Monthly Archives: April 2021

After their first self-released and self-titled EP “Heavy Temple” (2014) was picked up by esteemed German cult label Ván Records, the self-released single ” Love You To Death ” and sophomore EP “Chassit” followed in 2016.  Second single “Key & Bone” arrived in 2018, and the split 7″ “From the Black Hole” with WOLFBLOOD materialized in 2020, but it took until 2021 for a full album to appear on the horizon at last. It speaks volumes about HEAVY TEMPLE‘s talent and face-melting live impact that the invitations to attractive tours and prestigious festivals continued to roll in anyway.

Although HEAVY TEMPLE leverage all the trappings of traditionally male-oriented metal (to the point that their sound could proudly sport a full beard), the powerful presence of frontwoman and sole remaining founding member High Priestess Nighthawk merges their glorious heaviness with a strong thematic line of feminine strength.

“Lupi Amoris” is Latin for “Wolves of Love,” and takes strong inspiration from Angela Carter’s story “The Company of Wolves.” In it, the narrative of Red Riding Hood is flipped from a cautionary tale about the dangers of lust and desire, feelings young women were traditionally expected to stifle, to a story of female sexuality and power reclaimed.  “Lupi Amoris” finds the Philly outfit aligning with a Red Riding Hood who is freed from the traditional bonds of what’s expected. 

Proving that it’s quite possible to hammer out gargantuan stoner doom and still say something about life’s realities, HEAVY TEMPLE make a fierce and much-needed statement with “Lupi Amoris”, and at these volumes, the world is guaranteed to hear it.