Judas Priest will release their new album, Invincible Shield, on March 8 via Sony Music.

In a new interview with Greg Prato for Ultimate Guitar, Priest guitarist, Richie Faulkner, discusses discuss the album's creation, and what he prefers gear-wise. An excerpt follows...

Ultimate Guitar: How did you approach Invincible Shield from a guitar perspective?

Richie Faulkner: "The same way as always really, you sit down with the guitar, and the guitar is kind of like a conduit. The guitar brings riffs and stuff out of you. Pretty organically really, you just sit down, sometimes you might be in the living room or the kitchen and you get this idea. Other times, you sit down with a guitar and you're jamming around and things jump out of it. You find these little riffs and stuff that you embellish and, 'That sounds like an intro' or 'That sounds like a chorus.' And then you get melodies that go on top of that.

"And then what we do, we get together the three of us, Rob, Glenn [Tipton], and myself, put those ideas together, and see if any of them stick together. Or I might have a riff, Glenn has a riff that goes together with that, and we need a chorus. So, we'll come up with a chorus together. From a guitar point of view, that's the conduit, that's what pulls a lot of riffs out. Even if I've got something in my head first, the guitar will make that real, and then I can build on it from there."

Ultimate Guitar: How did the idea come about to re-introduce guitar synthesizers into Priest? I always associate guitar synthesizers and Priest with the "Turbo" album.

Faulkner: "It's actually not a guitar synth. It's an actual synth, like a keyboard. You're right though, the flavor of a synth, with things like 'Turbo', when that idea came up, it was valid because of the groundwork that Priest laid down in the past. I came up with that intro and did a synth version of it, and it grew from there. You put an idea down and things grow. I just thought it was appropriate. It sounded right as a synth and it fit in with the history of things. So, we went with it."

Ultimate Guitar: Which songs are you most proud of guitar-wise?

Faulkner: "I think the title track has got a lot of stuff in it. It's got a lot of riffage in it. So, I'm proud of that one in that sense. It's got a lot of stuff going on, a lot of interesting guitar parts, and the solo section is its own little section. I was going for a Randy Rhoads-style flavor. But all of them for different reasons. You put a lot of work into each song, both individually and as a writing team, to get them as good as they can be.

"'Panic Attack', 'Trial By Fire' is a bit of a different rhythm on the guitar, the title track, 'The Serpent And The King.' And you've got to be proud of them, otherwise there's no point in releasing songs or a record.' 'Firepower' was a well-received record, and if we're not 1,000% behind what we're doing as a band and as musicians on this, there's no point in releasing it."

Read more at Ultimate-Guitar.com.

There will be a global album listening party for Judas Priest's latest metal masterpiece, Invincible Shield, on Thursday, March 7 at various metal bars in 30 cities around the world. See list below - and check your local metal bar for exact time and details, many of which will also be offering giveaways and custom Judas Priest-themed cocktails for their event.

If you live near Daytona Beach, you will be able to experience a special Judas Priest pop-up shop on Saturday, March 9 from 3-5 PM at Atlantic Sounds, which will be operating out of a custom Judas Priest military combat truck – “an invincible shield on wheels” – playing the album to the 500K+ attendees at Daytona Bike Week.  Harley Davidson will be leading a 100-biker brigade from Orlando to Daytona at 9 AM, ET.

Fans can also find the truck and brigade at the Daytona International Speedway for a special parade lap at 12 PM, ET before the Daytona 200. Come celebrate the release of Invincible Shield with your fellow headbangers!

Invincible Shield listening parties happening at these fine metal bars:

Aachen, Germany - Schlüsselloch
Atlanta, GA - Boggs Social
Augsburg, Germany - Spectrum
Austin, TX - The Lost Well
Bangor, ME - Geno’s Rock Club
Berlin, Germany – Halford
Brooklyn, NY - Rocka Rolla
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Strummer Bar
Chicago, IL - Liar’s Club
Denver, CO – Trve Brewing
Houston, TX - Brash Brewing
Indianapolis, IN - Black Circle
London, UK - The Black Heart
Los Angeles, CA - Rainbow Bar & Grill
Magdeburg, Germany - Flowerpower
Mepen, Germany - Alte Wäscherei
Milan, Italy - Headbanger’s Pub
Montreal, QC - Mutoïde Microbrasserie
Nersingen, Germany - Rocks
Orlando, FL - Dirty Laundry
Paris, France - Dr. Feelgood’s
Providence, RI - The Scurvy Dog
Richmond, VA - Cobra Cabana
San Antonio, TX - Bonds 007
St. Louis, MO - Headless Bat
Stockholm, Sweden - Garlic & Shots
Toronto, ON - Bovine Sex Club
Uetze, Germany (Hanover) - Farmer’s Inn
Vienna, Austria - U4 Club
Washington, DC - Slash Run

Invincible Shield, out March 8 via Sony Music, can be pre-ordered here.

Tracklisting:

"Panic Attack"
"The Serpent And The King"
"Invincible Shield"
"Devil In Disguise"
"Crown Of Horns"
"As God Is My Witness"
"Trial By Fire"
"Escape From Reality"
"Sons Of Thunder"
"Giants In The Sky"

"The Serpent And The King" video:

"The Serpent And The King" lyric video:

"Crown Of Horns" video:

"Panic Attack" video:

"Trial By Fire" video:

Invincible Shield album trailer:

Judas Priest will also delight fans with a world tour this year, the UK leg kicks off in Glasgow on March 11 before taking on North America in April and May.  See below for full North American tour routing and head to judaspriestinvincibleshield.com for tickets.

Tour dates:

April
18 - Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale Theatre
9 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
21 - Reading, PA - Santander Arena
24 - Bangor, ME - Cross Insurance Center
25 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
27 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Center*
28 - Indianapolis, IN - Everwise Amphitheater at White River

May
1 - Rosemont, IL - Rosemont Theatre
2 - Minneapolis, MN - The Armory
4 - Kalamazoo, MI - Wings Event Center*
5 - Maryland Heights, MO - St Louis Music Park
7 - Huntsville, AL - VBC Propst Arena*
9 - Daytona, FL - Welcome to Rockville^
11 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
12 - Mobile, AL - Mobile Civic Center Arena*
14 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
16 - Columbus, OH - Historic Crew Stadium ^
17 - Evansville, IN - Ford Center*
19 - Washington, DC -The Theater at MGM National Harbor
21 - Albany, NY - MVP Arena
22 - Syracuse, NY - Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview

* Not a Live Nation Date
^ Festival Performance

(Photo - James Hodges Photography)