In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter (USUALLY) reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.
When two titans of the heavy metal world release long-awaited albums at roughly the same time, it’s inevitable that comparisons will be made. Gauntlets will thrown, favorites will be chosen, and and ultimately a winner will be crowned in whatever small circle of geeks care about this. Hell, one of my own favorite YouTube channels did just that with this matchup. And for a few weeks I wanted to do the same, match these giants of the genre and see who would reign supreme. But reality is a fickle thing, and as the weeks went by and I delayed writing and continued to listen I noticed chinks in armor I though was unassailable; instances of power and creativity where once was murk and indifference. In the end my journey with the latest from Bruce Dickinson and Judas Priest may not change any minds or even be all that surprising, but all the same it’s worth noting that after five decades of making some of the most influential music in heavy metal, there are things still left unsaid, and that’s maybe my favorite thing about this ridiculous music we all love.
Time to descend.
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With their near constant touring cycle and string of massive (both in terms of length and epic scope) Bruce Dickenson would have his hands full with Iron Maiden. But here we are, 19 years since the driving rock of Tyranny of Souls with Dickinson’s latest, and a concept album to boot: The Mandrake Project. Despite being a concept album and sharing a reworked version of “If Eternity Should Fail” (which was actually written for this album first when Dickinson was planning it over 15 years ago) there’s no chance of mistaking this for an Iron Maiden album – working once again with Roy Z the legendary Air-Raid Siren has crafted a deceptively strong album, one that initially had me lukewarm until I spent more time getting on its wavelength.
The album is seriously front-loaded, starting with the monster riff that opens “Afterglow of Ragnarok”. It’s a killer opener, showing Dickinson dabbling in more modern sounds and reaching to ensure new territory is charted. “Many Doors to Hell” recalls the man in more vintage times with a catchy hook in the chorus but goes into space with an almost psychedelic solo section. “Rain on the Graves” gets syrupy thick with its blues riff and guitar tone, and you almost want to write it off once you hear Dickinson’s sing-song delivery but those keyboards stab at just the right moment. It’s just more evidence he and Z want to make sure you know these aren’t leftovers from Maiden sessions. That may be no more evident than “Resurrection Men” with its galloping drum beat and spaghetti western meets flamenco opening that blossoms into a seriously nasty Sabbath stomp that could have been ripped out of 1971. “Fingers in the Wound” plays a similar card, with copious eastern melodies and symphonic stabs adding some heft to an otherwise standard track.
The second half of the album gets a little lost for me. It starts strong with “Eternity Has Failed,” now recaptured to what Dickinson originally envisioned for it. There’s a little more swagger to its delivery, the solo sections more frantic and rocking than its more measured sibling that opened Book of Souls. Also keyboard solo! “Mistress of Mercy” is a tight rager that feels a piece with his earlier work, and hearing that a lot of this material was actually written over a decade ago start to make more sense. Again, Bruce knows how to make a chorus work, and this one is a classic. It’s also a good time to point out how good the production is across The Mandrake Project. Roy Z not only slays on guitar, but he makes sure everything sounds thick and heavy, lending weight to every hook and riff that passes by in the album’s hour run time.
But I mentioned the second half gets a little lost for me, and it’s really down to the final three tracks. I’m always game for one of Dickinson’s slower songs, but packing them all together at the of the album feels like someone slamming the breaks on a speeding freight train. “Face in the Mirror” is a fine track, but one I would have expected to come earlier in the sequencing. Moving from there to the seven and half minute “Shadow of the Gods” just doesn’t work, doing no favors to a song which starts just as weepy but finally kicks into a higher gear after four minutes of meandering in the rain. And that’s still not the end of the album, because now that we’ve stepped into the rain we’re staying for another 10 minutes with the soporific “Sonata (Immortal Beloved)” which may work from a narrative perspective, but as the close of a record feels like a slow ebb and fade, despite my enjoying the Pink Floyd elements.
The Mandrake Project is out now from BMG. For more information on Bruce Dickinson, listen to any metal since 1980, or you can check out his fancy website for the new album.
