Judas Priest – Invincible Shield – 2024
Invincible Shield is the nineteenth studio album by British Heavy Metal band Judas Priest. And you know, when Judas Priest releases a new album, it’s a big deal. It’s huge news! Especially these days when most of the classic members aren’t even in the band anymore. I guess that depends on how you look at it though. This lineup has been the reality for so long that it might be considered the classic lineup nowadays. But, I don’t really care about who plays the guitars or who plays the drums when it sounds like this. You could never guess that the average age of the members is 65, taking into account that Richie Faulkner with his 44 years pulls down the average quite a bit. There’s a 32-year age difference between him and Glenn Tipton, the oldest member of the band
Invincible Shield starts off right away, there are no soft beginnings here. Panic Attack, the first song is a past and heavy beginning which fits the album perfectly. It’s hard and it’s heavy. Later on they settle down the tempo a bit and perform something close to a ballad with Crown of Horns. I like the harder and faster stuff better but there’s nothing wrong with a slow- or mid-tempo song once in a while. Rob Halford sings like a God as usual and the guitars sound just like they should. It’s melodic all the way through!
Rob, Glenn Tipton, and Ritchie Faulkner are all credited with composing and arranging the songs. Good job on all parts I say. Andy Sneap has produced it but is not credited as a guitar player. I believe he plays with them live, but I might have been mistaken. Instead, Glenn Tipton is the guitarist on the album. It’s hard to say how much each of the guitarists plays though. I can’t really tell the difference in playing style. Scott Travis handles the drums as He has been doing for the last 25 years or so and Ian Hill handles the bass.
Sometimes I think I recognize certain lines from other Judas Priest songs. Some passages sound familiar but so what? This is a great album and was well worth the wait. Now, all one can do is hope for another album but the band before it’s all over. But if Invincible Shield turns out to be the last one, they sure as hell go out on top!
