Invincible Shield

Judas Priest has been my favorite classic metal band of the ones I have listened to at this point. Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden are close seconds and are probably objectively better than the priest. But this band met my preferences for classic metal more accurately and I found them more fun so they have my heart right now.

When I found out that they had a new album coming out I honestly got super excited to see if they still have the spice, spirit, and ferocity that I have enjoyed so much from their acclaimed early work. The day that I was patiently looking forward to has finally arrived so I can't wait to dive into this bad boy and see if these legends still got gas in the tank after all these years.

Panic Attack:
These guys still have their energy and can definitely give the adrenaline rush that's for sure! While the spice doesn't bite as hard as it used to they definitely still have the spirit and ferocity in spades! Rob still got the voice blessed from the metal gods. So with that in mind I will conclude that considering they have been at it for about half a century what I have been presented here with this opener is truly impressive and I am even more excited to see what this album has in store! It may not be their best track I have heard but it's damn solid!(75)

The Serpent and the King:
It's a bit too one note and the solo isn't quite epic enough to pull this into the great tier of metal but hey solid stuff and I got no real complaints it's that classic metal goodness that never gets old!(70)

Invincible Shield:
They have always been cheesy but I have always found it to be charming and fun. It's no different here on this track. The amazing solos put this over the top for me and I consider it the best of the album so far! I was hoping they still had that zest and with the title track I have received all that I could ask for! I would say that they still got it but tbh did they ever lose it?(80)

Devil in Disguise:
FUCK YEAH!!! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!🤘🤘🤘🤘 THAT'S THE JUDAS PRIEST I KNOW AND LOVE!!! (95)

Gates of Hell:
It's a slight step down but who fucking cares this is too much awesome! I am having way too much fun rn and the sweats are dripping down my smiling face! This shit is what I love about metal:the rush and the fun! This album especially these last two songs offers plenty of both and I don't want this party to stop!!! (90)

Crown of Horns:
While not as intense and epic this is still such quality metal and is just classic Judas Priest at its finest. God damn I was hoping this album to be at least decent but so far it's blowing all of my expectations out of the water!!! (85)

As God is my Witness:
WOW ok. This has ALL of the ferocity and all of the epic solos but I ain't feeling the most essential part that is the spirit for some reason. And because of that this track falls a bit flat and sounds like a generic metal track with no distinct identity. At least to me this is the case. It's good but it doesn't have that special sauce. (70)

Trial by Fire:
What's the special sauce you ask? Well look no further than this song cause I can FEEL the heart that's been put into making this one despite it's more generic lyrics and not going as grand and epic as I would have liked. A taste of ferocity to make the message really bite wouldn't hurt either. These things hold this song from being amongst the best of the album but damn is the foundation there for quite the amazing experience! (75)

Escape from Reality:
Ooh a ballad! Wait no it's not that but it certainly is different and I found it to be pretty fascinating. Super catchy chorus tho, and the guitars and vocals are amazing as always.The YouTube comments are comparing this to Black Sabbath and such and I can kinda see where they are coming from. It's something that I didn't expect from Judas Priest but I still really enjoyed it! Honestly it's pretty impressive how consistently good to great this album is, gives plenty of replay potential! (80)

Sons of Thunder:
This is definitely the weakest of the album so far and there's only one more after this so I guessing this is the weak track of the album. Don't get me wrong I still like it but I just am not feeling it as much as the others. (60)

Giants of the Sky:
To finish off the latest installment to the legendary discography of Judas Priest they offer another kinda weak offering. They didn't really lose momentum at the end but my hype kinda did and this music isn't really sparking anything... Until we FINALLY hit a slower pace that we can focus on pretty acoustic melodies that this album was sorely missing. You can go so hard and heavy for only so long before I get tired of it and I was getting worn down by this point if you couldn't tell so I really appreciate the breather. Unfortunately it's at the very last song of the album so my rejuvenation kinda gets wasted a bit. I like the very classic way to end things on with the overdramatic finish. Overall this is a solid finish to the album but I got my problems with it to appreciate it more than I do. (70)

850/11= 77.27 round up to 80. Yeah that sounds about right. Despite my problems with the later half of the album I still had a great time with it overall I am super impressed that after all these years Judas Priest still has THIS in them. They had me believing that they were still in their prime at points and they haven't fallen too far off from those heights. So if you want to have some fun with some classic metal from one of the greatest that still have that spunk in them then I highly recommend you check this album out cause it blew my conservative expectations out of the water. While it's not the greatest album of the year like the critic would want you to believe, this is still a can't miss for any metal fan new or old! Judas Priest forever may they rock our socks off to the end of time!!!