Judas Priest

The new stage set should be cool, given the album's theme. Bring a big shield on stage!
 
KK has shown himself to be a clown while Richie has shown himself to be a class act and superior guitarist, so can’t say I miss KK at all.

That said, I was half expecting them to bring in KK when Tipton had to step down a couple years ago. The fact that they wouldn’t make what would be an obvious move really shows how difficult that guy has to be to work with.
Well, it seems that all members in Judas Priest are so difficult to work with. When you see the band trying to erase Ripper era, it's completely disrespectful towards Tim Owens and the fans that got into Priest with 'Jugulator' and 'Demolition'. So, Priest = KK Downing, they both have difficult characters.
 
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The fact that the band is managed by Glenn Tipton's wife or girlfriend doesn't help either. He has always had his way in the career choices of the band.
And that's the problem with bands managed by one of the members' gf or bf. They are less morally flexible than others. See what happened with Ozzy Osbourne managed by Sharon Osbourne and their relationships with the rest of Black Sabbath members...
 
I guess that Glenn and Jayne wouldn't have been a problem if Ian hadn't taken KK's actions so personally. At the moment it looks like he considers Ken to be some sort of traitor. As a founding member, his opinion would be crucial on the issue of Ken's possible re-joining the band. Sure, Glenn was their leader for a few decades, but he didn't start the band and today he's not as involved as he used to be.

While both sides of the conflict acted silly sometimes, KK had no limits. Priest were never interested in talking about him, but Downing spent a few years complaining about how he was treated by his former colleagues.

And the most important thing is: the band doesn't need KK Downing anymore. They're at a certain lever of popularity which won't change in the next few years, and they don't have a lot of time left. Financial reasons aside, why would they want to tour with the guy they don't like? Invincible Shield proves that Judas Priest can still deliver very good music in 2024. It's superior to KK's 2 albums (although The Sinner Rides Again is a really solid record IMO), their current lineup works well... KK is simply not on the same level. He's always been a less talented composer than Tipton, and now Faulkner is better than him too.
 
I picked up the standard CD earlier. I really love the album. I will stream the three bonus tracks and if I like them enough I will get them by "other means". And labels wonder why people pirate music. Making three bonus tracks a store exclusive and then charging $10 more for it the execs can all die in a fire for all I care.
 
Can’t wait to listen to the album tomorrow. I hope it is better than The Chocolate Coin Project one!
It is better than The Chocolate Album. Definitely better executed and all around more professional. I think Invincible Shield is fairly similar to Firepower for the most part. There are some more 70s throwback moments on the new one but a lot of it is fast and furious like the previous album. A solid 4.5/5 after one listen.
 
Solid album but I think the songs work better individually rather than a continous listen through the album. There is a feeling of sameness. I would have liked a bit more varied song structures and intros.

Senjutsu, while nowhere near as fast and furious as this, is a much more varied and interesting album.
 
My favorite track is still Panic Attack. Such a killer riff. The solos and instrumental sections are phenomenal in this album. Loved the instrumental section of the title track
 
Panic Attack for me is Painkiller 2.0 and I dig that. Title track is also interesting. I think that only song that I don't like very much in context of other songs is Trial by Fire.
 
I've listened to the new album many times already. It's a solid and very good album ofc, but I don't think it's better than Firepower. And it is definitely a continuation of it in every aspect. The band knows the working formula for the fans now and I feel like they didn't want to go in a more adventurous direction. I thought the album would be stronger for me.

The overall pace of the album is like for the previous one more or less, but it is faster especially with the opening with 3 fast bangers. Pretty good start.

Rob's vocals are great, we get to hear more of his screaming vocals again, but some of the vocal ideas/transition aren't strong for me.

Richie's riffs and shredding solos are cool and solid as expected. Highlight solos for me: Panic Attack, the title track, Gates, Crown and Giants (middle part solo). He has many memorable solos in the previous album.

The best songs imo are: ''Panic Attack'', the title track, ''Crown Of Horns'', ''As God Is My Witness'' and ''Escape From Reality''. ''Fight Of Your Life'' and ''Vicious Circle'' from the bonus disc too.

