Single Slam – Lightning Strike by Judas Priest (FIREPOWER)

The living legends that are Judas Priest have a new album due out in March this year called Firepower. The first single for this album has now been released and it is called Lightning Strike. Firepower will be released via Epic Records and follows on from 2014’s Redeemer of Souls.

Priest spent the majority of 2017 in the studio recording Firepower and it is the first album since 1988’s Ram it Down to be produced by Tom Allom. Tom was assisted by Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Exodus) and Mike Exeter (Black Sabbath). The artwork for the new album was put together by Claudio Bergamin.

Judas Priest in 2017 are, of course, frontman Rob Halford on vocals. Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner are on guitars. Ian Hill is on the bass and Scott Travis is on the drums.

Lightning Strike is 3 and a half minutes long and is a really good song. It has a nice mid tempo to the vocals with Halford sounding really strong and powerful. The main rhythm is quick though with a thundering drum beat, chunky bass and quick riff. It gives the impression of rolling thunder or stampeding horses.

The song kicks straight in with that fast riff before a high guitar squeal brings the vocals in. A catchy chorus and pre chorus will get everyone singing along and throwing their devil horns in the air. There are plenty of soaring mini solos dappled over the track. They separate each verse from chorus and their is a solid full solo, complete with harmonising guitars as the track ends.

You can preview it here –

Rob Halford spoke with Vintagerock.com about writing the new album – “It’s great. This is what Priest lives for. We’re a hard-working metal band still making the metal forty-odd years later, thanks to our glorious metal fans around the world. So we make music now, obviously, still for our own pleasure and enjoyment, and the challenge of finding a new riff and a new melody is always very… It’s a great feeling.”

Lightning Strike does exactly what we would expect from a band like Judas Priest. It is a really solid song with a great riff, superb vocals and a powerful solo. There is nothing overly experimental or different here. This is just Priest doing what they do best. Creating rocking tracks to unleash to. Lightning Strike feels like a step back in to the glory days of NWOBHM or traditional heavy metal but with a modern sound. I can’t wait to hear more from Firepower.

Lightning Strike is available on all the usual streaming services, like Apple Music and Spotify, now. You can grab it, and more from the band at the links below. In support of the new album, Priest are out on tour early this year across North America and Canada. You can see the dates and grab tickets from here.

For those in the UK, Judas Priest will be headlining the festival, Bloodstock Open Air so grab tickets for that from here. Find out more on the band at their website, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Be sure to give them a like or follow while you are there.

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