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Judas Priest - Nostradamus review



Reviewer:
7.0

788 users:
7.3
Band: Judas Priest
Album: Nostradamus
Release date: June 2008


Disc I
01. Dawn Of Creation
02. Prophecy
03. Awakening
04. Revelations
05. The Four Horsemen
06. War
07. Sands Of Time
08. Pestilence And Plague
09. Death
10. Peace
11. Conquest
12. Lost Love
13. Persecution

Disc II
01. Solitude
02. Exiled
03. Alone
04. Shadows In The Flame
05. Visions
06. Hope
07. New Beginnings
08. Calm Before The Storm
09. Nostradamus
10. Future Of Mankind

Judas Priest, metal Gods, arguably the inventers of heavy metal as it is today. These guys haven't got the track record they have from sitting on their arses and plopping the same album out over and over again; Judas Priest have taken risks and re-invented themselves numerous times, from "Sad Wings Of Destiny" to "British Steel" to "Turbo" to "Painkiller" and now once more with this year's modern epic opus "Nostradamus". Over the years these risks have sometimes worked in their favour producing some of metal's timeless classics, but also on occasions, as far as the masses are concerned, in an unfavourable way. The running theme of all these years though, being that Judas Priest has kept true to themselves and has done everything just the way they wanted to.

Now, "Nostradamus" brings a whole new perspective to the world of Judas Priest. This is on a completely different level to anything the band has ever done before. Gone are the clear, razor sharp guitar riffs and straight-forward heavy metal sound the band put out since the "Painkiller" album, and its a hello and warm welcome to an overblown, pompous, slightly dark, theatrical kind of metal. Two CDs of over the top, dramatic stage show music that could easily be turned into a classic piece at a musical theatre in the west end of London depicting the life of Nostradamus. The guitars and the legendary singing of Rob Halford have always been the strongest points in the music of Judas Priest, but on "Nostradamus" both seem to have had the edge sandpapered off them. Both guitars and vocals lack the clarity and piercing qualities they should have, and more focus is placed upon a whole, full, multi-layered, bombastic sound you would imagine from a film soundtrack. The album is also littered with annoying little interludes that prevent any kind of real flow to the album's progression.

This is Judas Priest however, keeping to tradition there will always be quality on a Judas Priest album, you just need to know where to look to find it. Even though the first twenty minutes of the album, although puffing its chest out in grand fashion, is nothing much to keep your attention; most of the actual songs on "Nostradamus" have some of that melodic Priest magic about them we have come to expect. "Pestilence And Plague" has a bit more bite about it and with a magnificent Italian chorus is the first standout of the double album opus. "Lost Love" has an incredibly sad charm, as does the slightly drawn out but pleasant "Alone". "Visions" may be the highest point of the album with its deep guitars and catchy chorus, "New Beginnings" also gently brushes the listeners ears with a slow, sombre but satisfying affair. Title track "Nostradamus" has the most conviction the album sees though, and is the closest you will get to speed metal on this whole overblown, overdrawn musical work.

Indeed, the chocolate chips are buried in the cookie somewhere, the diamonds are lodged somewhere inside this endless mine. "Nostradamus" has the quality expected from a band as such as is Judas Priest, but this quality is just surrounded and cluttered with fillers, interludes, and a few songs that could have done with being dropped at the final cut, which makes the whole two CD final piece a hard pill to swallow in one sitting making it not the easiest album to listen to as a whole. If you have the time and patience, you will be able to appreciate "Nostradamus" and the highlights found within, but if you seek a quick, metallic, speed metal fix you got from "Painkiller" or even "Screaming For Vengeance", then unfortunately "Nostradamus" is definitely not the answer to your problem. One thing is for sure though, and that is that the Priest have put out yet another controversial record that will split fans right down the middle.





Written on 05.09.2008 by Member of Staff since 2006


Comments page 2 / 2

Comments: 46   Visited by: 443 users
19.02.2009 - 10:49
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by IronBlackZepp on 19.02.2009 at 01:36

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.02.2009 at 20:57

Written by IronBlackZepp on 18.02.2009 at 20:05

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.02.2009 at 12:24

Written by IronBlackZepp on 18.02.2009 at 05:27

This album is only at 7.5? .


