Limited Edition Deluxe Double CD is housed in a 48-page hardbound book package. — This CD contains an insert with an exclusive code for 1 free general admission ticket to Judas Priest on the Metal Masters Tour this summer. ... more »Offer good while supplies last.« less
Limited Edition Deluxe Double CD is housed in a 48-page hardbound book package.
This CD contains an insert with an exclusive code for 1 free general admission ticket to Judas Priest on the Metal Masters Tour this summer. Offer good while supplies last.
CD Reviews
A long lost Judas Priest masterpiece!
Y. Jossa | NJ | 06/20/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There are two types of Judas Priest fans:
1-The ones who were introduced to the band from the time when they became popular in the US with Screaming for Vengeance in the early 80s Heavy Metal explosion.
2-Fans who are familiar with their 70's hard rock / metal catalog.
So for those who are familiar with Priest's catalog you would know that Nostradamus is basically a stylistic retake of their second album, the masterpiece called "Sad Wings of Destiny," the same album who produced the necessary live Priest staples such as "The Ripper" "Victim of Changes" "Tyrant" and "Genocide"
This album is not Painkiller, so if you are familiar with Priest's catalog, be forewarned that this album resembles their 70s catalog of songs, with updated sound and production, but this doesn't mean the songs don't rock.. to the contrary
All i can tell you is that you are a true Priest fan and you enjoy most of their albums from their old to the new, you are going to love Nostradamus very much..
Maybe some of the keyboard orchestral accompaniments sound over the top, but the songs are still heavy and never sound cheesy.
I can only imagine listening to some of these songs being played live!!
I am glad Judas Priest made this album as a nod to their own history, because they are one of the first pioneer metal bands, instead of trying to emulate and sound like every new metalcore / numetal band out there, they have done something very original that doesn't sound like anything in their catalog.
Kudos for Judas Priest for trying something new based on their own sound and song catalog.
2008.08.14 UPDATE
I was lucky enough to see (and photograph from the pit) Judas Priest playing with Voivod two days ago on Bell Center in Montreal, and let me tell all the Nostradamus haters.. the whole place was singing the opener song of Priests' set Prophecy, so this album is NOT a flop..far from it
The band sounded as heavy and loud as ever.. so there!"
NOSTRADAMUS is AVENGED!!
P. Legerski | Corona, CA United States | 06/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I knew the majority of people who buy this are not going to like it when I heard it all for the first time last week or so.
Why?
It won't be (as REVOLVER magazine stated) "metal enough".
And I agree...this cd has 4-5 metallic hard-driving songs...that is it. But what it does have is operatic overtones...brilliant singing by Halford...some of the most tasty guitar licks.
Lots of the songs are 1-2 mins of heavy heavy keyboards with Rob singing quietly over the top of them.
A lot of feeling, growth and progressive elements...think a more keyboardsy A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH by Maiden.
So if you are looking for some heavy JP...skip this one.
If you are looking to hear some of the best moments of this band then definitley buy NOSTRADAMUS.
I enjoyed the whole cd...and it grows after every listen...but you can't just crank it up and hope for 1983 SCREAMIN FOR VENGEANCE-style ferocity.
You have been warned."
Powerful and Epic
Sampson Simpson | Canada | 06/25/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was really worried about this album. I started reading some of the early bad reviews and was a little shocked as to how much some people hated Nostradamus. Even more worrisome were the mixed reviews, often coming from long-time Priest fans. Many liked it, but they were far from blown away.
I'm definitely and strongly in the "love" catagory with this CD. I can totally see why some fans don't like it. Most of the terrible bad reviews I read came from dyed-in-the-wool metal fans, and yeah, you're not going to love it if all you eat, breathe, and sleep is metal. I'm not meaning to be condescending here. People who don't love just metal, but also classical, and especially opera, are more likely to love Nostradamus.
The production is OK, (self produced this one is), but as many reviewers stated, the drums are oddly buried in the mix. Maybe Scott Travis isn't even the right drummer to be playing these kind of grooves (plods?), I don't know. He sure does wail on "Persecution" though, among others. Still it's like a weird 80's drum sound from a Leatherwolf album or something.
KK and Glenn -- awesome as ever. Maybe better than ever. There is everything a guitar lover could want on Nostradamus. Lots of natural guitar tones, distortion, crazy riffs and spastic solos, even a bloody flamenco! Mental solos. Unbelievable.
Halford -- awesome. On some songs he's really reaching back to his love of opera, no doubt of that. Sings in Italian on one song. Kind of jarring, but it suits the whole epic nature of the music. Yes, there are screams. He's learned to make the screams more effective by using them sparingly, more strategically. At the same time a lot of fans want to hear him scream at the top of his lungs again, like he did on Painkiller, and I can understand that. Fact is, maybe the guy can't do it like that anymore. Is that his fault? Of course not. His singing is very much like it was on Angel Of Retribution. Mature's a good word. I miss the screaming too, but if he can't do it like he used to, it can't be helped. It is what it is.
