Music Review: Judas Priest shows you don't have to be young to be fast with 'Invincible Shield'
If you think Judas Priest is a bunch of past-their-prime old geezers, you've got another thing coming
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.If you think Judas Priest is a bunch of past-their-prime old geezers, you've got another thing coming.
The heavy metal quintet that formed in 1969 and released its first album in 1974 may be a bit long in the tooth, but their latest album “Invincible Shield” shows them rocking faster and harder than ever before, which is saying quite a bit.
Judas Priest has helped define the sound and look of heavy metal, particularly with a string of hits in the 1980s like “Living After Midnight,” “Electric Eye” and “Breaking The Law.”
Most of the band members are well into their 70s, yet they play fast and hard enough to put 20-something rivals to shame.
The disc kicks off with “Panic Attack,” which lifts the foundational riff of Rush's “Tom Sawyer” and grafts it onto what sounds very much like Priest's own “Painkiller” in a case of theft so brazen that they should send three-quarters of what they earn on this song to Geddy Lee. But the track is blazingly fast, as are the two that follow: “The Serpent and the King” and the title track.
“As God Is My Witness” is even faster, if that's possible, and no proper heavy metal album would be complete without a biker anthem; “Sons of Thunder” fits the bill nicely.
The guitar duo of Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton, who is still able to play in the studio despite Parkinson's disease, make increasing use of twin harmonic solos on several tracks. Faulkner, in particular, brings it with passion and fire on this album, incorporating elements of some of the greatest guitar legends including Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen and Randy Rhoads.
And at age 72, after more than 50 years of torturing his vocal cords, singer Rob “The Metal God” Halford is still delivering the goods.
___
AP music reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/music-reviews