Priest – New Flesh

[schema type=”review” name=”Priest – New Flesh” description=”Label: Lövely Records” author=”Basak Günel” pubdate=”2017-11-17″ ]

Priest is a synth-pop trio, hailing from Sweden. Although the band was formed back in 2010-2011, they have become known quite slowly towards the end of last year. With their mysterious imagery (and some other aspects I won’t talk about here 😉 ) and a lot of teasers, the band managed to catch the attention of their followers as well as the new fans.

Throughout this one year period, the band already gave signs of their debut album by revealing a bunch of songs slowly. One-by-one, with the release of each song, they let us know how the debut album was gonna be like… This journey has come to an end and the trio is finally ready to introduce their debut album “New Flesh” to us!

“New Flesh” is filled with ten beautiful songs that are unique in their own way. Each song is full of different feelings and emotions but also different concepts, at times about personal experiences and at times about more general themes. There is no one boring moment and each song will take the listener to a different journey. As the band describes the album as ‘imagining how 2019 would sound like in 1982’, the listener will get a glimpse into the ‘future’ but also go back to the 80s at the same time. Sound-wise, thanks to Alpha, the production is very professional and well-done. This is quite important in a record like this and clearly shows that the band has a vision and ambition in this journey. I also liked how the band experimented with different styles; we get to hear a combination of synth-pop and a little bit of industrial with that final touch of pop… so the album has that perfect recipe of the blend of styles.

After spinning the record many times, the listener will surely realize how the overall sound is influenced by the 80s. In this sense, the listener might maybe hear lots of influences and might ask “OK but what is the essential Priest sound?”. Since the band is quite new and just started their journey, “New Flesh” can be regarded as the first step in their journey and as this combination of the past and the future. So be patient. The influences are definitely there but one thing is for sure: we will hear more from this trio in the future and they love to experiment so we will be introduced to many different styles with the future releases!

The biggest twist in the record is the last song “Reloader” which has that ‘cosmos’ and  ‘space’ vibe. When I interviewed one of the members recently, he told me how they always have to end the album with a space song because of their love for Star Trek so everything became clearer… “Reloader” is not my favorite but definitely the most unconventional song for a record like this so it was a nice surprise and a great ending!
Apart from this, the album has many highlights but it’s up to the listener to decide which journey they want to go.

With the blend of many styles and influences, “New Flesh” is a great start for Priest. I am especially excited to hear what they have for us in the future as I am pretty sure we will get to hear a more unique Priest sound. Get the album and stay tuned!

Highlights: The Pit, Populist, Virus

Priest is…
Tria Prima – Sulphur, Salt & Mercury

Tracklist: 1. The Pit 2. Vaudeville 3. History in Black 4. Populist 5. The Cross 6. Private Eye 7. Nightmare Hotel 8. Virus 9. Call My Name 10. Reloader

Links:
Priest Facebook