Title: Prior to the Fire
Artist: Priestess
Genre: Rock
Release Date: 26th February 2010
Label: Tee Pee
Album Review
When the Canadian hard rock outfit PRIESTESS released its debut album 'Hello Master' in 2005 the critical acclaim was boundless and the band toured with such mammoths as MASTODON and MEGADETH. The call for a sophomore soon became louder and louder, but several difficulties and incidents prevented the album from being released. But all things must come to an end, like the waiting for the final release of the album in Europe in February 2010.
The 'Lady Killer' opener brings us straight Heavy Metal with a garage attitude. The racing drum beats grab you immediately and the riffs leave no other choice than head banging along. 'Murphy's Law' is leaving the fast lane for a while to indulge in markedly melodic realms and constantly shifting rhythms that reveal a fable for the prog rock genre, which brings us right to 'The Gem' that clocks in at 8 minutes. The entire duration of that song is filled with twists, turns and melodies at first lulling you in to show you their harsher side all of a sudden. All the members of the band put on display a profound musical proficiency here and amaze time and again with their skills. If you hear 'Communicating Via-Eyes' for the first time you think this could pass for a kind of quirky country ballad to some extend. But the change comes as unsuspected as can get and the song rocks away on forceful rhythms, playing with various dynamics. That's not yet the end of the line. You won't be disappointed.
'Sideways Attack' kicks ass right from the start with a high-speed drum fundament which is to slow down only for a few moments where the spotlights will be placed on the guitars for an amazingly dark solo showcase. The closer 'Trapped In Space & Time' follows in a similar wake when it comes to the rhythm work, only it doesn't give you any chance to catch a breath this time. Broadening the musical scopes can be a fine thing sometimes, especially when you encounter a band like PRIESTESS, who convince with the first song already, throwing in one surprise after the other in the course of the album. Check them out if you haven't done this far, it's worth it.
Tracklist
01. Lady Killer - 4:06
02. Raccoon Eyes - 2:40
03. The Firebird - 4:00
04. Murphy's Law - 2:55
05. The Gem - 7:59
06. Communicating Via-Eyes - 4:26
07. Lunar - 2:54
08. It Baffles The Mind - 5:34
09. Sideways Attack - 3:15
10. We Ride Tonight - 4:04
11. Trapped In Space & Time - 4:47
Line-Up
Mikey Heppner - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar
Mike Dyball - Bass
Vince Nudo - Vocals, Drums
Dan Watchorn - Vocals, Guitar
Website
http://www.priestessband.com / http://www.myspace.com/priestess
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10
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