Psychedelic doom live-deluge Heavy Temple have released the first crushing single “The Maiden” taken from their forthcoming album debut Lupi Amoris, which will detonate stores on June 18. Preorder here.

Heavy Temple comment: "This is the second of a pairing of songs, the first of which, The Wolf', is written from a different perspective", reveals singer and bass player High Priestess Nighthawk. "There is essentially a call and response between the two songs. It is game of cat and mouse. Or wolf and maiden, if you will. These two songs revolve around the idea of meeting and subsequently falling in love with someone, so it seems appropriate to have both sides of the story. I wrote 'The Maiden' first, and the idea for complimentary lyrics came to me one day when I was listening to, oddly enough, 'Indian Love Call' by Slim Whitman. I promise that there's no yodeling on this one. Well, maybe I will do that on our next record."

Lupi Amoris is Latin for "Wolves of Love," and takes strong inspiration from Angela Carter's story The Company Of Wolves. In it, the narrative of Red Riding Hood is flipped from a cautionary tale about the dangers of lust and desire, feelings young women were traditionally expected to stifle, to a story of female sexuality and power reclaimed.  Lupi Amoris finds the Philly outfit aligning with a Red Riding Hood who is freed from the traditional bonds of what's expected.

Tracklisting:

“A Desert Through The Trees”
“The Wolf”
“The Maiden”
“Isabella (With Unrelenting Fangs)”
“Howling Of A Prothalamion”

“The Maiden”: