1241. Judas Priest / Invincible Shield. 2024. 4/5

The latter part of the career of Judas Priest has had plenty of interesting phases about it, notwithstanding the changes in band lineup in that time, and the other difficulties that have faced the band in that time. Following the return of Rob Halford to the band, they put out two completely different styled albums in “Angel of Retribution”, which tried to harness what the band had done best prior to their separation, and “Nostradamus”, the double CD prog metal concept album that threw the Priest rulebook out the window and created a whole new chapter in their songwriting and production. Both of these albums had their fans and their critics. Some felt that “Angel of Retribution” was both not Judas Priest enough and also too much of a change from their normal sound (“Loch Ness” I’m looking directly at you!), while the huge risks and gamble taken with “Nostradamus” was a marvel to some, and an overblown misplaced epic by others.
In 2011, founding member K.K. Downing left the band citing... well... differences... and Richie Faulkner was brought in, and the youthful energy he brought with him seemed to rub off on the next album, “Redeemer of Souls” as it lifted the intensity lost somewhat by the mist of “Nostradamus”, and it felt as though Judas Priest was back on level footing. Perhaps the only doubts arose from Halford’s capability to continue singing live as he had done in his youth. He himself admitted it just wasn’t possible for him to do so, and that he by changing the way he sang those older songs live, he was able to draw out his ability in this respect. There were still concerns over Halford’s vocal capacity... that is until the release of “Firepower” in 2018, arguably the best Priest album since “Painkiller”, where the songs sat in that perfect Priest tempo, and Halford stayed in his capable vocal range, and the combination produced an absolutely killer album. Glen Tipton’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease while recording this album meant that he had to pull back from fulltime duties with the band, with producer Andy Sneap stepping in when required to cover his forced absences.
The initial writings sessions for that album’s follow up occurred in early 2020, but with the onset of the pandemic, and not being able to be together, the writing was more or less put on hold. Then the band began their 50th Anniversary tour, which again was interrupted by the shock of Faulkner’s major heart scare, when he ruptured his aorta on stage, with blood filling his chest cavity. A 10+ hour emergency operation saved his life, but even the most optimistic person could barely believe he would tour again. And yet he did. All of this meant that progress on the new album was much slower than the band had hoped for, but eventually in late 2023 it was completed, and in March 2024 “Invincible Shield” was released upon an expectant and excited fan base world wide.

