Judas Priest have endured in one form or another for more than 50 years, and on their new single, “Trial by Fire,” they recognize their own fortitude. “Bound and abused, branded a liar/I have endured trial by fire,” frontman Rob Halford sings in the chorus, growling the word “fire” a little more each time he sings it.
The track, which naturally features some pyrotechnic guitar playing by Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, will feature on the band’s upcoming Invincible Shield album, due out March 3, 2024.
The group released the first single from the new album, “Panic Attack,” last month on Friday the 13th. That track features a charging riff and Halford, of course, singing the title over and over as if he’s screaming for vengeance. They announced the new album last month during their appearance at the Power Trip festival in Indio, California, on the Coachella grounds.
“There are definitely a few more twists and turns on this record,” Faulkner previously told Audio Ink Radio (via Blabbermouth). “There are a few more musical parts… I’ve used the word ‘progressive’ before, and the internet ripped me a new asshole. But it is progressive in the sense that it’s not like verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus-finish. It’s musical part-verse-musical part… a bit like ‘Sinner’ or ‘Tyrant’ or something like that… It’s Seventies Priest, but it’s not a retro album, by any means. It’s the influence of Seventies Priest in the progressive sense, but it sounds like Priest in 2023.”
Judas Priest will kick off a North American tour in support of the album about a month after it comes out with dates beginning in Wallingford, Connecticut. The dates include an appearance at the Welcome to Rockville festival in May.
Judas Priest tour dates:
Apr. 18 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
Apr. 19 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
Apr. 21 – Reading, PA @ Santander Arena
Apr. 24 – Bangor, ME @ Cross Insurance Center
Apr. 25 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Apr. 27 – Youngstown, OH @ Covelli Center
Apr. 28 – Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River
May 1 – Rosemont, IL @ Rosemont Theatre
May 2 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
May 4 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Wings Event Center
May 5 – Maryland Heights, MO @ St Louis Music Park
May 7 – Huntsville, AL @ VBC Propst Arena
May 9 – Daytona, FL @ Welcome to Rockville
May 11 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
May 12 – Mobile, AL @ Mobile Civic Center Arena
May 14 – Charlotte, NC@ PNC Music Pavilion
May 17 – Evansville, IN @ Ford Center
May 19 – Washington, DC @The Theater at MGM National Harbor
May 21 – Albany, NY @ MVP Arena
May 22 – Syracuse, NY @ Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview