Priest, the Swedish synth band, has released Altered State Police, a new album out now on Blue Nine Productions. The twelve-track record runs about forty-seven minutes and is streaming on Bandcamp and Apple Music, with compact disc (CD), vinyl and bundle editions listed at the band's Airghoul store.
A dystopian synth journey
On their official site, Priest describe themselves as a synth band rooted in the vastness of electronic dreams, with a long-running interest in guiding listeners through that electronic world. The Bandcamp notes for Altered State Police frame the album as a fresh take on 1990s synthpop and big beat, written with more depth and detail than the band's earlier work. The writing leans into dystopian cityscapes, surveillance and political distrust, and the band asks listeners to take the record as a whole from start to finish rather than as a pile of singles. Questions raised on one track are meant to find answers later in the sequence.
Words and music are by Linton Rubino. Leo Josefsson and Rubino produced the album, Josefsson mixed it, and Magnus Lindberg mastered it at Remount Studios in Stockholm. Sessions were recorded at Studio Rackham in Kisa and House of Wizards in Stockholm. Cover art is by Snep, with cover design by Rubino. Spoken voices come from Evita Helling, Jamie Cronander plays guitar on "Jeopardize," Andrew Montgomery adds backing vocals on "Stargate," and Internal contributes additional synthesizers on the opener "Jaded."
Twelve tracks, led by Dehumanized and Python
The album opens with "Jaded," then moves through "Python," "Jeopardize," the title track, "Karmageddon," "Sentimental," "When We're Gone," "Dehumanized," "Minions," "The Savior's Blade," "Here Comes the Light" and "Stargate." Official videos for Dehumanized and Python are already up on the Priest Official YouTube channel. Digital is live now. Physical formats including CD, black 180 gram vinyl, a limited red 180 gram vinyl edition, kits and merch bundles are listed at Airghoul alongside the digital release.
Our call
This one is Surfacing. Priest is not Judas Priest. This is the Swedish industrial and synth project that just put a full album on the board, and the official video for "Dehumanized" is the easiest way in. Start there, then play the record front to back the way the band asks, and read the notes on Bandcamp.
If dark electronic and synth records are your lane, our pieces on Martin Gore and Cliff Damavandi's Cross Whisper, the Mute Records starter guide and the best books about electronic music are good next stops. Shopping for studio gear after the listen? Our gifts for producers and synth heads guide is a practical follow-up.
Listen on Bandcamp · Apple Music · Airghoul store · Watch Dehumanized
