Music Review : Liturgy – The Ark Work (2015)

Music Review : Liturgy – The Ark Work (2015, Thrill Jockey Records)

Following their 2011’s Aesthetica, the reunited quartet Liturgy have tried to make obviously an ultimate attempt at making a masterpiece with their craft here. Leaded by Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, Liturgy has been labeled as a black metal transgender of American black metal. However, their relationship with the genre is getting much thinner and felt more into the Swans lookalike.

At 57 minutes The Ark Work might feel a bit long and a bit repetitive with Aesthetica. The theory that Hunt-Hendrix exposes with his diagrams and esoteric vision, as interesting and innovative as they might be, doesn’t weight enough to support the music and its length.

The musical mastery of Hunt-Hendrix on vocals and guitar, Greg Fox on drums, Tyler Dusenbury on bass, and Bernard Gann on guitars isn’t enough to elevate this record to potent follow-up to its predecessor. It is a lesser Liturgy album but lesser Liturgy is still better than many other bands’ best record.

7.1

Music Review : Wolves In The Throne Room – Celestite (2014)

Music Review : Wolves In The Throne Room – Celestite (2014)

This companion piece to Celestial Lineage, the near-masterpiece from these Washington state black metallers stating that they are not playing black metal but are obviously inspired by Ulver and Burzum’s decadent yet beautiful mastery challenge of BM while saying their biggest influence is Neurosis. Living on a farm and praising a return to organic form and life, the members of WITTR have recorded two of the best American black metal records to date; the aforementioned Celestial Lineage and Two Hunters.

Their recent release is an instrumental exploration of esoteric textures and sonorities that reminds of interesting interludes in Burzum and Ulver’s most notorious albums. An entire opus solely concentrated on ambiance and musical odyssey is pretty ballsy. With all the ambition that WITTR enters in this territory, an artist like M83 would have killed it. But here, WITTR misses the mark and should have released this album under another name just to separate the band from the experimentalists. Just like Sunn O))), who explores many alleys with other musicians they sign with their co-artists. WITTR did an okay job with a difficult task. It feels like a challenge the wolf could not chew by himself. Maybe a collab with a more experimented drone/noise music artist could have helped them raise the bar.

With Initiation at Neudeg Alm, there are glimpses of hope and a nice sound that opens the mystery angle that black metal and instrumental music share. It doesn’t need to be raised to epic scales.

Celestite is not a complete disaster but don’t get into this and wait for black metal or even metal. It is interesting for fans of the band to follow this new direction but it could have been more transitional or even a part of a double album with Celestial Lineage more than a piece of itself. Sometimes an artist has to get it out of his system to continue its evolution and get to stronger levels. Let’s hope it was the case here. Because Wolves In The Throne Room still has many promising records in the belly.

6.5

Music Review : Deafheaven – Sunbather (2013)

Music Review : Deafheaven – Sunbather (2013, Deathwish Inc.)

American Black Metal has gained respect since a few years and with the exception of Absu from Texas, few BM acts have been recognized as worth the genre. In the recent years, Nachtmystium has been respected with their revisits of Pink Floyd’s Meddle atmosphere and textures with Assassins : Black Meddle, Part I. Put aside the crap from Blake Judd. There’s also Wolves in the Throne Room that are one of the most interesting BM acts from the US.

Lately, with easier ways to record, a bunch of talented and untalented musicians have formed Black Metal bands and the quantity of BM releases has increased considerably. Amongst this genre many imitators of Darkthrone, Immortal, Satyricon were appearing but few have taken elements of the genre to elevate them in a more personal approach to music and adapt it.

Deafheaven is a brighter star in the sky when it comes to the creativity of their music. They elevated their sound close to the elegance of the early BM releases of Ulver (Nattens Madrigal for example). Not afraid to indulge more than wrath and angered occult and satanist lyrics. This era of BM is dead and now laughable. The most enduring acts of the genre have let Satanism and treat about humanity, nihilism, mythology, littérature, philosophy, and the darker side of the human mind. With Deafheaven themes are closer to a North American mindset and are introspective, melancholic, and less conventional BM.

Structured with four songs and three interludes, Sunbather is a beautiful yet dark journey into modern BM with elements of shoegazing and psychedelic rock. Unlike many American Black Metal bands Deafheaven is no carbon copy of its influence. Many people can make a BM record but few can master this music and actually make something refreshing and this appealing.

After a few listens it is easy to state that even if I missed this release in 2013, I would definitely put it on my best of the year 2013 list.

8.9