Invincible Shield
Judas Priest: heavy metal icons in top form
Judas Priest (lr): Ian Hill, Scott Travis, Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton. photo
© James Hodges/Another Dimension/Sony Music/dpa
Judas Priest have stood for powerful hard rock and metal for 50 years. On their new album, Rob Halford and Co. show that they are still the measure of all things in their genre.
Since forming in Birmingham in 1969, Judas Priest have released 17 studio albums, 15 of them with Halford. Now the 18th long player is released. And what a! “Invincible Shield” may be the best album the heavy metal veterans have recorded in 20 or even 30 years. “You never know,” says Halford, referring to his band’s most popular classics. “Can they do something better than ‘Painkiller’? Can they do something better than ‘British Steel’? Can they up the ante on ‘Screaming For Vengeance’?”
past and present
Topping the works mentioned is of course almost impossible. However, “Invincible Shield” is reminiscent of Priest’s glorious 80s in many ways. The opening song “Panic Attack” already exudes a touch of “Turbo”, the controversial album from 1986 that is now considered a cult record, in the intro, which mixes electric guitars with synthesizers. After the furious intro things get much harder. In terms of sound, Halford and Co. move somewhere between “Screaming For Vengenance” and “Defenders Of The Faith” on the new album.
“It’s just remarkable,” Halford says of such comparisons. “Personally, I don’t feel that way. But I love that – your music, your creativity, how it touches people. And other dimensions and definitions come back to you. And these comparisons are great.” The 72-year-old emphasizes that none of this was planned. This happens unconsciously, organically. “The past creeps into the present.”
On “Invincible Shield” one hit follows the other. “The Serpent And The Shield” and the title track are powerful heavy metal with the unmistakable Halford vocals. “Crown Of Horns” is a bit softer, but a real catchy tune. The more you listen to “Invincible Shield”, the more catchy tunes you find. “Trial By Fire” and “Sons Of Thunder” are others. “As God Is My Witness” is an epic metal banger. This Priest album is just plain fun.
“Today there is much more freedom”
Rob Halford, who visually looks like Methuselah with his long white beard, impresses once again with his vocal power and accurately used screams on “Invincible Shield”. You can hear on the album and in the interview that the 72-year-old is a passionate metal singer. “When you get everything right and then sit down and listen to what you’ve created…man, it’s the best feeling in the world,” he enthuses. “This band still presents metal at this level.”
After five decades, the heavy metal and hard rock scene is now much more open and diverse, says Halford, who publicly came out as gay in an MTV interview in 1998. Last year he sang a duet (“Bygones”) with country legend Dolly Parton, who released a rock album for the first time. Something like this would have been unthinkable 30 or 40 years ago, when the heavy metal scene was still very macho. “Today there is much more freedom,” says Halford, “there is so much more acceptance, so anything is possible.”
However, Judas Priest remain true to themselves in the best sense of the word. On “Invincible Shield” the band returns to their old strengths and delivers heavy metal at the highest level. The album was produced by Andy Sneap, who takes guitarist Glenn Tipton’s place at concerts due to Parkinson’s disease. The British metal institution is starting its European tour this month, with eight performances planned in Germany.
“We have to meet all demands,” says Rob Halford. Hits like “Living After Midnight”, “Breaking The Law” and “Metal Gods” are a must at any of his group’s shows. “These are important parts of the band’s history. The fans demand these songs and they have a right to them.” Judas Priest will initially only play two songs from the new album. If “Invincible Shield” is well received, there could soon be more.
Judas Priest official website