Judas Priest new album - Invincible Shield (New single "Panic Attack" out now)

[Cosmo]

After their amazing concert at Power Trip, where they announced their new album, The Invincible Shield, Judas Priest released their new single, Panic Attack:

 

 

I'm hyped AF for the new album as Firepower was, IMO, the best new record a veteran band like Priest has put out in a long, long time. I find it to be even better than The Book of Souls and Senjutsu, and much stronger than 72 Seasons. I know Redeemer Of Souls wasn't that solid and Nostradamus was probably Priest's worst album ever, but this new track is very good, sounds like a modern take on Painkiller-era Priest.

You can listen to Panic Attack on streaming here:  https://judaspriest.lnk.to/panic-attack

What do you guys think? Anyone else hyped?

 

 

Edited October 13, 2023 by Cosmo

[ZoSoRose]

This new song is fucking awesome. I’d like to see them, still

[Cosmo]

6 hours ago, ZoSoRose said:

This new song is fucking awesome. I’d like to see them, still

I'm seeing them for the first time next April, really excited!

[Zint]

The new song fucking slays.

Going to try to make it up to London next March for the concert.

I haven't seen them since '91 in Toronto ( which, at the time, was Halford's last show with the band)... he also wiped out the motorbike when he rode it on stage.

[Cosmo]

 

[Cosmo]

New Track:

 

[Towelie]

On 11/16/2023 at 10:33 PM, Cosmo said:

New Track:

 

Didn't grab me at first like Panic Attack did, but it's grown on me a lot. 2 good songs so far which bodes well.

[Cosmo]

Music video is out:

Kinda low budget but y'know, it's just a music video for youtube 

[Cosmo]

 

Completely late to the party on this one. My least favourite of the three so far, but still very good! This album is gonna be good, man.

 

[Cosmo]

WOW. This is A-tier Priest right here!!

 

 

[Jakey Styley]

This EP is stupidly good for a metal band this old

 

It literally holds up to their best stuff lol

Edited February 24 by Jakey Styley

[Towelie]

6 hours ago, Jakey Styley said:

This EP is stupidly good for a metal band this old

 

It literally holds up to their best stuff lol

Crown of Horns and Trial By Fire are quite average.

Panic Attack is a great one and Serpent & The King is quite good.

[Cosmo]

1 hour ago, Towelie said:

Crown of Horns and Trial By Fire are quite average.

Panic Attack is a great one and Serpent & The King is quite good.

Loved Trial by Fire. Out of these, the only I didnt enjoy that much was Crown of Horns

[Fitha_whiskey]

On 10/13/2023 at 6:27 AM, Cosmo said:

After their amazing concert at Power Trip, where they announced their new album, The Invincible Shield, Judas Priest released their new single, Panic Attack:

 

 

I'm hyped AF for the new album as Firepower was, IMO, the best new record a veteran band like Priest has put out in a long, long time. I find it to be even better than The Book of Souls and Senjutsu, and much stronger than 72 Seasons. I know Redeemer Of Souls wasn't that solid and Nostradamus was probably Priest's worst album ever, but this new track is very good, sounds like a modern take on Painkiller-era Priest.

You can listen to Panic Attack on streaming here:  https://judaspriest.lnk.to/panic-attack

What do you guys think? Anyone else hyped?

 

 

Thanks for bringing this tune to my attention! I love Priest- this is a great tune 

[Cosmo]

Listened to the album over 3 times by now. This is how I feel so far:

 

1- Panic Attack: This song is just fucking amazing. It encapsulates everything I love about Judas Priest in 5:30 minutes. This is 10/10. Fuck it.

2- The Serpent and the King: Very good, love the pre-chorus. A bit weaker than Panic Attack, though. 8/10.

3- Invincible Shield:  Amazing. Love the chorus. The guitar harmony at the end is top tier Priest. 9/10.

4- Devil in Disguise: Not as good as the first three, still solid though. 6/10.

5- Gates of Hell: Fuck this album. It's too epic to be true. This track makes the hair in my arms stand up. 10/10

6- Crown of Horns: Maybe the weakest one so far. 5/10.

7- As God Is My Witness: Another solid one. Amazing drumming, very Painkiller-y. 7/10.

8- Trial By Fire: Love this. I know many didn't like it that much as a single, but I really enjoy it. 8/10

9- Escape From Reality: Mid-tempo Judas. Love the chorus. Love this one. 9/10.