It was actually rated a 7 by Baz. Btw, I totally agree with that rating.


Actually I was talking about the overall rating, which is currently a 7.5.


I find that about half a point too high as well.


Its not that the music on this album is bad. The biggest problem is that their are so many little filler songs. It is true that the band mabey should have made nostradamus a one disc album instead of two. However I still think it is a good album. Their are worse Priest albums out their, in fact their are many metal albums in general that are much worse. You have to admit that this is better then Turbo, Point of entry, Rocka Rolla. And it is certainly better then the stuff they did with Owens.


It is better than Rocka Rolla, Point Of Entry, Turbo, Ram It Down, Demolition, but NOT Jugulator. Btw, which can been seen in my voting of the Priest discography.
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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19.02.2009 - 21:14
Rating: 9
IronBlackZepp

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 19.02.2009 at 10:49

Written by IronBlackZepp on 19.02.2009 at 01:36

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.02.2009 at 20:57

Written by IronBlackZepp on 18.02.2009 at 20:05

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.02.2009 at 12:24

Written by IronBlackZepp on 18.02.2009 at 05:27

This album is only at 7.5? .


It was actually rated a 7 by Baz. Btw, I totally agree with that rating.


Actually I was talking about the overall rating, which is currently a 7.5.


I find that about half a point too high as well.


Its not that the music on this album is bad. The biggest problem is that their are so many little filler songs. It is true that the band mabey should have made nostradamus a one disc album instead of two. However I still think it is a good album. Their are worse Priest albums out their, in fact their are many metal albums in general that are much worse. You have to admit that this is better then Turbo, Point of entry, Rocka Rolla. And it is certainly better then the stuff they did with Owens.


It is better than Rocka Rolla, Point Of Entry, Turbo, Ram It Down, Demolition, but NOT Jugulator. Btw, which can been seen in my voting of the Priest discography.


Jugulator was not bad, but it could have been much better without Owens. If Priest would have made the right choice and got Ralf Scheepers the album would have been better. But I would agree that Jugulator has its gems, just like all of the albums talked about above.
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06.03.2009 - 00:51
Rating: 9
Mountain King
K i K o
This album is good. Really good! Baz got some things right and some things wrong! well u can't expect every song to be a Painkiller, Riding on the Wind, Hellrider or Beyond the Realms...other than some really good songs (Alone, Pestilence And Plague, Lost Love etc...), the thing that makes this album really good is it's idea. It has a lot of marvelous symphonic parts that make it a distinctive album. I really liked it and i hope everyone who says he is a fan of Priest to listen carefully to this album, because it is some good piece of Judas Priest metal
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20.03.2009 - 17:48
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Dare I say that this album is for the prog metal fans? Because all others seem to be bored by it

I listened to the album for the first time and I like it. I think it is because I'm used to long songs and long instrumental pieces.

They wanted to make something grand, something that would stand out and I believe they achieved that.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.


My Instagram
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22.03.2009 - 22:10
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by BloodTears on 20.03.2009 at 17:48

Dare I say that this album is for the prog metal fans? Because all others seem to be bored by it

I listened to the album for the first time and I like it. I think it is because I'm used to long songs and long instrumental pieces.

They wanted to make something grand, something that would stand out and I believe they achieved that.


It isn't because of the long songs and long instrumental pieces it bores me, hell I LOVE doom and then especially funeral doom. It is because the songs are repetitive, not well-constructed, meandering aimlessly that they bore me to tears.
Why do prog fans always think it has to do with the length of songs that people find some music boring?
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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23.03.2009 - 10:49
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 22.03.2009 at 22:10

Written by BloodTears on 20.03.2009 at 17:48

Dare I say that this album is for the prog metal fans? Because all others seem to be bored by it

I listened to the album for the first time and I like it. I think it is because I'm used to long songs and long instrumental pieces.

They wanted to make something grand, something that would stand out and I believe they achieved that.


It isn't because of the long songs and long instrumental pieces it bores me, hell I LOVE doom and then especially funeral doom. It is because the songs are repetitive, not well-constructed, meandering aimlessly that they bore me to tears.
Why do prog fans always think it has to do with the length of songs that people find some music boring?


I said that because a lot of people complained about the long (supposedly uninteresting) interludes or a big intrumental sections. And we can have a lot of that in prog albums but I was only making a joke with the prog fans, don't be so serious!

