Invincible Shield

Invincible Shield is a 2024 album on which Judas Priest sounds the heavy-metal idiom it has built over decades as a force still powerfully moving forward. Heavily chopped riffs, the bite two guitars create, a dignified voice and big choruses — holding all the elements metal needs, the songs are by no means closed in nostalgia. From the aggressive speed of the opener “Panic Attack” and the weight of “The Serpent and the King” to the strength of the title track “Invincible Shield” and the drama of “Crown of Horns,” every song boasts high polish. By drawing sharpness from the fast songs, pressure from the mid-tempos and drama from the long pieces, it gives the whole album a rich breadth. Its power is that, though the work of a veteran band with a long history, what it asks of the listener is not respect for the past but immediate excitement. Rob Halford’s voice and the guitars of Richie Faulkner and others show no decline at all. Dignified proving that heavy metal is still ongoing, it is a powerful, fulfilling record.