As Judas Priest enters the North American segment of their Invincible Shield tour, frontman Rob Halford expressed his astonishment at the resurgence of the heavy metal genre. Speaking to Classic Rock from his home in Arizona, Halford noted that the fervor surrounding metal is palpable, particularly following the band's successful European shows. "The European leg we did, they were going nuts in Europe for Priest, for Invincible Shield," Halford remarked.
Highlighting the global attraction of heavy metal, Halford cited the appearance of the French metal band Gojira at the Olympic Games as indicative of the genre's rising influence. "There's this great vibe out there that everybody wants to check out all these different bands," he elaborated, adding that younger fans in their teens and twenties are actively engaging with the legacy of classic bands like Judas Priest, Saxon, and Iron Maiden.
Halford reflected on the therapeutic role of metal amid current global tensions and political strife. He believes that heavy metal offers listeners a much-needed escape:
"I think that metal now, and has always, served as a catalyst for people to go somewhere and scream their heads off and let go of all this stuff that's been building up during the day or the weeks before you see your favourite metal band."
The band is set to kick off the North American tour on September 13 in Montreal, with 14 confirmed stops, culminating on October 26 in Irving, Texas. Following the tour, Judas Priest will head to Japan for a four-date engagement.
Coinciding with this run is the digital release of a remastered 50th anniversary edition of their debut album, Rocka Rolla, which will see physical copies released on November 22. Halford praised the work of remastering engineer Tom Allom, noting that the album retains its original charm: "It still works; in 2024 I'm still getting the same vibes with those songs that I am when I go and play a track from Invincible Shield."
Full tour dates are listed below, and tickets are available now.