A festival is far more than just the music and Temples fully embodies this; an authentic feel is at the heart of this event, and every piece is an extension of that. From the line-ups to the community that gathers there, there’s a sense of belonging that crosses tastes, attitudes and appearance. The sense of anticipation is palpable. For a venue which comprises two large rooms within a converted warehouse and a cowshed as the external third stage, Temples is an easily navigated set up which means less queuing and more viewing. First off Cänia deliver their set of vicious industrialised black metal which feels totally at odds with the bright sunshine outside but is gratefully received by those who turn out early.

 

Impetuous ritual are often regarded as a Portal side project. Taking to the stage wearing loin cloths, covered in mud and blood it’s obvious that as well as sharing a couple of members they also have a shared sense of theatricality. Almost at the start of the set the lights go down and we are treated to half an hour of silhouettes. For some reason they just don’t seem to hit it off. The oppressive atmosphere is seemingly lost on the fair-sized crowd who on the evidence of the courtyard seem more in the mood for a party and there are a fair few people on their phones throughout.

Thick layers of smoke mask the view as we stumble into Saturday’s opening performance from Celeste. With only red lasers worn on their heads breaking through the smoke, the lack of personality of the stage performance only emphasises the bleak, unrelenting barrage of blackened hardcore spilling from the PA. This is not for the faint hearted.

 

There is no merriment where Grave Miasma are concerned, save perhaps, the fact they appear incapable of putting their backdrop round the correct way! This mishap is the only error the group makes, pulling off a set of crushing death which takes no prisoners from beginning to end. Engulfing you in dissonant tremolo picking and savage blasts, this is a mighty showing from the London based outfit.

 

Sonance return for another year with a whole new sound, and what a sound they’ve created. Weighty and bold, it has the power of tectonic plates colliding as the rumbling bass sound causes the floor to shake. This band has little trouble winning us over with their dramatic but simple riffs and Conan-esque vocals.

There are few bands that are quite as underrated as Germans, Mantar. This could be argued with most of the bands that Temples book but while this band have all the talents of the groove-based doom scene of the 90s, their presentation and execution is entirely 21^st century with jaw dropping results. There is no personality getting in the way of this performance, the simple set-up leaves it all about the music.

It’s heaving in the main stage now as Torche kick into gear with their brand of watertight melodic hardcore. ‘Piraña‘ sees Rick Smith working his ass off behind the kit, hammering out infectious grooves with a giant grin plastered across his face. It’s such enthusiasm which is reciprocated by the audience. The sunnier, more positive vibes even get nodding approval from the gaggle of black metallers sheltering from the heat of the mid afternoon sun.

 

The UK seems to be seeing a lot of Bolzer. We were treated to 2014’s Soma, and we can’t say we’re complaining. The blackened howls punctuate deep gutturals as they rattle through their surprisingly short discography. Nothing about this band feels limited though, they own what they play and while they could probably fill out the sound better with an extra live member, there’s enough depth to keep us coming back time after time.

When Grieved took to the third stage I felt old, to be more exact thoughts came flooding into my head of ‘calm down you’re going to break something’, ‘You’ll never get a proper job with all those tattoos’ and even ‘I wonder where I could buy a nice sensible jumper at this time of day’. Culture shock aside, Grieved have absolutely no shortage of stage energy, jumping around like their lives depend on it. In spite of their enthusiasm, the medium sized crowd is quite noticeably dwindling throughout their set and the songs are met with a smattering of subdued applause. Whilst scheduled for an hour, they finished their set at the half hour mark.

After a fifteen year silence, Pete Stahl and Greg Anderson have Goatsnake back and on top form. New album Black Age Blues is rightly being lauded with critical acclaim. Ploughing into a bracing version of ‘Slippin’ The Stealth’ all eyes are transfixed on the stage. Stahl’s uniquely soulful vocals are the highlight of an incredible performance from a criminally underrated act who have returned with their finest work to date.

The hype machine went into overdrive following the announcement that Portal’s first UK festival show would be at Temples. After all the hype on Social Media, much is made of the Brisbane act’s theatrics yet while their stage presence is undeniable, the murky sound does their dissonant, scathing black metal more harm than good. The Curator’s harrowing roars and shrieks make for a truly bloodcurdling experience but one cannot but think what might have been if they had not been erroneously relegated to the second stage. The main room would have provided a more fitting platform for their bleak ceremony.

 

There are a lot of bands that can leave the hair standing up on your arms and chills running down your spine, but few can do it quite as effectively as Pig Destroyer’s performance of ‘Natasha’. It may be the first ever time that song has been taken to the stage, but the execution is perfect. The harsh unrelenting noise mimics the haunting video as we are drawn into the spiralling breakdown of the song’s protagonist. The themes might be disturbing, but the narrative is both cathartic and captivating in equal measure.

Playing their penultimate gig—The last one being at the Desert scene all-dayer June 27th with EyeHateGod— War Wolf play to a huge crowd, which just kept filling up with people trying to get into the increasingly cramped third stage. It is clear they are going to go out with a blast and the crowd are along for the ride and loving every minute. This is an impassioned heavyweight performance with the majority of their songs based around anti-religion and anti-politics. There are no shortages of pits and crowd surfing as the crowd are going wild. Having recently discovered them through guitarist Oli’s other band Sea Bastard who played the day before, it’s a shame that there’s only one more of these gigs to come.

A truly iconic figure, Thomas Gabriel Fischer leads Triptykon into battle surprising the packed second stage with an airing of Celtic Frost’s ‘Procreation Of The Wicked’. Slaves to the avalanche of riffage which engulfs them, the audience duly proceeds to lose its collective mind. Fischer seems genuinely moved by the rapture which greets him, thanking the audience and even uncharacteristically cracking a smile. The suffocating power of ‘Altar Of Deceit’ is no laughing matter with fans holding horns aloft and bellowing the lyrics back at the band. Legend is a term given far too lightly in the modern era, yet in Fischer’s case such a title could not be more appropriate.

 

Closing the Saturday, it’s the band that many have been waiting for and their kit is just as awe-inspiring as the music itself. The amps form a virtually solid semicircle at the back of the stage with a set-up to make even the most well-stocked gearhead cry. SunnO))) couldn’t leave without making an impression themselves with their monolithic sound, taking out at least three of the crowd members with nosebleeds from the sheer scale of noise emanating from the PA. Not to be left out, the PA itself suffers alongside the captivated audience, putting Sunday’s set times back by an hour as the crew pulls it back into working order. Sunn O))) isn’t just music you listen to, its music you can feel through every organ and every limb.

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WORDS BY ROSS BAKER, CAITLIN SMITH AND RICH PRICE

PHOTOS BY RICH PRICE PHOTOGRAPHY