Judas Priest - Nostradamus

Edward Box gives us the most complete review that will find on the new Judas Priest epic - Nostradamus!

It’s strange to think the effect that one record can have on your life. When Judas Priest reunited with Rob Halford to record the album Angel of Retribution, little did I know that it would inspire me to start a band.

I had been out of the loop for about 5 years but upon hearing the sound of classic Judas Priest blasting out of my speakers I was forced to a realization: this is the style of music I have loved my whole life so why the hell am I not creating and performing it my own version of it! One album and several gigs later, Vendetta are still rolling on and within the wider picture metal hasn’t been in as good shape for nearly 20 years. Everywhere you look bands are returning to their classic sound and releasing great albums and young and vibrant groups are springing up all over the world.

The call to metal arms is being heard once again and that distant groan you can hear is the sound of Kurt Cobain turning in his grave. He and his grunge/nu metal chums may have won a great victory in battle but the metal hoards have regrouped and if there ever was a war then surely it is we who are victorious. Priest, along with Sabbath, Maiden, Scorpions and Metallica, are one of Metal’s great bands, trailblazers who have defined an entire genre and who have constantly pushed the boundaries. They have made at least 5 all time classic albums and another half dozen top metal treats. With 35 million album sales worldwide and counting, Birmingham’s finest typify all that is great about Metal: passion, integrity, power and great musicianship.

After the hugely successful Angel of Retribution World Tour, Priest decided to embark on their most ambitious ever project, a concept album based on the life of the French 16th century prophet Nostradamus. After 2 years of hard graft it is finally here. It’s a huge undertaking, in fact it is probably the most grandiose project ever undertaken by a metal band and out epics most 1970’s prog rock masterworks. Due to this fact, I will be embarking on a track by track journey that may take some time but be assured by the end we will know whether Nostradamus is the Notre Dame of metal albums or merely a glorious folly.

Overview!

The album is split into 2 ACTS and features instrumental interludes and short vocal pieces that preempt the main songs. In light of this I have reviewed the 2 tracks together as one piece so here goes.

Act 1

Dawn of Creation / Prophecy

The opening instrumental sets the mood quite superbly and had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Dark, emotional and brooding its sets the snare for one of Priest heaviest ever riffs as Prophecy blasts out of the speakers. Halford is the ring master once more, his snarling delivery forcing me to stop the album early on just to take in the magnitude of this moment. The Priest is back!

Awakening / Revelations

The short interlude of Awakenings is highly effective and creates the right ambience for the next tune. Revelations has a classic cheap Priest riff and the vocal interplay is unique in the bands canon. The bridge is fantastic and it features another great classically inspired solo from the hands of Tipton and Downing. The end section is truly a wonder to behold. Shifting to 6/8 time, the band sliver and slide while Halfords inspired delivery is nothing short of astounding. Now the ripe age of 56, Rob has found away to curtail his metal screams, and his new style of vocal fits like a glove.

The Four Horsemen / War

These are two of the most experimental tracks. The first is a lot like the Sad Wings era of the band and War goes for a full on cinematic approach. It recalls the sound tracks to Gladiator and Terminator and embraces all the strings and keybords it can lay its hands on. It’s not entirely successful but it is interesting and Priest just about pull it off.

Sands of Time / Pestilence and Plague

Sands of Time is one of the best short pieces on the whole album and features some lovely vocal effects. Pestilence and Plague gallops along at a furious pace and the chorus is sung entirely in Latin! Tipton and Downing construct another mini epic of a solo and the whole song does exactly what it says on the tin.

Death

The ghost of another Birmingham band haunts this doom laden epic. A very good track, it features a fabulous wah wah solo and superb mid section time changes. Halford’s vocal is very creepy on this one as the specter of mortality rears its head.

Peace / Conquest

Excellent guitar orchestrations and vocals abound on this interlude before Conquest kicks off. This is one of the album’s stand out cuts and has an awesome groove to the verse. Halford sings for all he is worth and Downing does another tip top solo.

