Priest – Body Machine
Cleopatra Records
Release Date: 15/07/22
Running Time: 35:03
Review by Rick Eaglestone
7/10
Floating away from their past musical endeavours, Ghost alumni Priest look to create an entirely new entity with their album “Body Machine”.
Immediately the album grabs your attention, with synth laden ‘A Signal in the Noise’, which is followed up by a track that wouldn’t be out of place on an And One album, ‘Ghost Writer’. It’s sprinkled with splashes of the 80’s and yes, vocally, there are some similarities in places to the bands past projects, but it’s quite catchy. My highlight track comes in the form ‘Hell Awaits’. No, it is not a Slayer cover, although if it were done in this style I absolutely would not object in the slightest! But I digress, great beat and nice sampling throughout. Top tune!
The album continues much in the same direction. ‘Phantom Pain’ could easily be viewed upon as some kind of VNV nation, and I found myself already lining up similar albums to spin after listening to this one, before the band decided to break out their inner Trent Reznor with ‘Blacklisted’!
80’s vibes return with ‘Perfect Body Machine’, which is perfectly aligned with the following track ‘Techno Girl’, giving the album another dynamic. But then normal service is resumed with ‘Crystalline Lace’.
The final two tracks, ‘Nightcrawler’ and ‘Keep on Burning’, finish the album off neatly, whilst still maintaining the aesthetic that has run through the course of this release.
It’s not what I had expected going into this, but I am leaving pleasantly surprised.
‘A Signal In the Noise’ Official Music Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. A Signal in the Noise
02. Ghost Writer
03. Hell Awaits
04. Phantom Pain
05. Blacklisted
06. Perfect Body Machine
07. Techno Girl
08. Crystalline Lace
09. Nightcrawler
10. Keep on Burning
LINE-UP:
Mercury – Vocals
Salt – Keyboards
Sulphur – Keyboards/Programming
LINKS:
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