Ian Hill -- I can't hear the bass guitar, most of the time. I guess that's kind of expected in Priest, sometimes.
Don Airey plays keyboard -- yeah, the Deep Purple / Rainbow / etc. guy. And he's great. As always. Lots of dramatic piano, circa vintage Sad Wings era Priest.
There are also real strings, so don't fret. Lots of guitar synths as well, but not on a "Turbo Lover" sort of scale. I didn't find the synth too intrusive for the most part. In a lot of cases the string and synths combined made it sound like a Michael Kamen score. You'll know what I mean when you hear it. If you don't like Michael Kamen, you won't like those parts of the album. But if you dug S&M by Metallica, you'll dig this.
This "Deluxe Edition" comes in a nice hardcover book. It's roughly DVD sized. Very nice package even if you have to slide the CD out of a cardboard sleeve (again!). Worth the extra cash to you? Well, that's up to you. I'm not sure it's worth it to me or not, but I bought it, so there you go.
I think Nostradamus will go down easily as the most controverial Priest album ever, even more so than Turbo, Point Of Entry, or Jugulator. You look back though, and even if you didn't like them much at the time, and you see they've grown on you. Turbo is now one of favourite Priest albums, because it's so different from the others. So, if you love Priest's entire history, you'll love Nostradamus. If you liked Rocka Rolla, Sad Wings, and Angel of Retribution, you'll love Nostradamus. If you only like the stuff from Killing Machine through to Defenders, you are just going to hate Nostradamus!
"
A Worthy, Epic Metal Experience!
Cathode Ray Shadow | USA | 06/22/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Allrighty, I am listening to NOSTRADAMUS in its entirety for the third time now. So I figured I'd post some feedback on it, not necessarily a full review because I plan to keep on spinnin' the discs, so to speak!
I will say this at first: wow, sooooo much material to absorb, and I agree that honestly, no criticism can really be wholly valid until you've had a coupla weeks with this monster of rock, so to speak...
I have followed Halford through all his music changes, and I remember how shocked I was when he switched gears from JP PAINKILLER to FIGHT...seeing 'NAILED TO THE GUN' on MTV in the video form before it was released REALLY threw me...the stylistic change and all...I was like..."no way, is THAT Rob Halford?!?!" Over time, the song grew on me as a fave, and of course, the whole FIGHT WAR OF WORDS album is the epitome, the peak, of 90's metal for most. It is THE album that cannot be beat.
Now with TWO, whew, took some getting used to but enjoyed that immensely, but what helped there was I was already a NIN fan as well, so I understood the whole industrial pop aspect.
I was ecstatic to see the turn back to metal with the HALFORD releases, of course. I thought ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION was a great release for a Priest reunion (and quite honestly, I enjoyed JUGULATOR to death---that was a SHREDDING album and I thought RIPPER was awesome on it, A-Z. However, DEMOLITION did NOT seem to work that well for me, despite a few good songs on there)...
AOR had just about every era of Priest represented, so I don't think you could've had a "safer" record where portions of it pleased fans from about every era. Even LOCH NESS grew on me over time, I still listen to it today. It's moody, lengthy, but through great craftsmanship of the artists, paints a spectacular monster movie in your mind if you let it...
With that background, my first listen to NOSTRADAMUS through earphones was a LETDOWN for some reason...No songs really stood out and it seemed there was no metal at all in it. I have to admit, it was late and I was tired. While I didn't HATE the material in any way, shape, or form, it just...didn't seem like Priest. Almost like "imposter" music, and so much of it.
Okay, so I let it sit. Sometimes, first listens to albums, especially long-form ones or experimental albums, can cloud your judgment. I'm used to this with NIN, for instance, WITH TEETH...first time I heard it, there was like one song I liked. Gave it five or six weeks and tried again...suddenly EVERY song clicked and I "got it."
So...trying NOSTRADAMUS again, this time through speakers and I began to see...to FEEL...what Priest was trying to convey. Yes indeed, the METAL is there, you just have to absorb everything and not be in an all-fire rush to be ASSAULTED FULL ON by the metal attacks like say, in the FIGHT era, which I love so much.
NOSTRADAMUS works, and works well. It's slow. Building. Moody. Variable. Experimental. Layered. Passionate. Sprawling. EPIC.
And INCREDIBLE. Seriously, by the end of listen # 2, I was starting to see the light. And now, with a third spin, I am loving the whole thing even more. Halford's vox are incredible, no, there's not the shredding screams some of us love from the HALFORD/FIGHT era, but then I realized...heck, you can't have that EVERY time and if you WANT that, the material is available, new and old, any time you want it (right here on this site, for cryin' out loud!).
