Heavy Temple to Release Garden of Heathens April 12; “Extreme Indifference to Life” Posted
Greeting listeners with its opening track positioned as the first single, Heavy Temple‘s second long-player, Garden of Heathens, is set to arrive on April 22 through Magnetic Eye. One will find the self-recording Philly hard fuzzers’ twisting grooves intact from where they left off on 2021’s Lupi Amoris (review here), with High Priestess Nighthawk bringing a refined post-Homme croon to the verses before shifting soulfully into the second chorus. What was true then would seem to remain true now. If you’ve got the itch, Heavy Temple are the scratch.
So be it. “Extreme Indifference to Life” streams below and I count this near if not at the top of my most anticipated records of 2024 list. Note the band toured with Howling Giant for a first European run last Fall, and that I’m pretty sure Garden of Heathens was already recorded before that; guitarist Lord Paisley has been replaced by Christian Lopez, whose nom de plume I’d imagine is pending.
From the PR wire:
HEAVY TEMPLE unleash first single ‘Extreme Indifference to Life’ and details of new album “Garden of Heathens”!
Psychedelic doom fast-risers HEAVY TEMPLE have released the booming opening track ‘Extreme Indifference to Life’ as the first single taken from their forthcoming sophomore full-length “Garden of Heathens”, which has been slated for release on April 12, 2024 via Magnetic Eye Records. The pre-sale is now available at http://lnk.spkr.media/heavy-temple-garden
HEAVY TEMPLE comment: “The lyrics of our new record ‘Garden of Heathens’ are rather personal”, singer and bass player High Priestess Nighthawk reveals. “They are always the last thing to get done, but these nearly wrote themselves. The words came from the darkest parts of my mind that I usually don’t want to confront. Coincidentally, ‘Extreme Indifference to Life’ deals with the imposter syndrome to the extreme: the anxiety of overthinking everything, always wondering if you’re good enough, or even if you were ever any good to begin with.”
Tracklist
1. Extreme Indifference to Life
2. Hiraeth
3. Divine Indiscretion
4. House of Warship
5. Snake Oil (and Other Remedies)
6. In the Garden of Heathens
7. Jesus Wept
8. Psychomanteum
Wherever HEAVY TEMPLE are heading on this diverse and dynamic record, they always stay real with both feet on the ground. Except, that is, when it comes to the lyrics. With her words, the High Priestess admits to peddling a version of things that isn’t real – with a grim smile and quite deliberately so. In fact, that’s the theme running through “Garden of Heathens” as a red thread. From the American Dream to relationships, below the surface there is anxiety, betrayal, and doubt. And while some of the lyrical metaphors might at first glance seem to focus on religion, they are definitely not that literal. Rather, these are Nighthawk’s most personal lyrics ever.
Recording line-up
High Priestess Nighthawk – vocals, bass
Lord Paisley – guitar
Baron Lycan – drums
Guest musician
John Forrestal – cello
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Yeah buddy – right there witchu. What’s really sort of fascinating about this band is that by the time you see them live, they’re playing songs that are already recorded that you haven’t heard because they haven’t been released. I don’t even know another band like this; that tours hard but is somehow both ahead and behind on when their songs can come to our ears, outside of a gig. They definitely make their work ethic work in their favor, honing the songs live; it’s a mix of frustration and absolute bewilderment whenever I see them, because I keep hearing songs I love that a) I haven’t heard before, and b) can’t hear again until the next gig, which is usually like 6 gigs at least away from the next record dropping…frustrating/bewilderment. Frusterment. Yeah.