Local band to perform with legendary metal band Raven

Christy Bailey, The News Courier, Athens, Ala.
·3 min read

Nov. 1—Legendary and influential metal band Raven is coming to the Rocket City this Friday, and local band Temple of Blood has been invited to perform as one of the opening acts. Raven's "Wipe Out" tour will stop in Huntsville on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Fractal Brewing Project.

For local band Temple of Blood, the opportunity to perform at a Raven concert is a dream come true. Local musician Garth Lovvorn, bassist for Temple of Blood, spoke about the band, their part in the show, and the how the band Raven is a true pioneer in the metal genre.

"Temple of Blood has been in existence since 2002, and we have been gigging and releasing albums ever since then. With work and family responsibilities, we don't always get to do it as often as we would like, but we do it when we can," Lovvorn said.

Temple of Blood is a Christian thrash metal band, and all of the songs are Christian themed with stories taken from The Bible.

"Some people may find that ironic coming from a thrash metal band, but that is who we are and what we do," Lovvorn said. "We like that to be known, and it's not that we try to set ourselves apart from our friends. It's just what we do. We'll do a show with anybody."

Temple of Blood is comprised of four guys, all from North Alabama. They are happy to be reunited with their original drummer, Lance Wright, and to welcome a new guitar player, Harry Coleman. "We are very proud to have both of them. The main man in Temple of Blood is Jim Mullis. He is the primary songwriter, lyricist, and founder of the band," Lovvorn said.

While Temple of Blood has been around for 20 years, they — along with many of the most well known metal bands — came to be because of Raven.

"They are from England and one of the original bands from what is known as the 'New Wave of British heavy metal.' They were right there with Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Motörhead, and other bands like that. They all formed in the mid-seventies but came to the forefront in the early eighties," Lovvorn explained.

Raven has a significant claim to fame as both Metallica and Anthrax got their first major tour opening thanks to being invited to open for Raven back in the 1980s.

"Raven didn't gain the notoriety, but they were certainly there, and they never stopped," Lovvorn said. "We got lucky and got invited to play on their show, and we were like 'Yes! Sign us up, now!'"

Lovvorn described the opportunity to perform with a giant of their genre as "surreal." He added, "It's incredible. We consider it not just a chance to open for a great band. It's a part of musical history. That much in itself is pretty humbling. We are just going to do our thing. We are going to have fun, finish playing, turn around and be out in that audience going crazy for Raven."

After they perform in Huntsville on Friday, Raven will travel to Orlando to open for Metallica at a special show focusing on their early days.

"We want to thank Fractal Brewing Project and Under the Moon Productions. They are the ones who invited us to do this, and we can't wait," Lovvorn said.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at tickets.bestofhuntsville.com/events/114146 or at the door. The show will also include the bands Riot Act and AATXE and all ages are welcome. Show starts at 7 p.m.