Former lead guitarist, K.K. Downing, left the heavy metal band Judas Priest back in April of 2011. Now, 12 years later, his solo band, KK’s Priest has released their sophomore album titled “The Sinner Rides Again.”
On top of KK Downing, KK’s Priest contains former Judas Priest singer, Tim “Ripper” Owens on vocals, A.J Mills on guitar, Sean Elg on the drums, and Tony Newton on the bass.
“The Sinner Rides Again” is the second record from the band, following their 2021 “Sermons of the Sinner.”
The first two songs on the record, “Sons Of The Sentinel,” and “Strike Of The Viper” are great metal tunes.
“Sons Of The Sentinel,” has that classic Judas Priest sound to it which is why the song is so enjoyable. It also helps that the chorus is catchy which can’t always be said about some metal songs. When you’ve traveled the world with one of the best, most melodic metal bands, you’re bound to keep that aspect in your songs.
“Strike Of The Viper” has that classic Downing sound that can be heard on Judas Priest’s 1984 record, Defenders of Faith, especially on “Jawbreaker.” I love the tone that Downing achieves. It’s what makes him distinct as a guitar player and it’s what makes him enjoyable to listen to.
Tim “Ripper” Owens really channels his inner Rob Halford (Judas Priest’s singer, who he both replaced and was replaced by). I know that by now Owens is probably sick and tired of being compared to Halford but there’s truly no other comparison that can do him justice.
On songs like track six, “The Sinner Rides Again,” Owens does a great job making his voice his own. Owens is able to channel an inner growl while also being able to sing in a lower register on the bridge of the song. I would love to hear Owens sing more in his lower register. I think it would sound great on a solo metal or hard rock record.
What stays consistent on the entire record is the level of playing from A.J. Mills, Sean Elg, and Tony Newton. Elg is able to do a great job keeping the beat down and using the double kick drum to keep the song moving forward. Mills is able to complement Downing’s performance on guitar recreating that great duel guitar sound that can be heard on so many great Priest records. As for Newton, while his basslines aren’t extremely notable, sometimes to be a great bass player, you just need to be able to hold down the fort more than show off.
Track seven, “Keeper Of The Graves” is a great song to headbang to. Downing and Mills trade guitar solos while Elg beats the daylights out of the drums. Towards the back end of the song, Owens does a great job on background vocals right after the guitar battle. I think allowing that harmony on vocals lets the song breathe a little bit and gives it more of a distinct sound.
I mentioned before how Owens does a great job singing in his lower register, but his higher range is also just as good. Throughout track eight, “Pledge Your Souls,” he sings in a register that is more along the lines of talking than screaming which is great because it’s a different type of octave. Throughout the song, Owens jumps from that talking sound of singing to a scream which sends goosebumps down listeners’ spines when they hear it.
The final track, “Wash Away Your Sins,” starts out with an acoustic guitar which was only heard for a few seconds on a prior song. On this song, Owens sounds more like Sebastian Bach from Skid Row than he does Halford. As someone who really enjoys Skid Row, it was pretty neat to hear someone replicate a great singer.
“Wash Away Your Sins” is the longest song on the record clocking in at six and a half minutes of classic heavy metal. I will always be a fan of the back-and-forth style of guitar solo. Thin Lizzy did it all the time in their songs and it’s great to hear Downing and Mills doing the same. Towards the back half of the song, the beat slows down, allowing Downing to solo with a little bit more harmony rather than simple shredding. I would consider “Wash Away Your Sins” to be one of the stronger songs on the record and it’s a great closer.
KK’s Priest has put out yet another strong record and at this point in time, maybe fans are thinking that maybe Downing leaving Judas Priest was a good thing. If Downing never left, then fans would not have gotten such a strong record with a great batch of songs
Let us finish this record off with The Singers Thoughts:
- This is a strong metal record but with that being said, it’s hard to listen to this record and not think of it as a Judas Priest album. It’s challenging when the lead singer of your current band replaces the original singer in your old band and sounds just like him.
- I love Downing’s tone, it’s impossible to replicate, it’s unique to him and I thought it was very consistent throughout the album.
- In terms of metal records being released in 2023, I think this record is easily in the top five and should deserve a lot of recognition from the metal community.
Overall Grade: 6.5
