Liturgy

About

Liturgy transcends the traditional parameters of what constitutes a rock band. Founded by Ravenna Hunt- Hendrix, Liturgy is a part of a shared discipline of composition, art, and philosophy that thrives on exploring the spaces between. As an ever-evolving practice Hunt-Hendrix has incorporated elements of black metal, art rock, opera, and trap production into the musical language of Liturgy while engaging with transcendental, theological and eschatological theory through lectures series’ and art installations. A profound sense of yearning and emotional depth weaves through the Liturgy’s dense layers and anchors the project’s increasingly complex and innovative work. New album 93696 is the purest synthesis of the diversity of Liturgy, a sprawling and monumental double album exploring religion, cosmic love, the feminine, and metamorphosis while manifesting the ecstatic with breathtaking grandeur.

93696 is a number derived from the religions of Christianity and Thelema, a numerological representation of heaven, or a new eon for civilization. Hunt-Hendrix composed the album as an exploration of eschatological possibility divided by the four “laws” that govern her own interpretation of heaven, “Haelegen”: Sovereignty, Hierarchy, Emancipation, and Individuation. These laws constitute the four movements of 93696 which act as dramas all their own within the framework of the record. Throughout the movements Hunt- Hendrix invokes the album’s myriad of personal and conceptual themes through the ensemble’s sheer force of sound, her will and intent blossoming from each bombarding gale. Hunt-Hendrix’s keening voice sows passionate crescendos and imagist poetry into the elaborate arrangements. The meticulously crafted and nuanced compositions flex and stretch dexterously, bounding with an incalculable momentum that contorts and stutters at lightning speed. Hunt-Hendrix notes on the album’s recording process: “We recorded it to tape in a much more live way than usual, aiming to make it sound more punk-meets-classical than metal, which is the usual recording style reference for us.”

Liturgy’s signature use of rhythmic complexity and repetition are exponentially amplified to maximalist proportions on 93696. Along with guitarist Mario Miron, bassist Tia Vincent- Clark, and drummer Leo Didkovsky, Hunt-Hendrix utilizes Liturgy’s past ruminations on burst beats and circuitous phrases as colors to paint rich murals that overwhelm and invigorate the senses. Pieces like “Djennaration” mirror 19th central classical compositions through their formal structures as well as their evocative arrangements that reach towards the sublime. Strings, choirs, flutes, horns and bells soar to climactic heights. Liturgy’s use of symphonic forms is less subversion of rock music than it is a wholehearted embrace, fully exploiting the power and dynamism of each in tandem. Title track “93696” employs the most steady backbeat of Liturgy’s oeuvre within a 15-minute through-composed epic, dynamics in constant flux, colored with twinkling bells and measured piano, counterpoint to their usual chaotic, progressive rhythms. Didkovsky’s unending dexterity and precision behind the kit belies the ensemble’s ferocity and infectious groove in equal measure. Miron’s guitar twirls in dizzying countermelodies to Hunt-Hendrix’s squall as Vincent-Clark’s roaring bass tethers the quartet’s intricate rhythm framework to their melodicism. “Angel of Hierarchy,” “Red Crown II” and “Angel of Individuation” lay bare Hunt-Hendrix’s ability to conjure haunting beauty from any combination of instruments, whether it’s through marxophone, ocarina, string orchestra or children’s choir. By seamlessly incorporating disparate sources, from “Djenneration”’s trap shuffle to the spackled glitches of “Before I Knew the Truth” to the robotic cadence on “Haelegen II,” Hunt-Hendrix employs another facet of her musical voice into the compositions, a defiant proclamation of agency and independence in the face of expectation.

The music of Liturgy is in a constant state of searching. In pursuit of larger truths, be they philosophical or personal, Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix and her band imbue their music with a sense of urgency and ceaseless longing. 93696 reflects the awe of the unknowable and celebrates what revelations and mysteries lie ahead.

Tour Dates

    The Stone Church Brattleboro, VT w/ The HIRS Collective
    Bar Le Ritz PDB Montreal, QC w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The Garrison Toronto, ON w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Mohawk Buffalo, NY w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Grog Shop Cleveland, OH w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Sanctuary Detroit, MI w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Empty Bottle Chicago, IL w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Turf Club St Paul, MN w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The Aquarium Fargo, ND w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Sled Island Festival Calgary, AB w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Fox Cabaret Vancouver, BC w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Substation Seattle, WA w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Star Theater Portland, OR w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Cafe Colonial Sacramento, CA w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The Independent San Francisco, CA w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Resident Los Angeles, CA w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The Nile Underground Mesa, AZ w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Sister Bar Albuquerque, NM w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The Lost Well Austin, TX w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The End Houston, TX w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    Gasa Gasa New Orleans, LA w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The Earl Atlanta, GA w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The Pour House Raleigh, NC w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The Richmond Music Hall Richmond, VA w/ The HIRS Collective
    The Metro Gallery Baltimore, MD w/ The HIRS Collective
    Milk Boy Philadelphia, PA w/ The HIRS Collective
    Arctangent Festival Bristol, UK Tickets
    Trillians Rock Bar Newcastle, UK Tickets
    Brudenell Social Club Leeds, UK Tickets
    Green Door Store Brighton, UK Tickets
    Oslo London, UK Tickets
    Cassiopeia Berlin, DE Tickets
    Underdogs Prague, CZ Tickets
    Arena Vienna, AT Tickets
    Instant-Fogas-Complex Budapest, HU Tickets
    Institut Für Zukunft Leipzig, DE Tickets
    TBA Rotterdam, NL
    Little Devil Tilburg, NL Tickets
    Patronaat Haarlem, NL Tickets
    Trix Antwerpen, BE Tickets
    Petit Bain Paris, FR Tickets
    Connexion Live Toulouse, FR Tickets
    Sala VOL Barcelona, ES Tickets
    El Perro Club Madrid, ES Tickets

Tour Dates

    The Stone Church Brattleboro, VT w/ The HIRS Collective
    Bar Le Ritz PDB Montreal, QC w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets
    The Garrison Toronto, ON w/ BIG|BRAVE Tickets

More dates

Videos

Tracklist

00:00:00

    As the Blood of God Bursts the Veins of Time

  • 1 93
  • 2 36
  • 3 696
  • 4 संसार
  • 93696

  • 1 Daily Bread
  • 2 Djennaration
  • 3 Caela
  • 4 Angel of Sovereignty
  • 5 Haelegen II
  • 6 Before I Knew the Truth
  • 7 Angel of Hierarchy
  • 8 Red Crown II
  • 9 Angel of Emancipation
  • 10 Ananon
  • 11 93696
  • 12 Haelegen II (Reprise)
  • 13 Angel of Individuation
  • 14 Antigone II
  • 15 Immortal Life II
  • Tracks

Discography