Priestess (band)

Priestess (band)

Priestess is a Canadian rock band formed by singer/guitarist Mikey Heppner in Montreal, Quebec in 2003. Since its inception it has featured Heppner, singer/guitarist Dan Watchorn, singer/drummer Vince Nudo, and bassist Mike Dyball. They are perhaps best known for their song "Lay Down", a single from Hello Master, being included in the popular video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Priestess emerged from the ashes of the Dropouts, a punk rock band Heppner created only for fun. Three of its members were already members of the Stills, who later moved to New York upon experiencing greater success; left on his own, Heppner gathered three replacements and changed the group's name to Priestess, who then signed to independent record label Indica Records. The band's first album, Hello Master, was released in 2005, following which the group entered into a major-label contract with RCA Records, who released the album outside of Canada. In support of the album the group toured extensively with many popular acts, including Megadeth, the Sword, and Black Label Society.

However, when RCA refused to release their follow-up Prior to the Fire for fear that it would not be marketable, the band left RCA, returned to being only on independent record labels and signed to Tee Pee Records. After significant delays, Prior to the Fire was released in 2009, and was followed by more rigorous concert plans, including dates with acts such as High on Fire. 2012 would have been the date for a European tour and a new album, but these were mysteriously canceled.