Here's a cool debut full-length from Philadephia, PA doom/stoner rockers Heavy Temple, titled Lupi Amoris, which is Latin for 'Wolves of Love', and one look at the cover tells you right off the bat what you need to know about this wonderful trio. Featuring the enchanting vocals of bassist High Priestess Nighthawk, the group also includes guitarist Lord Paisley, and drummer Baron Lycan. This is eerie, creepy, heavy stuff, owing as much to early '70s Black Sabbath as it does to the stoner scene from the last 20-30 years. Big fat riffs permeate the crushing "A Desert Through the Trees", and the mix of atmosphere and huge slabs of doom riffs turns the track "The Wolf" into an absolute gem. "The Maiden" is another barnstorming song with a tremendous guitar presence, the High Priestess' vocals floating over the top, but her acrobatic bass work is just as impressive. A kick-ass headbanger for sure! The longest track on the album is the 9+ minute "Isabella (with Unrelenting Fangs)" a slower, bluesier slice of psychedelic stoner rock, perhaps the title character Isabella being the great wolf that adorns the cover? This short 30-minute album ends with the creepy, occult/horror laced instrumental "Howling of a Prothalamion", complete with spooky synths, pounding, Bill Ward-styled drums and massive riffs. It's another killer track on an amazing album.
Lupi Amoris is one heavy & enchanting album, so for those that like this sort of thing, monstrous riffs and plenty of eerie, psychedelic sounds await you.
Track Listing
1) A Desert Through the Trees (5:21)
2) The Wolf (5:31)
3) The Maiden (5:39
4) Isabella (with Unrelenting Fangs) (9:29)
5) Howling of the Prothalamion (6:56)
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