New Judas Priest album is ‘two steps ahead’, says Ian Hill

Released this Friday, the 8th, the new album by Judas Priest was described by Ian Hill as a continuation of Firepower (2018). In an interview with Rolling Stone Brazilthe band’s bassist stated that Invincible Shield it’s probably also “two steps ahead, basically because of Covid.”

According to the musician, the album should have been released two years ago, but the pandemic contributed to “Richie[Faulkner] perfect the songs”. Although “nothing is easy”, the composition of the album “was a simple process”, including aligning the drum patterns of Scott Travis to the bass lines of Hill. “You can thank Covid that we’re two steps ahead instead of just one,” the bassist said.

Ian is co-founder of Judas Priest, but, over the band’s 50 years, he wrote very few lyrics. “I’m pragmatic,” he replied. “I’m perfectly happy just putting in the bass lines.”

Album name

“It’s something you’ll have to ask the Rob“, he said Hill when asked about the title given to the new album. Invincible Shield — “Invincible Shield”, in free translation — is a kind of declaration that tries to encompass the resistance of the Judas Priest over half a century:

Early on, people were — it wasn’t called heavy metal back then, it was called heavy rock… And people were already trying to put an end to it. [heavy metal]but we went through it, all the other bands went through it too.

Ian recalled the trial faced by the English group in 1990, when it was sued by the family of two fans. In 1985, Raymond Belknap It is James Vance They made a pact to shoot each other to death. Belknap passed away, while Vance He lived for another three years with the after-effects of the incident. For parents of young people, the songs of Judas Priest had a decisive influence on the suicide decision taken by Raymond It is James. “And there was that stupid trial”, he added Hillwhen listing obstacles faced by the band.

I think it’s a statement [o título do disco] that no matter what you put us through, we will overcome and carry on.

The album’s title track may be the bassist’s favorite. “The Serpent and the King” and “Panic Attack”, which open the album, also “stand out”. He also revealed some of the bands influenced, in some way, by Judas Priestwho likes to listen, like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Def Leppard, Saxon It is Anthrax. “It’s like a big family, we love each other and we love what we do,” she argued.

Recording process

Invincible Shield it was not recorded from studio sessions. “It’s funny, because, for this album, we didn’t go to the studio. We couldn’t, because of Covid”, he explained Hill. “We went from Covid straight to the tour to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary.”

In this way, the songs were recorded remotely: “Rob [Halford] recorded the vocals remotely, in Phoenix… Richie recorded in the UK and Scott recorded in Nashville. Glenn[Tipton] recorded in the UK, and my bass lines were done in hotel rooms.”

“We couldn’t get together, so, to save time and eliminate boredom, we recorded on the road. Then, I would go to hotel rooms, plug it straight into my computer, which I always do…”

“It was a great way to record,” he concluded Ian. The album was produced by Andy Sneapwith whom the bassist was able to manipulate the tracks meticulously: “It was just the two of us, so we could spend a lot of time on one thing. You have all the time in the world, and, of course, there aren’t all those people rushing you.”

Music should continue to be a way to stave off boredom for Hill until the end of his days. He confessed that he does not believe he is qualified to do any other activity and should be part of the Judas Priest as long as your body allows.

Come to Brazil

The band should only arrive in Brazil in 2025: “We have to do the European festivals, that kind of thing… the United States… Maybe we’ll fit in Japan before Christmas, and then we’ll start again in 2025. It will be in 2025.”