Tempest Saint Talk New Single, Music Video And More

 

 

 

We are a Heavy Metal band, by Which we mean a Traditional Metal band, or “Trad-Metal” for short. Joseph Curtis on vocals, James O’Connor on lead guitar, Luke Gould on the bass and Lee Chitticks on the drums. The original three members of the band were Matteo Lusetti on drums, James and Luke on their usual instruments, and they met through their previous project entitled Vixen X. James met Joe at a local jam night and asked him if he wanted to jam with the band after playing Black Sabbath’s Paranoid with him and hearing him sing. We parted ways with Matteo amicably in 2025, and brought in Lee, who we knew from the local scene, particularly his other band Skarlet Envy, another band in the Hertfordshire scene.

 

 

 

 

 

Person answering these questions is vocalist Joe, and my earliest true musical memory is being in or awe of Foghat’s ‘Slow Ride’ at age 4 or 5.

 

 

 

 

 

I went to a weekend stage school when I was a kid, it was my only extra-curricular activity, but I loved it so much. I started writing songs in groups and so on for the musical part of it, when I was 8 or 9 years old, but I didn’t start writing anything serious until around 2020, with my other band at the time, Paradigm.

 

 

 

 

 

The song is a longing for, and homage to, the early days of heavy metal music. Everybody who was into the vibe back then carried the same curse of being ostracized by not only mainstream music but other grassroots genres. The title The Cursed reflects that philosophy of all sharing that one thing that not only pushes aside but unites us in our particular niche. It has a double meaning as a lot of people who turn to heavy metal music, do so because of the strength it evokes through the sound, often because they too feel Cursed by the trials and tribulations of life.

 

 

 

 

 

We recorded the song as part of our album Hyperbolized, at Rogue studios when they were still based in Wembley. It was produced by Alessio Garavello of the band “A New Tomorrow” (also Ex-Power Quest and Arthemis)

 

 

 

 

 

We spent an inordinate amount of time joking around with Alessio about stupid fast-food restaurants that we’ve been to over the years. We also found it far funnier than we should have, to put the words “S*** guitarist” into Google translate, hearing it said in all the different accents from around the globe.

 

 

 

 

 

James used a combination of a JCM 800 and a Mezza Barbra to capture the guitar tone for the album and by extension The Cursed, and Luke used to combination of four string and six string bases to capture different tones, with both using various different pedals to create different effects, including old school chorus and a Strymon Big Sky.

 

 

 

 

 

Happiest = From the Ashes rise. Angriest = Riot Pact. Most reflective = Beggars belief

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cursed came very naturally, as we still relate very closely with the feeling of being in a niche, despite the fact that heavy metal has given rise to so many sub genres. The classic Vibe has always stood out from the rest, and writing a song about how that makes you feel and about how it can unify us wasn’t difficult really, at all.

 

 

 

 

An Indonesian artist on fiver. He made 3 or 4 different versions, all of which had their own particular style. We effectively told him we wanted to go with something reminiscent of a Heavy Metal Socrates to reflect visually on the idea that every song portrays a different philosophical construct, through the medium of Trad-Metal. Choosing between them was hard, as they all had their own merits. We initially went with a cartoon version, that even ended up in some interviews, before settling on the realism style one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cursed has a double meaning about being metalheads. We share a Curse in being a niche genre pushed aside from the mainstream, and the second being that, we often share a curse as metal fans, in all having been through different struggles that attracted us to the music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wanted an old-school look, that evoked the vibe of 80s Metal and rock legends like Judas Priest, AC/DC, and so on; Marshall stacks, denim and leather jackets, and attitude, headbanging attitude. It was directed by all of us, but a bit more drive from James than the rest. We used our usual Videographer, Richard Crooks, and his over 20 years’ experience in the business is always invaluable.

 

 

 

 

It has a funny roundabout.

 

 

 

 

 

Water, rest, and daily singing. Rest when you need to, but sing every chance you get to stay limber.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes! We have multiple locked and loaded in the diary for the UK already, and some offers for Europe too, that we fully plan to take advantage of.

 

 

 

 

 

A great, exciting and energetic live performance of our music, with a sound akin to the album’s quality, and an emotional connection with our fans that leaves them wanting more (we sure as hell do!).

 

 

 

 

 

I use a Sennheiser E835, the Sennheiser equivalent to the infamous Sure SM58

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Living Colour, Manowar, Skid Row, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Tygers of Pan Tang, Grave Digger, Saxon, Black Sabbath, Dio, Deftones, Badlands, Slayer and Testament, and we recommend them all.

 

 

 

 

 

Performing live, recording, hanging out and having a laugh, and interacting with our fans makes us happy. People not taking the music business with the professionalism, seriousness and sincerity it deserves is the biggest thing that makes us unhappy.