KK Downing is a man who's earned his place as one of metal's great guitar players and influencers. Even if you don't like Judas Priest, there's a strong chance that the bands you love do and Downing's playing was a major part of their success. A couple of years ago, the guitarist resurfaced with a new project, KK's Priest, which also featured former bandmate Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals, and their debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner" was received quite warmly. Two years later the new Priest of the flock is back with the appropriately named, "The Sinner Rides Again," but it might not be what you were hoping for.

Appropriately for a band bearing his name, it's Downing who shines the brightest on the album, particularly when it comes to solos and the intros of songs like "Sons Of The Sentinel." Ripper Owens also has some highlights on the record, such as the first third of the closing song, "Wash Away Your Sins." He unfairly receives a lot of criticism for his tenure with Judas Priest but he's always delivered good performances and this is no exception. Indeed, I was reminded of his time with Iced Earth on the song, "One More Shot At Glory," which feels somewhat ironic for a band (and song title) made to draw comparisons to his and Downing's former band.

So if the guitars are good and the vocals are decent, what's letting this album down? It's the songwriting. Almost every song feels the same. "Reap The Whirlwind" is the exception in that while it's not totally different from the other tracks, it's the only one that feels genuine and not by the numbers. Each song goes for that epic vibe but if every one of them does it, then all the impact ceases. What was pretty cool to begin with becomes tedious halfway through the album and it just keeps going with the same formula and I honestly couldn't remember how a single song went after listening to it.

There are few efforts to mix things up, such as the mellow sense of menace for a while on "Keeper Of The Graves" and the choir on "Wash Away Your Sins," but nothing sticks and even the few new areas they do explore are ditched pretty sharp in favour of the grand sound that each song aims for. "Keeper Of The Graves" ended up feeling like a weak answer to "Halls Of Valhalla" from Judas Priest's first post-KK album, "Redeemer Of Souls." As mentioned, there were some Iced Earth flashbacks on "One More Shot At Glory," and in the ultimate irony, "Sons Of The Sentinel" was quite reminiscent of "Betrayal" by Halford.

When all is said and done, "The Sinner Rides Again" isn't a terrible album, or even necessarily bad. But it's boring, which is arguably a greater sin, especially from talent like this. The debut was promising but the follow-up hasn't moved on at all. I keep thinking of Spirits Of Fire, another band that originally featured Ripper Owens and goes for the same exciting Judas Priest dynamic, but they actually succeeded in that regard. That KK's Priest, which features one of the prongs of the successful Judas Priest songwriting trident, can't do the same is deeply frustrating. You might think it's unfair to keep comparing the two Priests but everything about KK's band is designed to force the listener to do just that, especially when it comes to the lazy song titles. KK's Priest could still make a truly great album, but they have to really do better than this uninspired effort.