Finally hitting the UK, Priestess wasted no time in making as much impact as they could. A set at Download interspersed with their own headline shows and a support to Megadeth kept the boys rather busy. Thankfully lead vocalist and guitarist Mikey Heppner found the time to chat with us about Europe, Download and what's next for the band.
R13:Download – how was it for you?
MH: It was awesome, it was our first time there. I've seen a lot of viceos of Donnington, old concerts so it was really exciting to play it.
R13:How was the crowd reaction for you?
MH: Really good, we had no idea how it was going to go and it was our first time here being out door. It was a whole bunch of new things all at once but it went over really cool.
R13:Did you get to see any other acts?
MH:I saw Megadeth there, a bit of Slayer. I kinda wandered around a lot, just partying and not taking it all in but it was great.
R13:Are you excited to be over in Europe?
MH: Its later than it should have been, we all wanted to come over earlier but for the last year and a half, the record release was getting put back so it took its time. Its excellent to be here though, really good.
R13:You had the Metal Hammer Awards Party last night – how was that?
MH:It was cool, a strange gig playing in from of famous bands, so it was stressful but it was cool. We played the afterparty so it was a show slash party so it was pretty fun.
R13:Do you have anything special lined up for the Megadeth shows?
MH: Its shorter but other than that no, we'll go out and play and attack it like we do our own shows so apart from set times and songs, nothings changing.
R13:You've been answering Q&A's from fans on the myspace. Is it important to have a strong connection to the fans?
MH: Sure, someone sent me a crazy question and I wanted to answer it properly so went and put it online. After that we got some more crazy questions so we kept going with it, we haven't actually done one in a long time but hopefully the next one will have some European questions, maybe some Scottish questions?
R13:As a nation, we've certainly got a lot of problems!
MH: Yeah? I'll get ready for that then.
R13:When you were growing up, did you have any favourite bands or were influenced by anyone?
MH: It's a very long list but I'd say Nirvana started my interest in playing the guitar. They were coming out when I started playing guitar. After that I got into The Beatles, Jethro Tull. Black Sabbath so I've always had different rock and classic metal, progressive metal things.
R13:You're heavy but very melodious, do you think that combining both helps or hinders in building a fanbase?
MH:It can be one of two. We incorporate melodic songwriting, Im sure it appeals to some and turns off others. Generally we've been lucky, we haven't had any huge worldwide Number 1 hit, we don't expect or try for that but we are gaining respect in our own way.
R13:How does the band come up with songs?
MH: One person will bring an idea, be it a verse, chorus or riff and then we'll arrange it altogether. The lyrics also fall to the person who wrote the song, I wrote most of the songs on the first album but for the next one it'll be a bit more varied. We don't have much time on our own at the moment so we are together. We can have certain ideas on the road and play around but no real songs get done on the road.
R13:Any plans for a new album?
MH: After the UK tour we have a month and a half to get written but anything new wont come out until next Spring, so don't hold your breath.
R13:what are the plans for the rest of the summer?
MH: We have a Canadian tour and a few one-off shows and of course the break. If we get the opportunity to get back to the UK, we'll definitely try for it as its been great and we've loved the shows. We'll maybe be able to do some supports and some headline shows as well.
And with the promise to stay as busy as they have been recently, it can only be hoped that it wont be too long until the band hit the UK shores again.