I feel...the artists...spreading their wings passionately, trying to give us something new, something good, if we have the hearts and minds open enough to accept what it is.
Halford's singing on NOSTRADAMUS is in top form, so "in character" for every tune, listeners who pointed out that he is almost a "method actor" during each song are right on the money. There is no question he has put his all into every cut on this album.
The music is a spiraling journey of emotion, using guitars and synths and strings and so many other variations to excellent effect. Let the emotions take you...I think many listeners are waiting to be assaulted by a metal attack exclusively, and that is not the intent of this album. There ARE metal attacks here, so let the JP boys take you on their journey of ups and downs, highs and lows, quiet parts and mood, then back up into the screaming mayhem again! It's all there, and SO MUCH more.
Each time I listen to this masterpiece as a whole, I come away with more and more, seeing and feeling how much work and effort, blood, sweat, and tears that JP put into this.
So I would URGE listeners who don't connect with the material right away to keep on listening. WAIT a day or two...put it on again. Put some expectations aside.
If you want to be simply assaulted by metal, put on some shreddin' FIGHT era songs for a while, or PAINKILLER. No problem with enjoying that again. But then, when you're in a more open mood...(I did this after the first listen, had to get an assault of the new remix of BENEATH THE VIOLENCE...)
...come back to the material.
You may well be VERY surprised, as I was.
Suddenly the journey made more sense, and now, I am hearing so many new things with it all.
Everything in a traditional Priest album is here- the shrills, the screams and high notes, the twin guitar attacks, the ballads, the anger, the emotion. It's just spread out more through a longer running time with varied music interludes that keep everything rolling.
As you listen to the album in its entirety many times, it goes faster, actually seeming shorter and shorter, making you crave for more! That is an amazing feat and I think Priest realized this, for fans that were open and ready for something new along with the old, this would happen. Hence, they made the right decision releasing this in such a long version.
As for the songs themselves, there's only two or three that pertain directly to Nostradamus and nothing else. What's so grandiose and epic about ALL the other tunes is that they are NOT locked into Nostradamus per se even though, they are, of course. You can interpret the lyrics and apply them to modern times or even your own life, as the best of songs (in any genre) do. That in itself is an achievement, making a concept album that works on two separate levels like that- to tell a story about a person and make it so reflective that we, as human beings, can relate to it personally as well.
Right now, I don't have a favorite song, I really am loving...and absorbing...the full journey of the album. It's everything Halford and Priest and even so much more, if you let it be.
Is it the best PRIEST album? Unknown right now. It definitely ranks high up there, but only the test of time will tell on that aspect. I am enjoying it immensely and finding new joy from this work every time I listen to it.
But honestly, it all works, and change is good if the listener gives it a chance. I understand the naysayers, but man, I strongly urge you to give it another chance when emotions of "disappointment" aren't running so high.
You might "see" and "feel" the vision that Halford and Priest want to reveal to you.
Bottom line: this bad boy epic takes some time to digest. Ya gotta chew it a while, savoring the tastes and textures slowly. You can't just wolf it down like a Big Mac and get the immediate fullness you crave.
So there we go, I really, really, really am enjoying this metal opera masterpiece...it's an incredible accomplishment by artists who refuse to play it safe and continue to grow, even as they continue to deliver the metal goods, if you're bold enough to let them take you on this journey.
Nuff said. Time to get back to the album, and my verdict is it's A WINNER, if you just give it a chance.
"
Pleasant Shocker in Gloomtown
K. Spahr | Springfield, OH | 06/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I fling myself firmly onto the side of the fence with those that were somewhat shocked and surprised by the newest Judas Priest release Nostradamus but nonetheless blown away by the magnificence of this effort. As all performers mature, so should their music and JP is proving to be no different. This release speaks volumes to their creativity and I for one think it's about time they thought outside of the box and expanded their range. IMHO, there's plenty of guitars and full-on rockers but it's mixed with a grandiose assortment of power from all angles...keyboard majestry, symphonic interludes and of course, the over-the-top vocal prowess of Rob Halford.
My first listen to this (self-incrimination to follow) was from a borrowed bit-torrent download and at first, I thought I may have been fooled by my friend and given a local band or some obscure Brit prog-metal effort but it didn't take long to realize that only Halford sings that way...it was pure Judas Priest but in a form I wasn't quite ready to mind-meld with. It didn't take long however to become assimilated. Standout cuts to me so far are the title track Nostradamus and Alone...I'm sure more will follow.
Open your mind, don't listen to the naysayers.....get this release! I think I'm going to pick up the vinyl versions just to get that old school feeling again."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1