Former Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing has released “Hellfire Thunderbolt,” the first single from his new band KK’s Priest.
The group, which also features Downing’s former Judas Priest bandmate Tim “Ripper” Owens on vocals, will release its debut album, Sermons of the Sinner, on Aug. 20.
The track listing for Sermons of the Sinner can be seen below.
You can also see the video for “Hellfire Thunderbolt,” along with a short clip of the title track, below.
“The whole concept is the fact that I continue proudly to be who I am and what I am and do what I do,” Downing said of the new album in the bio on his website. “It’s been nearly 10 years. I’m back making music.”
Downing, who helped found Judas Priest in 1970 and then quit the band in 2011, isn’t shy about revisiting his former group’s sound. The album’s closing track, “The Return of the Sentinel,” is a sequel to a song from Judas Priest’s 1984 album Defenders of the Faith.
“In a way, this record just sounds like something that has already been made or should have been be made,” Downing explained. “It does have a lot of things that are connected to the past. For example, ‘Brothers of the Road’ – if you take all the lyrics off and just listen to the music, maybe you could be listening to ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.’”
Downing hopes to tour with KK’s Priest as soon as possible. He also revealed that he’s already working on material for the band’s second album. “We’ve lost a lot of great people – DIo, Lemmy, I could go on – and that’s gonna be accelerated over the coming years,” he noted. “Basically, enjoy everything that’s left of this brand of metal, including from me. It’s not going to last forever.”
KK’s Priest, ‘Sermons of the Sinner’ Track Listing
1. “Incarnation”
2. “Hellfire Thunderbolt”
3. “Sermons of the Sinner”
4. “Sacerdote y Diablo”
5. “Raise Your Fists”
6. “Brothers of the Road”
7. “Metal Through and Through”
8. “Wild and Free”
9. “Hail for the Priest”
10. Return of the Sentinel”