Article and Photos by: Ommar Ortuvia

Houston, TX — The “Taste of Armageddon 2025” tour rolled into Houston’s Scout Bar on July 19, bringing much guitar-fueled rage and metal, headlined by sci-fi industrial rockers Powerman 5000, with supporting acts from latin-infused nu-metal band Ill Niño, “G-punk” rap-rockers Hed PE, and Priest. Now when talking about rock and metal and you mention Priest, the knee-jerk reaction would be to think about the almighty NWOBHM gods Judas Priest. But the cultured and discerning music fan would know that this mononym is for the Swedish dark synthpop trio, who return to the US once again to continue their mission of converting the masses with their gospel of danceable bass, catchy tunes, and synths, synths, and more synths!

Coming from Sweden, Priest has an undeniable genesis from their countrymen Ghost – the founding members of Priest were ex-members of Ghost, and both bands have similar on-stage aesthetics: most notably the frontman forming an identity of a member of the catholic clergy with a weird eye. But this is where the similarities end, since Priest has carved an independent path towards the synthpop realm, mixing in heavy synth chords with elements of cyberpunk, EBM, goth, industrial, and 80’s synthwave. To get a feel for Priest’s sonic offerings, you can check out their official website (priestnexus.com) and you’ll be greeted with a heavily pixelated, digital green monochrome interface, seamlessly merging current technology and giving it a nostalgic aura – just like their music.

The band adds some sense of mystery and secrecy to their stage presence as well, identifying themselves only as singer Mercury, synth extraordinaire Salt, and percussionist/keyboards/programmer Sulfur. The trio are dressed all in black with Mercury having a black skull-like mask with a spiked head, laser eye, and clerical collar, with the additional members sporting masks that resemble 18^th century plague masks. When they climbed on stage, they started their set with “The Pit.” Once the electronic cymbals started with the bass loop following, the crowd started to generate an energy that spread through the venue. The fans began feeling the music by dancing and swaying to the electronic drive coming from Priest.

The band continued with their set, while Mercury would talk about how appreciative he is of his fans in the US, and how great it is to be back and playing to the crowd. They performed hits like “Neuromancer,” “A Signal in the Noise,” and progressing to “History in Black” as the penultimate song. During this tune Mercury sent blessings from the stage, and then climbed down into the crowd and began placing his hand on fan’s foreheads – a ritual move cleansing devotees and filling them with cyborg sanctification. Afterwards Priest finished with “Vaudeville,” creating a bittersweet moment for the crowd, woefully knowing that this was the last song, in contrast to the liveliness of the synths infecting everyone to dance. Once done, the trio did a curtain call, thanking them once more for their presence and love.

Being one of the openers Priest naturally played a shortened set, but in the 40 minutes they were on stage they delighted their fans, and with their charm and musical prowess, enchanted and converted many others in attendance. Their driving melodies, hypnotic repetitive synths, smooth vocals, and stage presence created one hell of a show, and I echo another reviewer who called their live show a “cybernetic ritual of pure machine power.” Priest will continue to play stateside in this current tour until the beginning of August, then head back to Europe for some further dates.