Review Summary: The Most Epic Judas Priest Release Yet...
Judas Priest
Nostradamus (2008)
Rob halford - Vocals
K.K Downing - Guitars
Glenn Tipton - Guitars
Ian Hill - Bass
Scott Travis - Drums
This is it, the double album beast that is 'Nostradamus' It will be said right now that this album is like nothing the band has ever made before. it is not a fast paced rocker like Painkiller, and it is not a catchy sing-along like some of their earlier albums. This is an entirely new entry to the world of Judas Priest.
We are led into this new world via the introduction of 'Dawn Of Creation' this quiet, almost haunting piano begins and slowly gets louder and louder. As the music gets louder strange effects come into play and the intensity grows making the listener feel anxious, then out of nowhere the track explodes into our first song 'The Prophecy' and this my friends, is how we start an album...
This song screams live performance. pure cheese lyrics are screamed by Halford and guitars come chugging just like a classic priest song should do. The production is top notch and whilst the verse seems basic, it leads us straight into the brilliant chorus that you will be singing with your mates for days. The bridge at the end is the real dramatic variable that this album contains a lot of and seperates this from earlier records. Finish it off with a classic solo, and you got yourself a perfect opener for a concept album about none other than the man himself, Nostradamus.
Many songs on this album are not songs but introductions and links to tghe next song. These may seem out of place to many people, but I feel they give the entire album a purpose. It has to be said that this album is to be looked at as one giant piece of art, and not a collection of songs you can simply headbang too (Eg Angel Of Retribution). 'Revelations' Is a perfect example of the direction of this album. It is not as guitar orientated as classic priest, yet it dosn't feel as if your listening to an entirely different band. The singing through the song is top notch and the added sound effects and instruments add to the operatic atmosphere. We even get a nice accoustic guitar solo in this song which we do not see often in Judas Priest.
The group sing-alongs are not entirely absent and we get a few of these on this epic outing. 'Gods of War' and 'Visions' would not look out of place in an arena show, and all have epic feels to them and stand their ground as good individual songs in their own right. 'Alone' actually reminds me of a Queen song, and it's chorus is very over the top and made for a live audience. We also get the fast paced rockers that every priest fan has a soft spot for, including the title track 'Nostradamus' and 'Persecution' the later being the closing track for Disc one. Halford even sings the chorus to 'Pestilence & Plague' in Italian which i thought was really original and cool, adding to the atmosphere of the song.
I'm not going to completely praise the album, as believe every album has It's flaws. For some people they may just see the sheer size of this album as overwhelming. I'm not going to lie, this album is definitely and album that needs to grow, and you have to be open pretty much anything in order to fully appreciate what they have done. I also think that they could of cut back on the introductions to each song. Perhaps they could of made them smaller, and just made them part of the actual songs. I would also of enjoyed more of the high singing as i know Halford has it in him (look at the title track scream) and the signature twin attack guitar solo's of Downing and Tipton is barely found in this album., and as a guitarist i would love to of seen more solo's like the ones found in Judas Rising and Hellrider. one last gribe would be that Scott Travis's drums seem to be mixed quite low, the guy is a machine on the drums, and his signature double kicks can hardly be heard over the rest of the mix. All these complaints are quite minor however, and when you look at the finished product, it really can be forgiven.
All in all, this album is the most epic and operatic release Judas Priest have ever unleashed on the world and anyone who has had an interest in the band should at least give the whole album a listen with an open mind, and a key thing to keep in your mind is to let this album grow, no matter how much you may dislike it. Your not going to headbang and sing with every chorus on the first listen as you may with earlier releases like British Steel or Screaming For Vengence, This however shows that the album has a longitivity that adds the the albums very over the top feel and identity.
Recommended
-The Propecy
-Revelations
-Gods of War
-Pesitilence & Plague
-Persecution
-Alone
-Visions
-Nostradamus
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