What if Black Sabbath and Judas Priest were one band? Get to know Black Priest.

Black Sabbath and Judas Priest are among the most recognized metal bands in the world. While the former is considered responsible for the first heavy metal album in history, the latter pioneered embracing the genre as a lifestyle for an entire community. What if these giants formed a single band?

The band that aims to answer this question in practice is Brazilian. Formed in 2018, Black Priest is the evolution of the cover band Crianças da Tumba, formed by GG Neto and Júlio Xavier , two friends passionate about music who decided to try a musical project once again, alongside their regular jobs.

Over time, their repertoire became dominated by these sources, and the band decided to change their name, but they continued performing cover songs in their first year. However, the pandemic changed the group's direction. With vocalist Vinicius Libânia now part of the team, they began working on their own compositions. The lineup is completed by Raphael Ribeiro and Phil Drigues .

The almost religious influence of Sabbath and Judas Priest flows through the veins of Black Priest's debut EP, released on December 28th – and with a balance as perfect as the band's name suggests, expanding horizons to also show their own face in The Soul Scar , a visceral five-track project built from the members' experiences dealing with mental health issues and finding refuge in music.

“As we got to know each other, we realized that we all had in common extensive experience with psychological suffering, with everyone undergoing medical treatment for it,” Libânia explained to Wikimetal . Aware of the number of people who suffer from anxiety, depression, and panic disorder, even within their own social circle, the band decided to delve into the subject with a profound look in the EP.

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Distant bells open the work in an allusion to the first track of Black Sabbath (1970), followed by melancholic and gentle chords that dictate the tone of the EP's dark and dense atmosphere until the end. The first few seconds of the track, however, cannot prepare the listener for the explosion of heaviness that guides the almost seven minutes of "Dying Again," with all the band's experience manifesting in the cohesion of each segment of the song, which has a hypnotic chorus that narrates the sensation of repeated deaths in the desperate cycles of those who experience panic attacks and the feeling of losing control.

There are still other ingredients bubbling in Black Priest's cauldron, as "Truth and Obsession" quickly makes evident with its influences from more extreme metal genres in the aggressive vocals and Latin chants, thus showing the versatility of the vocals, which range from whispers to high notes to the aggressive grit so characteristic of metal throughout the songs. The fear of experiencing another paralyzing attack is narrated with force and intensity in the project's second song.

The EP's initial trilogy concludes with "The Scar Curse," the final track addressing the different phases of panic attacks: the experience, the fear of new episodes, and finally, understanding. "It's time to breathe / What weakens your life must be stopped / Stand up and be free / This is the path your scars invite you to tread," the lyrics say. With an explosive breakdown, the track follows the excellent work in the mind-blowing solos and powerful harmonies. 

“I think metal is fundamental for addressing this type of theme because it’s one of the few styles that allows us to speak clearly, and with considerable detail, about subjects that other styles don’t even come close to. How many bands address themes related to the darker aspects of the human condition in their lyrics, creating musical environments that correspond to these aspects? It is this approach that we use to express our truth, through a musical catharsis,” Libânia continues, regarding the importance of sharing the group’s experiences.

The flirtation with death metal returns in the opening words of "Cult of Sins," the band's first original composition, with yet another memorable melody and chorus. Beyond the obvious references, it's impossible not to also be reminded of Alice in Chains due to the hypnotic atmosphere in shades of red and black.

Finally, “The Rebellion” closes The Soul Scar in a well-finished cycle. Dark, constant and strong, the track seems one of the most fitting to imagine what that union between Black Sabbath and Judas Priest would have been like, but not only that: the song shows Black Priest's mark as good disciples, capable of following their own path after the precious lessons of the masters, echoing the voices of the giants of metal without abandoning their own.

“Our idols, the bands and artists we follow, are people who are with us during our most intense moments, good or bad. Dio, Bruce Dickinson, James Hetfield, Ozzy Osbourne , these guys are with us, they are part of our routine, of our lives. They are with us when we celebrate, but also when we are trying to deal with something bad at the moment, looking for a way out,” concludes the vocalist.

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