Judas Priest’s new album, Invincible Shield, has given them their highest ever UK chart placing.
The metal icons’ 19th album entered the UK charts at Number 2. It was only kept off the top spot by Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine.
Previously, Priest‘s best UK chart showing was with 1980’s British Steel, which reached No.4. The band’s last album, 2018’s Firepower, reached No.5.
According to Classic Rock’s review of Invincible Shield: “Judas Priest have retained their magical allure of mixing blistering rock and strangely hummable tunes, and as fullbore as this album might be, it’s always the songs that carry it.”
In the brand new issue of Classic Rock, Priest singer Rob Halford reveals how Invincible Shield single Crown Of Horns was partly inspired by the war in Ukraine – specifically the lyric, “I learned the hard way that what you dreamed for comes from the pain you hold inside.”
“I was thinking about the Ukraine, about standing up for yourself in the face of something horrible,” he says. “And it made me think about what’s going on with those poor souls, and the Russians who have been dragged into it. But the lyric, ‘A call out to the world tonight/Raise your horns up high”, that’s about collective unity. That’s the metal community as well. We’re all in it together. We’re all in it to win it.”
Halford also suggests that Priest haven’t ruled out a follow-up to Invincible Shield.
“This is the 19th studio album,” he says. “I don’t like odd numbers. Even if I’m turning the volume up on the telly, it can’t be 13 – it has to be 12 or 14. Even numbers are balance and harmony.
“We’re already thinking about what we’re going to do next,” he continues. “That’s the joy of music. It never stops.”
Priest are currently touring the UK, with dates in Europe and the US to follow.
Pick up the brand new issue of Classic Rock to read the full interview with Halford and bandmate Richie Faulkner. Order it online now and have it delivered straight to your door.
