Nineteen studio albums in, and the legends known as Judas Priest continue to bring forth the 'heavy metal thunder'. With Invicible Shield, the band once again teams up with producer (and touring guitarist) Andy Sneap for another platter of hard-driving, melodic heavy metal. Featuring the line-up of Rob Halford (vocals), Richie Faulkner & Glenn Tipton (guitars), Ian Hill (bass), and Scott Travis (drums), these guys are by now a well-oiled machine after a few albums together as a unit, and though it's hard to say how much input Tipton has had here due to his Parkinson's condition, it's a cracking album nonetheless.
From start to finish, nothing here is unexpected, but it sounds like classic Priest and representative of most of their eras, captured all in one album. "Panic Attack" is instantly memorable and crushing, complete with some blazing lead guitars, "The Serpent and the King" is manic and pulverizing, Halford screaming to the heavens, the title track hits like a massive tidal wave, the mid-paced and riffy "Devil in Disguise", and there's even a moody, majestic number in "Crown of Horns". As you get deeper into the album (and I have the Target exclusive version with additional songs), other gems reveal themselves, like the trashy "As God Is My Witness", the fist-pumping "Trial By Fire", the dark tone of "Escape From Reality" (what a riff!), the Rock-a-Rolla inspired bluesy riff-rock of "Giants in the Sky" and "Fight For Your Life", and the moody, theatrical "The Lodger". Halford sounds spectacular throughout, and I'm guessing Faulkner handled the bulk of the guitars, and he's fully arrived as a modern-day guitar hero.
2018's Firepower proved to be one of Judas Priest's strongest albums in years, and now after a few months with this, I can safely say that Invincible Shield equals, if not surpasses that one. The legends keep on 'delivering the goods'!
Track Listing
1. "Panic Attack" 5:25
2. "The Serpent and the King" 4:19
3. "Invincible Shield" 6:21
4. "Devil in Disguise" 4:46
5. "Gates of Hell" 4:38
6. "Crown of Horns" 5:45
7. "As God Is My Witness" 4:36
8. "Trial by Fire" 4:21
9. "Escape from Reality" 4:24
10. "Sons of Thunder" 2:58
11. "Giants in the Sky" 5:03
12. "Fight For Your Life" 4:20
13. "Vicious Circle" 3:01
14. "The Lodger" 3:53
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