Liturgy - Renihilation

Renihilation: a term coined by band founder and guitarist/frontman Hunter Hunt-Hendrix to refer to the end product of a dissension against dissension, creating something entirely new and clear in the face of destruction.
Everybody knows that New York is the perfect scenario for musical creation. And everybody knows that New York is the perfect scenario for experimental musical creation. Well, Liturgy are well aware of that and with ‘Renihilation’ they re-invent the so called USBM (United States Black Metal): triumph and desperation is what you'll feel throughout this brilliant and mind-fucking record.
Think of this: Arvo Part composing for a black metal band. And then these kids who look more like they’re coming from the indie scene than trve Emperor or Burzum followers, you don't need to look scary or evil to play trve black metal these days and thank God for that, go to their rehearsal room and play fabulous and intense jams around Part's compositions. Confusing? A little, but it's hard to put this music down in words.
Experimenting really comes around in songs like ‘Immortal Life’, but grimness can also be heard, for example on the intense ‘Ecstatic Rite’. Here, we have the post-black metal at its peak, without the acoustic interludes; frenzy blastbeats, multi-layered screams that create just the right amount of tension and suffer and that jazzy and proggy guitar riffs that keep you hooked for the entire record. The influences of Swans, the wall of sound, and Glenn Branca are really present for the whole record. Ordered chaos my friends, ordered chaos.
This is the kind of thing you wanna hear if you want to have a real transcendental experience. It kicks your ass. It is proggy, melodic and grim. It will sure be, at least, a cult record. And it is only their first effort!
Strongly recommended for open-minded people with urges for tension and totally new black metal. This is how NY indie would sound if they painted themselves with corpse-paints and how black metal will sound in the next years. For sure the black-metal album of this year and one of the top ten of this decade.
For now, they're already touring with bands like Krallice and Shrinebuilder. They have the world at their feet. (9/10)

António Matos Silva

Band info: www.myspace.com/liturgynybm
Label info: www.20buckspin.com