| Liturgy - Renihilation (20 Buck Spin; 2009) |
Nov. 27th, 2009|09:53 am |
ne visai oriģināla mūzika, Nattens Madrigal kopija, tomēr pēdējā laika kas tāds baigi trūkst
Brooklyn, NY’s Liturgy (not to be confused with a Chicago death metal band of
the same name) steeps indie black metal in the genre’s most basic foundations
of buzzing, dissonant guitars and whirlwind percussion, yet they make the
sound firmly their own—both modern and ancient. With a style similar to that
of their NYC friends Krallice as well as the earlier works of the Norwegian
wolves Ulver (particularly that band’s third LP masterwork Nattens Madrigal),
Liturgy represents the seeping of black metal into the consciousness of the
indie music world at large. The band claims influences ranging from cult
black metal figures Vlad Tepes to Angelo Badalamenti to Nusrat Fateh Ali
Khan, all of whom can be distantly identified in Liturgy’s approach.
Renihilation, the band’s debut album following two demo tapes and the
Immortal Life 12-inch, weaves intricate strands of dissonant dual-guitar
riffing and complex blackened harmonics between main songwriter Hunter
Hunt-Hendrix and second guitarist Bernard Gann. The strange tonalities
provide layers of eerie distortion over which Hunt-Hendrix’s tortured howls
battle to be heard. The chaotic yet superbly minimalist drumming of Greg Fox
(also of Dan Deacon and Teeth Mountain), who uses only a kick, snare, and
crash symbols, adds a dose of DIY punk / grind style to the mix. Several
untitled intros and interludes consisting of vocal pieces and drones break
the album up into distinct sections. The Krallice connection is strengthened
by the mixing / mastering collaboration between the band and Krallice member
Colin Marston. The purposely low-res, minimalist artwork recalls the work of
German photographer Thomas Ruff in both aesthetic and intent: A photograph of
a total eclipse, a massive celestial event, its aura subdued and defeated by
the void left in the wake of the low-resolution of the image. It’s an apt
analogy for Liturgy’s ecstatic sonic |
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