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I must say I wasn't expecting much from this album. My mindset these days is that we have more metal bands than ever, and a lot of the newer bands just do it better these days. That's not putting down the older bands, including the pioneers; it's just that those bands have paid their dues, and I don't really care if their new albums are not to my liking: I'll find several bands release good albums and all is good. Judas Priest surprised me with Firepower in 2018, after Nostradamus and Redeemer of Souls which I didn't like much. I was agreeably surprised by Invincible Shield despite not expecting anything, but if I had been eagerly awaiting the album, I'd still be a very happy camper. And I just wrote more text that barely mentions the album than I usually write for an entire review...

Invincible Shield, if it needed to put described in a few words, would be "...like a compilation from some of the band's best albums, except they're all new songs." First of all, in terms of production, we're talking modern, Firepower-style production. Crisp, clear, maybe a little too much, but some listeners prefer that. While I use the word "compilation," the album still feels like a coherent album and not a greatest hits compilation, so don't let that scare you. I hear Firepower. I hear Painkiller. I hear a hint of their '70s output as well as their albums from 1980 to 1984. Turbo? Not really. I hear Ram it Down (shut up; there are some good songs on that one.). Even Redeemer of Souls is represented. So, Judas Priest didn't come up with anything I'd consider new on this album, but they did fill it with very solid songs that feel like a throwback at a good chunk of their career, all served with a modern sauce. There are a lot of ear worms on here, lots of speed and heaviness, crunchy guitars and powerful drumming. Even some ballads, and they don't suck because Priest are good at this. Rob Halford has been singing for over 50 years and it's amazing how good he sounds here; there's not one vocal line that I didn't like, and some of them will get the crowds singing along when they tour with this stuff.

I got the Deluxe Edition, which includes three bonus tracks. I'm not big on bonus tracks, but these are good. The only problem is that you can hear where the regular album ends and where the bonus tracks start. "Giants in the Sky" really sounds like an album closer, so when "Fight of Your Life" starts, it feels a bit off, and "The Lodger" is a power ballad that makes a lousy closer, whereas the middle child "Vicious Circle" would have worked better as a closer. Just something to keep in mind: the overall experience is different if listening to the regular track list without bonus tracks. But, again, the bonus tracks are quality and definitely nothing to sneeze at. I wouldn't be surprised to see some people try to fit them differently in the track list and they would fit right in elsewhere on the album.

This is pure Judas Priest through and through and definitely much better than I thought it could possibly be (despite, as I mentioned earlier, having essentially no expectations). I don't know if we're talking classic here, because ultimately it's somewhat of a safe album, with Priest working in charted territory and not actually offering anything they haven't offered before. Only time will tell. If I'm still alive 20 years from now, I'll see how things went. The bottom line is that this is a very strong Judas Priest album, plain and simple.

Additional Information

- Deluxe Edition with 3 bonus tracks