Guitarist K.K. Downing (Judas Priest) recently spoke with the Rock ‘N Talk Show about why he decided to call his new band KK’S PRIEST. Portions of the conversation appear below (as transcribed by blabbermout.net).
K.K. explains, “We went backwards and forwards with that a lot. But for me, really, I consider myself as being [in] Priest since 1969. I was desperate to be in the band Judas Priest that existed before; I even auditioned for the band and didn’t get the job. But I stuck in there. I was thinking, ‘I’m determined to be in that [band]. I need to be in Judas Priest.’ And I traversed on that road and that journey, the evolution of music as we know it today. I’m so proud to have been not just a witness to but to be a part of that evolution. And so when this happened, after all of those decades, it’s impossible just to have a cutoff point and start again and call the band The Flying Tornadoes or something obscure. It just doesn’t work. I can’t just let the legacy and my heritage and all of those decades just be flushed down the pan. I don’t wanna throw it all away. I want to rejoice in it and bring some of all of that magic and that nostalgia into the present and into the future with us. And so I just couldn’t really let it go. The guys that are playing in Judas Priest now, I haven’t even met them. And if they can be a Priest, well, I can certainly be a Priest as well.”
Downing also discussed whether fans can expect to hear songs from his former band performed live. He said, “Yeah, absolutely. Because we’ve got that legacy there. Obviously, when Ripper was in the band, we did some great stuff and some fantastic tours. We did a lot of shows. We’ve got that part of Priest to draw from. And some archive stuff that I’ve kind of always wanted to do. When we did the show in Wolverhampton [England in November 2019] with Ripper, we did songs like Before The Dawn and Take On The World, which I’d never played before ever in my career. And so it was a real treat to do that. So, we’ve got things like that we can go forward and do as well. Les [Binks, former Priest drummer, who was in the initial incarnation of KK’s Priest] is gonna step in and be special guest with us. I spoke with him just yesterday. He just wasn’t able to play six or seven hours a day in the studio, but he can play some songs. And that’s gonna be great. And I think if somebody wants to step up and special guest with us, ’cause it’s all about rejoicing in this wonderful music that’s been created and we’ve been a part of. And let’s party with it. Let’s get up there and just play some great shows with a selection of great songs.”
KK’S Priest’s debut album, Sermons Of The Sinner, will be released on October 1st through Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records. The first single, Hellfire Thunderbolt (listen here), was released in May. The title track followed and can be heard here.
6 Responses
I feel for kk , I think he probably didn’t really want to leave when he did but felt he had no choice based on whatever personal issues were going on – priest now with out him and Glenn working together ,sounds diluted not the same attack the danger element is gone , Halford is holding his own pretty well but father time kicks everyone’s ass eventually, I have no issue with his name choice it seems right , my issue is with priest not allowing him back it’s shameful and disgraceful to me , this is my opinion only , Faulkner seems arrogant and can come off like a bit of a douche- judas priest made a huge mistake not welcoming Kk back~
Happy birthday (tomorrow 8/22) to our Judas Priestess/Metal Goddess ~ Dana! 😉 Dana is our heavy metal moderator, and our rock & roll operator! Cheers!! 🙂
To still call the band Judas Priest when not only KK isn’t there but neither is Glenn; who both gave the band its sound, shows that the name sells and they can get bigger numbers.
This is coming from somebody who rates Priest as his second favourite band after Black Sabbath. Haven’t liked either of the two albums made without KK either. The aggression in the bands sound is gone; especially from the right-hand side of the stage (or left-hand side if standing in front of it).
Happy birthday DANA!
I hope it is a wonderful and fun filled day !
Happy birthday Dana. Just found out it’s some Juan else’s birthday too, yeah! Way cool.
And don’t forget about the late, great, Layne Staley, born on this date as well. “Dirt” is 1 of the greatest albums of all time!