The Ark Work

The Ark Work, the much-anticipated new album from Brooklyn black metal-ish band Liturgy, is not for the faint of heart. But figuring out exactly who the album is for is more of a (perhaps intentional) mystery. The album is a confounding mix of styles, with a smattering of blast beats and tremolo picking—the hallmarks of black metal and its more recent, resurgent offshoots—combined with a prominently placed array of synths, samples, drum machines, horns, glockenspiels, bells, organs and an assortment of other off-the-wall sounds. Combined with frontman Hunter Hunt-Hendrix's plaintive, moaning vocal delivery, this mish-mash gives The Ark Work an unpredictability that may be tough for purists, or the unadventurous, to stomach. But for those willing to listen with an open mind, The Ark Work reveals a band purposefully pushing themselves well past the boundaries of an already edgy genre. By eschewing doom-and-gloom guitars and caterwauling vocals, Liturgy finds a sound that is at times far more diabolical; the oppressive wall of trumpets on “Kel Valhaal” seems like something you would actually hear during the apocalypse. Is The Ark Work ahead of its time? It may be operating outside of time entirely.