Live report KK’s PRIEST & XANDRIA, Gruenspan, Hamburg – May 16th, 2024

Having two of the same kind doesn’t necessarily mean having double the fun. We’ve seen more than a few times over the last few decades that two versions of a band have tried to compete for the attention of the fans, and it hasn’t always been successful. One moment that left its mark was when Judas Priest guitarist and long-time member K.K. Downing parted ways in 2011 as Downing, along with none other than Glenn Tipton, was one half of the band’s legendary twin-guitar sound. Since then, we have two kinds of ‘Priests’.

After a number of projects, Downing started a solo project called KK’s Priest, which has released two albums so far which contribute with songs to the live shows. A few days ago, the guitarist and his bandmates embarked on a European tour, with a stop in Hamburg scheduled for today. The Gruenspan is hosting the band tonight, with Xandria as support act.

Somehow this night is a bit ill-fated. First of all, the show has been moved from the Docks to Gruenspan, a smaller but very nice venue. On arrival there is no waiting queue, which is also unusual, and on entering the room I estimate there are 100 people there. This an unexpected scenario for a show of one of the most iconic guitarists in metal.

Showtime is set for 20:00 and with German Pünktlichkeit in mind, the symphonic dark metal band enters the stage right on time. Unfortunately things don’t get much better. After Burning Witches opened for KK’s Priest during the last shows, this is the first show for Xandria on this tour and it looks like there was no soundcheck. The sound during the first song is just awful. No guitars, no bass, almost no vocals and a dominant drum sound, that’s what the fans get served in the beginning. Things get better and we go from bad sound to acceptable sound to OK. I think more of the fans feel sorry for Xandria, because their symphonic metal is quite good and you can only hope that the upcoming shows will take place under much better circumstances.

The KK’s Priest show starts with a rather long intro. A story is told in a narrative style, which includes a few clichés as well as the introduction of the five band members. Of course, the biggest applause comes at the end, when K.K. Downing’s name appears together with a video sequence on the digital background.

The guitarist and his bandmates start with three songs from the last two longplayers of KK’s Priest. “Sermons of the Sinner” and “The Sinner Rides Again” are both present tonight, adding three songs each to the setlist. The atmosphere in the room is getting a bit better too, as some more fans have joined the show but still it is quite spacious towards the back rows.

You can definitely sense that K.K. Dowing is a professional musician, as he gives the best he has in the tank. The guitar play is superb and he is fully committed on stage. The same goes for Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens and the rest of the band. The five-piece delivers a typical metal show with headbanging, twin guitars postures and a lot of leather.

It goes without saying that such a set also includes Judas Priest songs. “Night Crawler”, “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)” and “Breaking the Law” are the songs that get the crowd excited tonight. Each of these songs is a timeless metal anthem and it’s frontman ‘Ripper’ Owens who tries to introduce the tunes in a slightly different way than in the typical Rob Halford fashion.

With “Raise Your Fist” another KK’s Priest song is the only encore of the night and ends a metal show that was special and maybe even leaves some questions. K.K. Downing has a strong fan base. At the same time, Judas Priest will be playing the Barclay Arena in Hamburg in a month and a half and it looks like the fans had to make a decision. KK’s Priest delivered a solid metal show that was entertaining. However, the thought of seeing a Judas Priest cover band with an original band member just doesn’t want to disappear.