hunter Hunt-Hendrix (author of a “manifesto” which we will discuss later) ups the intensity tenfold. Ther debut begins with an untitled track comprised of layered vocal harmonies. Over the tracks near two minute duration the wall of sound crescendoes until (when the first track ends) it is interrupted by a snare drum fill transferring the intensity from voice to full band as the droning and surging begin.The second track, “Pagan Dawn,” slips in and out of drones and pulsating sections that drive and make one feel as if they were being chased by some mystical creature through a dormant, snowy forest. Of course the resolution of the songs feels quite triumphant as, as though the beast in hunt was slain by a brave warrior of the Frozen North and one can’t resist the urge to throw his hands in the air and scream!
Despite Interesting songwriting and beautiful execution of the black metal aesthetic the band is frequently dismissed as “pretentious.” Most of this pretense surrounds Hunter Hunt-Hendrix’s manifesto about “transcendental black metal.” He claims that the band’s brand of metal is different because it doesn’t focus on the “grim” aspects of black metal… Hmm… I can unserstand why purists would disagree with this, seeing as Liturgy’s music is almost identical to other Black Metal bands. I personally find it strange that the only influences they list on their Facebook page are composers. I don’t see how such a musical creation can be extrapolated from classical music, no matter how dark, but that’s just my opinion.
