Trans, transgression, transcendence, transgender. These are just some of the terms that could easily define Liturgy’s non-obviousness. Because let’s agree, Liturgy is a she – Haela Hunt-Hendrix.

Existing since 2005, the American project, which for many years has been under the pejorative patch of “hipster black metal” with its latest album “93696” only confirmed how wrong it was to use it. The music has always shied away from categorization and schemes, and from album to album revealed further spheres of the group’s (no doubt) extremely versatile musical imagination. Structurally, we are now dealing with something resembling more classical and even operatic (sic!) music than metal. But this is not pompous pathos laced with blatant clichés. Hendrix elevates from extreme music its solemn character, without crossing the thin line of exaggeration.

It’s a real-life opera.

Despite the refreshed almost entire lineup, Liturgy sticks to its program direction making it clear who plays first fiddle here, or in this context rather guitar. Musical evolution, against the turbulent vicissitudes of Hendrix’s life is taking place at a uniformly accelerated pace – it’s different, but we’re ready for the change and guess what direction it will go.

Of course, lovers of black metal, especially its melodic-atmospheric varieties, will feel comfortable with Liturgy’s music, but there’s no need to force it into a framework just because of the omnipresent screaming, guitar tremolo or blast beat. It’s the effect that counts – not the means, and this one is definitely beyond genre. Because here we have the spirit of progressive rock, certainly avant-garde, there are ethno elements, classical instrumentation appears – strings, keyboards, choirs, there are also (characteristically) modified guitar sounds resembling bells. It is an experiment, a fact, but not alienating or inaccessible. One would like to say that everyone will find something in Liturgy for themselves, but we are convinced that it is rather the music that will find something in us first.

Avant Art Festival will be the first to grace Liturgy’s stages in Poland.