Review: Judas Priest Nostradamus
June 23, 2008 by Scott
I’ve been trying to think on this one really hard because it is a complex album to review. Some have called it a masterpiece some have called it bloated and boring. This is the best way I can explain Judas Priest’s Nostradamus: If you really want to enjoy this album you have to go into it NOT thinking it’s another Judas Priest album. If you go into it and expect it to be another ripping Judas Priest record, you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.
There are very few songs on this record that actually sound as if it is the British metal pioneers that we expect great metal albums from. And when I say very few…I mean maybe two. This entire “concept” album based on Nostradamus is musically amazing. It has the sounds of a rock opera as everyone else is saying and would probably make for a good movie sort of like Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Maybe a musical on Broadway. It’s just that slow and not Priest-ish. Power ballad after power ballad lead into a sooner or later, short lived metal riff. If you’re going to make a song over 5 minutes long at least make it interesting instead of the same lines over and over. The cheese factor on this album is just as huge as everyone else is saying. I starting laughing after about the 29th NOOOOOSSSTAAAADDAAAMUUUUUSSSS. If you like cheese then grab a bottle of Merlot and press play.
My final take on Judas Priest’s Nostradamus is this: It’s not the Judas Priest we know, it’s Judas Priest writing some kind of sound track to a beautiful story, with some really nice sounding slower songs. The die hard brain washed Priest fan is going to say it’s brilliant…which it is…just not in the Judas Priest sort of way.
If you dig slow power ballads then you may like it. If you expect a hard hitting, ripping vocal, chugging riff album then go buy British Steel if you haven’t already. This album is a watered down version of Priest but still musically, very nice. They aren’t Screaming For Vengeance, Breaking The Law or trying to Ram It Down. Hell, they aren’t even Heading Out To The Highway. They don’t want to be loved…they just want to be left alone…(yeah, I can be cheesy too)
As a metal album I have no choice but to only allow 2 stars
Reviews to come: Motley Crue: S.O.L.A., Neuraxis: The Thin Line Between
Have you seen the new video for War?
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BlabberMouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=99421
Kind of weird, but the animation is cool. I can understand how you might need to listen based on this track alone. This album sounds interesting.
I am sorry to say it but I think Nostradamus is pretty freakin bad. It ranks right up there with Turbo. Sorry Priest, all I can say is keep to the good classic stuff and forget this album ever existed…now that I think about it Turbo is even better then Nostradamus.
As I said, musically the cd was great, but as a Priest cd it was just not right. The two tracks I really dig though are exile and alone. But everytime I listen to this CD diamonds and rust gets stuck in my head.
And Miguel…sorry dude but I thought the video for war sucked and the animation was less than stellar.
Okay dude, I’ll put it this way, if you are not an epic metal fan, then of COURSE you are not going to like this stuff. I mean, I love death metal like morbid angel as much as I like epic prog like fates warning, and although I wish priest would have went a little more brutal on this album in terms of heavy-ness, the composition and the progressiveness of this album is amazing. it evokes many moods and emotions and it goes to show that priest is still pushing in new directions. that IS what they are known for after all. Metal is not always about being heavier, and you know what? in terms of epic metal, I dont think there has been an album more EPIC than this one. The whole thing fits together seamlessly and although it takes quite the attention span to devote almost two hours to this album, if you look at it in the lage scheme of things, you will realize that this is one BIG masterpiece of music and it goes to show that the priest is still kickin it up a notch. Listen to the composition dude!!!! its amazing. Sure , its not heavy riff based metal the whole way through, but when the riffs do jump in, it off sets the ambience in such a way that it really impacts your a lot harder than it would normally. if epic metal isnt your thing, then dont buy this, but any true priest fan can definitely appreciate this album as much as any other, for the priest is a beast amidst the world of metal with the uncanny ability to evolve and change with out worry of the scrutiny from its peers. Hail to the gods baby.
There’s no doubt that “Nostradamus” is a great concept album… a masterpiece for the ages. It has everything a great album a true metal aficionado might expect from the metal gods. It’s got Rob Halford on top form, powerful dual-guitar riffs and scorching solos, a thunderous rythym section, magnificent orchestral arrangements, etc. Unfortunenately a lot of people will never grasp the concept of this great album because they are very close minded and they would much rather have Priest do an album full of songs such as: “braking the law” and “living after midnite”… but it’s their loss, not ours, the true heavy metal fans that really apreciate something different than the usual crap MTV and radio plays 24/7. Most people would rather listen to the grunge crap and nu-heavy metal garbage MTV and the so-called Rock radio stations play everyday and this is why they don’t like albums like Nostradamus. And even though the mighty Priest have never, and will never, receive strong support from MTV and/or radio, the metal gods have withstood the test of time to become, along with Sabbath, Maiden, Motorhead, and Saxon, one the greatest heavy metal bands of all-time.
Sooo TRUE!!!
“The die hard brain washed Priest fan is going to say it’s brilliant…which it is…just not in the Judas Priest sort of way.”
…
“As a metal album I have no choice but to only allow 2 stars.”
In other words, it does not meet your expectations either (1) for this band or (2) for the heavy metal genre.
Regarding (1), why not just evaluate the album musically. If it’s from an unexpected source, then that fact warrants comment, but it doesn’t warrant a low grade.
Regarding (2), I think that your definition of heavy metal is too narrow. Regardless, you could classify it as something other than metal (what?) but still evaluate it ON ITS OWN MERITS. If it’s “brilliant”, then surely it deserves a high grade!
I for one hope that this album finally marks the end of the very long uber-commercial phase of Priest’s career.
This album is not even close to a msterpiece. The songwriting is horrible and cheesy. I am a big Judas Priest fan but this is bad and not because it doesn’t fit the mold of what we think metal should be but because it is just plain bad. This is coming from a fan of prog rock and metal. JP have never been the most consistant of song writers. But what they do well is write killer riffs. And when they have a great hook they nail it but when they miss the mark it is like they were shooting blind. How about “You Say Yes” and “Burning Up” being awful from “Point of Entry” and “Hell Bent For Leather” respectively. But those crappy songs sit next to “Desert Plains” and “Hell Bent For Leather” on those CD’s which are incredible songs. The bottom line is this latest effort stinks on ice. Maybe they could make it into Judas Priest’s “Nostrodomus On Ice”. It would maybe be more interesting. If you want a prog-metal masterpiece pick up Opeth’s “Damnation”. There is not a heavy guitar to be found anywhere on the CD and it kills this JP mess of an album.
Damnation is my favorite of my Opeth collection and I can’t wait to hear Akerfeldts solo album whenever he gets around to it.