Wake and bake sinners, because the inaugural Temples Festival in Bristol starts today. Featuring a veritable plethora of fine metal – with an emphasis on slow burning doom and caustic extremity – the festival offers a serious line up, and one that features Quietus favourites in abundance. Forty three bands over three days, Temples runs until Sunday at Motion, just round the back of Bristol Temple Meads station.
From kings of inspired freak doom Electric Wizard to masters of morose intensity Neurosis; deranged Virginia fuzz loons Satan’s Satyrs to the pomp and, er, ceremony of Blood Ceremony here is a (brief) guide to our personal highlights. Come my fanatics….
Brutal Truth: Reportedly the last ever UK show from New York grind legends Brutal Truth. Expect storming blast beats, guttural roars and perhaps the odd tear…
Electric Wizard: A headline appearance from the doom behemoths. Soon to release a new LP on their own Witchfinder Records, the Wiz’ offer their uniquely gnarled take on fuzzed-out riffery with a brand new line-up featuring the return of original drummer Mark Greening, alongside bassist Clayton Burgess (also of Satan’s Satyrs).
Satan’s Satyrs: Gloriously demented power trio rock & roll. They may not be long out of their teens but Satan’s Satyrs will be supporting blistering new LP Die Screaming with an inimitable blend of way into-the-red fuzz, keen melodic chops and Black Flag meets Electric Wizard doom punk attack.
Blood Ceremony: Epic Canadian doomsters Blood Ceremony have been described by guitarist Sean Kennedy as a "folkier Sabbath": a lyrical obsession with vintage 70s horror; awesome flute solos; chugging riffs… C’mon, what’s not to like….
Neurosis: A rare UK live outing from the Oakland masters of hypnotic bludgeon, Neurosis will no doubt be serving up fierce grooves drawing on their extensive back catalogue of classic LPs. Meditate on bass weight…
Dragged Into Sunlight: Can you dig it? One of the most genuinely unsettling bands around, Dragged Into Sunlight delivered one of the most compelling extreme metal LPs in recent memory in the form of Widowmaker (one of the Quietus’ top albums of 2012). Hear them lay waste.
Temples Festival is taking place from today until Sunday, May 4; for full details and tickets head to the festival’s website
