Feb. 22 — Judas Priest fans got another preview of the band’s forthcoming album this week.
The band unveiled the album’s latest single, ‘The Serpent and The King‘ Thursday. The song is the fourth from the band’s forthcoming album, Invincible Shield. The album is scheduled for release March 8 through Epic Records. The album has produced three other singles ahead of the debut of this latest single: ‘Panic Attack,‘ ‘Trial By Fire,’ and ‘Crown of Horns.’
‘The Serpent and The King’ is a full-on classic Judas Priest style composition. The driving guitars and time keeping pair with front man Rob Halford sharp cutting trademark vocals to make the whole a composition that is is right up there with so much of the band’s more fiery compositions. It is everything that audiences have come to expect from Judas Priest over its decades-long life.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme in the news release announcing the song’s premiere. The lyrics provided with the song’s lyric video infer a message of mankind being a bunch of pawns to higher powers. Whether those higher powers are governmental or maybe even religious is left somewhat to interpretation, but the message is clear enough. It comes across as a statement of the so-called battle of good and evil but wonders if the good is really good or doing it for its own sake. To that end, one could argue this is a political commentary since even the “good guys” do a lot more for themselves than the greater good. This is all just this critic’s interpretation.
In other news, Judas Priest announced late last year, an upcoming North American tour alongside fellow power metal outfit Sabaton this year. The tour is scheduled to launch April 18 in Wallingford, CT, a little more than a month after the band is set to drop its new album through Epic Records.
The new tour is scheduled to run through May 22 in Syracuse, NY and includes stops in cities nationwide, such as Charlotte, NC; Minneapolis, MN and Maryland Heights, MO. Tickets can be purchased here.
The tour’s schedule is noted below:
JUDAS PRIEST: INVINCIBLE SHIELD TOUR DATES:
Thu Apr 18 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
Fri Apr 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Sun Apr 21 – Reading, PA – Santander Arena
Wed Apr 24 – Bangor, ME – Cross Insurance Center
Thu Apr 25 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Sat Apr 27 – Youngstown, OH – Covelli Center*
Sun Apr 28 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River
Wed May 01 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre
Thu May 02 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
Sat May 4 – Kalamazoo, MI – Wings Event Center*
Sun May 05 – Maryland Heights, MO – St Louis Music Park
Tue May 07 – Huntsville, AL – VBC Propst Arena*
Thu May 09 – Daytona, FL – Welcome to Rockville^
Sat May 11 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Sun May 12 – Mobile, AL – Mobile Civic Center Arena*
Tue May 14 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Fri May 17 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center*
Sun May 19 – Washington, DC –The Theater at MGM National Harbor
Tue May 21 – Albany, NY – MVP Arena
Wed May 22 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
*Not a Live Nation Date
^Festival Performance
In other news, Judas Priest is scheduled to debut the second single from its new album Friday in the form of ‘Trial By Fire.’ The band premiered Invincible Shield’s lead single, ‘Panic Attack‘ last month.
More information on Judas Priest’s forthcoming tour, album and single is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: http://www.JudasPriest.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OfficialJudasPriest
Twitter: http://twitter.com/judaspriest
