I’ve listened to the new @LITVRGY album a bunch of times since it’s come out not long ago, and I thought I’d talk a little about my relationship to the band, how it changed, and, tangentially, how I have changed in the many years since I have become aware of them

I listened to Aesthetica for the first time some time around 2012/3. Well over a year after its release, it was still pretty polarizing, and it often saw agitated discussions in online music discussion circles. (the term “hipster black metal” got thrown around a lot)

When I heard the music itself though, I didn’t quite understand either the hype or the hate. The riffs were tight, unconventional (almost proggy at times!) and impactful. Like many others, I did think the album suffered badly from bloat however, both as an album and within tracks

Fast forward a few years to the release of The Ark Work and the Kel Valhaal side project not long after. The me of the time was neither in a good position nor all that good of a person, and I pretty relentlessly mocked both albums (“cringe” “pretentious” etc)

That’s not to say that I don’t (or didn’t) have actual personal criticisms of the music, but most of that was eclipsed by that ironic mindset of the time, and it took me a long time to even begin recovering from this, and value artistic expression itself regardless of the result

Liturgy’s previous album, HAQQ, came out last year, and I immediately liked it more than Aesthetica. The strong riffwork gained in consistency, and while the electronics still felt kind of haphazard, the real standout were the melodies, which resonated with me on a powerful level

A few months before that album came out, I came out to myself about being a trans woman, so after reading about the main creative force behind the band, HHH, coming out as trans as well earlier this year, listening to her music has taken on a whole different dimension to me

So, about that new album then. Origin of the Alimonies feels as much in line with the shifts of HAQQ as it breaks with them. Riffs have become developments, the electronics are no longer just punctuation, the increased prominence of chamber instruments adds colour

And most importantly I would say, the piece conveys to me a sense of oneness.
I’m curious what her vision will evolve into in the future, regardless of whether we’re here for it or not