Interview with THE TEMPLE

by Vpower

The Band: The Temple

Country: Greece

Answers by: Father Alex (bass, vocals)

https://www.facebook.com/the.temple.doom.metal

https://thetemple2.bandcamp.com/releases

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The Temple is a band from Greece, a country where Metal is boiling as a cauldron in hell. Thay are about to publish their first full-lenth album “Forevermourn”, on March 18^th, and it means the confirmation of a band destined to write great chapters in the book of Doom Metal history for many years to come, if nothing strange happens. It’s a pleasure to have this chat with Father Alex.

Hello guys and thank you for this interview. The Temple is a young band in terms of releases, one demo, an EP and now this great “Forevermourn”. What differences are we going to find between your new album and your 2006 demo?

Hello there! The honor is mine for the interview and for the good words, thank you. Actually, you are going to find out that there are many differences between the 2006 demo, the As Once Was Ep and the Forevermourn album. It is the solid and solemn state of doom that we perform which followed the desirable evolution.  

There have been also some changes in the line-up recently. In 2005 Felipe and Paul entered the band, how did it happen and how has it affected your work as a band?

In 2005, we were a two-piece band including me and a good friend of mine back then which helped me complete my vision. In 2014 I reformed the band and the first member that I called was Paul, as I knew him from our collaboration from Orion’s Void. Then, Stefanos, a good friend and Tolis joined and we made a couple of live shows and the recordings of the As Once Was EP. Then Tolis left for personal reasons and Felipe, a talented guitar player joined us and we recorded Forevermourn.

Since your demo till your EP “As once was” there are almost ten years of silence, what happened?

As things were difficult with The Temple because of the lack of members, I was hired in another doom metal band, Orion’s Void, to fulfil the gap of the vocalist and the bass player. We recorded a demo and we played a couple of concerts. Then we split up because of our university and army duties. That’s how we remained in silence for 10 years. 

“As once was” is a recording of old material, right, or there are new songs in the middle?

As Once Was includes Hippie Witch, which is the very first song that it was composed forThe Temple and All of Them Witches, which is the second. Both of them are also in the first demo but more rough, as I changed many parts of the old versions. Also, there is All Hope Is Gone, which was written back in 2007, predestinated for Orion’s Void. So, there are mainly old songs, which explain the title of the EP.

The EP served you to gain the attention of I Hate Records, how satisfied are you with their recruitment?

I knew I HATE records from the cd of Isole, Ereb Altor, Forsaken, Fall of the Idols and many more that I have. When I received the mail from them saying that they are interested in us, I just couldn’t believe it. It is a label that I admire and always wanted to be part of. Now this dream came true and both of the guys there are pretty cool. I am completely satisfied.

Well, time to talk a little about you fantastic new album, “Forevermourn”. How long did you work on it?

First of all, I am so glad that you like it and thank you so much for this characterization. So, after the recordings of the EP, I had many new ideas and songs that were almost ready. We started working on them, adding mainly new things. I would say, it took me 10 months to complete them before entering the studio to record them.

I have come to know that you recorded it live in an abandoned music hall over the course of one week, which is very cool and quite unusual in this era of computers and high-tech productions… How was it and what effects it had in your sound?

Our producer Manos had the idea. Manos was also the guy who produced and mastered our EP. I was satisfied by his work, so I decided to cooperate again with him. So, as he was familiar with our sound, he proposed that we should go to his grandfather’s abandoned music hall and record there. We found that idea fascinating and we went there. It was an abandoned place for more than 20 years. We set all the equipment and we started recording. I might say that we still love the result, all of us, and it influenced our sound totally!

The Temple’s music can be described just by saying Doom or you will include something else, for example Epic?

We play Doom Metal. My vision combines all the good moments of both traditional and epic doom influences that we have. So, I would simply say, that we are a Doom Metal band. Nothing more, nothing less.

In my opinion you make Doom with so many edges that no one can accuse you of being typical or boring. What are you favorite songs from this “Forevermourn”?

Well, thank you once again. It is true, that no one accused us for such things yet. That makes me happy. I am happy also from the fact, that everyone that listened to the album has a different favorite song form the other. My favourite is the last one, Until Grief Reaps Us Apart.

What are the lyrics about?

The lyrics are about emotions in general. Sorrow, regret, sadness, love, hate, death, inner struggles and social disappointments are some of them.   

One of my favorite songs is “Until Grief Reaps Us Apart”, 12 minutes of incredible epic sounds, great solos and voices, no one second to miss. How do you compose a track like this? It was destined to be that long from the very beginning or it is just that you find yourselves so inspired that you couldn’t stop  ?

Thank you! As I said before, it is my favorite as well. It is based on real facts, so maybe that’s why it has this energy that flows all over the 12 minutes long. The feelings of the situation that the lyrics say, made me composed it like this. It was not destined to be that long; it was just destined to end when it was supposed to. And this happened to the 12^th minute   

What bands have influenced your music?

Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, Pentagram, Reverend Bizarre, Warning, Isole, Mirror Of Deception, Pallbearer, Orodruin, Scald, Solstice, Dissection, Primordial, 70’s prog rock, 60’s Greek Folk music and many more.

We can say that The Temple is a band for the live shows?

We don’t know it yet, because we have played only 2 shows yet. Now, there are programmed more, both on Greece and abroad, including our release live in few days,Muskelrock festival in Sweden in June and Doom over Greece II in Athens. However we would like and we surely want to play live, so we will talk about it later on!

Do you have any touring dates arranged already?

Yes, the 3 gigs I said before 

In my opinion, The Temple joins a group of bands from Greece that are pushing ahead with so much strength, getting a space in the international scene even. Bands like Universe217, Poem, etc. What do you think?

Thank you for saying this. Greece in general has incredible bands that unfortunately they remain underground due to many reasons. Bands from every genre of metal. If you look at the booklet of the cd, I suggest a lot of Greek bands to check. Universe 217 is a great band, especially live. I wouldn’t say they are a doom metal band, but they are heavy enough.  Haven’t heard of Poem though.

And finally, now that you have gained speed again, what can we expect from The Temple in the future?

You can expect live concerts, and more albums I believe. I have already many new riffs and ideas, and I am waiting the right time when the feelings and the emotions are set to compose them again. 

Thank you very much and see you on the road. If you wish to add something…

It was a pleasure and an honor to answer these questions. Thank you so much for everything and for your kind words. It means a lot to us. Keep Doom Metal pure and support the underground. Greetings from Thessaloniki, North Greece.

Father Alex