Judas Priest released their nineteenth album, “Invincible Shield”, on March 6, 2024 via Epic Records — and Blabbermouth rated it 9/10, describing it as “the band’s most consistent and flawless record in decades.”
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Iron Maiden, Saxon, Accept
The listen
After the regenerative “Firepower” of 2018, Priest return with Andy Sneap again producing and with the same rule: no unnecessary experimentation, no compromises — only huge, thundering heavy metal tracks that leap out of the speakers like rabid dogs. “Invincible Shield” is even more crushing and celebratory than its predecessor: the Priest of 2024 are in no way a heritage band.
Faulkner and Tipton devour everything with their zombie squad of riffs, Ian Hill and Scott Travis deliver performances designed to leave bruises, and Halford is at his best. “Panic Attack” opens with a theatrical intro and a masterful solo, “The Serpent and the King” has choirs and imposing riffs, while the title track “Invincible Shield” completes an opening trilogy that answers the question of what you would play to aliens to explain the essence of heavy metal.
“As God Is My Witness” is thrash-hard, “Trial By Fire” pure PRIEST with melodrama, “Devil in Disguise” a groove-driven stomper with riffs that would kill in any era of the last five decades, and “Crown of Horns” a thunderous, super-emotional storm with a heart as big as Birmingham. The close comes with “Giants in the Sky” and, on the deluxe edition, three more tracks of the same quality.
Tracklist
1. Panic Attack
2. The Serpent and the King
3. Invincible Shield
4. Devil in Disguise
5. Gates of Hell
6. Crown of Horns
7. As God Is My Witness
8. Trial by Fire
9. Escape from Reality
10. Sons of Thunder
11. Giants in the Sky
See also
Saxon: They announced their 25th album “Gods Of Thunder” · Judas Priest: Halford & Hill support Ukraine
