The iconic British heavy metal band JUDAS PRIEST is set to unveil their latest studio album, “Invincible Shield,” scheduled for release on March 8, 2024, through Sony Music
This eagerly awaited successor to 2018’s “Firepower” was officially revealed yesterday, October 7, during the band’s electrifying performance at the Power Trip festival held in Indio, California.
As JUDAS PRIEST took the stage, the unmistakable strains of BLACK SABBATH‘s “War Pigs” resonated through the air, setting the stage for a momentous announcement. On the towering video screens, a striking graphic boldly proclaimed the arrival of “Invincible Shield.”
For those looking to get a glimpse of the cover artwork for both the CD and vinyl editions of “Invincible Shield,” it can be found below.
To secure your pre-order of “Invincible Shield,” be sure to visit shop.judaspriest.com.
In a recent talk with Planet Rock Richie Faulkner revealed that JUDAS PRIEST has finished recording the follow-up to 2018’s “Firepower” album.
The guitarist spoke to “My Planet Rocks” host Ian Danter about the status of the band’s new album, saying that the project is now in the mixing and mastering stage.
“I think, if I’m not mistaken, I think we’ve finished tracking,” Faulkner said. “We’ve got to mix it, we’ve got to master it and then we’ve got to manufacture the thing. It’s actually got to physically be made. I think everything’s been recorded. The vocals were the last thing we needed to do and I think Rob‘s done them.”
Faulkner added: “It’s sounding fantastic. It’s sounding great. Obviously, I’m gonna say that, but if it didn’t sound great, we wouldn’t be bothering. You’ve gotta do something that we think is better than the last one [‘Firepower’] so to speak. And if it wasn’t, PRIEST don’t need to do that.”
Back in March, Faulkner told The Metal Voice about the musical direction of the new JUDAS PRIEST record, saying: “I’ve said this before, and the Internet — the sharks got hold of it… I would definitely say, and Rob said it as well, I said the word ‘progressive’, and the Internet tore me apart. But they haven’t heard it. When I said ‘progressive’, I’d say it’s a little bit… instead of, let’s say, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, chorus, finish, it might do verse, musical part, musical section, bridge, chorus, musical section, back into the verse.
“It doesn’t stay on the path; sometimes it goes off and plays it a little… Like the old ’70s PRIEST used to, like the ‘Sinner’ and stuff like that; it used to go on a bit more of a musical journey. Which I think is great — it’s interesting.
“So that’s what I can say. I’ve said it before: it’s a little bit more progressive; it’s a little bit more musically, not experimental, but it’s got a few more riffs in there,” he explained. “[There’s more] intricacies, there’s more solos, there’s more riffs, which, I don’t think that’s a bad thing, as a guitar player.”
Rob Halford previously confirmed that JUDAS PRIEST‘s next album would see the band reuniting with the “Firepower” production team consisting of producer Andy Sneap, longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).
