06-02-2010, 01:02
released Feb 2nd, 2010
![[Image: Priestessprior.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/Priestessprior.jpg)
from the album - Sideways Attack
from all music
Montreal's Priestess build upon the fury of AC/DC and Black Sabbath for their own new-millennium headbanger blend of '70s Camaro rock. Mikey Heppner (vocals/guitar), Mike Dyball (bass), Vince Nudo (vocals/drums), and Dan Watchorn (vocals/guitar) formed Priestess in 2003. Heppner was playing with punk act the Dropouts at the time, and when three of its members headed to New York to form the Stills, Heppner was left to his own devices. In late 2005, Heppner and co. released their debut album, Hello Master. The fiery rock set was issued via Indica in Canada and on Ace Fu in the U.S. A major-label recording contract with RCA followed in January 2006. North American tour dates opening for Dinosaur Jr. followed that spring. A remastered version of Hello Master arrived in June, and additional shows with the Riverboat Gamblers and the Bronx coincided with its release. In February of 2010 their follow-up album, Prior to the Fire, was released in the U.S. on TeePee Records.
album review
Canadian retro hard rock band Priestess kept fans of their debut CD, 2005's Hello Master (released in the U.S. in 2006) waiting quite a while for a follow-up, but Prior to the Fire is highly worthwhile. Their combination of crunching riffs, hard-driving rhythms, and howling vocals isn't exactly unique, but their spin on the sound, which adds some touches of classic, early-'80s pre-glam metal to the usual blend of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, et. al, has a lot of appeal. This is a band that knows how to crank it up and boogie ("Sideways Attack" crashes along at a practically hardcore punk tempo), but can also make you pump your fist and shout along. Album closer "Trapped in Space & Time" is positively ferocious, leaving the listener breathless as the disc crashes to a halt. Most of the songs here are short and punchy, except for the eight-minute "The Gem," which might be mistakenly expected to be a wanky guitar jam. It's not -- it's a hard-rocking epic that slows down around the five-minute mark for some unison guitar work that develops into a second, even heavier riff than the one that propelled the piece's first half, followed by a quite beautiful melodic outro over marching drums. Between this track, the acoustic intro to "Communicating via Eyes," and the cover art, somewhat similar to this year's The Resistance, it seems like Priestess, with their occasionally outsized ambition and their way with a melodic hook, could be retro hard rock's answer to Muse.
Track Listing
1."Ladykiller" - 4:06
2."Raccoon Eyes" - 2:40
3."The Firebird" - 4:00
4."Murphy's Law" - 2:55
5."The Gem" - 7:59
6."Communicating Via-Eyes" - 4:26
7."Lunar" - 2:54
8."It Baffles the Mind" - 5:34
9."Sideways Attack" - 3:15
10."We Ride Tonight" - 4:04
11."Trapped In Space & Time" - 4:47
from the album - Sideways Attack
from all music
Montreal's Priestess build upon the fury of AC/DC and Black Sabbath for their own new-millennium headbanger blend of '70s Camaro rock. Mikey Heppner (vocals/guitar), Mike Dyball (bass), Vince Nudo (vocals/drums), and Dan Watchorn (vocals/guitar) formed Priestess in 2003. Heppner was playing with punk act the Dropouts at the time, and when three of its members headed to New York to form the Stills, Heppner was left to his own devices. In late 2005, Heppner and co. released their debut album, Hello Master. The fiery rock set was issued via Indica in Canada and on Ace Fu in the U.S. A major-label recording contract with RCA followed in January 2006. North American tour dates opening for Dinosaur Jr. followed that spring. A remastered version of Hello Master arrived in June, and additional shows with the Riverboat Gamblers and the Bronx coincided with its release. In February of 2010 their follow-up album, Prior to the Fire, was released in the U.S. on TeePee Records.
album review
Canadian retro hard rock band Priestess kept fans of their debut CD, 2005's Hello Master (released in the U.S. in 2006) waiting quite a while for a follow-up, but Prior to the Fire is highly worthwhile. Their combination of crunching riffs, hard-driving rhythms, and howling vocals isn't exactly unique, but their spin on the sound, which adds some touches of classic, early-'80s pre-glam metal to the usual blend of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, et. al, has a lot of appeal. This is a band that knows how to crank it up and boogie ("Sideways Attack" crashes along at a practically hardcore punk tempo), but can also make you pump your fist and shout along. Album closer "Trapped in Space & Time" is positively ferocious, leaving the listener breathless as the disc crashes to a halt. Most of the songs here are short and punchy, except for the eight-minute "The Gem," which might be mistakenly expected to be a wanky guitar jam. It's not -- it's a hard-rocking epic that slows down around the five-minute mark for some unison guitar work that develops into a second, even heavier riff than the one that propelled the piece's first half, followed by a quite beautiful melodic outro over marching drums. Between this track, the acoustic intro to "Communicating via Eyes," and the cover art, somewhat similar to this year's The Resistance, it seems like Priestess, with their occasionally outsized ambition and their way with a melodic hook, could be retro hard rock's answer to Muse.
Track Listing
1."Ladykiller" - 4:06
2."Raccoon Eyes" - 2:40
3."The Firebird" - 4:00
4."Murphy's Law" - 2:55
5."The Gem" - 7:59
6."Communicating Via-Eyes" - 4:26
7."Lunar" - 2:54
8."It Baffles the Mind" - 5:34
9."Sideways Attack" - 3:15
10."We Ride Tonight" - 4:04
11."Trapped In Space & Time" - 4:47