10- Sons of Thunder: Cool, but nothing to write home about. 5/10

11- Giants in the Sky: Love it. Great homage to dead rockers. 9/10.

12- Fight of Your Life: It's okay. Not as cool as most of the material here 5/10.

13- Vicious Circle: Pretty cool track, short and sweet. 6/10.

14- The Lodger: Meh. Not a huge fan. 3/10.

 

Overall score: 7/10

Not sure if I prefer this to Firepower but, considering Firepower is, IMO, the single strongest new album put out by a veteran band like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth and even Black Sabbath, this is already pretty amazing. Judas Priest is killing it. These two albums are EASILY their best since Painkiller. I mean, EASILY. These guys are one fire. If this is their last album, it will be the best final album by a band since Rush's Clockwork Angels, IMO.

[Towelie]

On 3/8/2024 at 6:01 PM, Cosmo said:

Listened to the album over 3 times by now. This is how I feel so far:

 

1- Panic Attack: This song is just fucking amazing. It encapsulates everything I love about Judas Priest in 5:30 minutes. This is 10/10. Fuck it.

2- The Serpent and the King: Very good, love the pre-chorus. A bit weaker than Panic Attack, though. 8/10.

3- Invincible Shield:  Amazing. Love the chorus. The guitar harmony at the end is top tier Priest. 9/10.

4- Devil in Disguise: Not as good as the first three, still solid though. 6/10.

5- Gates of Hell: Fuck this album. It's too epic to be true. This track makes the hair in my arms stand up. 10/10

6- Crown of Horns: Maybe the weakest one so far. 5/10.

7- As God Is My Witness: Another solid one. Amazing drumming, very Painkiller-y. 7/10.

8- Trial By Fire: Love this. I know many didn't like it that much as a single, but I really enjoy it. 8/10

9- Escape From Reality: Mid-tempo Judas. Love the chorus. Love this one. 9/10.

10- Sons of Thunder: Cool, but nothing to write home about. 5/10

11- Giants in the Sky: Love it. Great homage to dead rockers. 9/10.

12- Fight of Your Life: It's okay. Not as cool as most of the material here 5/10.

13- Vicious Circle: Pretty cool track, short and sweet. 6/10.

14- The Lodger: Meh. Not a huge fan. 3/10.

 

Overall score: 7/10

Not sure if I prefer this to Firepower but, considering Firepower is, IMO, the single strongest new album put out by a veteran band like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth and even Black Sabbath, this is already pretty amazing. Judas Priest is killing it. These two albums are EASILY their best since Painkiller. I mean, EASILY. These guys are one fire. If this is their last album, it will be the best final album by a band since Rush's Clockwork Angels, IMO.

 

Okay, I've given it 3 listens too.

Here's my take:

Panic Attack - Completely agree with everything you said. The best opening track on a Priest album since Painkiller - it's really that good. 10

The Serpent & The King - Solid track #2. I don't see it as weaker than Panic Attack, as it's a totally different kind of track. I wasn't a huge Firepower fan except for 2-3 tracks, but Panic Attack and TS&TK alone are better than anything on that album imo. 9

Invincible Shield - One of the best on the album - sounds like a cousin to Panic Attack. Chorus reminds me a bit of Redeemer of Souls, but overall this song has way more bite to it. And yes, the outro is classic Priest. Great track. 9

Devil In Disguise - Sounds very 80s Priest to me. I especially like the riffing on the pre-chorus. The chorus isn't the best, but kinda fun if a little throwaway. 5

Gates of Hell - Fans seem to really dig this from what I've read so far, but it hasn't really grabbed me tbh. Chorus is good I suppose, but it doesn't move me much. 6

Crown Of Horns - This has been a grower for me. I wasn't keen at first, but it sounds better with repeated listens. A bit MOR, but not everything has to be Panic Attack. 7

As God Is My Witness - Very Painkiller-esque. Great energy, cool solo, I like this. 7

Trial By Fire - An obvious single choice, very catchy. A bit "safe", but hard not to enjoy. 7

Escape From Reality - This is good. Great main riff. The middle-eight section sounds just like Ozzy Osbourne - seriously if you'd have played me just that part, I would've said it was Ozzy singing, not Rob. 8

Sons of Thunder - Has a good energy. Verses sound like they have potential but the chorus isn't great. 5

