Liturgy (NY-USA) - Origin of the Alimonies (2020)^{Release ID: 24379}

I've never been a Liturgy fan. I checked out "Aesthetica" back when that album originally came out, surrounded by noise from Hunter's "manifesto". I didn't understand it, didn't enjoy it, and filed this group away as pretentious, unmusical nonsense. But whether it's Liturgy or myself that grew, I found myself intrigued and enamored by this release after an initial curious listen. I love how the music always seems to be building towards something, towards something grand and higher than the music itself. The classical string and brass, and the touches of electronic sounds, never feel out of place amidst the metallic foundation, inhabiting the world of this album as if they've always been there. Some sections don't do as much for me as others, but as a whole, this is a unique and rewarding experience with some transcendent moments.

The Definition of Pretentious "High Art"

On the surface, Liturgy’s conglomerate sound that comprises classical instruments, relentless black metal tremolo picking guitars and punishing blast beats, indistinguishable howling screams, and glitchy industrial tendencies sounds like an interesting concept. And I can see how and why a lot of people are flocking to Liturgy, especially following their H.A.Q.Q. LP from 2019. I’m not one of those people, and 2020 sees the band follow up that album alarmingly quickly with much of the same that turned me away from the group in the first place.

The songwriting on this record is incredibly misguided. When you are given all of these labels and are now forced to manage all of them simultaneously, the juggling task at hand is nearly impossible. Using them to create uncomfortable environments, while still making memorable music is extremely challenging. The problem with Origin of the Alimonies? There is no memorability! Hunt-Hendrix sounds like they just discovered classical music the other day, and the first piece they listened to was Karl Stockhausen’s Kreuzspiel. Having polyphony between two or more instruments with zero connectivity between the parts make the opening moments of this album abhorrent. Rather than create an unsettling melody or motif, what we end up with is more minor seconds and tritones that would make the devil himself blush. Listen to composer's like Messiaen, Bartok, or Hindemith for proof that melodic dissonance can be done well.

Honestly, when the album is at its best is during the fourteen minute tune “Apparition of the Eternal Church”. This minimalist piece actually has some recurring themes, particularly in the tremolo guitars, but the transitions in and out of those themes are well developed and create something that is somewhat memorable. And those themes are developed further by the glitchy production and acoustic instrumentals. I also didn’t mind the slow buildup into pure chaos on the song “The Fall of SIHEYMN”. At least that tune had an end goal.

The rest of the album feels like a meandering mess. Atonality does not immediately make a song/album bad. It’s how well the dissonance is used to create a claustrophobic environment and makes you want to return to that place once again. Origin of the Alimonies is the sort of avant-garde project that will wow you with its hodgepodge of sounds, but delivers nothing else of intrinsic value. And it ends up feeling more forgettable because of it.

EDIT: pronouns in the second paragraph. I was not aware that Hunt-Hendrix came out as transexual in May of 2020.