KK’s Priest – Sermons of the Sinner – 2021

I guess no one listening to Sermons of the Sinner by KK’s Priest is totally ignorant about the controversy surrounding KK and Judas priest the last few years? That’s my honest opinion and if you know nothing about it? Good for you I guess! It seems like there’s a lot of bad blood between Judas Priest members and KK Downing. He has complained about not being asked to rejoin the band on numerous occasions. At least if you can trust the media these days. I think it makes great headlines too so I will take all of this with a grain of salt. Maybe it’s a way to stay in the limelight from KKs side? Maybe it’s something else causing it, I don’t know.

I guess there’s a couple of ways you can interpret this album’s conception. It could be some kind of “revenge” on his former bandmates to show that he still got it and can create a really vital record in the spirit of legendary Judas Priest. Maybe that’s why the band is called KK’s Priest too? It’s kinda like when all of the former members of The Sweet toured with a different version of the band. Steve Priest’s Sweet, Andy Scott’s Sweet, Brian Connely’s Sweet, and so on. On the other hand, maybe it’s designed as a moniker to sell more albums? I don’t know. But I do know that it sounds very vital and that the presence of Ripper Owens makes it sound very much like Judas Priest. I don’t really have an opinion if that’s right or wrong. I like what I hear and that’s good enough for me!

To be totally honest I don’t think that the remaining Judas Priest band has made such a vital album in ages. There is not a track on Sermons of the Sinner that is not filled with tremendous energy and even the first time I heard it I was totally blown away by it. I know there has been lots of comparison with Judas Priest in this text but I think that’s inevitable. So here comes another analysis based on the same premises. I feel it be refreshing that we can actually hear more than other stuff from the bass that root notes which is what I usually think we get from Ian Hill. Maybe they’re not complex basslines but at least something is happening there. Same with the drums, there are more changes in the rhythm of them than I used to from many Judas Priest albums.

I’m uncertain about who wrote the songs on Sermons of the Sinner. If it’s Downing himself or if it’s collaborations. But it really doesn’t matter. Ths album delivers the goods. It’s hard and heavy and there are 10 songs you will love even the first time you hear them. Once you have listened a few times to the album you won’t get tired of it and I think this album will last for a long time! I’m glad KK Downing and KK’s Priest put this out!