Interview: Heavy Temple Come to Shred The Middle East in Cambridge
When it comes to the current state of heavy metal, one of the best albums abiding by that style that has come out so far this year has been Garden of Heathens by the Philadelphia power trio Heavy Temple. The full-length release that came out back on April 12 via Magnetic Eye Records has an abundance of energy and amplification. For metalheads within the Boston metro area, they’re going to be getting the opportunity to experience this in person very soon. That’s because bassist & vocalist High Priestess Nighthawk, drummer Baron Lycan and guitarist Lord Paisley are going to be ripping the upstairs stage at the Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub on 472 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge on July 17. Cincinnati stoner rockers Valley of the Sun and local hard rock act Alreckque are going to be rounding out the night with it all starting at 7pm.
Nighthawk and I had a talk about the making of the new album, the importance of sleep and clean underwear while touring and thoughts on the upcoming show.
With Garden of Heathens being Heavy Temple’s sophomore full-length release, how did the recording and songwriting process differ from your first full-length Lupi Amoris that came out during 2021?
For most of the songs on Lupi Amoris, I had already written them beforehand, so it was just a matter of getting us together to record it. This album was our first truly collaborative writing effort and I also think that this album is a lot more dynamic than the other one. I’d like to think that I’m a pretty good songwriter, but sometimes you need the checks and balances that writing with other people gives you that you don’t have when you’re writing by yourself.
That makes sense. Where did you end up recording Garden of Heathens?
Well, all of our other albums have been super DIY and we recorded Lupi Amoris ourselves. For this album, we went to The Animal Farm, which is a studio in New Jersey and it’s a super cool place. It’s a converted barn with a beautiful studio and the bottom half is a little Airbnb situation, so you can stay there while you’re recording.
That’s awesome.
Yeah, it was different, and it was nice. I’m sure that Baron [Lycan] was thrilled because he didn’t have to record himself this time. It was nice to have somebody else in charge and all we had to do was write, show up and play. John [Forrestal] is a great producer, and he has all of these extra instruments, so we were able to have a real studio experience where we had the freedom to sort of experiment.
It’s been said that this album has a more sophisticated and diverse approach while maintaining a heavy sound, so how did you go about achieving this balance?
Again, the collaboration is a huge part of that. I like to think of this album as sort of a monument to all things heavy. We each have different influences with Baron being more into extreme metal, I’m from a classical background while having an appreciation for heavy music and [Lord] Paisley is super into psych-rock. It’s a really nice blend of a bunch of things and that’s how we were able to really write this record while having such a diverse musical well to pull from.
Heavy Temple has been known for their extensive amount of touring ever since their start in 2012, so what would you say is the best way to keep from getting burnt out while being on the road for a few months?
The key for me, at least the last couple of tours that we’ve done, is plotting out where we’re going to be able to stay. I’m somewhat of a lodging expert, so I like to make sure that we get a nice place, especially if we have a day off or we have two shows within short distance of each other. For example, one time we had two shows in Tennessee, so we got a place in between both locations that had a pool and a slide. We had a little bit of R&R while not getting too dumb, drinking too many beers and all that. I’m not going to say that we eat healthy, but we try to pace ourselves while still trying to have a good time when we’re on the road.
We’ll maybe go see the world’s largest frying pan or something like that to kind of break up the monotony. Definitely sleep, sleep is the best thing along with having clean underwear.
Both things are very crucial, I couldn’t agree more. Being a band from Philadelphia, what are your thoughts when it comes to performing in the Boston area like the show you have coming up at the Middle East?
To be fair, I think the last time we played in Boston proper was our first big tour, which was with Pilgrim. That must have been the last time we were up there, but we did play in Plymouth which was pretty fun. I’m excited to see what’s up, I’ve heard a lot of good things about Cambridge. I know there’s some record stores or whatever, but it’s been a long time so I’m excited to kick things off there. If anyone has any suggestions, please let us know.
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