KK's Priest
You can’t keep a heavy metal legend down. Although it’s been over a dozen years since guitarist and songwriter K.K. Downing departed Judas Priest, the iconic band he co-founded and played with for 40 years, he was never really going to retire. It was only a matter of time before he reclaimed the spotlight. As his new album title proclaims, The Sinner Rides Again.
K.K. has had metal coursing through his veins from the beginning, starting in the Midlands region of England where Judas Priest was born. He compellingly chronicled his life odyssey in his 2018 autobiography, and his recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame further secures his legacy as a pioneering guitarist. His renewed passion for his chosen genre was well represented with his band KK’s Priest and their thunderous debut album Sermons Of The Sinner released in October 2021. The high speed “Hellfire Thunderbolt” and rousing rockers like “Raise Your Fists” and “Wild And Free” reveled in the passion and excess that metal fans covet.
The Sinner Rides Again, the second and newest album from KK’s Priest, continues holding the torch for classic metal just as its predecessor did. There’s the emotive singing and intense screams of his past Priest bandmate Tim “Ripper” Owens, the high velocity guitar sparring between Downing and A.J. Mills, and the agile rhythm section of bassist Tony Newton and drummer Sean Elg. The band’s first effort roared out of the gate with passion and aggression, as if they were a new band with something to prove – and in a sense, they were – and their sophomore release also finds the sweet spot between racing riffs and majestic mid-tempo anthems, while the lyrics take a more contemplative, personal tone.
It’s clear that Downing’s disciples want more from KK’s Priest. The tracks from Sermons of The Sinner have racked up millions of streams, and The Sinner Rides Again will replicate that success. He is united with his fellow defenders of the faith in keeping the timeless spirit of classic metal alive.
For Downing, KK’s Priest is not just a statement of intent. It is a statement of being. His lifelong heavy metal saga continues.
