KK'S PRIEST Announces First European Headline Tour And Festival Appearances

KK'S PRIEST, which features former JUDAS PRIEST members K.K. Downing (guitar) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals),alongside guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE),will launch its very first European headline tour next month. Joining them will be special guests including BURNING WITCHES, XANDRIA, DIETH and TAILGUNNER. Additionally, the band will perform live at major European festivals, including the legendary Wacken Open Air, for the first time.

Downing states: "Hello metalheads! We are really pumped up and raring to go back to Europe this summer when we play some of our favorite cities and countries. Also, the festival season is upon us and we can't wait to play Wacken, Rock Hard, Fezen, Stonedead and other great festivals. And if you don't see your city now, don't worry as we will soon announce more European shows for later in the year. The band and I are ready to go and we will bring you the KK'S PRIEST metal thunder. Don't miss it!"

European tour dates:

May 11 - BE - Bomal-sur-Ourthe @ Durbuy Rock Festival
May 12 - NL - Utrecht @ Tivoli
May 14 - DE - Stuttgart @ LKA Longhorn
May 15 - DE - Aschaffenburg @ Colossaal
May 16 - DE - Hamburg @ Grünspan
May 18 - DE - Gelsenkirchen @ Rock Hard Festival
May 19 - DE - Munich @ Backstage
June 15 - ES - Zamora @ Z! Live Festival
July 05 - ES - Barcelona @ Barcelona Rock Fest
July 07 - ES - Bilbao @ Santana 27
July 10 - CH - Pratteln @ Z7
July 12 - AT - Leoben @ Area 53 Festival
July 13 - PL - Wroclaw @ A2
July 14 - CZ - Vizovice @ Masters Of Rock Festival
August 01 - DE - Wacken @ Wacken Open Air
August 03 - HU - Szekesfehervar @ Fezen Festival
August 04 - RO - Rasnov @ Rockstadt Extreme Fest
August 16 - FR - Carhaix @ Motocultor
August 18 - UK - Cardiff @ Tramshed
August 20 - UK - Belfast @ Limelight
August 21 - IE - Dublin @ Academy
August 23 - UK - Newcastle @ NX
August 24 - UK - Nottinghamshire @ Stonedead Festival

KK'S PRIEST's first-ever U.S. headlining tour, which featured support from L.A. GUNS and BURNING WITCHES, kicked off on March 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and concluded on March 24 at Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania. The tour was the first of at least a two-leg USA run of shows, planned to continue later in 2024.

KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", came out in September 2023 via the Austrian label Napalm Records.

KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6, 2023 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.

KK'S PRIEST released its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the 1980s.

Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in November 2022 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

Photo credit: Sam Singer (courtesy of Napalm Records)