When Rob Halford and band members Glenn Tipton guitar, Richie Faulkner guitar, Ian Gill bass and Scott Travis drums, perform the latest album Invincible Shield, it is easy to understand the epithet: Gods of Metal. With the album Ram It Down, many were moved, but with this album release and also the live performance at this year’s Sweden Rock Festival, the audience was touched by Rob’s amazing metal singing voice.
Halford moved seamlessly between spoken-style singing, rhythmic tones, and the ultimate crescendo where he reaches his virtuosic, powerful high falsetto notes. This is where Judas Priest’s brilliance shines through, better than ever. The album features robust, harmonious choral arrangements that let Rob dazzle again and again, maintaining a consistently high level of musical quality throughout.
Every track on the album resonates deeply, but if we were to pick a few standout melodies, we’d start with Track 1, Panic Attack, featuring a beautifully crafted intro that recalls songs like Turbo Lover. Panic Attack is a rhythmic powerhouse that could encapsulate Judas Priest’s entire 50-year journey since their debut.
Next, we’d choose Track 9, Escape From Reality, with soothing verse harmonies and chord progressions that highlight Rob’s smooth and clear vocal technique. At moments, it takes us back to Monsters Of Rock, even hinting at vocal similarities with Ozzy Osbourne.
We’d also highlight Track 4, Devil In Disguise, and the ballad-like Track 5, Gates Of Hell. This is a high-quality album release from Rob and Judas Priest, who are celebrating 50 years this year with the phenomenal Invincible Shield.
On the final track, Giants In The Sky, listeners will notice an acoustic section where a careful ear may sense nods to Metallica. Rob’s vocal resemblance to Scorpions’ Klaus Meine adds goosebumps for any metal or music lover.
What makes you want to turn up the volume just a bit more is the final note Rob Halford delivers. The Gods of Metal Rob does it so masterfully, step by step, with a final strong octave lift that truly puts the cherry on top. We turn up the volume—oh, but the album’s finished! Guess we’ll hit play again…
The album cover, which presents and packages this musical firework show, takes us to visions of giants from the heavens—angels, devils, demons, and panicked souls. Someone rides a motorcycle, like the one Rob often brings on stage. The cover is colorful and graphically rich, with their Sweden Rock stage performance tying together the album’s visual themes: panicked people, angels, the devil, and demons energetically filling the scene.
We sum it up like this: everything’s in tune. Everything’s in the right key, the right octave. Every pronunciation and every breath is just right. It exudes passion, dedication, and a drive to give absolutely everything.
With that said, it was definitely this album release that, like Judas Priest’s performance, left the strongest impression from this year’s Sweden Rock Festival 2024.
Mikael Rasmussen, aka Artist Razz
Invincible Shield is Judas Priest's nineteenth studio album and was released on 6 March 2024. It was produced by the band's touring guitarist Andy Sneap while the album's final two tracks ("Sons of Thunder" and "Giants in the Sky") were co-produced by Tom Allom.
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