If you follow the media related to heavy music you probably stumbled on the name Liturgy at sometime. The reactions about this band are pretty much partable into two sections: those who dismiss Liturgy as trend seeking, non honest and “faggy” hipster bullshit, and those who see the band as a reforming, not to say revolutionary force within the often restricted and conservative genre of Black Metal. So where lies the truth?
To beginn: nobody with a clue about the technical side of music would deny the musicianship of Liturgy. The music is incredible hectic yet always under control, fast but amazingly composed and the songwriting shows a wide variety of ideas, influences and know-how. So this isn’t about some knuckleheads trying to sound like Burzum.
The music is heavily based on Black Metal’s characteristics: blast beats (or, as Liturgy describe their kinda organic blast beat: the burst beat), tremolo picking, high pitched screaming (not unlike Silencer, a little less sick). At the same time Liturgy rarely sounds really evil. Not to speak of rawness. The hectic compositions blast crystal clear and highly dynamic out of the speakers, quite often this sounds more like Mastodon crossed witha sewing machine. The dynamics are dramatic and epic, but not exactly dark for the most part. Anyway, Black Metal has brought forth countless bands, and some sound more progressive or innovative than others – I don’t think the point of most critics is the music itself.
If the issue isn’t Liturgy‘s music in the first place, what is it? The point that seems to annoy a lot of people (as far as I can tell by following the online discussions) is the whole self-presentation of Liturgy: four guys from Brooklyn, NY in skinny jeans and American Apparel shirts just CAN’T play Black Metal. And the philosophy of “Transcendental Black Metal” behind the lyrics and music, as described by band leader Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, in fact seems to be too progressive for a great bunch of blackened hearts. In my opinion it’s quite interesting, you can read it here: http://www.viceland.com/blogs/en/2010/03/08/not-fit-to-print-transcendental-metal
Anyway, Liturgy definetely plays metal. The question about Liturgy and Black Metal is probably as old as Black Metal is itself: WHAT is Black Metal anyway? If you just take the pure musical ingredients you’d have to admit that Liturgy plays some kind of Black Metal. If you think playing Black Metal only works if you have a certain look and style, they don’t (and you’re pretty retarded btw). If you add a certain mind set or ideals to Black Metal, Liturgy still play Black Metal. Or do they not? See, debating about this topic is pretty much damn senseless. But at this point you have to ask yourself if Black Metal is about certain ideas or principles set in stone, or if Black Metal embodies freedom to “do what thou wilt”.
I guess in the end it’s up to each listener what to think of Liturgy, if you’re able to enjoy this music without getting trapped in pidgeonholes and categories you can’t really nail down anyway. If you give Liturgy a chance you’re going to get a highly interesting and tense record, no matter if you can call it Black Metal or not.
hatredandscorn
December 14, 2011 at 11:11 pm
What is Black Metal? Black metal is hatred and misanthropy, most of all for the disgusting pathetic types of humans in this so called “black metal” band. Everyone who really has the essence of black metal within them supports the extermination of the human race, the most disgusting filthy accident in the history of evolution. Black metal is not about this hippy life worshiping bullshit. Human life is worthless and vile! Hipsters would never kill themselves or others, because they are empty shells that actually do accept this physical prison but just pretend they are above it. They consume cultural wealth from all over and never obtain the essence of anything they possess. Hipster scum are the prime example of the meaningless state of humanity and their lives are nothing but waste.
JD
July 13, 2011 at 2:17 pm
ya the music is technically pretty decent, especially the drumming, but the hollow, pretentious bullshit i’ve read/seen that frontman say (what, blast beats that speed up and slow down, you mean like ANY decent speed/thrash/black metal band that’s not strictly traditional?) eclipses any desire I would have had to listen to their music, just like that REVOLUTIONARILY DEEP album cover cover they have of an ECLIPSE. Even the other dudes in the band seem to always be rolling their eyes or the like when he’s talking in interviews..
Maybe if they kicked that guy out and got a decent power metal singer instead, I’d give em more of a listen, ha.
R.
July 10, 2011 at 3:02 am
“nobody with a clue about the technical side of music would deny the musicianship of Liturgy.”
“If you think playing Black Metal only works if you have a certain look and style, they don’t (and you’re pretty retarded btw).”
Haha, very well said, your description of their music evenso. Finally someone who just listens to the compositions instead of judging by the appearance of style and format.
I think the compositions are awesome, very very well crafted. Beats Krallice and Altar Of Plagues. And their stonerkraut songs are divine.
No album for thinking-in-the-box people, but for they who are after quality content and have the ears to hear it.
R.
Alex
July 7, 2011 at 11:33 am
I think the irony behind the whole “not black metal if not in corpse paint” concept is that a decent amount(perhaps not the majority, but still) of people who listen to Black Metal dress just like Liturgy. Their pretension might stand in their way but I feel like the majority of any sub-genre is based on pretension and esotericism. They might just represent a new face, which people will of course be obstreperous towards.
Raz
July 7, 2011 at 5:32 am
“You’re not dressed up in studded leather apparel and corpse paint. You’re such a dick.”
Think about saying this sentence to someone…
themostoriginal
July 7, 2011 at 4:09 am
Neither. They’re definitely not the worst you could do, but for all that they do right, they are insufferably pretentious.