KK's Priest

When guitarist KK Downing left Judas Priest in 2011, it was more or less framed as a simple retirement, quite understandable as the man was 59 at the time and had played in Priest for more than 40 years. But in the years since, rumblings from the Downing camp suggested that there was more to the story, that perhaps he was pushed out of the band, and that perhaps he wanted back (or at least wanted an invite) and was rebuffed. Eventually it became apparent that KK wanted to play again, and so he formed his own group, predictably linking to his past in the band name. Sermon Of The Sinner was released in 2021, and to no one's surprise, it features plenty of Priest-ish songwriting and standout guitarwork from the man himself. One-time Priest vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens is on board and has rarely sounded better than here (there's a reason why he's kept himself quite busy ever since his Priest stint -- he's a great vocalist) and while the songs themselves are pretty safe and occasionally a bit too anthemic (it arguably falls slightly short in comparison to Priest's most recent effort Firepower), it's a commendable first effort and of course it's great to see KK back in action.

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Discography

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