Classic rock/metal bands like Judas Priest face a conundrum: chase the past, the classic years, or forge new ground and risk alienating old fans? Iron Maiden, for one, has successfully navigated that path, with two consecutive double albums of fresh material since 2010; other bands in this category haven’t been as successful. Judas Priest’s new record, “Invincible Shield”, is the third to be made following the departure of founding member and guitarist KK Downing in 2011, and the second to be made following the unfortunate announcement of guitarist Glenn Tipton diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and subsequently stepping away from full touring activities. It also makes a strong argument that they have found the right blend for them between “past glories” and “future progress”.
Following Downing’s exit, guitarist Ritchie Faulkner was drafted into the fold. Currently, the writing team for Priest is Faulkner, Tipton, and vocalist Rob Halford. “Invincible Shield” is 11 songs (14 for the deluxe version) of vintage Priest that incorporates the signature aspects of its sound – the dueling guitars of Faulkner and Tipton, the soaring vocals of Halford, and the hammering rhythm section of drummer Scott Travis and bassist (and longest tenured member) Ian Hill – evoking images of great songs from the band’s past, without ever encroaching into repetition.
Listening to the record, there are no songs that seem like a simple rehash. Several are evocative; “The Serpent And The King” doesn’t really sound like anything that came before, though one can’t really hear the chorus without thinking of “Metal Gods”. Some even seem to be improvements on what came before. The intro to “Panic Attack” sounds like what several songs on Turbo should have sounded like; the song has a current edge to it without sacrificing any of the power of the Priest attack (as many feel the songs on Turbo did). “Crown Of Horns” and “As God Is My Witness” are both text book examples of the traditional standard Priest twin-guitar attack, though the former moves almost immediately into a more untypical mid-tempo rocker.
Some songs explore interesting new territory; it’s hard to point to any moment in the Priest catalogue that is quite like “Escape From Reality”. The guitar solo in the aforementioned “Crown Of Horns” starts out in familiar territory, but ends as almost an homage to Randy Rhoads of all people. The interlude in “Giants In The Sky”, which closes the album proper, is almost flamenco in nature, and Rob’s vocal is, daresay, beautiful. Despite that, the song is a fitting closer to the record. “The Lodger”, the last of the bonus tracks on the deluxe version (and written by Bob Halligan, Jr., writer of “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll”) is in many ways the most interesting song on the record; unlike anything that comes before it, it is almost theatrical in nature (and may be thematically linked to the 1913 novel of the same name, which also spawned several films and an opera).
The real star of this record is Rob Halford. The singer, who turned 72 in August of last year, is in great form on this record. Granted, he is clearly pacing himself on many songs; rather than the full-on vocal assault of a song like “Freewheel Burning” across the entire record, we only get moments of his full range. Importantly, though, it appears that his full range is still largely intact. In his normal register, there doesn’t seem to be any loss of power, his tone is still clear (without the “rasp” that seems to have crept in with many of his contemporaries) and his command is some of the best in the metal genre. Lyrically, there isn’t really any theme or story to the album, but many of the lyrics deal with trial and tribulation in a thoughtful way, and generally avoid the more traditional heavy metal tropes.
This is a solid album from top to bottom. While not every song is an instant classic, there is no filler on this record and every song has at least one moment or one part that begs to be heard again. Any long term Priest fan (this author’s first concert was Judas Priest on the Screaming For Vengeance tour in 1982) has to be thrilled at the level at which their favorite band is still producing music that matters.
Bill’s rating: 9.5 / 10
Preorder the album here: https://shop.judaspriest.com/products/invincible-shield-deluxe-cd
Tracklisting:
1 Panic Attack
2 The Serpent and the King
3 Invincible Shield
4 Devil in Disguise
5 Gates of Hell
6 Crown of Horns
7 As God Is My Witness
8 Trial by Fire
9 Escape from Reality
10 Sons of Thunder
11 Giants in the Sky
12 Fight of Your Life
13 Vicious Circle
14 The Lodger
There will be a global album listening party for Judas Priest‘s latest metal masterpiece, “Invincible Shield”, on Thursday, March 7th at various metal bars in 30 cities worldwide. See the list below – and check your local metal bar for exact time and details, many of which will also be offering giveaways and custom Judas Priest-themed cocktails for their event.
If you live near Daytona Beach, you will be able to experience a special Judas Priest pop-up shop on Saturday, March 9th from 3-5 PM at Atlantic Sounds, which will be operating out of a custom Judas Priest military combat truck – “an invincible shield on wheels” – playing the album to the 500K+ attendees at Daytona Bike Week.
Harley Davidson will lead a 100-biker brigade from Orlando to Daytona at 9:00 AM ET.
Fans can also find the truck and brigade at the Daytona International Speedway for a special parade lap at noon ET before the Daytona 200. Come celebrate the release of “Invincible Shield” with your fellow headbangers!
“Invincible Shield” listening parties happening at these fine metal bars:
