Liturgy’s H.A.Q.Q. is a record built on extremes: nine tracks, forty-five minutes, a title that reads like a code for a secret sect. The Brooklyn band has spent years pushing metal into new shapes, and this record tries to break the genre apart entirely. It mostly succeeds.
Opening With Hajj
“HAJJ” opens the album with a slow, heavy build that feels like a pilgrimage through a desert of noise. It earns its eight and a half minute runtime by building tension before it finally releases into a wall of sound. It sets the tone immediately: this is not a record for casual listeners.
“EXACO I,” at two minutes and nineteen seconds, is a breather after that opener. It’s a short, sharp burst that doesn’t try to do more than clear the throat. It works as a palate cleanser, nothing more.
“VIRGINITY” follows with a more structured riff and a tighter sense of melody. It’s the most accessible track here, and it’s the one that will get passed around on repeat. At three minutes and forty-seven seconds, it’s also the shortest song that actually sticks in the memory.
“PASAQALIA” stretches out to five minutes and thirty-one seconds and picks up the pace again. It’s a dense, layered track that rewards attention, though it doesn’t quite match the impact of the songs around it.
“EXACO II” is another short, sharp interlude. At two minutes and sixteen seconds, it’s the quickest track on the record and it plays that role well.
“GOD OF LOVE” is the centerpiece of the album, clocking in at eight minutes and five seconds. It’s the longest track and the most ambitious, a slow-burning epic that builds from a whisper into a roar. It’s the track that best captures the record’s tension between chaos and control.
“EXACO III” runs four minutes and carries some of the same urgency as the other short tracks. It’s a solid bridge between the big statements on either side of it.
“HAQQ” closes the album’s main body with a seven-minute statement that ties the record’s themes together. It’s a strong closer, even if it doesn’t quite top the peaks of “GOD OF LOVE.”
“…” ends the album with a final, quiet note. It’s a short, sparse ending that leaves the listener feeling less finished than unsettled.
The Short Tracks
The three “EXACO” tracks — “I,” “II,” and “III” — form the album’s connective tissue. They’re brief, repetitive, and effective at setting a mood rather than telling a story. None of them are essential on their own, but taken together they hold the record’s structure together.
“HAQQ” closes the album’s main body with a seven-minute statement that ties the record’s themes together.
What Holds It Together
The long tracks demand patience, and the shorter ones demand attention in their own way. Together, they make a record that refuses to sit still.
The weaker moments — the middle stretch of “PASAQALIA,” the minor “EXACO” tracks — don’t sink the whole project. They simply show that Liturgy isn’t trying to make everything a standout. This is a record about contrast, and it delivers on that promise.
The Final Word
H.A.Q.Q. is a challenging listen, but it’s also a rewarding one. The long tracks demand patience, and the shorter ones demand attention in their own way. Together, they make a record that refuses to sit still.
Key Facts
– Artist: Liturgy
– Album: H.A.Q.Q.
– Release: 2019
– Tracks: 9
– Total runtime: 45 minutes
– Score: 7 of 10
Verdict: 7 of 10.
- HAJJ8:30
- EXACO I2:19
- VIRGINITY3:47
- PASAQALIA5:31
- EXACO II2:16
- GOD OF LOVE8:05
- EXACO III4:00
- HAQQ7:03
- . . . .3:42
