Judas Priest - Invincible Shield (2024)

★★★★

FIFTY years after their debut album Rocka Rolla in 1974, I would not expect Judas Priest – my favorite band of all time – to release something as strong as this. Ridiculous cover art and album title aside, this is one of the strongest releases from any legacy act in the past twenty years. Yes, 2018’s Firepower was also strong, but this? This crushes. It’s like if you took all the heaviness of 1990’s Painkiller, paired it with the intense melody and ripping solos that have always permeated their discography, and then threw it all together in a cauldron with some modern production. It absolutely rules. Will it stand up against their more popular material? No, but that also isn’t what it’s trying to do. It’s a band having fun, writing some great songs, and putting it out into the world. And to be completely honest, that’s really all I want from an act like them at this point in their career. They peaked long ago, but they seem to have hit an apex of sorts and have been releasing progressively stronger and stronger material since vocalist Rob Halford rejoined the band in 2003. All in all, it ain’t perfect (and some songs definitely could have been cut), but with a voice like Rob’s, the twin guitar attack of Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton, and even the incredibly solid rhythm work of Scott Travis and Ian Hill… Well, let’s just say fans of the group will be in for a treat.

FAVORITE TRACKS: "Panic Attack," "Invincible Shield," "As God Is My Witness"

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Originally published in March '24 (Issue No. 2)