You probably noticed that we experimented with an Editor’s Score for the past few Premature Evaluations. The feedback we received suggested these Stereogum ratings weren’t necessary, or necessarily what people liked about PE, so we decided to chop them. We’ve kept the Stereogum Readers’ Rating, though, so you can offer your feedback both via comments and a vote.
Liturgy’s second album (and third release) Aesthethica, the followup to 2009’s Renihilation, finds Brooklyn “black metal” quartet harnessing, refining, and expanding upon their considerable live energy, creating an exhilarating, cathartic, at times overwhelming, and ultimately moving records. The dozen songs offer a nonstop buzz or drone, a kind of harsh, but embracing experimental explosion, a real-time transcendent loop. Vocalist/guitarist Hunt-Hendrix mixes passages of soothing trance-like raga-esque vocal chants with BM howls. Drummer Greg Fox, one of the most compelling drummers in underground music, nimbly destroys his very bare-bones kit. Bassist Tyler Dusenbury and second guitarist Bernard Gann strum/pick for their lives. The chaos has a center via a complex spiritual and philosophical integrity: “Cycling through the fundamental modes of being: stasis, chaos, repetition and entelechy, Aesthethica is a metaphorical exercise in affirmation.” And, as Hendrix sings on “True Will”: “Floating upwards / Lungs filling up with air / As God inhales me / Into the impossible / I wave a sad goodbye /To each newly conquered territory,” etc. At times you’ll hear Lightning Bolt. Other times Glenn Branca. The entire Table Of The Elements catalog playing at once. So, is it metal? Is it punk? Something else entirely? The group’s ambitious genre-hopping has resulted in a lot of debate and derision on web boards: This is not “tr00″ black metal. Are they hipsters? What the fuck is Hendrix singing/talking about? The debate will be ongoing, and remains pretty pointless: It’s more helpful tossing tags out the window, focusing on the music, and holding on for Aesthethica‘s wild ride. It’s the kind of music that’ll shift your insides.
Aesthethica is out 5/10 via Thrill Jockey.
Now that you’ve voted, here’s the Zev Deans-directed video for “Returner.”
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Is metal defined as having that awful screaching screaming as the vocals? A lot of what you post I like until they start “singing” and then I have to turn it off. Is there something you could point me to, or should I just focus on other types of music?
If you don’t enjoy this sort of singing, I’d say avoid anything referred to as “black” metal. But there’s plenty of metal with different vocal approaches, of course. What kind of singing do you like?
Well I like Mastodon’s “Seabeast,” and as for other things that at least according to wikipedia are close to the metal family, which to mean seem more “hard rock” are bands like The Jesus Lizard, Dinosaur Jr., Mclusky, Fugazi, MBV, J&MC, At the Drive-In, Motorhead. Any recommendations based on that random assortment of bands?
If you like The Jesus Lizard run, don’t walk to the nearest Melvins record. Houdini is their masterpiece, but I think you’d be just as happy with Bullhead or Gluey Porch Treatments. Also, try out Boris. Start with Pink or Heavy Rocks or Amplifier Worship. You might also dig Harvey Milk. Start with Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men.
Thanks! I got one from each of them, and I like the stuff I’ve heard so far.
For black metal with non screaching vocals, check out the Irish band Primordial, their new one is fantastic (and the previous one was über-fantastic).
(and regardless of the tr00/hipster debate, Liturgy rule pretty hard and the new album is great)
The judgement passed on Liturgy due to the bands’ personal image and comments, etc is hilarious. Their music stands on its own, and isn’t that what matters most? If the music bends some rules and blurs some lines… good for it. If it works, it works, just let it be and enjoy. I’m enjoying.
Okay, so for anyone critical of the vocals, let me me tell you something. I saw this band at SXSW because they went on before White Hills. Their vocalist literally only has two melodies that he sings. He alters the rhthyms of what he sings, but that is all. It is bizarre. Also, I was stunned to find out that he is singing words, and not just words, but different words in every song. It always sounds like, “Rah-rah-rooo!” or “Raay-raaah!” or a combination of both. When the night was over and I was driving home, I kept myself awake with awesome impressions of this guy’s singing.
Sorry…”rhythms”…
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I love this dude’s scream.
While I hate hipsters and part of me bristles at the v-neck tee crowd slumming in Black Metal, I nonetheless appreciate people playing the music without sliding into the annoying costuming and pageantry that ruins any style of music.
From what I hear, these kids are complete pretentious dickwads. But their music’s awesome. Can’t wait to find/hear this album.
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