Judas Priest is one of the most important bands in rock history. They gave metal its appearance, with black leather and metal spikes, back in the late 70s. They've been doing it for fifty years and have yet to miss a beat. Even Nostradamus had plenty of bangers on it! The lineup has been largely the same, although there's some animosity these days. But I'm not gonna touch on that.
Judas Priest has released their nineteenth album, Invincible Shield! I always get pumped when their music comes on the radio, even if it's just the same three tracks... But my Spotify playlists have them up and down the board. They've been one of the few constants in my ear since 2002 when I heard "You've Got Another Thing Coming" on Vice City's V-Rock. When I dove into metal, their Best of and Angel of Retribution were constant companions on my walk to school. I tried to learn so many of their songs when I played guitar. I failed to learn most of them, but "Breaking the Law" was so much fun to play, even if it was only the main riff. Their talent, consistency, and my admiration made me scream for vengeance when Dolly Parton beat them out as the headliner for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction. But that was the past!
Track one of Invincible Shield is an early single tilted "Panic Attack." It kicks off the album with the classic Priest formula. Synths amp up to the full powered guitars that fans have come to love. Rob Halford's voice sounds as good as ever as he starts into his cleanest voice, singing about how on edge the world is today. The "lethal icon" leads people astray and tips the scales of justice. I mean, take a guess at what this is about. It's probably not just one person... Halford tries to hit his "Painkiller" screams during a breakdown, but he can't really hit them anymore. I used to be able to mimic that "schizophrenic" sound in high school, but I think I have polyps now, so I understand that it sucks to age. Fun staccato guitars are behind a simple chorus before the duel melodic guitars call forth a classic, face melting guitar solo that lasts long enough to wage a war in your head and eventually brings us to a duel layered melody. Another verse and chorus hits as we finish a 5:26 song. Blast beats ring through the vocal breakdown, so there are all the Priest callbacks here. This song doesn't experiment, and it's vintage Priest and amazing!
"The Serpent and the King" is the newest single. The most obvious thing about it is Halford is trying to Painkiller this again. It's still not working. It comes off as coherent black metal, so it's still pretty fun. Nice, gritty, chugy guitars fight their way through the lyrics about poisonous people who "conjure evil times" and build pyramids of bones. Two guitar solos break it all up, and both are wildly different. The second one churns the last part of the song into sludge for a moment, and it's a nice distraction.
The title track, "Invincible Shield," is about fighting back. I don't know what we're fighting, but I'm down. It's a pretty straightforward track, but there are a number of riffs here, and I start it get groove metal vibes! It's a simple track if you overlook the 984 guitar solos, all by Faulkner. Halford brings out his bass voice here, and there are several random guitar sounds throughout.
"Devil in Disguise" is another song about a terrible person. They "reel you in" romantically and "charming; manipulating dread." If you told me this song was off the Painkiller album, I'd believe it. Halford's voice sounds like it hasn't aged, and the guitar solo is peak Priest.
"Gates of Hell" sounds like it's off the Screaming for Vengeance album. There's a nice build up to the main riff, which is classic eighties metal. The lyrics make me think of Defending the Faith as it equates Judas Priest to a religion. More face melting solos and vocal ranges keep the flow going.
"Crown of Horns" hits us with a 1960's style guitar solo that's all flange and no drums. When the main song begins, you realize it's the slowest track on the album. It's no power ballad, though, as it's still heavier than anything AC/DC's made in their career. It's a song that starts off talking about regrets. Dreams come from pain, long roads have no answers, and love guides us. But the verses go on to indicate everything was worth it. This is a song where the band thanks the fans for their support through fifty years. Faulkner has another amazing solo that lets Rob give us the fade out.
I would have rocked "As God As My Witness" to school all the time. It's got a machine gun riff to wake me up and exciting lyrics about powering through your woes. The dueling solos are the best on the album, and the relentless riffs are just so tasty. If I wasn't an old man, I'd be hurting my head with all my head banging.
"Trial by Fire" is an instant classic. It's the previous song, but better - if you can believe it. Rob plays with his voice some more, and I absolutely love how the guitars in the chorus drop out to let him belt the title. There are more vibes of old; Electric Eye comes to mind, with that lead up and driving riff. But the chorus makes me pine for Angel of Retribution's "Hellrider." The lyrics make me think it's three small stories. Someone kills another in verse one and in a terrible relationship in verse two. The third part is about the pains of existence.
"Escape From Reality" starts being pretty grungey. High school me wants to learn that riff so badly. The verses are actually pretty sludgy, too, as Rob tells us of the regrets of age. The chorus is a simple "Agony" followed by the song title. It's quick and to the point! And then it becomes a Black Sabbath song! I don't know why Rob's singing through water, but I won't complain. I dig the normal high pitch he's hitting, too. At the very least, it's an interesting twist from the first half of the album.
Mid verse guitar solos make "Sons of Thunder" an interesting song. Lyrically, it's a simple song about being cool and powerful, but this track really lets the legendary Glenn Tipton shine. Faulkner probably keeps reminding us why he belongs in Priest, too, but I can't tell who does what. It's the shortest track by far, which helps to keep this moving to the end. Not sure if that's a good thing or what...
The final song, "Giants in the Sky," is a tribute to all the fallen metal brothers and sisters. It's a chuggy guitar riff, and the rest of the song is much of what we've already heard. The message is a nice way to end the album.
There are three more songs on the deluxe edition, but they're overly similar to the rest of the album. But I wish "The Lodger" was a main album song. It's so much different than the rest of the album, as it's a more atmospheric and slow paced track that makes me want to hear "The Ripper" again. It really could have broken up the album better. Unlike the serial killer song, this is about a justified murder: vengeance. Honestly, this might be a callback to said song. It should have been on the main album for several reasons.
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Skill) Judas Priest hasn't lost anything since 1975. They're as amazing as they've ever been, and they keep getting better. 2/2
Variation) It's all too fast paced. As much as I enjoy giving myself spinal stenosis, I like to feel things. Luckily, there's plenty of prog rock within the individual tracks. 1/2
Bangers) 3. I got muddled in the middle, but there's at least enough for the full points. And there's a bunch more that I'm sure others want me to put on my list. 2/2
Replayability) I'm gonna keep coming back, and the entire album calls back to previous albums, which I now want to listen to again. 2/2
Extras) If you ignore the "deluxe" edition, it charts in at 52:36 and has eleven songs. It's an album for long time fans and is a continuation of what they've been doing for so long. 2/2
Total Score: 9/10
Invincible Shield is more Judas Priest at their best. And they're always at their best. It's mind boggling that they've done this nineteen times since my parents were in elementary school. This doesn't do anything new, but who cares. Judas Priest is one of the greatest bands ever, and Invincible Shield helps to cement that.
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