JUDAS PRIEST's IAN HILL Says He Recorded His Bass Tracks For 'Invincible Shield' Album At Hotel Rooms During European Tour

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill spoke about the songwriting and recording process for the band's latest album, "Invincible Shield", which was laid down largely during the pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, it was it was a longer gestation period, definitely, because of the pandemic. The big problem was that Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist] and myself were stuck on this side of the pond and everybody else was in the States. We weren't allowed to travel. So, I was rushed a little bit. The other guys managed to get around it. Of course, Scott [Travis, PRIEST drummer] and Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist] are in the Nashville area now, so it was quite easy for them to get their parts done. Well, not easy, but more straightforward. Nothing's ever easy. And Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer], of course, he's out there in Phoenix, and that was comparatively straightforward as well. But when it came to the bass lines, we went straight out of sort of the pandemic and straight into the 50th-anniversary tour, and the bass lines ended up being done in hotel rooms on the European tour on days off. I mean, Andy's [Sneap, PRIEST touring guitarist and producer] with us anyway, the producer. Of course he got his laptop with all the information on it. I only ever DI [Direct Input] the bass anyway; that goes straight into the desk. Any effects, it'll just go on afterwards sort of thing. So it was a straightforward thing. I just carried a bass around with me, went to Andy's room. He was set up. One song, one day. It was great. Richie came in from time to time, just to nod his head and see how we were getting on. And it was done like that throughout the European tour. So it was, like I say, a very tranquil way of recording. You don't have other people — there's six or seven other people, whether it's a studio person or whatever — breathing down your neck. So, yeah, it was great. It turned out really well. And Andy was pushed, obviously, 'cause he went straight out of the tour and straight into the studio to start to produce it and put his magic to the completed project. But it worked out well. I mean, the main thing was Richie and Glenn had more time to finesse the songs. We had very little messing around in the studio. We knew pretty much what the songs were gonna be, which made things more straightforward for myself when I came around to do my part, and Scott as well, to put the drum patterns down. So, yeah, it had its plus points as well, the pandemic, as well as the minus ones."

JUDAS PRIEST recently kicked off leg two of its "Invincible Shield" tour with special guest SABATON. The all-time greats are taking over new markets in North America this fall with an additional 23 performances. Produced by Live Nation, the tour launched on September 13 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and makes stops in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Omaha, Nebraska; Spokane, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; Phoenix, Arizona and more before wrapping up with three shows in Texas on October 22, 24 and 26.

JUDAS PRIEST kicked off the spring 2024 U.S. leg of the "Invincible Shield" world tour on April 18 at Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut.

"Invincible Shield" entered the U.K. chart at No. 2, just behind Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine".

Prior to "Invincible Shield"'s arrival, PRIEST's highest U.K. chart achievement was with 1980's "British Steel", which reached No. 4.

PRIEST's 2018 album "Firepower" entered the chart at No. 5.

"Invincible Shield" was JUDAS PRIEST's fifth Top 10 album, after the aforementioned "British Steel" and "Firepower", as well as 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" (No. 6) and the 1979 live album "Unleashed In The East" (No. 10).

"Invincible Shield" landed at No. 1 in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as No. 5 in France, No. 8 in Italy and No. 16 in Australia.