Interview by Carina Lawrence / Dark Art Conspiracy

If you haven’t already heard of up and coming act Twin Temple – then get ready to be acquainted with a new sound that you have never heard…Satanic Doo-Wop!

Twin Temple consists of married couple and practising Satanists Alexandra and Zachary James who hail from Los Angeles. The duo is already getting a reputation for their live shows and they are set to play at Download Festival UK this summer which will surely gain them some new followers – we asked them about this, how they created their genre and much more!

I believe you both started out in the punk scene initially, so how did you move on to create Satanic doo-wop?

Punk was just a subversive interpretation of doo-wop. Lots of punk songs, like by the Ramones & Misfits are reinterpreting the same classic 50’s chord progressions with a new attitude. To us punk, Satanism and doo-wop all share the same ideals of subversion, non-comformity, individualism, rebellion, rejection of the status quo, etc.

Following on from that, when did you first decide to form a band together?

Following a destruction ritual on Samahin, 2016.

A lot of bands within the metal genre use Satanic imagery or play up to this image due to stereotypes and may use this as a gimmick to attract more attention but you guys are actually practising Satanists, you even embrace this within your live sets by performing rituals, can you tell us a bit about this?

Yes, we are Satanic witches, and our ethos and practice of ceremonial magick is incorporated into the live show. Not all of it is Satanic, we also incorporate Hermeticism, Alexandrian magick, Thelemic rituals, and more….

How did you first discover or realise that Satanism was for you?

We believe Satanists are born, not made. The Satanic ideals are part of our core personalities.

Would you say Satanism is misconceived by many?

Perhaps…but it makes no difference to us how Satanism is perceived.

There must have been instances where your performances must have shocked audiences, has this ever gone really badly? And on the other side of this, what have been the best reactions to this?

No. Typically each show is a celebration of the coming together of people from all ages, walks of life, sexual orientations, religious backgrounds, identities and backgrounds, and on the whole, is a joyous occasion. We encourage people to laugh, dance, sing, accept and love one another for who they are, and of course Hail Satan.

How does it feel to know that your unique sound is attracting a vast audience? Due to the imagery of it you have a lot of metalheads as fans, it must be an interesting mix of people at your shows!

As mentioned before, we are inclusive of everyone. All are welcome. We believe the commonality between everyone at our shows though, is that we are all outsiders.

What are some of your main musical and creative influences?

Too lengthy to name. Satan, the Occult, classic American rock ’n’ roll, and beyond…

How did you feel when your debut ‘Twin Temple (Bring You Their Signature Sound…Satanic Doo-Wop)’ release sold all limited 666 vinyl copies when you first independently released it?

We were surprised and appreciative. We’re so thankful for the fans that have uplifted us and supported us and made all of our hellish dreams possible. Praise Satan!

How far would you like to go with the band, do you have any goals or ambitions or are you just taking it as it comes?

We’d love to push the theatricality and the stage production of the shows even further. We have tons of diabolical ideas to make the show even bigger and better, its one of of our favourite things to have nightmares about. Hell’s the limit.

Can you tell us a bit about how you created the debut, such as the writing and recording process for this?

We recorded it in a day in a garage in Long Beach using a bunch of vintage equipment Elvis used in RCA. We did it all live to tape, we literally got together in a room, had our engineer hit record on the tape machine, we played each song twice, and chose which take we liked better. That was it. What you hear on the record is exactly what it was.…a band playing a song in a room on a particular day. The record was mixed in mono.

As well as your debut you have released 2 brilliant new songs in 2019, ‘Satan’s A Woman’ and ‘I Am A Witch’, can you tell us about these new songs and themes? Did the writing process differ much from your debut?

They continue to explore many of the same themes as the debut album. Satanism, self-empowerment, feminism, the Occult, folk magick, witchcraft, equality, individualism, sacrilegious lyrics, etc….if we could put an end to assuming people’s gender, including that of Satan Herself, we’d be happy.

You recently (January) done a headline tour in the UK, how was it for you and do you have any particular highlights from this?

The entire string of black masses was a true highlight, we couldn’t necessarily pinpoint one.

You have also been announced for Download Festival UK 2020, how excited are you to play one of the biggest rock/metal festivals in the UK and will you be preparing something extra special for this?

We’re definitely looking forward to it and representing who we are, especially since so many festivals feature so few women, it feels important to bring our Satanic Feminist message to that stage. 93! So yes- we’re excited to be on the stage and will be bringing our signature stage performance….velvet capes, hairspray, Occult rituals, human skulls, Satanic sing-alongs….you know, the usual.

What else do you have planned for the rest of the year?

We’re infernally pleased to support Tiger Army this March-April, and Uncle Acid this May-June, in the US & Canada. We’re also playing Hellfest in France in June.

Have you already started working on new music and if so what can we expect from this?

To know, to will, to dare, to remain silent. We could tell you, but then you would have to hex you. And you wouldn’t want that.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us or add?

Hail Satan!

For more on Twin Temple:

https://www.twintemple.com/

https://www.facebook.com/twintempleforever/

Check out their video for ‘Sex Magick’:

