KK's Priest - 'Strike Of The Viper' (official music video)

Strike
Strike

Terrify will destroy
Everything in its wake, wake, wake
Mesmerise, brutalise
There's no time to waste
Just like the strike of the viper
It'll mesmerise, it will brutalise

It never sleeps
At night it creeps
Its victims must obey
With lightning speed
Its venom will feed
Paralyse in every way
Just like the strike of the viper
It'll mesmerise, it will brutalise
Just like the strike of the viper
It will strangalize until its victim dies

It will find another way
If you try to hide away
Prepare to surrender your mind and soul
The devil won't stop achieving its goal

Call the priest to your bed
To rid this demon from your head
Just like the strike of the viper
It'll mesmerise, it will brutalise
Just like the strike of the viper
It never sleeps, at night it creeps

Terrify will destroy
Everything in its wake
Just like the strike!

Προ τετραετίας ο KK Downing και ο David Ellefson σχημάτισαν project υπό το όνομα MegaPriest για μία εμφάνιση. Αυτό έδωσε την ιδέα στον έμπειρο κιθαρίστα για τους KK's Priest, τους οποίους δημιούργησαν τρία πρώην μέλη των Judas Priest.

Πρόκειται για τον εμβληματικό κιθαρίστα των Priest (από το 1970 έως το 2011) KK Downing, τον τραγουδιστή Tim "Ripper" Owens και τον drummer Les Binks, ο οποίος στην πορεία αντικαταστάθηκε (για λόγους υγείας) από τον Sean Elg (βλ. Cage, The Three Tremors, Nihilist κλπ). Την παρέα συμπληρώνουν ο κιθαρίστας A.J. Mills (Hostile) και ο μπασίστας Tony Newton (Voodoo Six).

Το ντεμπούτο της μπάντας κυκλοφόρησε πρόπερσι υπό τον τίτλο "Sermons of the Sinner" και πλέον δρομολογήθηκε ο διάδοχός του ("The Sinner Rides Again") που αναμένεται στα τελειώματα του πρώτου φθινοπωρινού μήνα, με τον K.K. Downing να μας λέει σχετικά:

«To continue the legacy of the traditional rock and metal that I have been so fortunate to be a part of for over 50 years, this latest album, The Sinner Rides Again, has been created to take the listener on a journey that is both real and fictional with its characters, although sometimes ambiguous.

These songs allow the imaginations of all fans of this wonderful genre of music to escape reality and join with us to continue our heavy metal experience into the future.»

Δελτίο τύπου: «On the blazing heels of their highly-lauded 2021 debut album, Sermons Of The Sinner - which debuted within the Top 20 on charts in the United States, the UK, Germany, Sweden, Finland and more - KK’S Priest return to sin again with their savage sophomore offering, The Sinner Rides Again, out September 29, 2023 via Napalm Records.

The powerhouse heavy metal amalgamation of iconic Judas Priest alum and GRAMMY Award winning / nominated musicians K.K. Downing (guitar) and Tim “Ripper” Owens (vocals), along with A.J. Mills (guitar), Tony Newton (bass) and Sean Elg (drums), double down on the ripping melodic force of their debut - which Metal Hammer UK dubbed “hugely enjoyable” and Metal Injection cited as boasting “catchy hooks and plenty of guitar wizardry”. The Sinner Rides Again boasts nine tracks of pure hellfire, produced and written by Downing and mixed/mastered by Jacob Hansen.

After stepping out of the Judas Priest spotlight, the return of K.K. Downing was uncertain. Nearly ten years after its onset, the genre - defining guitar icon returned from his hiatus with proof that he was nowhere ready to cease writing classic metal songs or to put away his famous Flying V guitars - taking part in acclaimed international comeback performances (including with his former Judas Priest bandmates when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022) that would act as harbingers of the formation of KK’S Priest.

Downing was recently quoted saying, “We've lost a lot of great people - Dio, Lemmy, for example - but this amazing and unique style of music must be preserved for as long as possible and I feel it within me to continue to play my role, as I always have, and to defend this metal genre, which we all know and love.”

The Sinner Rides Again is a testament to this call for the classics while speeding full force into the future, delivered by some of heavy metal’s most essential performers.

A haunting introduction of dual guitars carries the listener into the thundering “Sons Of The Sentinel”, winding across a wasteland of burning riffs and a deftly dynamic guitar solo to kick off the record with relentless energy!

The undeniably catchy anthem “Strike Of The Viper” proves itself as one of the album’s most unforgettable tracks, before “Reap The Whirlwind” crashes in with a classic heavy metal power thrust of soaring leads, hair-raising harmonics and earworm vocal hooks.

“One More Shot At Glory” raises its sword high, instantaneously calling for battle with its opening riff and beckoning verses. Heroic chants and unrelenting double bass set the stage for a galloping midsection as a spine-tingling guitar solo commands the song.

Striding “Hymn 66” commands with sultry, slow and low metallic punches and a bluesy gait, while massive title track “The Sinner Rides Again” straddles balladic passages and sinister, head-bobbing choruses. Beginning with ominous bells, “Keeper Of The Graves” rounds the final bend of the album with roaring cascades and a dynamic performance from Owens, before charging “Pledge Your Souls” and rollercoaster closer epic “Wash Away Your Sins” rise as the final embers of a certified burner - proving itself as a must-hear metal album of the year by the greatest to ever perform the genre!»

Band: KK's Priest
Country of origin: International
Location: United Kingdom / United States
Formed in: 2019
Genre: Heavy Metal
Themes: Dark fantasy, Rock/Metal, Independence
Years active: 2019 (as MegaPriest), 2019-present

Video: "Strike Of The Viper"
Directed by: Charlie Smith
Filmed by: Charlie Smith
Edited by: Charlie Smith
Directed, Filmed, Edited at: Mind Art Visua

Album: "The Sinner Rides Again"
Type: Full length
Release date: September 29th, 2023
Label: Napalm Records
Format: CD, Vinyl, Digital

Track listing:
01. Sons Of The Sentinel
02. Strike Of The Viper
03. Reap The Whirlwind
04. One More Shot At Glory
05. Hymn 66
06. The Sinner Rides Again
07. Keeper Of The Graves
08. Pledge Your Souls
09. Wash Away Your Sins

Band members:
KK Downing - Guitar
Tim "Ripper" Owens - Vocals
Sean Elg - Drums
A.J. Mills - Guitar
Tony Newton - Bass