There are certain things to be expected from a Judas Priest album. When it comes to mid-tempo, palm-muted minor riffing, screaming harmonised leads and distorted tones that feel hotter than the sun, you know you’re in safe hands. But even by their own standards, the heavy metal pioneers are truly going for gold on this year’s 19th studio album Invincible Shield – rammed with explosive fretwork, from the rapid-fire brilliance of opening track Panic Attack to the biker blues of finale Giants In The Sky. It will undoubtedly be one of the finest metal albums you’ll hear this year, and more impressively manages to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with classic Priest albums such as Stained Class, British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance.
The road to this point has not been easy, however. In 2018, guitarist Glenn Tipton, a member of Priest since 1974, revealed he’d be stepping down from touring after an ongoing struggle with Parkinson’s, forcing the band to rope in their producer Andy Sneap as a touring guitarist. And in 2021, Richie Faulkner, who replaced K.K. Downing a decade prior, suffered from a near-fatal aortic aneurysm while Priest were performing on stage at Kentucky’s Louder Than Life festival. After a 10-hour open-heart procedure in which five parts of his chest were replaced by mechanical components, Richie lived to tell the tale and to continue playing a vital role in this legendary band…
This new album feels extra special, given everything that’s happened. Like the lyrics from Priest’s 1982 track , you are now actually made of metal!
