Judas Priest - Nostradamus

Judas Priest tackles a double disc concept album, and even though there are a few flaws it's still an excellent release.

For the past couple of years we've been hearing about Judas Priest and how they decided to do a concept album about Nostradamus. It's been much anticipated, and after the release date kept getting pushed back it's finally here.

Nostradamus is an epic album, clocking it at 100 minutes and spread out over 2 CDs. It's definitely not the typical Priest album, and after the first listen I wasn't overly impressed. It seemed there was a lot of unnecessary interludes, and there were a lot of mid-tempo songs and only a few up tempo rockers. But after a few listens I began to absorb what Priest was trying to do, and began to appreciate it more and more.

The typical Judas Priest guitar attack is there, but it's fully unleashed only on a few songs. The rest of the time it's more subdued, with acoustic guitars and guitar synths taking front and center on many of the tracks. There are some very catchy songs on the CD. When taken in context with the epic album storyline, the orchestral elements and interludes fit in well. Judas Priest lyrics can be a bit cheesy, but Halford does a good job creating an interesting narrative about a very compelling historic figure.

Speaking of Halford, he uses his lower register quite a bit on Nostradamus. It makes sense, being that the majority of the songs are slow to mid-tempo. He does unveil his trademark high pitched vocals periodically, and they still sound great. This is going to be a polarizing album for Priest fans. It's length and different construction than their typical release may turn some off, but Nostradamus is one that really grows on you. Even though there is some filler and I wish they would have written a few more uptempo songs, Judas Priest took a huge risk in creating an album of this style and scope, and in the end they succeed.