Liturgy @ The Rogue Bar

Few musical genres can claim to be as thoroughly misanthropic, corrosive, blasphemous, and sonically abrasive as black metal. True outsider music, fans are pretty protective of it. Enter Liturgy, a band of Brooklyn urbanites (no corpse paint in sight) led by Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, who started the project alone in his...

By Jason P. Woodbury

July 21, 2011

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Few musical genres can claim to be as thoroughly misanthropic, corrosive, blasphemous, and sonically abrasive as black metal. True outsider music, fans are pretty protective of it. Enter Liturgy, a band of Brooklyn urbanites (no corpse paint in sight) led by Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, who started the project alone in his bedroom before recruiting friends to expand his "transcendental black metal" sound in concert and on record. The band's new album, Aesthethica, has been met with critical praise but has earned the ire of some of the steadfast followers of the genre, painting the band as invading hipsters. But Hunt-Hendrix isn't sure it's all that bad: "I think there's a silent majority of people who are a little bit more supportive." The record's 13 songs range from the utterly scorched opener "High Gold" to the more stoner-rock riffing "Veins of God" to the a cappella chant "Glass Earth." The songs clearly have roots in the metal that initially inspired Hunt-Hendrix — French bands like Peste Noire, Vlad Tepes, and Mütiilation — but also boast an exultant edge. "I think that the word 'positive' is a little bit dangerous," Hunt-Hendrix says. "It could be simplistic to say it is a positive record; the word 'triumphant' is good."

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Jason P. Woodbury is a music and pop-culture writer based in Phoenix. He is a regular contributor to the music blog Aquarium Drunkard and co-host of the Transmissions podcast.

Contact: Jason P. Woodbury

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Twitter: @Jasonpwoodbury