Lost Love

Oh dear, it was all going so well. Priest have a history of doing interesting ballads (Before the Dawn, Epitaph, Angel and so on) but this is interesting for all the wrong reasons. If Andrew Lloyd Webber needs a new song for a musical then it could perhaps pass muster but in the context of Metal this is lovey dovey slush!

Persecution

This track finds the band back on firm footing. The intro is very creepy and reminds me of the Italian prog rock band Goblin and their soundtracks for horror maestro Dario Argento. The riff is top draw cheap and the neo classical solo is awesome and has a clever harmony. The end features some excellent screams from Rob and it pummels the listener into submission.

And so concludes Act 1. A couple glitches aside, Priest have clearly set out their stall.

Act 2

Solitude / Exiled

This is quite simply one of the best songs the band has ever written. It is epic, emotional and majestic and recalls the track Run of the Mill from the Rocka Rolla album. The orchestrations are great on this one and the chorus is so good it is hard to comprehend. Once again Halford finds renewed energy and delivers his finest performance of the whole disc.

Alone

Another great track. The banshee scream that started a thousand metal singers can be heard on this one. It has an almost folk style intro and the timing is really interesting on the main hook. The break down in the middle section is really good and shows the light and shade of the Priest sound.

Shadows in the Flame / Visions

The short interlude gives way to Visions. This track was released to the public early on and has a great chorus. The robotic beat is pure Priest and the track is wholly successful. It features excellent use of dynamics and the vocal interplay is brilliantly conceived.

Hope / New Beginnings

Hope is another ‘oh dear `moment and New Beginnings is the other weak track on the album. However that is not to say that it is bad as it has a nice Pink Floyd vibe about it but I’m not sure the story needed it.

Calm Before the Storm / Nostradamus

Beautiful guitars open the next interlude and it really does set the final scene as the Nostradamus overture blasts out for the title track. By this point in the story, old Nostro has seen off all the nay sayers (the church and all that) and it is truly awesome when it all kicks in. In the context of the album this track is just what was needed as its up tempo, Painkiller feel lifts the back end of the album. On pre release it seemed a little hackneyed but here it works just grand and once again features a brilliant solo from KK and Glenn .

Future of Mankind

And so it comes to an end. This ultra heavy number has a snare sound the size of Everest and it all wraps things up quite wonderfully. It features a nice pivot lick mid section and Rob even speaks in French at the end! The intro that started the whole shebang plays out till the end in a spooky, drenched in reverb fashion.

Conclusion

Judas Priest didn’t have to make this album. They could have rested on their laurels and just done a typical sounding Priest record (like Angel of Retribution, but I wasn’t complaining!) and laughed all the way to the bank. That they have chose to do this shows not only a willingness to grow and experiment but also a defiance that has served the band so well from its early days. The album is not perfect. Anything this big, and let’s face it nothing this big has ever been attempted by a Metal band before, was always going to have a few bumps and indeed it doesn’t entirely work but at times it is simply majestic and it’s sweep is all encompassing, drawing the listener in. The life of Nostradamus could have ended up being the ultimate Spinal Tap moment, a concept so stupid that all it did was induce metal mirth. However, it defies the odds and is at once invigorating and moving and in the end it becomes a metaphor for Heavy Metal itself. Humiliated, vilified and cast out, Nostradamus had to overcome many obstacles in his life and like Judas Priest his journey was along one but, in the end his legacy lives on.

In terms of the individual performances, the whole band rise brilliantly to the challenge that has been laid out. Travis and Hill grind away for all they are worth and Tipton and Downing turn in their best guitar performance in over 20 years. The selection of guitar textures on offer is so varied and to top it off, they both excel themselves in the role of album producer. This record sounds massive and the use of strings, choirs and keyboards is deployed with great aplomb. The final word must go to Halford though. One of Metals greatest ever singers, he rises to new heights and becomes Nostradamus, embracing all the contradictions within. He also does a sterling job with the lyrics; the sheer volume of information is awe inspiring. This is a record that Priest can be proud off and in years to come I’m sure that it will stand as one of their greatest achievements both in its sound and its entire execution. The packaging alone is worth your price of admission. Now who could have predicted that?

Edward Box (Vendetta)