KK’s PRIEST – The Sinner Rides Again

The name K.K. Downing carries some serious weight when it comes to talking about the foundations of Heavy Metal as we know it today. As a founding member of Judas Priest, K.K. Downing cemented his name in the history books, earning the respect of musicians, fans, and especially guitar players throughout the world. It’s already established that K.K. Downing has decided to create his own version of Judas Priest, as the name clearly states, and with the release of the sophomore album The Sinner Rides Again, he offers us another trip through the world of ‘alternate’ Judas Priest once again. K.K. Downing originally brought Les Binks in on the drums to help validate this alternate version, but he was quickly replaced with a younger, heavier drummer Sean Elg. Tim “Ripper” Owens continues on vocals, with guitarist A.J. Mills and bassist Tony Newton rounding out the five piece.

One More Shot At Glory

KK’s Priest – The Sinner Rides Again is nine new tracks of ripping traditional Heavy Metal with a modern production, and all material written and produced solely by K.K. Downing, and mixed/mastered by Jacob Hansen. The themes of the songs are very much based on the titles of older Judas Priest classics, where “The Sons of the Sentinel” follows “The Sentinel”, “One More Shot at Glory” harkens to “One Shot at Glory”, and of course the title track references the Judas Priest classic “The Sinner”.

Final Notes

The Sinner Rides Again delivers K.K. Downing fans a solid group of new songs, that are in your face from start to finish. The production is really great, and the performances all the way around are quite excellent. It’s already been said somewhere that there doesn’t need to be two versions of Judas Priest. That said, K.K. Downing has put together a fine lineup, and delivered the goods. It could be asked: Would people seek out and buy K.K. Downing’s music if he had simply called the band “K.K. Downing”? Considering that K.K. writes, produces and controls everything, it would be more fitting, and a bit less petty seeming to Judas Priest fans that love Downing both in and out of that band. In the end, K.K. Downing still knows how to create excellent Heavy Metal, and that is enough.

Lineup

• Tim “Ripper” Owens – vocals
• K.K. Downing – guitars
• A.J. Mills – guitars
• Tony Newton – bass
• Sean Elg – drums

The Sinner Rides Again – Tracklist

1. Sons Of The Sentinel
2. Strike Of The Viper
3. Reap The Whirlwind
4. One More Shot At Glory
5. Hymn 66
6. The Sinner Rides Again
7. Keeper Of The Graves
8. Pledge Your Souls
9. Wash Away Your Sins