Former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing has joined forces with two other ex-members of the band to form a new group, KK’s Priest.
The group includes Tim “Ripper” Owens, who sang with the band on Jugulator and Demolition, and drummer Les Binks, who played on Stained Class, Killing Machine (known as Hell Bent for Leather in the U.S.) and the live Unleashed in the East. They’re rounded out by bassist Tony Newton and guitarist A.J. Mills.
Hilarious. Absolutely fucking hilarious. This project should’ve been called Priest Rejects or KK’s Bitter Steel. Whatever you want to call it, I find this to be ridiculous, asinine, and hilarious all at the same time. Yes, I used hilarious three times. Get over it.
KK Downing left Judas Priest in 2011, whining like a little fucking baby because, of all things, Judas Priest wanted to record an EP. Baby Downing didn’t think this was good enough.
He continued: “Rob [Halford] and Glenn [Tipton] went off and did their lengthy solo careers, and that became a bit disruptive. I didn’t even mention that in the book. But Rob actually released two albums and did his own tour in the exact year before I left. And then when they said, ‘K.K., we want you to start writing for a five-track EP,’ I went, ‘Fucking no way in hell! Rob has just released two albums in the last year, and we are only releasing an EP? Something is not right.’ Enough was enough, really, and I bailed out there. And like I said in the book, I tried to put it as diplomatically as I could. But in a nutshell, enough was enough, really. And that was it.”
So what does ol’ KK do? He quits the fucking band like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. He talks in his book about how he was glad he left Judas Priest and that it was just time for him to exit the band. After his departure, Priest recruited a young, driven guitarist named Richie Faulkner. The band went on to record two of their best later era albums, Redeemer of Souls and Firepower.
In 2018, long time Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton was forced to step down from his role in Judas Priest due to his battle with Parkinson’s disease. Judas Priest recruited producer Andy Snead to step in as a temporary placement for Tipton, and this had KK once again throwing a little fit:
“Before, I wasn’t asked, but if I would have been asked, it probably would have been depending on how I was asked, really, and how it was going to be going forward. And that would still be the same in the future. … I can’t really foresee that there would be another opening, so I guess it would be all too late. But if something did happen, I would have to see how the land lays at that particular point.”
Depending on how I was asked? This made me laugh out loud. So you have a guy who quits a band, is bummed that they carried on without him with great success, and then bitches because they didn’t ask him back in the band. Then he pretty much goes on to say that if they begged him to come back, he will. KK, I don’t know if you’ve seen Priest since you’ve been gone but if anything Priest has become a better, more powerful band and is making some of their best music. Sorry, Charlie. You snooze, you lose.
So what does KK do now? He decides he’s going to make a comeback with his own project called KK’s Priest. Wow. Just… wow.
Downing said. “Due to the massive demand and overwhelming support from fans around the world, I feel this is where I belong, and a set combining the true, classic songs and sound of Priest, together with great, newly forged metal tracks, is what fans can expect when KK’s Priest is taking to stages.”
Overwhelming support and where he belongs. If playing shit clubs with a few rejected members so Judas Priest is where he belongs, well, he’s right. Hell, the poor baby couldn’t even come up with a name that didn’t capitalize on his ties to the name Judas Priest. I really hope that Priest will stick to their guns and forge forward without KK. The band has been on top of its game without him and honestly would be taking two steps backward to bring him back into the fold.
Have fun in the clubs, KK.
About The Author
