I don't think anyone in this thread would scorch anyone for having an opinion, even when the are wrong Yeah, this is not the Priest of 1977, but it is the Priest we've had since at least Ram It Down. And I certainly can't agree than Invincible Shield is mediocre, as I think it far exceeds, say, British Steel, Killing Machine and Point of Entry, which nostalgia aside have a lot of mid-tier material. I may even like it more than Screaming For Vengeance, which again has it's share of coal amongst the diamonds.
Well I've just bathed in the spectral aura of the titular track 'Invincible Shield' and have to express my amazement at any serious naysayery. OK, I empathise with a degree of fatigue o'er Sneapsound, however, it's really not that bad with a general mix that affords reasonable instrumetal divining but musically, this is in a different league to a great deal of the bandola fare that's out there nowadays - some of which I still enjoy a great deal, fwiw. This track echoes parts of 'Rapid Fire' from 1980 as well as maintaining the developed metallicism which imho bore such ripe fruit across much of Firepower. The soloing is simply outstanding and first tier against anything from any epoch. Indeed, had this number featured on something from 40-50 years ago, it'd have been (rightly) celebrated, wildly and reverred with a fervour that'd be, er, second to none! Also, something precisely like the Nostradamus title track is far past 1990 and that said Painkiller affair (an album which leaves me largely out in the cold) but a piece that could quite naturally snuggle up alongside many faves from the '76-78 canon. It's probably 'Priest more than any other, possibly from '82-84 who birthed this type of 'Total Classical Metal' and in the last few records, I hear naught but a progression - indeed development - of that creative vector. Genuinely do I contend this is a question of sound quality impacting/overriding an appreciation of categorically barnstorming musical flair and it's something historically ameliorated with a single action: turn it up, ladies.
Hey, be a boring world if we all liked the same thing! . I get what you’re saying about “generic sounding metal”, I’ve tried with countless new/modern bands (even KK’s Priest!) and it all just sounds the exact same to me, just complete meh! Background noise. When a veteran act like Priest releases a new album, it’s a very trepidation-filled listen the first time around, hoping against hope there’s no stinkers, when it’s established there isn’t, I’m just hoping that any non-singles/tracks that will never be played live, are of a certain decent quality, and ‘Invincible Shield’ has honestly blown me away in this regard, every song is an absolute gem and very well sequenced too. It doesn’t outstay it’s welcome, thankfully it’s not a cd crammed with as much music on it as possible. I was listening to ‘Firepower’ on the way up to the Dublin gig last month, and honestly, it felt a bit ‘samey’ after the first five/six tracks, still a really good album - but I’m delighted to say, I think IS is the superior album.
The second KK's Priest album is an insane belter! Several tracks smelt with untold vengeance - creedish tumult!
Iced earth concert 1999. I remember it like it was yesterday. I saw them feb 27th 13 days prior to this one. I just checked my book with all my old ticket stubs. Not much footage of them for this tour until they did the dvd in greece later that year. Im so glad I got to see them in a small bar called northern lights. this footage reminds me of that concert but this has much larger crowd. Jag panzer was on it also but I didn’t like them. barlow was sick and still great. Up close and personal. Another lifetime ago for me but I was majorly into IE
I gave up on Priest after British Steel, they'd gotten too silly and were trying too hard to be METAL. I did buy Angel of Retribution but consigned that to the depths of Loch Ness. After reading all the praise for Invincible Shield in this very thread I took a punt on it and it's a very good METAL album. It'll get played again. I do enjoy The Serpent and the King, real METAL
Dang. Never used to be any 1999 footage. THIS Detroit one was 7days prior to the one I went to. This footage is really like it was. Up close and personal. I remember the bass player tattoo arms now. LOL. I was lucky to go to this in hindsight.
Wow what a find! That’s the first time I had ever gone to an underground metal gig! That was Metal Meltdown in Asbury Park NJ. I had no idea who barely any of the bands were, I just thought what you heard on the radio was what existed for the most part. Blown away to see all these bands from Nuclear Blast, Relapse, Century Media. Iced Earth was a highlight of the night, I instantly became a fan of them with Barlow. Bought all their releases. Can barely even remember who else played that weekend, I think I saw Sepultura and definitely saw Riot. Definitely going to revisit that video!
You must have quite the collection, someone else got the, garden-gnome inserted Basil-style, threat from you recently as well!
My ticket was called the metal millennium tour sponsored by harbor lights (I assume back then many different places had different sponcered. Bands). It was in Philly on rosevelt blvd. bands were: Iced earth Jag panzer Cipher The quiet room Division Pier 6 brawl I am starting to remember how sh@t faced drunk I was by end of show. Barlow came up to talk to us and I was slurring. Ohh boy!
Yeah my show in Jersey was a 2 day underground festival. Wish I knew who Amorphis was at the time, I would’ve caught them live while I was there. Really Iced Earth was the band that blew me away that weekend.
Signing off with the best album cover in Metal history and despite my misgivings re the production, serving up some hissing excess that only the wholly unshackled will fully appreciate, my Lord of Bendixion ~
In a just World we get a Mercyful Fate album in '85 or '86 that is a worthy companion to this one and Melissa. I never really warmed to KD solo - too generic, Euro/power metal for my tastes.
The only thing I can fault those three albums for is that the records sound better on a cheap vintage stereo than on a modern equipment. Tipton's first solo album sounded fairly robotic as well, even with the high caliber players. I propose, any album you don't like, get it on cassette