It’s almost shocking to hear Judas Priest this amped up 20 albums into a 50 year career (I’m counting Unleashed in the East, don’t @ me). I say “almost” because we all heard Firepower in 2018 and had our collective doors blown off. Invincible Shield looks to replicate the fury and uh, firepower of that album and on first listen I was all in, delighted by the attack and the subtle callbacks to some of their classic work, both from the 70s and the 80s (I love Turbo, don’t @ me). That still holds true for the most part, but repeated listens do detect some chinks in the legends’ armor – not enough to detract from the serious highs the album offers, but enough to slightly cool my fever upon its initial release.
“Panic Attack” immediately sets the stage with that mix of the old and new, a killer opening riff accompanied by that synth siren that announced Turbo with so much fanfare. Halford sounds impeccable – I’ve no doubt there’s a little production wizardry in getting his voice so strong in the mix (doubling vocals, etc.) but the new gravel in his voice just adds to the majesty of his delivery. Richie Faulkner is positively on fire with his solos, bringing both technical shred and the classic Priest harmonies with abandon across Invincible Shield, particular on the album’s first three tracks, which combined might be my favorite group of songs they’ve done in forever. “The Serpent and the King” is another barn burner, perhaps the most aggressive track on the album. There are shades of Metallica in the guitars that anchor the chorus, and Scott Travis continues to prove he’s one of the best metal drummers in the world. The slow breakdown at the end of the main solo before hitting the bridge is fantastic, and shows that when they want to there’s literally no direction Priest can’t travel and make their own. That may be no more evident that in the title track, which at six and a half minutes is not only the epic of the album but stretches all the way back to Sad Wings of Destiny in its more progressive elements which keeping a foot firmly in the newfound heaviness the band discovered on 1990’s Painkiller (the verse’s similarity feels more homage than ripoff to my ears).
Although there’s still plenty great to sink into, it’s next where I start to note some of my minor concerns with Invincible Shield: the production. Both “Devil in Disguise” and “Gates of Hell” are perfectly fine if slightly traditional middle of the road rockers, but Sneap’s crystal clear production is really accentuating the higher end frequencies, and while it makes every riff razor sharp, it leans a little too heavily into clean, not letting the low end rumble enough to make the verses bite with any fervor. This is especially egregious when it comes to Scott’s drums – I want to feel every hit of that kick drum, have my neck broken with every snare crash, but it winds up sounding too processed and mechanical.
I’ve read some of the “criticism” surrounding “Crown of Thorns” and the not-so-coded spiritual content laced in Halford’s lyrics and honestly: get over it. You’re fine with 20 minute death metal songs inspired by video games like Bloodborne but you won’t accept a guy who wants to write about how he found prayer helped with his crippling addictions? Okay. I love the change of pace the song brings, and I’ll take Halford writing openly and honestly – it’s no different from the thematic content in the rager “As God is My Witness” or even “Invincible Shield” – it’s just that those are covered by vicious metal that distracts you from what he’s singing about. By the time of single “Trial By Fire” that pristine production is starting to cause ear fatigue, and if I stretch my brain I can see the similarities the song holds to “Panic Attack” musically. As for the rest of the album, I’m all in on the weirdness in “Escape From Reality” and can get behind the heavy Defenders era of “Sons of Thunder” (even with those gang vocals). And if I’m being honest “Giants in the Sky” is fine but not great. I get that it’s an homage to Ronnie James Dio and Lemmy Kilmister, but intent doesn’t excuse execution. It’s just an okay song.
Even though that’s the end of Invincible Shield, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the 3 bonus tracks tacked onto the end of the digital and deluxe CD editions (it’s a separate 7″ for the vinyl). I really dig the Stained Class riffing on “Fight For Your Life” and the gothic synth heavy doom of “The Lodger” and in a world where I was sequencing the album I might have included those…maybe even at the expense of “Trial By Fire” and “Gates of Hell.”
Who knows?
Invincible Shield is out now from Sony. If you really need more information on Judas Priest, ask your parents, listen to everything from Sad Wings of Destiny through Painkiller (you can skip Point of Entry if you like) or listen to any metal since 1980, or I guess check out their website.
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In the end OF COURSE it’s stupid to pit these albums against each other. I know that, you know that, but I’ll say that in doing so the close listening not only unveiled nuances I wasn’t aware of before but yielded a better appreciation for The Mandrake Project, an album I might have written off after first listen. Even though taste and quality is entirely subjective, it’s a good reminder to know sometimes our subjective taste isn’t right, and taking little more time with everything can be the difference between a discard and a new favorite.
Until next time, keep it heavy…keep it safe.
– Chris
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