In March 2022, guitarist Richie Faulkner stated that the songs for Invincible Shield “are a bit more progressive in places,” leading fans to wonder/worry if the next album would be Nostradamus II (the two-disc conceptual Nostradamus was met with mixed reception), end up bogged down by directionless meandering, or resemble questionable versions of Yes songs. Now, listeners can hear that Faulkner’s comments mean that the songs are not all structured as three and a half minute, verse chorus verse tunes with brief solos. In fact, the average song length, excluding bonus tracks, is a little over 4:45, plenty of time to include some detail without lowering the album’s energy or becoming stuck. Invincible Shield has small accents and echoes of earlier Priest releases and musical phases, yet has its own identity. It’s not chasing past glories, but also isn’t worried when it bumps into them now and again.
Not many heavy metal bands have a lead singer in their seventies. Even fewer have one that sounds as good as Rob Halford. From opener “Panic Attack,” listeners can hear Halford’s legendary sustain, vibrato, and high-end shrieking. Over its five and a half minutes, “Panic Attack” never loses its sense of purpose, but there is time for an instrumental introduction lasting over a minute as well as some impressive guitar soloing later on. “The Serpent and the King” is another fast riffer with a killer guitar breakdown (2:10 to 2:30) right before an extended solo followed by a stunning Halford vocal passage (2:55 to 3:12). These two extra sections make the song better and are definite highlights. At over six minutes, title track “Invincible Shield” is the record’s longest song and it earns every second of its running time. “Devil in Disguise” has a little bit more of a groove. “Gates of Hell” slows the pace down to a moderate tempo, but sacrifices nothing in the exchange. The reflective “Crown of Horns” begins with a full minute of guitar before the vocals kick in. Dig the fifteen seconds of guitar tapping/soloing starting about four minutes in. “As God Is My Witness” picks up the tempo.
Sometimes bands bury their weaker compositions on the final few tracks of an album. The backend of Panic Attack holds up. Are the final four tracks as strong as the first four? No, not quite. But they are pretty close. “Trial by Fire” is a lesser track, but it is by no means bad. “Escape from Reality” features a killer verse and the chorus slays. The galloping “Sons of Thunder,” is just kind of there, neither adding nor subtracting to Invincible Shield, but as the album’s shortest track it doesn’t take much space, and the solo is great. It’s not the first track I’d play for a friend discovering the album, but I don’t skip it when it comes up. Closer “Giants in the Sky” brings Invincible Shield to a satisfactory conclusion. I interpret the song as a recognition and celebration of a certain era of metal that includes Judas Priest: “The mighty have fallen / The memories fading / The legend still lives on / The sound of the giants.” These giants still sound like giants.
I bought the deluxe edition with three extras: “Fight of Your Life,” “Vicious Circle,” and “The Lodger.” The midtempo hard blues “Fight of Your Life” is the best of the three, and the one I might swap with “Sons of Thunder” from the standard edition. “Vicious Circle” is heavier, but the vocals are not as good as “Fight of Your Life” and “Vicious Circle” isn’t better than any of the other songs of similar heaviness already on the album. “The Lodger” grows on me more with each listen, but as the track most unlike all the others, where would it would fit in the overall sequence of the main album? The way Halford sings “vengeance is mine” makes the song worth listening to, so do give it a spin.
At their current pace of putting out a studio album every four to six years, it’s fair to speculate that Priest may have less than a handful of new studio records left in them. However, if they close their recording career on a release like this, it will be a good ending. If it takes another six years to get a Priest record as complete as Invincible Shield, I am willing to wait. Most of these songs tend to be on the faster side, but there are textures, moods, and slower, thoughtful moments. The drums pound. The bass is punchy and distinct. The guitar solos have that classic Priest mix of distorted blues and shred. The vocals seem, on average, higher than they have on the last few albums.
As good as Firepower is, Invincible Shield is better.