By: Jay Broderick
Toronto, Ontario - The Golden Age of Heavy Metal. There shall be no debate, for this was in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this time, a phenomenon called the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM as we fondly refer to it) was unleashed upon the unsuspecting North American civilian. Those looking for something a little (ok, a lot) extra, feasted upon the music from bands like Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Saxon and Judas Priest.
Then bands of this ilk started coming out of Germany. WHAT??? Bands like Scorpions became extremely popular, and another band called ACCEPT were crushing ears with their "balls to the wall" intensity. And it all was a beautiful thing!!
Here we are now, some 40+ years later and many of these acts are still kicking some serious ass! Yes, many have had multiple lineup changes, despite some of those departed who were actually founding members. One such case would be Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing. Unfortunately, sometimes relationships falter. Even the strongest of marriages are prone to their cracks, that sometimes just come crumbling down. With Downing, he departed Judas Priest in 2011, and it wasn't until 2020 when he finally succumbed to that addiction of having to play live music. So he created KK's Priest, released 2 albums, and has gotten himself and the band out on the road.
On August 31st, KK's gathered up their Heavy Metal glory days brethren ACCEPT, and hit North America. On September 10, the "Full Metal Assault Tour 2024" headed to Canada for their Toronto gig at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. And we were there, for the show that promised to have it all laid out in blood!
ACCEPT
I caught ACCEPT during the band's last go round here in Toronto in October of 2022. I was actually taking in the show as I was covering the band Narcotic Wasteland for Digital Beat Magazine, who was in a support role that night. Unfortunately, due to an illness, ACCEPT's lead singer Mark Tornillo had to bow out last minute. The band still played, taking turns on vocals, but tonight, Tornillo apologized and promised to make up for it.
There was no general admission at this show tonight. Ahead of the start, I was chatting with some fans in the front row and we got onto the subject of fans sitting during metal concert. I understand some folks are unable to stand for long periods, or even at all, but this is a massive pet peeve of mine as I have made known in other reviews. We were worried with the seats on the floor tonight that this would be another one of these nights, but I was happy to see the whole venue rise to their feet as tonight's opening act hit the stage. In fact, many fans pushed their way to the front, in the space between the front row and the stage. No photo pit here tonight.
With the band in front of us, their professionalism shines immediately. These guys are pros boy! MASSIVE stage presence as they start the set with "The Reckoning" and then into "Humanoid" which is from their newest album of the same name, released earlier this year. The band is completely engaged, they sound great, and the beat is driving! Aside from a brief interaction after the 3rd track, the band just plows through song after song. The crowd is fully immersed in the music, cheering, fists stabbing towards the stage, and singing the choruses of each subsequent track. And even though the band doesn't have a ton of chatter between songs, they are completely immersed in the experience themselves, right along with the crowd. They fist pump and high-five fans in the front, they point to individual fans singing, and they smile and growl and everything else that makes a great heavy metal concert.
While it's not a sold out show tonight, the crowd makes enough noise for 2 sold out venues, and by the time ACCEPT get to their final track, the granddaddy of heavy metal songs "Balls to the Wall", the energy is electric.
After ACCEPT's set, the crowd was buzzing. "That was amazing man!!", fans yell out to me after. And I agree. ACCEPT's lead singer Mark Tornillo certainly made up for lost time during the band's last visit to Toronto, and definitely made for a tough act to follow for KK and the boys!
KK's Priest
As the lights go down ahead ahead of tonight's headliner, we are greeted by a demon on the video screen. He introduces the band. On guitar, KK Downing. On vocals, Tim "Ripper" Owens. On guitar, AJ Mills. On bass guitar, Tony Newton, and on drums, Sean Elg. The crowd roars as the band starts into "Hellfire Thunderbolt" from their 2021 album Sermons of the Sinner. Like the band before them, KK's plows through their first 3 tracks, not giving the crowd any opportunity to zone out. During the opening songs, Downing is on fire. Not afraid to get close with his fans, he comes right to front stage where the fans are trying to push closer. Remember, no barricade here tonight. I love the excitement, but kind of not really sure how I feel about people making their way to the front, and in a lot of cases, squeezing out the fans who had purchased front row tickets. An interesting dilemma to ponder!
Ahead of the band's 4th song of the set, the singer asks the crowd if they know his name. They call out "The Ripper!!!", to which he responds "What's my name??" and again, the crowd yells out "THE RIPPER", to which Tim "Ripper" Owens says "THE RIPPER!!!" and the band goes into the Judas Priest song of the same name. It's the first Judas Priest song of the evening, but we knew we would be hearing some of KK's old band's music.
As with Downing, bassist Tony Newton is fully engaged with the crowd, even getting down on his knees so he can get closer to them as the band progresses through their set. Til now, I haven't made comment about the band's sound, but it is on!! They sound amazing, and Owens' voice sounds great. Especially familiar during the Judas Priest songs, including "Night Crawler" and "Diamonds and Rust". He sounds amazingly similar to Judas vocalist Rob Halford. This is one of the main reasons Owens replaced Halford in Judas Priest when Halford left the band in 1992. Nobody on the stage tonight is just going through the motions.
With a great mix of KK and Judas Priest songs, this show just flies by. Before we know it, they have completed their 12th song, "Green Manilishi". Owens thanks the crowd saying that his eyeballs almost popped out during that one. He tells the crowd that the next song is another slower one that KK never got a chance to play with Judas, "so we're happy to do this one! BEFORE THE DAWN!!!" Perhaps another bonus to being out here doing his own thing. The crowd joins in with the vocals on this as they have done most of the night. At the song's conclusion, he blows a kiss to the crowd and bows happily.
As great as this whole concert has been, the big moment for me happens during the band's second to last song of the night. Owens tells the crowd that "Some people call him Mr. Downing, but I don't! I call him MR. SINNER!!!" With this, KK blasts out the intro to Judas Priest's 1977 track "Sinner" from maybe my favourite Judas album Sin After Sin. Man, the band really sounds fantastic, but they leave KK on stage by himself for the song's guitar solo, and he absolutely shreds it. KK Downing will turn 73 years old at the end of October, and man, this guy's still got the magic. AMAZING!!
Set List
Intro
Hellfire Thunderbolt
Strike of the Viper
One More Shot at Glory
The Ripper - (Judas Priest cover)
Reap the Whirlwind
Nightcrawler - (Judas Priest cover)
Sermons of the Sinner
Burn in Hell
Diamonds and Rust - (Judas Priest cover)
Hell Patrol
Green Manilishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) - (Judas Priest Cover)
Before the Dawn - (Judas Priest Cover)
Breaking the Law - (Judas Priest Cover)
The Sinner - (Judas Priest Cover)
Raise Your Fists
KK's Priest and ACCEPT promised to lay it all on the line during their "Full Metal Assault Tour". They certainly assaulted Toronto with 3 hours of old school heavy metal! And yes, THIS IS METAL!!!!!
Concert Photo Gallery
KK's Priest Online
show date: September 10, 2024
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