Doomed Confessionary: Matt Nerland & Mario Sarinana (Wet Temple)
Wet Temple is a two-piece doom/sludge band from Mount Vernon, Washington. The duo consists of Matt Nerland (vocals, guitar) and Mario Sarinana (drums).
Wet Temple just released their second full-length album »Silence The Raven« on March 28th, 2025. Available now on all major streaming platforms. Mixed and mastered by Scot Michael at Titan Recording Studio.
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are Wet Temple, two-piece stoner doom/sludge from Mount Vernon, Washington in the Skagit Valley. Our goal as a band is to create the biggest sound possible for just the two of us. Where we lack in overall dynamic we make up for in simplistic yet punishing riffs and drums that keep the energy peaked.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
We live between 2 major markets of Seattle and Bellingham, WA. The biggest challenge for us is getting the attention of venues and bookers since we’re not “local” to those areas. We’d like to think that we’ve done a solid job of getting our name out there in the local scene, but as far as landing the “big show” to locally support notable touring bands, those shows are still pretty rare to us. Always a grind though.
What can you be most proud of so far?
When we wrote our first album we were a four-piece. For all of us this was either our first band or first serious band. Not really having any direction, trying to figure out how to write heavy music together. Years later we dropped to a two-piece, changed our sound to what it is today. So for us what we are most proud of is our debut two-piece album »Silence The Raven« released March 28th of this year.
What was your biggest regret?
Biggest regret would be not getting our new album out sooner, some of these songs are 5+ years old at this point. But at the same time we’re extremely happy with the overall result.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
We think that our best show was when we opened for Lord Dying and Bongzilla at The Shakedown in Bellingham, WA. Performance was absolutely on point and getting props from Bongzilla was a really cool experience.
Photo credit: Basement Productions
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Our biggest surprise is the all of the love we received after switching our sound when we changed to a two-piece. People are really digging with what we’re doing with just the two of us.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Matt: Conan, Slabdragger, Serial Hawk, Green Druid, Firebreather, Celeste, High On Fire, and Bongripper to name a few.
Mario: A lot of Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Heiress, Witch Ripper, Wounded Giant, and Whores.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
The best advice we’ve gotten was from our boy Alex (formerly of Wounded Giant/Un, currently with Reburied). We started off getting into the scene by going to shows and meeting people, not by passing out shitty demos. He was one of the first dudes that became a friend and started giving us advice on how to be a band. The biggest thing that stuck was Alex saying, “if you want people to notice your band you need to get out there and earn your fucking stripes.” Still resonates with us today.
What are your guilty pleasures?
We like to drink a lot and put on the music video for »Girl You Know It’s True« by Milli Vanilli and try to recreate the dance moves (minus the part where he does the splits). Can’t say we’ve gotten it down yet.
Can you say something more about current music scene in Mount Vernon?
Local to Mount Vernon where we’re at there’s a deep history of punk bands. So our high energy music still resonates with the people here. Overall in the Pacific Northwest there is an unbelievable amount of talent and no shortage of incredible bands, and we’re super fortunate to be a part of everything that’s going on here.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We’re consistently playing our local cities ranging from Bellingham, to Tacoma and everywhere in-between.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Last year we finally pulled the trigger on getting a reliable vehicle that will take us anywhere we need to go. Kind of hard to travel with an old school van that likes to break down constantly. Future plans include hitting the road, looking forward to playing out of state.
How can people best support your band?
Best way you can support us is give us a follow on our social media. Also giving our new album and listen on whatever streaming platform you like. Also checking out our merch and physical copy music on Bandcamp is a huuuge way to support.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
We just want to thank everyone for all of the support we’ve gotten over the years. We’ve been a band for about 9 years, but with the lineup and sound change, and the release of our new album »Silence The Raven«, this is us just getting started.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well