Hailing from the City of Brotherly Love and American popular music hotspot Philadelphia, the hard-rocking retro riff machine HEAVY TEMPLE erupted on the scene in 2014 with their self-titled debut EP. A relentlessly hard-working touring band, they have been lighting up stages across the USA and more recently Europe alongside RUBY THE HATCHET, HOWLING GIANT, THE OBSESSED and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY. Their debut album Lupi Amoris came out in 2021, and it received a rapturous applause from critics and fans, cementing them as one of Philadelphia’s fastest rising bands. Now the trio of High Priestess Nighthawk (vocals, bass), Lord Paisley (guitar), Baron Lycan (drums) return with their ball-busting sophomore album Garden Of Heathens.
HEAVY TEMPLE have become known for their direct, charged up and electrifying brand of psychedelic doom. Focused on driving riffs and powerful vocals, it’s a high-octane trip into another realm in a rocket fuelled by the power generated by a nuclear weapon. Whilst their debut Lupi Amoris was half an hour of scorching heavy psychedelic doom, Garden Of Heathens is a little more refined whilst still maintaining the band’s signature sucker punch sound and sod everyone else attitude. Amped-up, fuzz-drenched and ballsy, Garden Of Heathens also has a lyrical depth that at first glance is easily missed. Focusing on surreal scenarios and leaning into religious metaphors, Nighthawk’s lyrics are actually her most personal yet; delving into everything from the delusional American Dream to relationships, underneath the surface there is a plethora of emotions that include anxiety, betrayal and doubt.
One thing that marks this album out is that it feels like HEAVY TEMPLE have absorbed the multitude of influences and energies around them whilst on tour. Throughout Garden Of Heathens the Philly trio mix old-school doom heaviness with the youthful exuberance of modern rock with the swamp-soaked grooves of NOLA sludge. Alongside this you have the riff artistry and lucid atmosphere building influences of BARONESS, so it is safe to say that Garden Of Heathens being eclectic is an understatement. The magic happens when the trio put their own twist on it, and as a result it is an abrasive and high-octane record that certainly doesn’t suffer from second album syndrome. HEAVY TEMPLE tangibly exude confidence throughout Garden Of Heathens and it commands your attention.
Ultimately Garden Of Heathens is a gritty and raw experience; imagine being in a spit and sawdust bar, tripping on mushrooms and these guys start firing up their amps. You can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer power of the record. From the unrelenting crackling fuzz from both bass and Lord Paisley’s guitar to the booming – occasionally soulful and bluesy depending on the song – vocals from Nighthawk and the thunderous drums of Baron Lycan you’d be hard pressed to not think you’re going into battle against an army of demons like a crazed Berserker. Compared to its predecessor Lupi Amoris, Garden Of Heathens feels more like a statement of intent. The dust has settled on the band’s rise and now they’re aiming to cement their position at the top of the pile.
Kicking off with Extreme Indifference To Life, HEAVY TEMPLE waste no time in getting down to business. A hypnotic introductory riff gives way to a momentous wall of fuzz that will knock you for six. The band’s innate ability to make catchy vocal hooks is on full display here when Nighthawk launches into the song’s chorus. Hiraeth is a fast-paced, punchy and straight to the point heavy rock track imbued with the soul and blues that surrounds the band in Philadelphia. Divine Indiscretion leans more into the band’s psychedelic sound but pushes it a step further into an anthemic realm, consisting of seven minutes of weaving guitar leads and spine-tingling vocals. House Of Warship is a dark and foreboding track that gives you a sense of impending doom. Slow, trudging and bombastic, your skull feels rather delicate after this track.
Nine-minute heavy psych opus Snake Oil (And Other Remedies) opens up the second half of the album and is loaded with dynamic tempo shifts, bluesy grooves and ball-busting vocal harmonies. In The Garden Of Heathens is a brief, almost spiritual interlude that gives you a breather from the frantic riffing, and sets you up for penultimate track Jesus Wept which follows a similar formula to Hiraeth but it feels like Nighthawk is exorcising some demons with her vocals. Psychomanteum closes the album in bombastic metal fashion, unleashing a barrage of surprisingly thrashy riffs that sound like they could be straight from Kill ‘Em All.
HEAVY TEMPLE have certainly made a statement with Garden Of Heathens. It is a heavy, frantic riff-fest that makes you stand up and listen. This is a band brimming with confidence and they’re making sure that their momentum never slows – definitely not a band to sleep on.
Rating: 9/10
Garden Of Heathens is set for release on April 12th via Magnetic Eye Records.
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