PRIESTESS — Prior to the Fire (review)

PRIESTESS — Prior to the Fire album cover Album · 2009 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Pekka
Here it is: my first Metal Music Archives discovery. To be honest, when I registered to this site I wasn't really expecting to find anything new in metal, I had a big metal past and a decent metal present in the form of a few old favourites and some others gathered along the years. Least of all I was expecting to be turned on to any old bands or some "retro" kind of stuff. But earlier I documented my first experiences with a certain old band called Rainbow, and here I am giving five stars to what I see is a retro band.

All of the elements on this album have been around since the 70s, but the mix Priestess creates is something that gets my sceptical metal heart pumping. The album opens with a devastating trio of raging asskickery, but whereas most metal bands of today play with a "we will f**k you up with our brutal assault" attitude, Priestess is here just to have some rock n' roll fun with the listener and adding a twist or two along the way (not that there's anything wrong with the previous approach): great metal riffing, a driving perfect rock voice, lively and energetic playing and a raw unpolished sound.

Murphy's Law is a solid but a bit more bland number before the album's epic centerpiece, aptly titled The Gem. Featuring twin-guitar melodies, killer verses and choruses and a long sololess instrumental section at the end, this is perhaps the album's highest peak, if the title doesn't go to one of the first three numbers or the frantically speeding Sideways Attack. All in all the album is entirely made of great quality material, with a few highlights managing to break through.

If the idea of good old-school heavy metal played with furious passion and a loose rock n' roll energy appeals to you, do not miss this brilliant release.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Unearthly Litanies of Despair Death Metal
ENGULFED
Buy this album from MMA partners
It Beckons Us All....... Black Metal
DARKTHRONE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Death Is Not The End Doom Metal
GLOSSA
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Way Forward Sludge Metal
BLACK TUSK
Buy this album from MMA partners
Till Aska Atmospheric Sludge Metal
WALK THROUGH FIRE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 2 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 3 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed