Judas Priest has shared the official lyric video for “The Serpent And The King”, the fourth single from their upcoming studio album, “Invincible Shield”. You can stream it below.
Regarding the track, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford told Zane Lowe of Apple Music: “Judas Priest has been screaming heavy metal for over 50 years. The passion and the power and the love and the dedication and all the other glorious words that you can utilize in this band, Judas Priest, are just roaring in this song, ‘The Serpent And The King’. It’s just another definition of this particular style of metal, this intense, relentless, unyielding, invincible approach and love that we have in this band for this particular song. And we’ve talked about a lot of things.”
“We’ve talked about the sinner, we’ve talked about the saints, and we’ve talked about the painkiller but we’ve never talked about God and the devil getting into the universal boxing ring, so to speak. That’s the message. We’re talking about this age-old thing that’s been going on since the universe began. It’s God, it’s the devil. It’s black and white, it’s positive, negative, it’s good, it’s evil, it’s love, it’s hate. It’s all of these different textures wrapped up into this fierce non-stop, relentless track, ‘The Serpent And The King’.” Halford added.
When elaborating about how the themes in “The Serpent And The King” are reflective of the current time, Halford offered: “This ‘Serpent And The King’ issue couldn’t be more relevant right now, man. I don’t have to talk about current topics on the news wire. But yeah, this is it. This is raging right now, this fight that’s going on. The good news is the battle always ends in the right place, which is, good overcomes evil. Love always wins. Love will always come out on top. No matter how dark, how bleak, how terrible things might be, love will come out, the light will shine, the power will reign, and humanity will progress. This is the context of all of the imagery and fantasy of ‘The Serpent And The King’.”
To pre-order “Invincible Shield”, visit THIS LOCATION.
Judas Priest recently announced their return to North America in 2024, for a 14-date spring tour with special guest Sabaton. The tour will kick off on April 18 at the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut, and will wrap up on May 22 at the Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse, New York. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, November 17 at 10 a.m. local time.
The tour will also feature a new stage production and a setlist that will span Judas Priest‘s entire career. Fans can expect to hear classics like ‘Breaking the Law,’ ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’,‘ and ‘Living After Midnight,’ as well as new songs from “Invincible Shield.”
Sabaton will be joining Judas Priest on the tour as a special guest. The Swedish power metal band is currently supporting their latest album, “The War to End All Wars.”
Judas Priest “Invincible Shield” 2024 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 01 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre
May 02 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
May 4 – Kalamazoo, MI – Wings Event Center*
May 05 – Maryland Heights, MO – St Louis Music Park
May 07 – Huntsville, AL – VBC Propst Arena*
May 09 – 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
