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Holy Serpent to Release New Album Temples on Sept. 30

holy serpent (Photo by Sally Townsend)

If you’ll recall, Melbourne’s Holy Serpent got a nod at the start of the year for their impending second album as being one of the most anticipated for 2016. They were an easy pick, to be honest. Their 2015 self-titled debut (review here) effectively tapped into and built on a foundation of classic stoner rock, and the news that RidingEasy Records will have the follow-up, titled Temples, out on Sept. 30 is most welcome. I haven’t heard the whole thing yet, but they have the new song “Toward the Sands” streaming now to give an advance sampling, and it sounds right on.

It has been and no doubt will be interesting to hear RidingEasy bands — Electric CitizenHoly SerpentThe WellMonolord, etc. — as they start to kind of develop in their own directions. The label seems to have done well in picking acts who bring a focus on songwriting but have a will toward growth as well. Good ears. Looking forward to hearing the rest of Temples when the time comes.

Preorders are available now, as the PR wire confirms:

holy serpent temples

Holy Serpent announce followup to acclaimed 2015 debut

The concept of “skate-rock” has been around for many years, but it has never been embodied as well as on Temples, the new album by Holy Serpent. While the band members are just casual skateboarders themselves, one might be tempted to think that skating has subtly influenced the band’s sound. Not only are there the elements of 70s hard rock crossed with punk values and energy. But, the music itself is like riding a skateboard: slow grooving passages can shift on a dime into fast thrill-ride riffs. There’s an exhilarating freedom of movement and unpredictability to the sound.

In the short time since their self-titled RidingEasy debut in mid-2015, Melbourne, Australia’s Holy Serpent have gained a lot of attention for their rather punk version of heavy psych and metal. Fittingly, there’s a strong vibe of early Soundgarden, Saint Vitus and Kyuss to Temples in that it’s undeniably heavy, but also clever in its experimentation with subtle tempo shifts, multiple vocal effects and other production techniques. But it’s still more Sabotage than Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

Temples is heavier in tone than the first album, and also more sonically rich and aggressive. The 5-song, 44-minute album finds vocalist/guitarist Scott Penberthy, guitarist Nick Donoughue, bassist Dave Bartlett and drummer Danny Leo (new drummer Lance Leembrugen has replaced Leo since recording to complete the live lineup) expanding the hooks while simultaneously taking listeners on a rigorous ride.

“We’ve found playing slow all the time got a tad boring so we’ve mixed it up a bit with tempo changes and added more parts to each song to make them sort of flow like a story,” Penberthy says. “The challenge was making sure it still flowed as it should. ‘All killer no filler’ was a bit of a motto this time around when writing the songs.”

Album opener “Purification by Fire” emerges slowly from a primordial swamp of a reversed gong crash, synth swells, guitar feedback and lightly plucked bass notes before it all coalesces into a driving but slow-burn riff that spans the length of the fretboard as the drum patterns also subtly shift and slide underneath. It’s a brilliant effect, albeit one you might miss if you’re not paying attention. “Bury Me Standing” launches full throttle with a raging guitar solo over a driving riff/rhythm before a quick about-face into a march as Penberthy’s effect-soaked vocals wail above the proceedings. The song builds slowly upon its elements until Penberthy howls an impassioned plea, “bury me standing, I will not forgive you.” Album centerpiece “Toward the Sands” further pushes the tempo changes and sonic experimentation to great effect as the song effortlessly turns on a dime from fast rager to doom, while all sounding cohesive and melodically infectious. Album closer “Sativan Harvest” is an epic nearly 12-minute multi-part journey, built around a central blues motif that drifts into a massive haze of droning guitars set to fat rhythm pickup tone as it swells then recedes, only to restructure into a mutated version of the original motif that eventually abruptly ends with violin, cello and synths in a slow fade into the ether.

Temples will be available on LP, CD and download on September 30th, 2016 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available for physical here and digital here.

Artist: Holy Serpent
Album: Temples
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: September 30, 2016

01. Purification By Fire
02. Bury Me Standing
03. Toward The Sands
04. The Black Stone
05. Sativan Harvest

facebook.com/HolySerpentBand
www.ridingeasyrecords.com
holyserpentband.bandcamp.com

Holy Serpent, “Toward the Sands”

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