Judas Priest's New Album Name and Tour Dates Revealed

Photo courtesy of Discogs

Leather clad British heavy metal legends Judas Priest have some quite a bit in the pipe ready for us soon. They are going to be following up their big 2014 album Redeemer of Souls with a brand new album which has just been given a name. In addition to that, they have also let loose their upcoming tour dates for next year.

According to Ultimate Classic Rock the new album (which will be their 18th studio release) will be titled Firepower and it will be released some time early next year (2018). It was co-produced by Tom Allom, who not only engineered Black Sabbath's first three albums but has a long history with Judas Priest as well that spans way back to the 70's including albums such as Screaming for Vengeance, Defenders of Faith, and British Steel. Allom's most recent effort with the band was a live concert recording from 2009 titled A Touch of Evil.

The title of the album sounds VERY classic Judas Priest. I could easily see it on the shelf with the other albums from their heyday with a title like that. However, you can't judge a book by its cover. Whether or not Firepower actually stands tall with the rest of the band's catalog remains to be heard, as we do not have even the first single from it yet. Personally I'd love to hear something that has a real classic late 70's Judas Priest vibe, but maybe with a bit more modern production. However, I also would hate for it to sound like they're trying to replicate what they've done in the past, like what Sabbath did on 13. I guess it's a fine line to tread, but I'm sure whatever they put out will be great.

Judas Priest Firepower 2018 Tour Dates

3/13 - Wilkes Barre, PA, Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
3/15 - Youngstown, OH, Covelli Centre
3/17 - Uniondale, NY, Nassau Coliseum
3/18 - Washington, DC, The Anthem
3/20 - Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
3/22 - Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena
3/25 - Ottawa, ON, The Arena at TD Place
3/27 - London, ON, Budweiser Gardens
3/28 - Oshawa, ON, Tribute Communities Centre
3/30 - Orillia, ON, Casino Rama
3/31 - Detroit, MI, Detroit Masonic Temple
4/3 - Milwaukee, WI, Riverside Theater
4/5 - Green Bay, WI, Resch Center
4/8 - Bloomington, IL, Grossinger Motors Arena
4/10 - Casper, WY, Casper Events Center
4/11 - Loveland, CO, Budweiser Events Center
4/15 - Kent, WA, ShoWare Center
4/17 - Portland, OR, Veterans Memorial Coliseum
4/19 - San Francisco, CA, The Warfield
4/22 - Los Angeles, CA, Microsoft Theater
4/24 - Phoenix, AZ, Comerica Theatre
4/26 - Tulsa, OK, BOK Center
4/28 - Dallas, TX, The Bomb Factory
4/29 - Sugarland, TX, Smart Financial Centre
5/1 - San Antonio, TX, Freeman Coliseum