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Pick of the Week: Judas PriestBy Keith Hannaleck - July 27, 2008
iBerkshires Columnist
Nostradamus
Judas Priest is already a legendary metal band with a long and storied history of recordings behind them dating back to their first release in 1973 titled "Rocka Rolla."
Now Judas Priest has unleashed their first concept album, "Nostradamus." The band felt this was a big risk considering their fan base is accustomed to getting what they expect; in this case, metal heads get their cake and eat it, too. I applaud the band for moving forward and laying their cards on the table and showing just how much talent they continue to bring to the studio.
This never would have happened if their enigmatic lead singer Rob Halford had not returned to the fold after a 10-year absence on the excellent 2005 "Angel of Retribution" album. Halford's interest and fascination with the French seer comes to life on this double-disc release.
I got every configuration available, the super deluxe three LP and CD book set, the book and CD deluxe set and this two CD set. The limited-edition vinyl and CD boxed set is a real treasure, coming in a colorful box with plastic sleeve sealed LPs, a special poster depicting a scene from the track "War" and a large-sized booklet with the words to each song. Any version is worth having as it contains some great work by the band. This is their epic recording, the one every band dreams of making with hopes of it being looked upon as their pinnacle of performance in the studio.
Looking over some of the overly critical reviews of this album has been disappointing to say the least. This excellent project pushes the boundaries of their talent as a band beyond what anyone would have expected at this point in their career. Rather than sitting on their past laurels and playing it safe, what we have here is a band reborn through change. The fact that they chose such a prolific and mysterious character as Nostradamus made the anticipation of this album's release very exciting. I certainly was not disappointed with what I have heard; in fact, I continue to listen on a regular basis.
 Keith 'Muzikman' Hannaleck |
The songs rock from start to finish with the pounding drums of Scott Travis and his battery mate on bass Ian Hill while you are pummeled with the meaty riffs of Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing, and, of course, the unique vocals of Halford leading the way telling the story with force, darkness and power.
All the elements are in place for a classic Judas Priest album. That is my belief but some longtime fans may be disappointed with the introduction of keyboards and moody orchestrations; however, this lends itself well to the storyline and the crescendo of instruments that follow along with Halford's strong vocal lines.
The album starts in a very untypical Judas Priest fashion with an instrumental "Dawn of Creation" that has you wondering what you will be in for although it is a hint of what is to come. Tipton and Downing do an amazing job with the synthesized guitars, masking as keyboards convincingly quite frequently. "Revelations" is one of the best tracks on the album, an emotionally moving and tour de force of instruments with the incredibly talented vocal skills of Halford on display.
Disc One
|
01.
|
Dawn Of Creation |
08. |
Pestilence and Plague
|
| 02. |
Prophecy |
09. |
Death
|
03.
|
Awakening |
10. |
Peace |
| 04. |
Revelations
|
11. |
Conquest |
| 05. |
The Four Horseman |
12. |
Lost Love
|
| 06. |
War
|
13.
|
Persecution
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| 07. |
Sands
Of Time
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14.
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Solitude
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Disc Two
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| 15. |
Exiled |
20. |
New Beginnings |
| 16. |
Alone |
21. |
Calm Before The Storm
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| 17. |
Shadows In
The Flame |
22. |
Nostradamus
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| 18. |
Visions
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23. |
Future Of Mankind |
| 19. |
Hope
|
|
|
Tracks
The risk they took with this concept album becomes a wash quite quickly because they chose to focus on the doom and gloom prophecies of Nostradamus, keeping their metal foundation and reputation firmly in place. The title track has the patented Halford scream at the beginning, which reminds us that he still has the juice to get the job done and there is nobody on the face of the planet that sounds like him.
I could not wait for this album to come out and it when I first heard it I knew that Judas Priest made the right decision and most definitely have created their masterpiece. They will find many new fans, lose some of the old faithful, and many will stand pat awaiting the next effort and will continue to enjoy this recording. As the power and majesty of metal lives on, the interest in Nostradamus and his prophecies will find further recognition by thousands of people that had no awareness prior to the release of this album.
"Nostradamus" is highly recommended listening and the closest thing to progressive metal that you will hear this band create. After this who knows what is next?
Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck of Adams offers up his best-listening bets as a regular contributor to iBerkshires. For more reviews, www.muzikreviews.com.
Genre: Metal-Rock
Label: Epic
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