Nostradamus

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Customer reviews

review by: Hellonwheels date: 2008-12-02 rating:
Failed to deliver
I read quite a bit in guitar mags etc about tis album, so I was keen to hear it. Got to say that I am disappinted. It lacks edge - the ideas seems diluted rather than concentrated, the songwriting is embarrassingly lame in places (that is, I don't want people to know I listen to songs with lyrics and musical cliches like these). Musically, it does not stand up against the new generation. And, like most if not all concept albums, the ambition is overcome by an inability to execute - it's very difficult to do a concept album. A pity because you can tell a lot of work has gone into this album. JP would have done better to focus on delivering 8 high quality tracks.

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review by: date: 2008-11-25 rating:
My Album Of The Year But Not Necessarily For Everyone
In a year that has seen very strong comebacks from more classic rock acts that anyone possibly could have expected, this for me is the pick of the bunch. If you're looking for the sort of stripped down hits which Priest were famous for in the 80s then this record probably isn't for you, but if you like your rock ridiculously overblown and theatrical, then this will blow you away.

A double concept album about Nostradamus, who has predicted the Second World War, various dates for the end of the world, and anything else you want to read in to his writings if you try hard enough, this is in places more the sort of music you'd expect to see on a West End stage than at a Priest gig. The trademark duelling guitars are still very much present however, and Rob Halford gives possibly the performance of his life, giving us everything from overblown operatic wail to anguished whisper to strutting menace.

Hugely recommended if you like a large dollop of theatricality in your rock, but listen before you buy if you're after classic Priest.

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review by: Andy date: 2008-10-27 rating:
Where's the ...ER track?
First rule of any JP album, there must be a track with a title ending in ...ER, think Grinder, Sinner, the ripper, Jawbreaker, Cheater and pushing the point a little, Rocka Rolla. Shock! Horror! there's no such track to be found on Nostradamus
So having established that the rule book's taken a hike for this one, what have we got? Well if you were expecting another bunch of NWOBHM tracks from a group of blokes who have got back together merely to top up the pension fund, well forget it. This is a complete departure from the well trodden path, yes its a concept album but a concept album without the long dreary pretentious bits of many of the 70's worst examples of the genre. Instead its soars and dives from thrashing guitar to gentle melody and back like a Wagner opera.

Die hard fans looking for another "British Steel" will be sorely disapointed, imagine Marilion lyrics played by Iron Maiden with instrumental sections by Ian Anderson (no flutes though) and your about there. That being said, if you're the kind of person who can enjoy Motorhead whilst still appreciating Mozart, its well worth buying even if it should have had one more track - Prophesier!!

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review by: date: 2008-10-26 rating:
This album is like Marmite you either love it or hate it
I fall into the latter category. Some have really enjoyed Priest going off on this tangent but it didn't do anything for me. There is nothing wrong with it really from the standpoint of musical quality, Halford's voice was tailor made for (Rock) Opera and such a project but I'm not so sure about the rest of the band. There just wasn't that sharp bite you get with the legendary Priest albums of the past, it is like they were always in first gear. I listened to both CDs waiting patiently for them to up the tempo but it never came and I was left with a feeling of emptiness I'm sorry to say.

I would have rather have had 12 individual Metal tracks with a few ballads mixed in for good measure, that formula has always worked for them in the past. Lets hope they return to what they do better than no other Metal band on earth for their next album. I applaud them for trying something different it just (for me anyway) didn't work.


review by: gobz date: 2008-10-22 rating:
found it pretty good - 3.5/5
Actually I`ve never really been much of a Priest fan and I remember them from way back in 1980 so I`ve been around a while and I wasn`t going to care how much this album sounded like Priest are supposed to sound.

I think that they should have edited it down to one strong, long single album but overall I quiet liked it. I am a fan of vangelis and classical style filmscores so I enjoyed that aspect of it. A couple of fast numbers would have been good somewhere as well.

So this album uses the filmscore/rock Opera approach to metal which is great if done well and this has been done pretty well just a bit too long. Not as good as Manowar`s `Gods of War` concept album of last year or as good as any Opeth song ( all their songs tend to sound like a concept album ! ) but overall a good effort that obviously had an awful lot of work put into it. 3.5 out of 5.

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