This past week I picked up Judas Priest's Nostradamus cd...used. It was half price. And MAN--what a bargain for an excellent album!

I'm assuming, that most die hard Judas Priest fans don't care for it--but I LOVE IT! I love it when bands take a break in their discography and work up a concept/story album. While most bands--and fans eventually consider this to be a mistake...I enjoy hearing bands take a new approach with their music.
I also LOVE LOVE LOOOVE Kiss's "The Elder." But I do believe it's the band's most hated album (at least they hate it--because they never do a song off of it in concert). But It's probably one of my favorite Kiss albums.

With Nostradamus, JP has created a Metal opera masterpiece...that tells the life story of Nostradamus very well I think. And the music is original...and majestic metal. Great to hear JP take a "rock opera" approach with an album!

As I said...I guess I'm an Oddball--because I think most fans hate it when their favorite bands take this kind of approach. I think this is one of my favorite JP albums now.

I'm not a "die hard" Priest fan, but I like the majority of their stuff. I like this disc, though, but it is tough to digest in one sitting. There are no "singles" here, which I think is what throws a lot of people off.

I think Angel Of Retribution was a better overall disc.

Arttie

Oh yes, it's definitely tough to digest. You have to sit down and have the time. I really has a "Lord of the Rings" feel to it in the amount of time it takes to listen.

I like a lot of the songs but the interludes get annoying and it's hard to listen all the way through.

Not as great as I first thought, but it's decent.

When I finally got it and listened to the whole thing I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The title track is excellent I think.

I heard 2 songs from it, i heard them when i went to see them.

Sounded pretty good like, sounded quite powerful like, but the classic Judas Priest like will always be the best

It is O.K. and I like it.


However, what Black Rider said. The songs are fine, but the other stuff gets a little hard to handle after awhile. Heh.....that's what the *SKIP* button is for.

I absolutely, without a single doubt in the whole wide world can't stand this album.

Not to rain on the parade, but seriously, it's awful. I got it for like two bucks used and felt robbed.

I love it. However, I also made a CDR of it and deleted the vast majority of the interludes and just left the songs themselves. There's some killer heavy metal on this album. Knocking out the interludes allowed me to focus on the songs, and it doesn't take 90 minutes to listen to anymore. I highly recommend doing this.

The cream of the crop on this album are, IMO, the following: Persecution, Alone and the title track, Nostradamus. All three are among my favorite JP songs ever.

I hope their next album returns to a more normal format, but remains in this style of heavy metal.

Good idea FoJ.

I hope they try something totally different with the next disc. They did this ... now it's time to move on.

FOJ said:

Quote:

However, I also made a CDR of it and deleted the vast majority of the interludes and just left the songs themselves. There's some killer heavy metal on this album. Knocking out the interludes allowed me to focus on the songs, and it doesn't take 90 minutes to listen to anymore. I highly recommend doing this.

That's a good idea. I've meant to do that for awhile......and still mean to. Good idea FOJ.

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I've been meaning to do that as well. There are good songs here, but
overall, it's a slow album. Not bad at all, IMO, but just not what I'm
looking for when I put on some Priest.

Yes, I bought it before a road trip and by the end of disc one was prepared to drive my car off the next overpass.

It just never gets moving, to me. I liked a bit of one song, don't remember which though if I walked over and got my disc I could tell you... but past that, it just never really hits home.

It takes too long for things to develop and when they do you can't wait for it to end and hope the next song is THE song to kick the thing off... and it just never comes to me.

I guess it's played well, I guess it's written well and produced well, it just doesn't connect with me. I like that some of it sounds like classic Priest and by classic I mean, pre British Steel kind of stuff... but that's just not enough to make me like the album. The songs just aren't there.

I love Priest. Always have... but this album is worse than Turbo in my opinion. I'm glad you guys like it... but it's not for me.

I really like Prophecy and Nostradamus ,Halford sounded great,I would like to see an album similiar done with more heavier and faster songs, I like the vocal combo of more operatic drawn out notes and screams.He could do more speaking in different languages too for my part,that element I liked as well.

The vocals were a breath of fresh air to me, but they should have just focused on bringing the metal in telling the story,then they could have avoided the "Elder" comparisions altogether IMHO.

although i am a big priest fan,this was never a favorite cd! "unleased in the east" "british steel" and "angel of retribution" my favorites! halfords voice never changes and still can hold those notes when he needs to and downing will always be one of my favorite all time guitarists.its just none of these songs have the classic appeal that i always loved.agreed scott,now back to the serious rock and roll!

As I said before...I'm an oddball. Always have loved concept albums where bands trail off and do something different. Of course I do have a love for classical music also, which is why I love this album I guess. Now, should JP do another album like this? NO! They need to return to their old school formula for the next one. But this will make Nostradamus all that more special in their discography.

You know what my TOP favorite Priest album is? One of their less popular ones--Ram it Down. Then probably British Steel next to that one.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this one was the lyrics,they took kind of a Grave Digger approach, covering historic material.IMO some of Judas Priest's older music had some of the best lyrics,Sad Wings and some from Rocka,a few from Sin After Sin,some great words before the metal/wheels/wings/gods era,though there are a few good ones in there too,just was nice too see more variety again.Musically,yeah,bring the metal, but hopefully some different lyric ideas too........