Dwelling in mystery and seizing the opportunity to explore the unknown, incorporating elements of art-rock, black metal, opera, IDM and technical-polyrhythmic metal, Liturgy continue to traverse philosophical and musical boundaries, tying the two together intrinsically. Most recently this was evidenced with 2019’s widely hailed “H.A.Q.Q.”, based around an ongoing series of philosophical lectures hosted on YouTube, a release that was closely followed by 2020’s “Origin Of Alimonies”, which was composed as an opera based upon a film created by Liturgy’s driving force, Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix. It was to be expected that ’93696’ would be equally as challenging structurally as it would be conceptually.
‘93696’ is less of a quintessential ‘double album’ and more of a classically orchestrated symphony arranged in four movements. This is echoed through Hunt-Hendrix’s philosophy behind this new project, exploring ‘93696’ as a numerological representation of heaven (rather Hunt-Hendrix’s interpretation: ‘Haelegen’). Their interpretation is said to be governed by four laws which denote the four movements of the composition: Sovereignty, Hierarchy, Emancipation and Individuation (also included in the titles of the four instrumental interludes featured in the tracklist). The album explores these philosophical interpretations lyrically as well, through the use of reflective poetry and emotive conceptualisation, exploring religion, cosmic love and femininity.
If it sounds a little perplexing and hard to grasp, that’s because it is. Make no mistake, this album is not for everyone, Liturgy have never shied away from high concept philosophies or deep diving into classical music theory and this recent offering is no exception. Over the course of the eighty-two minute run time, Liturgy draw from classical compositional techniques, attempting to evoke a “musical manifestation of heaven”, however complex that may be.
Exploring varying dynamics, texture, tonal qualities and instrumentation, ‘93696’ is a coalescence of various musical themes and motifs including; chaos, confusion, repetition as a prelude to metamorphosis, profound emotion and awe-inspiring beauty. These themes are regularly brought together in an overt juxtaposition; whether it’s between the beauty of the orchestral instrumentation clashing against the harsh technically-inspired black metal, or the intricate nature of the composition often giving way to overwhelming staccato electronic glitches.
But there are plenty of melodies to be found here, small compositional motifs and even rhythmic patterns that are shared between the four movements: in subtle instances such as the lead vocal melody from ‘Daily Bread’ bleeding into the background of ‘Djennaration’ as a string and ocarina melody. There are more obvious examples examples; such as ‘Haelegen II’ and ‘Haelegen II (Reprise)’, with the reprisal format taking a prominent 12-string guitar melody from the titular song’s chorus and rendering it the focal feature. This is true for ‘93696’ as a whole, throughout there are small familiar moments where certain repetitions from previous songs or movements are being played in a completely unique way.
“Liturgy draw from classical compositional techniques, attempting to evoke a “musical manifestation of heaven”, however complex that may be.”
The aforementioned ‘Djenneration’ is a highlight of the album and emblematic of Liturgy’s back catalogue as a whole: it roars to life, a swelling string section and ocarinas accompanies the erratic drums, relentlessly aggressive double kicks, burst beats (Hunt-Hendrix’s own take on blast beats) and seismic polyrhythmic shifts. Piercing vocals howl emotionally as shredding tremolo guitars and texturally diverse bass add to ever evolving orchestral layers, grinding to a glitched-out mid-melodic halt, before resuming as if there was no disturbance to the initial ferocity. There are so many complex moving parts over the nearly eight-and-a-half-minute run time, all serving to build to an epic and unstoppable sonic payoff, an emotional climax that mirrors the structure of classic 19th century orchestration.
The third single released ahead of the album, ‘Before I Knew The Truth’, is arguably the most straightforward cut, sitting firmly within the black metal style of the band. The familiar tremolo guitar, drones, precise bass, meticulous double kick and burst rhythms, all with Hunt-Hendrix’s pained howling sitting atop it all. The harsh nature of the glitchy patterns really cuts across here, but there is a gently melodic and mildly robotic melody sung underneath everything, that works in-step with the typically abrasive vocals.
‘Ananon’ into the title track ‘93696’ is an equally ferocious twenty-minute passage in the ‘Emancipation’ movement, with the title itself (a sprawling near fifteen-minute epic), a notable standout. ‘93696’ moves from pounding drum rhythms to glockenspiels and wailing guitars, onto highly-strung emotional crescendos before crashing back down into jolting polyrhythmic patterns once again. The pace and tempo alter midway through and it all becomes more deliberate and methodical, one moment leaning hard into a deliberately repetitive section that feels like CD freezing and stuttering in place. The only tell-tale sign the audio isn’t frozen, is due to the hammering of the piano serving to building tension. All these components function to bring out the emotive beauty of the melody once again in a way that feels dramatic and emotion, culminating in a turbulent crescendo at the end of the piece.
It’s safe to say the tonal quality of everything here is immaculate, with Steve Albini recording the raw and significantly varied instrumentation through analogue means expertly. Liturgy recorded the skeleton of instrumentation live to tape, with the orchestral and classical performances captured in a similarly analogue vein. From the scraped percussion and Ocarinas on ‘Red Crown II’, to the children’s choir featured throughout, (highlighted on ‘Angel of Sovereignty’), the orchestral elements are captured pristinely.
It wouldn’t be such a prominent talking point, had it not transpired in the modern age of recording, where most mainstream alternative albums are captured through digital means, scrutinised intensely and “fixed in post” – so it is refreshing to hear an album so complex and detailed that has been captured as organically as possible.
This makes the performances stand out as well; with a rich warmth emanating from Tia Vincent-Clark’s bass tracks, the sharp-yet-distorted tone of Mario Miron and Hunt-Hendrix’s guitars, Ravenna’s piercingly emotive shrieking vocals and softness of her cleanly sung passages, held together with the raw, powerful and dexterous percussion of drummer Leo Didkovsky. Every track sounding just as clean as any other on the album, with such complex composition, Liturgy and the accompanying musicians manage to play with absolute precision and passion throughout, making this a true tour-de-force.
Seth Manchester is credited with mixing and does an outstanding job of directing the wide range of instrumentation employed, masterfully balancing the analogue with the electronic. Chirping synthesis, processed robotic vocal, hard ‘glitchy’ elements, all have been picked out precisely within the dynamics of the orchestration, ensuring each detail of the wider instrumentation shines through. It’s hard not to get lost in the minutia of the mix, with seemingly irrelevant details lurking at the far reaches, forming fantastically interwoven textures lining every track in each movement. It has the potential to be genuinely hypnotic at times.
“‘93696’ moves from pounding drum rhythms to glockenspiels and wailing guitars, onto highly-strung emotional crescendos before crashing back down into jolting polyrhythmic patterns once again”
The final movement in particular is breathtaking. The full initial orchestral composition in the heavenly and emotive ‘Angel of Individuation’ buds with a simple string quartet and blossoms to accommodate a much larger accompaniment classical instruments. This in turn is juxtaposed with the ferocious and discomforting ‘Antigone II’, serving as the emotional climax of the record. It has brutally jagged rhythmic pace, frenetic arrangement and a dynamic sonic sweep of exploration. The orchestration is pointed towards building intensity, bursting with emotive energy. The musicianship on display here really runs the gauntlet – as Liturgy have done for this whole album – before one final burst of pulsing burst beats and cymbal crashes, double kicks and furious rolls as the instrumentation swells one last time, for a deservedly grandiose finale. ’Immortal Life II’ seamlessly blends into the ending, playing gentle Marxophone and delicate operatic singing, easing the listener back to reality after such passionate and intense journey.
Most Liturgy albums have unique aspects to them, progressively adding elements to the compositional playbook as the albums continued. However with ‘93696’, it feels like an amalgamation of the musical components Hunt-Hendrix has laid out before into one epic, and emphatically executed showcase of what Liturgy is truly about. Repeated listens are highly encouraged, as you’ll find yourself rewarded with small details within the composition that were missed initially and continue revealing themselves on repeat visits.
Expertly written, orchestrated, performed, recorded, mixed and produced, ‘93696’ is a triumph by all measures for those willing to test themselves musically or conceptually. This album broadens the scope of what avant-garde and extreme experimental music has the potential to achieve. ‘93696’ undoubtedly has a right to stake its claim as Liturgy’s magnum opus.