Q&A: Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis discusses the new album Invincible Shield before the band plays Spokane Arena

eather. Motorcycles. Thousands of cars and a million guitars. The wrenching pain of forbidden love, terrifying robots and Nostradamus — for the last 50 years, Judas Priest has had their finger on the pulse of true heavy metal, culturally, sonically and visually. While 1980’s British Steel demonstrated the band’s mainstream appeal with hard rock anthems like “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight,” their oeuvre has been foundational to the dark parasol of heavy subgenres. Arguably their heaviest record, Painkiller, not only influenced the technical madness of death metal pioneers Death, but also the look and sound of the 2000s metalcore scene. Hell, even Thin Lizzy owe Priest credit for pioneering the iconic twin-lead guitar style — and we wouldn’t have bands like Mastodon or Metallica without Lizzy. While there are certainly some excellent legacy metal acts still out there, none of them (at least in my opinion) have been as consistently powerful, and influential, as Priest.

That legacy continued this year when the heavy metal hellraisers released their 19th studio album, Invincible Shield. While the follow-up to 2018’s Firepower (another excellent heavy metal record) doesn’t exactly break any new ground for the band, I’m not sure anyone would want it to in 2024. It has Rob Halford’s iconic, truly powerful and virtuosic vocals, ferocious riffs for days, some of the best hooks of the year and pummeling drums. Tracks like “Panic Attack,” “Invincible Shield” and “As God as My Witness” are all A-class certified headbangers. My personal favorite track is the slightly doomier “Escape from Reality” — I think it’s one of the heavier tracks Judas Priest has put out in a while, both musically and lyrically.

Judas Priest hasn’t been through the Northwest since 2018, and the group doesn’t always make it up this way. But that will change when the band charges into Spokane Arena on Oct. 6. While Judas Priest is full of life on stage, and the guys have gained a sort of heavy metal immortality, the band is getting older — just three years ago, longtime guitar player Richie Faulkner had a heart attack on stage — so make sure you don’t miss this chance to see the legendary Judas Priest in action.