Review: Liturgy - The Ark Work
By Jordan Matthiass, Contributor
[Thrill Jockey; 2015]
Rating: 3.5/5
Key Tracks: “Quetzalcoatl,” “Reign Array,” “Vitriol”
Liturgy is not well liked. In fact, there are roughly zero groups more reviled in the world’s black metal scene. Okay, Deafheaven might get almost as much hate. Maybe.
Frontman Hunter Hunt-Hendrix has been on the receiving end of brutal attacks since he penned his now-infamous manifesto, “Transcendental Black Metal: A Vision of Apocalyptic Humanism.” In an effort to eloquently legitimize the black metal movement, this piece attacked the notion that musicians need to hide out in the woods of Norway and paint their faces before recording.
As it turns out, “Transcendental Black Metal” reads like a piece of satire. Its oozing pretension and jabs at a legitimate (if not entirely sane) culture were included only to deliberately strike a chord inside USBM (United States Black Metal). The author claims he is black metal’s messiah, here to save the scene from itself. But maybe black metal truly needs this kind of shakeup, and if ever there were a work to do it, it’s The Ark Work.
This outing of transcendental black metal, Liturgy’s third, contains a symphony of MIDI horns and chimes, keyboards and squeaky-clean guitar effects, and, most disarmingly, vocals are nasally and speak-sung instead of shrieked--a firestorm of things assured to make a corpsepaint fanatic’s head explode.
Although the tag “experimental black metal” has always applied to blackened outfits that take the guitar noise to the next level, it’s never worked out that a truly experimental--not just extra loud--collective has been given the descriptor.
And boy, are there some experiments on this one. Every track that pits transcendentalism against classic black is a winner; however, those that fall into convention are, unsurprisingly, pretty boring.
“Quetzalcoatl” is not one of those boring tracks. It opens with heavy-handed electronic drumming, a guitar beeping like a Moog set to “arpeggio” and the most out-of-place vocals to ever grace a black metal track. Hunt-Hendrix raps. The first few times I heard this one, I thought it was a joke. And then I got it. By god, once you allow yourself to get it, you’re in for a hell of a ride. Classically noise-drenched guitars and blazing Norwegian drum fills bust through the wall of electronica, crushing those remaining little bits of your skull to dust. This is an experiment succeeding beautifully.
Next up--“Reign Array,” which runs the gamut of black metal. A dungeon synth intro leads into the group’s trademark bell tower fugues, which lead into a phalanx of string-and-chime-laden guitar and blast beats. Blood-boiling metal riffs assure you that you’re still listening to a face-meltingly heavy release.
“Vitriol,” directly following “Reign Array,” is the weirdest cut from this LP. I honestly don’t think I’m qualified to critique this song. Hunt-Hendrix raps again, all instruments are dropped (save for an early-2000s hip-hop drumpad) and there’s a backbone of church choral singing through all of it. Acid rap on a black metal album? Fantastic.
The Ark Work is astounding. The sheer irreverence with which Liturgy turns black metal on its head cannot be understated. It may be over-the-top, but it sure is catchy. Play this for your black metal purist friends and watch the blood pour from their ears.
