Priest announces fifth album ‘Altered State Police’, out October 23
Priest releases its fifth studio album, “Altered State Police,” on October 23, 2026 via Blue Nine, blending synthpop and industrial electronics.

Priest
Swedish dark synth act Priest announces its fifth studio album, “Altered State Police,” out October 23, 2026 via Blue Nine. The record moves through surveillance, technology, identity and control across a blend of synthpop, industrial electronics and flashes of 1990s big beat.
The title track is the album’s emotional centerpiece, and the band describes the record as a continuation of the dystopian world it has built over its previous releases, meant to be heard start to finish. The band plans a full visual reveal, including new press images, on October 1.
Side-Line first named “Altered State Police” when Priest shared the single “Python” earlier in 2026, and has previously covered Priest’s take on other acts’ material, including its version of Rammstein’s “Engel” in 2023 and, the same year, a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”, released by a lineup including former members of the masked Swedish rock band Ghost.
About Priest
Priest is a Swedish dark synth act built around former members of Ghost, carrying over that band’s masked visual identity into an electronic project. The group has released four studio albums to date and built a parallel catalogue of cover versions, including reworkings of Rammstein’s “Engel” and Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” both covered by Side-Line in 2023. “Altered State Police” is Priest’s fifth album and continues the surveillance-and-control themes running through the band’s recent work, with a full visual identity reveal planned for October 1, 2026, ahead of the album’s October 23 release.
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Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

