That’s right, defenders! Heavy metal royalty descended on the unsuspecting capital of the Golden State for a night of headbanging excellence that any fortunate attendee wouldn’t soon forget.

Let’s get this first part out of the way: this is probably the tour poster of the decade! I love the searing energy that’s coming off of it and if that electric piece of artwork doesn’t inspire you, you might be visually impaired, and in that case, I apologize and hope that the text to speech program you are using is reading this to you in a very pleasant voice.

When this tour was announced, it was hard to contain my excitement. I couldn’t wait to see these bands as we here at the site loved both of their most recent releases and I looked forward to seeing the songs played live. I’ve seen Accept once before when they toured for the Stalingrad album and seen Judas Priest in its classic incarnation a few times over the years. KK’s Priest is ably carrying the torch of Priest-style heavy metal and I was also very eager to see the legend, Tim “Ripper” Owens on stage. Let’s just say that everyone delivered the goods!

Ace of Spades is an iconic venue in Sacramento, and it’s been host to many metal acts over the years, but somehow I had not seen a show there until this very night that two metal titans were set to tear the roof off of it. I walked in just a few minutes before Accept kicked off the action with a very fun set for both new and old fans of the venerable veterans.

Accept

Accept are icons in the world of old-school, headbanging heavy metal and they continue to put out good music and bring the heat with killer live shows despite years of lineup changes, especially recently. Band leader Wolf Hoffmann has assembled a well-oiled machine consisting of experienced Nashville players and German metal veterans, including former Grave Digger axeman, Uwe Lulis. The band took the stage earlier than the scheduled start time and blew the crowd away from the first note to the last. Accept is one of the few bands with newer material that is very welcome on the setlist and those tracks get a good response from crowds. They’ve put together a solid post-comeback catalogue since 2010’s Blood of the Nations and they make good use of the material, sprinkling it in amongst the band’s ’80s classics.

Vocalist Mark Tornillo is doing an incredible job bringing the right energy and owning those back catalogue tunes at the age of 70! The three-piece guitar attack worked well, even if the stage did seem a bit crowded with the band’s speaker backdrop taking up much of the real estate. As someone who credits Accept with being an important injection into my mid-teen metal development, I couldn’t be more pleased with what I saw during this set.

KK’s Priest

KK Downing and the boys had a tough act to follow with a solid and incredibly tight set by Accept but they managed to make it happen. A lengthy introduction video sets the stage for the band to emerge with some lore building and a visual introduction for each band member with a name attached. This is a nice touch that lets you know that these are individual players coming together to create something special rather than just a branding juggernaut where members can be interchangeable.

The setlist was a potent combo of Judas Priest deep cuts and tracks from the two records KK’s Priest have put out so far. The classic Priest songs took up most of the set, but it flowed perfectly. Seeing two legends in Downing and Ripper Owens take the stage to demonstrate ownership and verisimilitude of these songs was an absolute sight and sound to behold. KK shredded with aplomb. What he does at the age of 72 is incredible and a high water mark for any aspiring guitarist to reach for. Ripper hit those insane high notes you’d want to hear and gave these songs the punch they needed to be brought to life before the defenders of the faith in the audience. He came across as a true rockstar with a natural charisma and true connection to the fans. The band gets an inordinate and irrational amount of hatred online if you go to any Judas Priest comment section on social media. Those doubters can be firmly brushed aside as mouth-breathing brand loyalists because KK’s Priest is bringing traditional, authentic heavy metal to the people. This show was a titanic triumph from beginning to end. The Sinner does indeed ride again and if this tour is anything to go by, he has been truly redeemed.