JUDAS PRIEST – Invincible Shield

The new Judas Priest album Invincible Shield is finally out. The much anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Firepower has a powerful sound with Andy Sneap once again at the helm producing with Tom Allom. The lineup is constant with Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Glenn Tipton, Richie Faulkner and Scott Travis, though Andy Sneap plays guitar on tour.

Writing The Album

The band began work on Invincible Shield in 2019. According to guitarist Richie Faulkner, the band “faced some challenges with schedules due to the pandemic”. “We wanted to keep it the same dynamic as Firepower – as we all got together, played the songs in pre-production before recording them”.

Once restrictions were lifted from the pandemic, the band continued to record while touring, as Faulkner states: “So the next obstacle, if you wanna call it that, was the tour. We had to go out and tour and record bits and pieces in between the tour legs.”

The album is different from Firepower and Nostradamus, and Faulkner states “instead of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, chorus, finish, sometimes it goes off and plays it a little… like the old ’70s Judas Priest used to, like the “Sinner” and stuff like that”. Of note is the final cut on the album titled “The Lodger”, which was the only track not written by the band, but instead is by Bob Halligan Jr., who has written other songs for the band, most notably “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll” off of Defenders of the Faith.

Final Notes

The new album is a very strong release, and Judas Priest does not seem to be slowing down by any means. In fact, it’s quite the opposite here on Invincible Shield. The record is a solid 61+ minutes of great Heavy Metal, with a few twists and turns. While the band is definitely not re-inventing the wheel, the music comes out sounding fresh, while still maintaining that Judas Priest sound. A standout track is the album ending “The Lodger”, which feels like a sequel to older Judas Priest songs like “The Ripper” and “The Sentinel”. The album is available streaming, but also on vinyl, CD and even cassette tape for the discerning fans who still support their favorite bands by owning a physical copy.

Overall, Invincible Shield is a great record that every self respecting metal head should own, so keep on defending the faith, and add Invincible Shield to your album collection.

Lineup

• Ian Hill – bass, occasional backing vocals
• Rob Halford – lead vocals
• Glenn Tipton – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards
• Scott Travis – drums, occasional backing vocals
• Richie Faulkner – guitars, backing vocals

Invincible Shield – Tracklist

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

Check out the lyric video for the song “The Lodger” off of the new release Invincible Shield.