New York 'Transcendental' Black Metallers Liturgy Announce First-ever Australian Tour

New York’s “transcendental black metal” outfit Liturgy are making their way to Australia for the very first time this November, with support from Melbourne’s acclaimed metal-edged noise musician, Uboa.

Stretching the bounds of black metal as we know it, Liturgy refuse to be pigeonholed. Pulling from elements of hip-hop, opera (particularly 2020’s Origin Of The Alimonies), progressive rock and electronic music, the US group will be promoting their latest record, 93696, released in March this year.

Originally the solo project of Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix (vocals, guitar since 2005), she expanded Liturgy to a four-piece band in 2008. The group currently consists of Hunt-Hendrix, guitarist Mario Miron, bassist Tia Vincent-Clark and drummer Leo Didkovsky.

In the description of a YouTube video by Hunt-Hendrix on the nature of Liturgy’s description as a “metal” band, she writes that she “believe[s] that the highest respect you can show someone is to make contact with the essence of their art in a way that fractures their own beliefs about what is most important about it. I don't think metal is about having and upholding the status of heroes from previous generations.”

Playing black metal shouldn’t be about endlessly paying homage to Fenriz, Ihsahn or Euronymous, Hunt-Hendrix argues. Rather, it should be about appropriating what you like from these bands and combining it with other things in ways that are truly unique, that actually risk making a statement.

As she says, “using metal as a material rather than a form”. You can check out Kill Your Stereo’s ten-year retrospective article on Liturgy’s infamous Aesthethica here.

Nowhere has Liturgy’s fearless approach to discarding convention been more apparent than on this year’s 93696 – an intricate and indulgent sharing of complex riffs, chaotic percussive fury, glitched-out electronic peaks, and atypical orchestration, all intelligently balanced by Hunt-Hendrix’s soul-piercing shrieks.

Following performances at this year’s prestigious Arctangent and Primavera Sound festivals, Liturgy will debut in Australia for the first time with three exclusive headline shows.

Sign up for the Destroy All Lines pre-sale, which begins tomorrow (24 May) at 10 am. Tickets go on sale on Friday, 26 May, at 10 am. Find your tickets here.

Destroy All Lines presents:

LITURGY 

AUSTRALIAN TOUR NOVEMBER 2023 

w/ UBOA

Thursday 16 November – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane

Friday 17 November – The Lansdowne, Sydney

Saturday 18 November – Stay Gold, Melbourne