I think the guy who played keyboards on this one actually did a good job and I don't find it boring.
----
Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.


My Instagram
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13.04.2009 - 02:51
Lord_Regnier

Like many people already mentioned, I find this album quite boring and way too long for its own good.
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"Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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30.04.2009 - 09:16
Rating: 7
Ph0eNiX
Fire from Above
Great idea for a concept album. Don't get me wrong I do like this album but it's misisng the same fire as the older stuff. I just miss the fast writing Priest used to do. Like relisten to the painkiller, Screaming for Vengance or Defenders of the Faith albums & rewrite this album and it would be 10X's better.

This album would be better as "Judas Priest: The musical for Broadway". To be honest it feels like it would have gone a lot better as a theatrical event.
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27.05.2009 - 19:06
Lord_Regnier

I almost fell asleep the first (and only) time I listened to "Nostradamus". It drags on and on and on. Eternally. Cut it of half of its lenght and it would still be too long.

Over-the-top pretentious album that ultimately bites the dust.


EDIT: Sorry for my lack of attention. I just realize I commented on this album already. Damn you Lord, you deserve to be whipped for your distraction.
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"Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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09.12.2010 - 21:22
Rating: 9
Judas The Priest

Pretty sweet album, its got some sentimental value cause its the first priest album I heard, but its really overlooked. this has got to be the most underground album of priest's I've seen, and as different from classic priest as it is, its still fuckin sweet.
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09.12.2010 - 21:59
Rating: 7
Angelic Storm
Melodious
I pretty much agree with the review, and think the score is bang on what I would give it myself. There are some great Priest songs to savour on the album, but they're surrounded by so much filler, that it's impossible for the album to build any momentum. So while some of the individual songs are very good, as a cohesive whole, the album fails.

Disc 1 is definitely the stronger of the 2 discs, with the majority of the fillers being on the second half of the album. "Death" is the only song that I initially had down as filler which has since grown on me. All the other songs that I thought were boring at first, I still think that about them. Also, most of the interludes dont add anything to the album, which just makes it drag all the more. Had all the best songs been put on a single disc, Id be praising this as another great album by Priest. As it is, its far too long and ambitious for its own good. And as much as it pains me to say it as a massive Priest fan, they were not able to pull off the huge task of making such a long album with a consistently high quality. *shrugs*
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10.12.2010 - 22:03
RavenKing

Written by Angelic Storm on 09.12.2010 at 21:59

Also, most of the interludes dont add anything to the album, which just makes it drag all the more.


"Nostradamus" indeed suffers from the "Nightfall In Middle-Earth" syndrome.
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They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink
They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end
But everybody's only looking out for themselves
And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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29.05.2011 - 07:47
Rating: 9
sbgmetal

I like it epic as fuk!
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12.10.2013 - 03:03
Draven Edge

I'm into all kinds of music, I thought this was an excellent album. I appreciated it because it was different. I thought it was an epic production also, and Bloodtears said it well "They wanted to make something grand, something that would stand out." I agree, that being said, I will add however that this is a 'stand alone' album for me. In other words I usually listen to it in it's entirety. After all it is a concept album, and so shuffling it in a playlist doesn't ever appeal to me. I keep all my concept albums as a separate genre to avoid this. Personally I think a lot of time and effort went into this production, I liked the instrumental "interludes", and some of Halford's lyrics were excellent. I consider it a theatrical production, not just another Priest album. It would be great to see it played out onstage in it's entirety..
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26.10.2013 - 16:59
Rating: 9
Supernaut

The score on this one is kinda low because so many guys that don't appreciate this kind of thing voted. I mean, it kicks Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime in every department. Maybe not as good as Angel of Retribution, but then what is? These guys really have to be commended for not playing it safe YET AGAIN - one of very few bands where the entire catalog should be listened to, because if you've heard one you HAVEN'T heard them all. Best metal band post-Black Sabbath, in other words, no 2 heavy metal band ever.
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26.10.2013 - 18:22
Rating: 8
Daniell
_爱情_
The album is quite good, but suffers from being too bloated.

One song however is as good as anything they recorded in the past, and it's the title song of course. Fucking brilliant. I think I'll blast it now.
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