Review : PRIESTESS – “Prior to the Fire”

Priestess – Prior to the Fire
released February 2, 2010 on Tee Pee

Since the release of 2006′s Hello Master, Priestess has gone through some unfortunate label issues. Prior to the Fire, the Canadian band’s sophomore effort, was completed in 2008, but is only just being released now. RCA refused to release it upon completion due to the lack of a clear hit single, like they had with “Lay Down” on their debut. When the band then refused to go back into the studio to record what was demanded of them, the label dropped them. Now they have been picked up by Tee Pee for American distribution and the album has finally made its way to my ears. I must say that I am pleased with what is on this record.

“Ladykiller” storms out of the gates with the kind of adrenaline one might expect from a Slayer album opener. Immediately, you can hear that the band has upped the ante quite a bit, just sounding heavier and like a new beast in general. The album really hits its stride near the middle, though, with the 8-minute epic “The Gem” taking the band up into the skies. They stay up here for the remainder of the tracks, never really relenting their attack. “Communicating Via-Eyes” begins with the kind of quiet, innocent intro that one would expect from Jethro Tull. However, the track morphs into a coliseum, the massive riffs being the gladiators and we, the listeners, being the spectators.

One of the intriguing parts of this album would be the lyrics, primarily being based on different pieces of entertainment that the band enjoys. “Murphy’s Law” was written with the film RoboCop in mind, “Sideways Attack” was based on the classic Lone Wolf and Cub manga franchise, “It Baffles the Mind” chronicles a Dragon Ball tournament, etc. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a metal band basing music on anime or manga, but maybe they’re onto something. I guess we’ll find out.

If I could describe this album in only a few words, I would call it Black Sabbath on steroids. Many of the riffs here do bring to mind Vol. 4 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but there is more: more energy, more volume, more head crushing. If Hello Master was the band just after inventing the tank, then Prior to the Fire is that same band dropping an atomic bomb on our minds.

A Best of 2010 pick!
FCC OK
Try 1, 3, *5*, 6, *8*, 9, 11

01. Lady Killer
02. Raccoon Eyes
03. The Firebird
04. Murphy’s Law
05. The Gem
06. Communicating Via-Eyes
07. Lunar
08. It Baffles the Mind
09. Sideways Attack
10. We Ride Tonight
11. Trapped in Space & Time

Rating: