Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Okay.Okay. Downing‘s new band KK’S PRIEST headlined this weekend’s Time To Rock pageant on Sunday, July 9 in Knislinge, Sweden. Video of the efficiency is accessible under.

KK’S PRIEST made its reside debut Thursday evening (July 6) at Downing‘s KK’s Metal Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

Downing is joined in KK’S PRIEST by former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim “Ripper” Owens, together with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK’S PRIEST carried out tracks from the band’s debut album, 2021’s “Sermons Of The Sinner”, plus new materials from KK’S PRIEST as-yet-unreleased second LP, “The Sinner Rides Once more”, in addition to many a PRIEST basic thrown in for good measure.

“The Sinner Rides Once more” shall be launched on September 29 by way of the Austrian rock and steel empire Napalm Data. The nine-song effort was produced and written by Downing and blended/mastered by Jacob Hansen.

Downing stated about “The Sinner Rides Once more”: “To proceed the legacy of the standard rock and steel that I’ve been so lucky to be part of for over 50 years, this newest album, ‘The Sinner Rides Once more’, has been created to take the listener on a journey that’s each actual and fictional with its characters, though typically ambiguous. These songs permit the imaginations of all followers of this excellent style of music to flee actuality and be part of with us to proceed our heavy steel expertise into the long run.”

KK’S PRIEST will embark October U.Okay. headlining tour. The “Monks, Killers & Witches” tour begins on the O2 Institute in Birmingham on Saturday, October 7, and visits London, Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham. Particular visitor on all dates shall be Di’Anno who shall be performing a full set of classics straight from the primary two MAIDEN information, and opening up the invoice is BURNING WITCHES.

“Sermons Of The Sinner” was launched in October 2021 by way of Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Data.

Downing spent 4 months writing and recording “Sermons Of The Sinner” and, together with new concepts, he even resurrected a number of archived riffs from the Eighties.

Okay.Okay. fashioned KK’S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his provide to rejoin the band for his or her Fiftieth-anniversary tour. It adopted a few celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summertime of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that 12 months.

In a latest interview with Ernest Skinner of Border Metropolis Rock Speak, Owens spoke in regards to the upcoming sophomore album from KK’S PRIEST. He stated: “It is actually good too. I prefer it higher [than the debut LP]. It is just a little heavier, just a little edgier on the vocals — and even music, I believe.”

Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a efficiency on the Rock And Roll Corridor Of Fame induction ceremony final November on the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

PRIEST acquired the Musical Excellence Award on the occasion, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon within the Performers class.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band battle, shoddy administration and declining high quality of efficiency. He was changed by Richie Faulkner, almost three many years his junior.

In 2019, Downing stated that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about participating within the band’s Fiftieth-anniversary tour however that their response was that they weren’t enthusiastic about together with him within the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he despatched two resignation letters to his bandmates when he determined to stop JUDAS PRIEST. The primary was described as “a sleek exit be aware, implying a easy retirement from music,” whereas the second was “angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with particular events.”

Downing later stated that he believed the second letter was “a key cause” he wasn’t invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton‘s determination to retire from touring.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997’s “Jugulator” and 2001’s “Demolition” — earlier than PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

Almost two years in the past, Downing stated that he had no issues with followers making comparisons between PRIEST and KK’S PRIEST. “It is completely positive, as a result of it is who I’m and what I’m and what I do and the way I do it,” he advised Brazilian journalist Igor Miranda. “It is too late to vary; I can not change. I can not exit and purchase completely different guitars and completely different amplifiers and begin to write in another way and assume in another way. I’ve to do issues the way in which that I like them to be completed. And that is what I did in JUDAS PRIEST for all these years to the perfect of my capability. However even now that I haven’t got to seek the advice of with anybody else, actually, then I really feel much more freedom to have the ability to do that.

“I believe I can do what I do higher now than I did earlier than, if that makes any sense,” he continued. “As a result of I am working and writing and placing issues collectively for me — and, clearly, after all, the remainder of the members in [KK’S PRIEST] as effectively. However I used to be by myself, for essentially the most half, within the lockdown doing this. However there was lots of issues I needed to say and get off my chest.

“The [KK’S PRIEST] album’s filled with feelings, sentiments and messages and likewise rejoicement. It is lots of issues, multi functional package deal. And it was essential for me to have the ability to categorical myself by means of this album.

“I do know that individuals will make comparisons, however that is positive. I both succeed or fail, like everybody else in life. However I am a fan of this excellent fashion of music, and if I prefer it, I am hopefully certain that the followers will prefer it too. And I actually hope they do. And I am very a lot wanting ahead to the suggestions from all people all around the world.

“In the direction of the tip for me in JUDAS PRIEST, it wasn’t as energized because it was in former years, and I missed that. I bear in mind the times when Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer] used to come back offstage and he used to empty his boots out, and the water — which was sweat — used to simply pour out of the boots. And it was the identical for all of us. It was like we ran a marathon or one thing. So, hopefully we ship that up. So I am wanting ahead to doing that. I am undoubtedly gonna do my finest, put it that approach.”

In September 2021, Owens stated that there was no competitors between JUDAS PRIEST and KK’S PRIEST. “I do not assume we take a look at it [like that],” he advised The Rock Expertise With Mike Brunn in an interview. “There’s one JUDAS PRIEST. They’re JUDAS PRIEST. If [K.K. and I] needed to take that angle, we’d have known as [our new band] KK’S JUDAS PRIEST. However I believe followers are completely happy ‘trigger they know they do have two issues which might be the identical vein, and so they have Okay.Okay. again. I went nowhere — I have been placing music out like loopy — however they’ve Ken and I again collectively once more. So there isn’t any competitors. I imply, how superior would it not be if we do reveals with them? I do not care. I actually do not. I like the blokes in PRIEST. Rob‘s [Halford, PRIEST singer] my idol. And Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist] and I are associates. However this is not a contest. We’re not attempting to make it a contest or one other JUDAS PRIEST. That is why we put an album out first; that was the distinction. If we have been attempting to make it that, we’d begin touring instantly, doing the again catalog.”

Requested if KK’S PRIEST is actually open to touring with JUDAS PRIEST, Tim stated: “I am open to something. I’ve by no means burned bridges. From the sounds of it, it is by no means gonna occur. ‘Trigger it by no means occurred with me. I attempted to get BEYOND FEAR to help JUDAS PRIEST on tour. Wendy Dio was my supervisor, and so they have been, like, ‘Completely not. You are not gonna help us.’ However we’re all associates. I imply, I am talking for me — I am not talking for Ken. However, yeah, pay attention, I all the time take a look at it as how a lot followers would love stuff. How cool would it not be if that occurred?”