Prior to the Fire

Prior to the Fire
Studio album by Priestess
Released	October 20, 2009 (2009-10-20)
Recorded	2008
Genre	Stoner rock, Heavy metal
Length	46:40
Label	Indica (Canada), TeePee Records (USA)
Producer	David Schiffman
Priestess chronology
Hello Master (2006) Prior To The Fire (2009)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
BLARE Magazine
CHARTattack
Rock Sound
SPIN

Prior to the Fire is the second album by Canadian hard rock group Priestess. The album was produced by David Schiffman in Los Angeles and mixed by Adrian Popovich in Montreal. It was released in Canada on 20 October 2009 on Indica Records, and in the United States in February 2010 on TeePee Records.

History

The band made more than one attempt at recording the album. The first time, plans with the producer fell through, so the group were trying to find a new producer and book new studio time. A few more attempts finally resulted in one that worked when they secured the services of David Schiffman.

The recording process itself was not easy once it had taken off; while working on the bass parts for the album they had the bass turned up so loud that nearby houses in the Los Angeles residential area where the band worked were being shaken. The group were told by local law enforcement to move the recording to another location, so they moved to a different studio, recalling the incident rather humorously later.

Finally, it was completed in the fall of 2008, but the group's then-label, RCA Records, did not want to release the album as it was. Because they feared the album would not produce a good single, the company wanted the band to keep writing and recording until what they considered a potential hit single appeared. The band and RCA continued to argue about the album, which only delayed it further, causing them to miss their originally planned March 2009 release date completely. When it became clear that such a single, as RCA wanted it, was not forthcoming, because the band liked the album too much as it was, the label dropped the band and allowed them to take the record to another label.

When released in the U.S., it came in two deluxe editions: both with two downloadable bonus tracks, but only one with an exclusive T-shirt.

The music video for "Lady Killer" premiered on February 4, 2010 through Pitchfork.com. It was shot in the band's hometown of Montreal with director David Valiquette.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lady Killer"	4:06
2.	"Raccoon Eyes"	2:40
3.	"The Firebird"	4:00
4.	"Murphy's Law"	2:55
5.	"The Gem"	7:59
6.	"Communicating Via-Eyes"	4:26
7.	"Lunar"	2:54
8.	"It Baffles the Mind"	5:34
9.	"Sideways Attack"	3:15
10.	"We Ride Tonight"	4:04
11.	"Trapped in Space & Time"	4:47
Total length:		46:40

Download card bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Castle Dracula"	4:28
13.	"Dweller"	3:55

Lyrical content

Mikey Heppner stated that the band decided to integrate more progressive rock influences into their songwriting, while the lyrical focus was more on "things [they] like," such as favorite movies. In fact, the album's title actually came from a line Heppner stumbled across while watching TV.

"Lady Killer" is a "tale of revenge against a serial killer," which started from the band trying to "write a theme song for Jack the Ripper."

The song "Murphy's Law" was written about the film RoboCop. Heppner has stated that RoboCop is his favorite movie.

The eight-minute "The Gem" was inspired by the concept of the human race being a plague upon the earth, and the apocalypse being a good thing because it wipes out humanity. Whoever sets it in motion (Heppner explained as by "open[ing] Pandora's box") is hailed as a hero for having done the right thing.

The song "Communicating Via-Eyes" is "about a guy who becomes a werewolf".

"Sideways Attack" features lyrics inspired by the Lone Wolf and Cub manga/movie series, while "It Baffles the Mind" is about a "Tenkaichi Budokai Tournament" in the Dragonball series.