One of the big things that pops up very quickly on this album is that Rob has decided to extend himself vocally once again, with several songs and lines in other songs reaching for those highs of days gone by. You have to admire Halford, who at an age when he could easily rest on his laurels and sing within certain parameters without anyone feeling cranky about it, that he still has the ability and DESIRE to want to bring out those brilliant top level vocal highs at different stages, which really help to make the songs involved. Will he be able to do the same things night after night in the live environment? Well, that's a problem for Future Bill, because at the moment I just think it's great to hear them coming out of my speakers here in the Metal Cavern.
Those vocals on the album opener “Panic Attack” are that first impression, one everyone has had for months after it was released as the first single from the album. It also has very “Painkiller” like vibes in the guitars, that classic duelling solos and then twin harmony in between. It’s a Judas Priest gold standard type of song, coming at the kind of speed that immediately gets the blood pumping and the fist raising in glee. Those scream range vocals continue into “The Serpent and the King” which continues along the same old school Priest past path, with solos and riffs and drums that just crush out of the speakers. From the outset a different path has been set by this album than was the case with “Firepower”. The band has made a conscious effort not to replicate the success of that album, and instead, early on at least, has ramped everything up including Rob’s vocals in order to differentiate it from that album. And for me, it works beautifully. More of the same comes from the title track “Invincible Shield”, with Scott Travis’s driving double kick being the leading light along with Rob’s doubled harmony vocals throughout the song. There are pieces of this song that remind me incredibly of “Ram it Down”, thus increasing my belief that there is a definite desire to bring in that era of the band’s music into this album. I love it. Others may not, but the sense of deja-vu I get from the opening to this album is a good thing, not one of impending doom. As the album progresses there are examples of these kinds of songs, especially “As God as My Witness” which charges along with the same principles in place. Then there is also another interesting phase towards the end of the album with “Escape from Reality” and “Sons of Thunder”, which on my initial listens to this album reminded me of earlier Priest, those albums from the early 1980’s such as “British Steel” and “Screaming for Vengeance”. It wasn’t until a little bit of research (I occasionally do some) brought forth the fact that Glenn Tipton was the main writer of both these songs, and that unlike the rest of the album that had Andy Sneap as sole producer, these two songs had Tom Allom involved in the porduction, the man who had produced both of those legendary early Priest albums, and a lending hand on “Firepower”. The connection does sound obvious once you have that information.
Other songs such as “Devil in Disguise”, “Gates of Hell” and the album closer “Giants in the Sky” tread a path that contains a similar drum beat throughout and favoured by a rhythm riff that doesn’t change much in the tracks. The mid tempo favoured tracks, each with their own take on the variety to be offered by the band, are songs that act as the glue portion of the album, songs that don’t particularly offer anything extravagant or groundbreaking, but pay their part in the whole.
On the other hand, songs like “Crown of Horns” and “Trial By Fire” stick more closely to the format devised for the “Firepower” album, set in a great hard mid tempo range with Rob’s vocals settling in and not pushing the envelope of his vocal range, instead creating that wonderful mood through his normal range soar that makes modern Priest the wonderful band it is. Scott’s drums don’t overplay themselves, sticking in a great pattern along Ian Hill’s booming bass guitar, which has a terrific resonance throughout this album, and Tipton and Faulkner’s guitars flowing along in harmony together. Like I’ve said before, “Firepower” is an amazing album, and having songs that still utilise that writing style here is terrific to listen to.

The modern digital age has some amazing things in place that make it superior in some ways to those of, say, my teenage years. One of those is being able to hear a new album on the day of its release from midnight, which is when it goes live on the streaming services available, rather than having to wait to be able to get to your local record store and purchase your physical copy and then take it home and put it on your turntable for the first time – or by having to wait for your heavy metal music dealer to get HIS copy and then record it for you on the cassette you provide. In the instance of “Invincible Shield”, my first listen started at 5.50 am on the day of its release, the first of lots of listens in the days since.
Judging an album after such a limited span of time, despite the number of listens to the album equating in the thirties, is never easy, and will no doubt over the course of time become more rounded and probably more accurate. Should this podcast last another 20 years (or indeed, if I last another 20 years) then it would be interesting to listen to what I would say about my thoughts on this album having had that amount of time to digest it. What I can say is that at this point of the journey, this album has a lot going for it. I immediately have my ears prick up as certain songs begin, and I immediately notice when this album comes into the rotation of the other album that I have on my current playlist. I am looking forward to gaining my physical copy of this album and being able to give it the chance to fill the Metal Cavern with its music through my stereo rather than streaming to my Bluetooth speaker or through my headphones. That will be the real test.
At this point though, I would rank this alongside “Firepower” as the best Judas Priest albums since “Painkiller”. As with the previous album, the band has made a conscious effort to reintegrate their historical sound into their newest songs, and they have done it terrifically well. Their sound here is again amazing. Tipton, for as much as he is doing with Sneap in support, is great, and Richie Faulkner again is superb. K.K. Downing is showing with his own band that he still has what it takes, but Faulkner’s injection into Judas Priest has definitely been a positive for the band in both ability and writing. The grand old man Ian Hill continues to prove his worth to the band, and Scott Travis’s drumming still drives the machine. An of course, Rob Halford. Has he lost any of the power in his voice? At times during this album I have just shaken my head at what he can still achieve vocally. He is a remarkable person.
The verdict? Of all of the new albums I have listened to over the past month, this is the one that still demands the most attention. That’s about the best recommendation I can give for this album.