Heavy Temple – “Chassit” [EP] [Album Review]

When I think of Philadelphia, a certain crass and unforgiving image plays in my head. The nitty-gritty gang led by Danny DiVito mixed with the Glasgow angst enthusiasts Nothing, paints a picture rather different from the West Philly depicted from our dear friend Will Smith.

Enter psych/fuzz rockers Heavy Temple, who have managed to smuggle (finish this!) into a refined and well put together recording. It’s the type of album who you bring home to mum for dinner and they will wear their best top but will retire with you to listen to heavy records in a hazy rec room. It’s a beautiful mixture, it really is. It’s a small but noticeable achievement for a band to check off all the necessities of a good fuzz album but bend it in such a way to stand out amongst the rest.

Chassit, which is Heavy Temple’s debut full-length, clocks in at a speedy 28-minutes long and is only 4 tracks in length. What seems typical for a fuzz/doom release, the trio has packed in quite a bit to make sure that they are heard. Kicking off with “Key and Bone,” which is the shorter more aggressive sibling of the track list, High Priestess Nighthawk’s vocals soar upwards accompanied by a crashing groove and holds steady throughout. “Ursa Machina” and “Pink Glass” make up the guts of the album and showcase what Heavy Temple have to offer; well-manicured grooves, broken up by bone-crushing doom riffs accompanied by amazing vocals.

I must say, that this is a very exciting release to start my year off with, as the standards are set high for what Heavy Temple’s path will be. For what is seen as a “debut album,” it gives great potential to take their sound further and further. Like most people, I have many New Year’s resolutions that I plan to break in the upcoming month and I bet every dollar that this is going to be the soundtrack I will be doing it to.

Chassit [EP] Track Listing:

01. Key and Bone
02. Ursa Machina
03. Pink Glass
04. In the Court of the Bastard King

Run Time: 28:03
Release Date: January 27, 2017

Check out the album Chassit