Giants In The Sky - I like the sentiment and Rob's big powerful vocals at the end are cool. Love the Spanish guitar licks and Rob's melody lines throughout. 8

Fight of Your Life - I like this, it isn't amazing or anything, but I love Rob's vocal delivery in the verses - I love it when he uses that tone. Reminds me a bit of the way he sings Deal With The Devil from Angel of Retribution. Solid chorus too. 6.5

Vicious Circle - Sound very "bonus track" quality to me. Unremarkable. 3

The Lodger - I really like this, if only for the fact that it sounds totally different to anything they've done recently. I also like it when Priest embrace storytelling in their songs, but then I was one of the few fans who thought Nostradamus was a masterpiece.... 8

 

Overall - Decent, but it'd be stronger as a 10 track album as the second half really doesn't live up to the first half. If only the rest of the album lived up to the opening three tracks. I gotta say, I miss KK. I may be in the minority here, but albums like Angel of Retribution and the criminally-underrated Nostradamus pack far more of a punch to my ears than any of the post-KK albums have. Having said that, I do prefer Invincible Shield quite significantly to Firepower. I would put it perhaps on a level with Redeemers - 3 or so fantastic songs, a bunch of solid ones and a few duds. For me, Firepower was just middling beginning to end, not bad, but nothing spectacular (Traitors Gate raised a pulse, but that was the only one, really). My main gripe is that it all sounds very "safe" to me - I feel like they really pushed themselves on Nostradamus to do something different and progressive and because some narrow-minded 80s metalheads wet their panties, the band have been playing it safe ever since. I know they never will, but they really should give KK a call. 

Edited March 11 by Towelie

[Cosmo]

20 hours ago, Towelie said:

Overall - Decent, but it'd be stronger as a 10 track album as the second half really doesn't live up to the first half. If only the rest of the album lived up to the opening three tracks. I gotta say, I miss KK. I may be in the minority here, but albums like Angel of Retribution and the criminally-underrated Nostradamus pack far more of a punch to my ears than any of the post-KK albums have. Having said that, I do prefer Invincible Shield quite significantly to Firepower. I would put it perhaps on a level with Redeemers - 3 or so fantastic songs, a bunch of solid ones and a few duds. For me, Firepower was just middling beginning to end, not bad, but nothing spectacular (Traitors Gate raised a pulse, but that was the only one, really). My main gripe is that it all sounds very "safe" to me - I feel like they really pushed themselves on Nostradamus to do something different and progressive and because some narrow-minded 80s metalheads wet their panties, the band have been playing it safe ever since. I know they never will, but they really should give KK a call. 

I fully agree with the 10-track album thing. Had it been a 10-track 45-50 minute album, it would have been a better listen from start to finish. Still, love it. And yeah, I doubt they'd give KK a call, unfortunately.

 

EDIT: But then again, the material they've been releasing without KK is, IMO, far better than anything they did with him since Painkiller.

Edited March 9 by Cosmo

[The Dissident]

Just listened to the main album, wow, it was incredible. I don't see what people are complaining about it being too long it is 11 songs clocking in at 53 minutes (bonus tracks personally shouldn't be counted in the idea of how long an album is as they aren't meant to be part of the album). My only complaint would be the vinyl version should have been 3 sides instead of 4 as some sides felt super short.

[Towelie]

Gotta say, after some more listens, it's definitely grown on me. I really tried with Firepower but something about it always left me cold. I'm enjoying Invincible Shield much more.

[Dazey]

Going to see them with @Amir at Wembley Arena later this month. Looking forward to it lots. 🥳

[Towelie]

Really enjoying Giants In The Sky now.

[Cosmo]

17 minutes ago, Towelie said:

Really enjoying Giants In The Sky now.

It's been the track I've listened to the most after the album release.

[The Dissident]

I've probably listened to the album in full about 4 times now. I think the last time an album made me want to get up and put the record back to the start was either Metropolis Part 2 or Images and Words from Dream Theater when I discovered them (very late) in December 2019.

 

Invincible Shield is very likely to climb to very high ranks for me among the Priest catalog

Edited March 11 by The Dissident

[Towelie]

Was holding off on tickets to see them next week depending how much I enjoyed the album. Suffice to say, I've booked it now. First time seeing the Priest despite getting into them a good 15yrs ago. Can't wait!