The singles: ''Panic Attack'' is one of the songs with the most interesting instrumental sections. ''Crown Of Horns'' is a much needed song for the variety of the album after hearing all songs. ''Trial By Fire'' adds more character with its verses, chorus and melodic riff. ''The Serpent And The King'' is works as the 2nd song with its wild vocals and speed, but that's it.


The title track - classic Priest (I kind of expected more complex song) with a very catchy chorus. The great heavy verses and the lighter pre-chorus make for a nice contrast. Rob sounds awesome. The middle part with the vocals reminds both old and modern Priest. Cool addition. Richie's long solo is very good and memorable - and the melodies were a must (and are melancholic, which is always great for me). Another highlight is the different melody for an outro. So good and what a great way to end a song! The gripe is that the riff and intro are basically the same as for the previous song.

''As God Is My Witness'' - probably my favorite song on the album. That or the title track. This is the fastest Painkiller-type of song they've done since that album. Love the brutal riff (Leather Rebel vibe), epic verses, very good melodic pre-chorus (one of the most memorable on the album) and the chorus works great, it's fresh and memorable. The screaming vocals work perfectly here. The wild solos battle is the best fit for this song, tapping, chaotic and classic Priest sounding. The drumming is quite good too. This song shines in the band's Reunion style. It would have been a killer addition to the previous album, but it's much more prominent on this one.

''Escape From Reality'' - great groove. It reminds me of Angel Of Retribution/Nostradamus albums. The heavy riff (very Demonizer, and Jugulator vibe too) and the mid-tempo vibe bring that epic feel. The loud bass fills too. The best thing is this epic and classic Priest Reunion era chorus. Love it. The vocal melody for the verses isn't that good, but it works. The vocal effects in the middle are bad, this part is very Black Sabbath-esque and I don't like it. Many of the songs have such different vocal features in the middle.The solos are really solid. It's a unique song for the album.

As for the other songs, they're solid, but I wouldn't say that they're on the level of some of the material from the previous albums.

''Sons Of Thunder'' should be noted though - a typical short rocker for the band and overall very solid. Awesome heavy riff, great and classic sounding verses, singalong chorus (not the best one) and fine melodic solos. Very enjoyable song.
''Giants In The Sky'' has really cool verses and awesome middle part with the bass and the acoustic guitar melody, but the chorus is weak. The whole song is very Redeemer Of Souls-esque. Some very nice vocals after the middle part too.
''Gates Of Hell'' is a very straightforward and a very 80's song with nice melodic riffs (the main riff screams 80's!) and some nice vocals. It also has an early 2000's vibe. The solo is super cool. Enjoyable song but can't compare to almost all other songs imo. Vibe from the previous 2 albums.
''Devil In Disguise'' is the weakest song for me. Redeemer vibe too. I only like Richie's licks and solo, the pre-chorus and the short melody. The whole song reminds me his solo band.

The bonus songs:

''Fight Of Your Life'' - a really cool hard rock number with a very melancholic and memorable chorus that I love. Rob's heavy vocals kind of don't fit. The solos are quite cool. I'd have included it on the album only because of the chorus! It is better than a few songs on the album, it has more character to it. One of the best choruses from the album and it's not on the album?
''Vicious Circle'' - this should have been on the album! Brutal heavy riff, pure metal verses and an interesting, different and effective chorus. I like it a lot. It's typical modern Priest, but I think it's better than at least 3 songs on the album. Lots of repetition for this short song, no proper solo, but the song has a great Maiden-esque harmony!
''The Lodger'' - I'm really glad this song wasn't written by the band because it's pure filler. A song with a 70's vibe. I don't like it at all.

The album manages to be another very good inclusion to the band's discography. Its big characteristics are the energy, some choruses and most of the vocal ideas for the verses. There aren't many melodic interludes, but at least every song has a solo. This is what we expected from the band, but the songs sound samey (unlike the previous album imo) and tbh, I expected more from this album. Like different and longer instrumental parts. AOR/ROS level for me. Still quite good ofc.
 
Hmm, AND AGAIN, THERE'S NO COMPLAINTS FROM ME, REGARDING ALBUM PRODUCTION QUALITY, UNLIKE - cough cough - YOU KNOW WHO THEY BOTH ARE!!! :mad:
 
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