Nations of Heathens Tour - Bogg's Social & Supply (Atlanta, GA.)
Heavy Temple is a psychedelic, doom metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that has been active since 2012. Heavy Temple consists of High Priestess Nighthawk (bass/vocals), Christian Lopez (guitars), and Baron Lycan (drums). Heavy Temple has released two (2) LPs, two (2) EPs, eight (8) singles, and one (1) split (w/ Wolf Blood). The latest release is Garden of Heathens (April 12, 2024), and I think this album is a testament to the growth of this band over the years with their incredible songwriting ability. My favorite tracks off the new album are; “Hiraeth”, “House of Warship”, “Jesus Wept”, and "Psychomanteum".
Thanks to the Muddy Roots Music Festival (located in Cookeville, Tennessee), in 2018 I was introduced to Heavy Temple. I know I was late to the party, but after seeing them perform live at Muddy Roots, they have a lifelong fan with me, and I knew I would support them in any way that I could. After following them on Bandcamp, I purchased their two (2) albums: Lupi Amoris & Garden of Heathens, and I waited for the chance to see them perform live again. I missed a few opportunities when they came to play Columbia in the past, but when they announced their headlining Nation of Heathens Tour on May 6th, 2024, supporting their latest release, I knew this would be my best chance to see them again. Joining Heavy Temple on the trek across the states was a band that I am also quite familiar with: Valley of the Sun.
Unfortunately, for the last few dates of this tour (including the Atlanta date), both Valley of the Sun and Heavy Temple’s drummer fell ill and could not continue with the tour. Filling in last minute on drums for Heavy Temple, was a longtime friend of the band and Straight Red FC’s drummer, Rick Rhody. Rick learned some crucial songs from Heavy Temple’s discography that would keep the crowd mesmerized from start to finish. In all honesty, Rick’s performance did not skip a beat, and we were all grateful that he was able to fill in for Heavy Temple. In addition to Heavy Temple’s performance, local Atlanta favorites Moonlust (psychedelic rock) was added to the bill for opening support.
Moonlust consists of Major Leigh (vocals), Charles Southern (lead guitar), Bryan ‘Dragon’ Elsenbeck (rhythm/lead guitar), Bennett ‘Dracula’ Grirardot (bass), and Allan Carson (drums). Moonlust has been active in the Atlanta music scene for eight (8) years, and they are currently cooking up some great news for their fans. Not only are they currently waiting on some final edits for two songs: “No Recollection” and “Virtuous” so they can release these tracks for streaming. Moonlust is getting ready to provide opening support for Hippie Death Cult and Kadabra at the Altar inside of The Masquerade in Atlanta, GA. on September 22nd.
With this current lineup, Moonlust is determined to produce some new music and find a record label so they can release their music to their dedicated fans. Before and after their energetic and head-banging set, I caught up with a few members of the band and they were especially excited about this version of the band and what was in store for their future. Honestly, to see and hear that much enthusiasm and devotion regarding one’s artistic direction is quite refreshing. The Atlanta music scene is filled with many passionate and talented artists and bands that deserve some of the spotlight, Moonlust is one of those bands.
You can check out Moonlust’s set list from their opening support of Heavy Temple below:
· “Beautiful Corpses”
· “Six Years”
· “Banshee”
· “No Recollection”
· “Indigo”
· “Virtuous”
Check out Moonlust’s Bandcamp page and hear them for yourself! As mentioned earlier, you can also watch Moonlust perform as opening support at Hippie Death Cult & Kadabra @ The Masquerade in Atlanta, GA.
Valley of the Sun did not take the stage but that does not mean that we do not need to give them some support and recognition. Valley of the Sun is a stoner rock/stoner metal band from Cincinnati, Ohio that has been together since 2010. Valley of the Sun consists of Ryan Ferrier (guitar/vocals), Chris Sweeney (bass/keyboards), and Johnny Kathman (drums). Valley of the Sun has released four (4) LPs and two (2) EPs and is currently signed to Fuzzorama Records, which is the record label run by the legendary, Swedish stoner rock/stoner metal band Truckfighters. You can check out my review from the “Gravity X World Tour: Truckfighters w/ Valley of the Sun & Buzzard Cult (Masquerade)” from March 1, 2020, exclusively on Concerthopper.com. Head over to Valley of the Sun Bandcamp page and listen to their music plus check out their merchandise that is available online.
The crowd was very vocal when Heavy Temple took the stage at Bogg’s Social as they performed some of the final dates of their headlining Nation of Heathens Tour. It had been way too long since I last saw Heavy Temple and I was very excited to right that wrong. You can tell that the crowd’s vibe was perfect for this evening’s event, as Heavy Temple blasted through some powerful, fan-favorite tracks from their discography. Albeit, this was an admittingly shortened set, but only because Rick had a limited amount of time to learn songs from Heavy Temple’s catalog. But you could not tell from the sound or looks of it while the band played on stage. It was nice to see the Heavy Temple crew smiling with each other on stage as they wooed the crowd with tasty jams filled with some sick riffs.
Show some support and head over to Heavy Temple's Bandcamp page to check out their online music streams plus their merchandise selection. You can also listen to High Priestess Nighthawk’s other band, Morgul Blade, by going to their Bandcamp page to show them some support!
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