Liturgy

Liturgy’s full-length debut, 2009’s Renihilation, didn’t necessary play fast and loose with the expectations one has for a black metal group, but it didn’t necessarily adhere to the guidelines, either.  Tracks like “Pagan Dawn” and “Arctica” walked the walk with their intensely fast strumming and drumming and the sepulchral howl of frontman Hunter Hunt-Hendrix.  But in between these blasts of menace were untitled droning interludes, small slices of calm that dated back to the days when Liturgy was Hunt-Hendrix’s one-man band.  While these moments were just that, they were also a sign that Liturgy’s interests ranged well beyond the confines and prejudices of their particular scene.

Fast forward two years, and the group that regularly offended black metal purists simply for their failure to dress and act the part have an album that’ll give those sticks in the mud something to really hate.  Never mind that Aesthetica is the group’s first album for indie-rock-iconoclastic label Thrill Jockey, a decidedly non-metallic venue.  Those segregated droning interludes have been fully integrated into Liturgy’s “proper” music, along with countless other moves and poses one might not expect.  Hell, the way album opener High Gold” kicks off with a minute’s worth of metallic ping-ponging, you might think you’ve accidentally put on a new Aphex Twin album.  Detours abound, like the faux-choral chanting in “True Will,” the minimal calm of “Helix Skull,” and especially the fan-friendly (as in non-black-metal-fan) thrashing of “Generation.”  But these detours don’t compromise the awesome fury and power Liturgy has always possessed. If anything, their willingness to digress has made Liturgy into a stronger band overall, one that can stand toe-to-toe with any metal band, color or tag be damned. —David Raposa