Judas Priest’s Rob Halford talks ‘Invincible Shield’, Dolly Parton, acceptance in metallic neighborhood – National

It’s been six years since Judas Priest launched their final album, however on Friday the British Heavy Metal pioneers returned with their nineteenth studio effort, Invincible Shield.

Since 2018’s Firepower, the Breaking the Law hitmakers have had a rollercoaster journey. COVID-19 wasn’t the one impediment that put a wrench of their touring plans. Lead singer Rob Halford battled prostate most cancers all through a portion of the worldwide pandemic earlier than getting the all-clear in early 2021.

Not lengthy after they had been again on the highway, co-lead guitarist Richie Faulkner suffered a near-fatal acute aortic aneurysm onstage throughout a efficiency at Louisville’s Louder than Life pageant in September 2021.

The 43-year-old was halfway via the band’s final tune of the night time — Painkiller, sarcastically — when it occurred. Faulkner powered via and completed the tune and was rushed to a hospital the place surgeons carried out a life-saving surgical procedure.

Faulkner stayed on the mend till rejoining Priest on the highway in March 2022, shortly earlier than they had been set to embark on their mammoth fiftieth anniversary tour.

During the trek, the leather-clad quintet stopped in Los Angeles for the band’s long-awaited induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — the place Priest welcomed again estranged band members guitarist Okay.Okay. Downing and drummer Les Binks to make speeches, earlier than a rocking medley efficiency.

Additionally, Halford carried out Jolene with the Queen of Country herself, Dolly Parton — a private favorite icon of his — earlier than occurring to file the tune Bygones together with her for her acclaimed 2023 Rockstar album.

Speaking with Global News, Halford expressed his gratefulness: “I can’t thank her enough, not only for giving me the opportunity, but for giving the metal community the opportunity, because I know who I am, I know what I represent. I’m a singer in this British heavy metal band.”

By the way in which, we’re not but performed with the challenges.

Throughout these successes and shut well being calls, co-lead guitarist Glenn Tipton had been combating Parkinson’s illness since 2008 — a battle he made public solely weeks earlier than Firepower was unleashed to the world.

The end result of feelings endured by Halford, Tipton and Faulkner — Priest’s core songwriters — in that point resulted in one of many band’s most ferocious and introspective data up to now.

Between lead singles Panic Attack and Trial By Fire, energy ballad Crown of Horns and the touching, tributary closing observe Giants within the Sky — which pays homage to fallen metallic legends Ronnie James Dio and Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister — followers are handled with a few of Halford’s deepest lyrics up to now. The susceptible nature of those compositions, nevertheless, doesn’t take away from the “heavy” features that heavy metallic followers ought to anticipate. Throughout this file, all 5 band members are firing on all cylinders and carry out with conviction that hasn’t been heard since 1990’s Painkiller. Though we’re met with sonic twists and turns that harken again to data of Priest’s “golden era,” the general range contained inside Invincible Shield’s progressively shines brighter as every observe ends and the subsequent begins — serving as a reminder that Priest by no means does precisely the identical factor twice and is a pressure to be reckoned with, nonetheless, in spite of everything these years.

The title, Invincible Shield not solely represents the victories and hardships of the collective band, however these of their followers, too, in response to Halford.

The 72-year-old “Metal God” emphasised the significance of writing music that may join with Priest followers — or “heavy metal maniacs” — and with the ability to present them that they’re not alone in no matter troubles they face.

For many years, Halford has been an advocate for acceptance and empowerment of these inside not simply the heavy metallic neighborhood, however for folk from all walks of life.

The Living After Midnight singer recounted the loneliness he felt for the primary 25 years of being part of Judas Priest and feeling like he needed to conceal his sexuality as a distinguished determine within the music neighborhood at a time the place it was not as well-received.

It wasn’t till he publicly got here out throughout an MTV broadcast in 1998 that he felt actually like himself.

“Tolerance and inclusivity is something that that I won’t stop talking about. This whole business of being embraced and feeling not alone and feeling (like) part of a group of people that are all feeling the same way is really special and unique to the metal world.”

And although Halford has confronted prejudice alongside the way in which, Halford has paved the way in which for a number of generations of metalheads and LGBTQ2 members and says that the collective concept of embracing one another’s variations has improved considerably since his profession started.

Prior to unleashing the pummelling Invincible Shield, Priest shared 4 of the 11 tracks as singles, providing a mere style to their loyal followers.

He made clear that whereas Tipton’s battle with Parkinson’s has slowly deteriorated his stamina, his compositions are nonetheless very a lot current. And the place Tipton was not in a position to file a phrase or solo to his greatest potential, Faulkner stepped in and replicated it as precisely to his bandmate’s type as attainable.

Glowing on the unbelievable reception they’ve obtained, Halford couldn’t include his pleasure for followers to listen to the remainder of it, including an eagerness to get again out on the highway.

Taking Tipton’s place on the highway as soon as once more can be touring guitarist Andy Sneap, who additionally produced Invincible Shield — his second time producing for Priest. Fortunately for some followers, Tipton has beforehand made a handful of appearances on the highway for the band’s encore.

Though Priest have but to announce Canadian tour dates, Halford has shared fond reminiscences of travelling the nation through tour bus from coast-to-coast, and is promising the band will return within the close to future.

“I’ve driven the entire breadth of Canada, and it’s the most glorious thing. I feel very, very lucky that I’ve been able to. It’s just a beautiful country,” Halford stated, including, “We will be coming back.”

Judas Priest will start the primary leg of the Invincible Shield world tour in Glasgow, Scotland on March 11, making their means via the U.Okay., U.S. and a number of other European nations till July.

As nicely as choose tracks from the 53-minute spanning mammoth that’s Invincible Shield, Halford guarantees diehard followers a wholesome dose of the classics, in addition to “two or three” deep cuts.

You can watch a condensed model of our interview with Rob Halford above.

‘Invincible Shield’ is now out there worldwide at judaspriestinvincibleshield.com.

March 11 – Glasgow, Scotland
March 13 – Leeds, England
March 15 – Dublin, Ireland
March 17 – Bournemouth, England
March 19 – Birmingham, England
March 21 – London, England
March 24 – Frankfurt, Germany
March 25 – Munich, Germany
March 27 – Dortmund, Germany
March 29 – Prague, Czech Republic
March 30 – Krakow, Poland
April 1 – Vienna, Austria
April 3 – Basel, Switzerland
April 5 – Lyon, France
April 6 – Assago, Italy
April 8 – Paris, France
April 18 – Wallingford, Conn.
April 19 – Newark, N.J.
April 21 – Reading, Penn.
April 24 – Bangor, Maine
April 25 – Boston, Mass.
April 27 – Youngstown, Ohio
April 28 – Indianapolis, Ind.
May 1 – Rosemont, Ill.
May 2 – Minneapolis, Minn.
May 4 – Kalamazoo, Mich.
May 05 – Maryland Heights, Mo.
May 07 – Huntsville, Ala.
May 09 – Daytona, Fla.
May 11 – Alpharetta, Ga.
May 12 – Mobile, Ala.
May 14 – Charlotte, N.C.
May 17 – Evansville, Ind.
May 19 – Washington, D.C.
May 21 – Albany, N.Y.
May 22 – Syracuse, N.Y.