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songs
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- 14
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Solitude
- 01:22
- 4,615 plays
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- 15
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Exiled
- 06:32
- 4,999 plays
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- 16
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Alone
- 07:50
- 5,102 plays
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- 17
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Shadows in the Flame
- 01:10
- 4,567 plays
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- 18
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Visions
- 05:24
- 5,571 plays
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- 19
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Hope
- 02:09
- 3,941 plays
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- 20
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New Beginnings
- 04:56
- 3,663 plays
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- 21
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Calm Before the Storm
- 02:05
- 4,077 plays
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- 22
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Nostradamus
- 06:43
- 8,641 plays
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- 23
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Future of Mankind
- 08:29
- 4,715 plays
album review
On 2005's (almost) divine comeback album Angel of Retribution, Judas Priest fans got a modern day update of the band's genre-bending 1976 classic, Sad Wings of Destiny. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal legends return to the mines for 2008's Nostradamus, though this time it's another band's treasure they're looting, specifically Iron Maiden's 1988 concept album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Heavy metal's obsession with seers, sorcery, and anything else that falls under the nebulous blanket of the "dark arts" is legendary, and Maiden's loosely knit tale of a visionary "chosen one" provided listeners with one of the last great albums of the pre-grunge, epic metal era, due in part to some truly memorable songs that remain fan favorites even to this day. Nostradamus, on the other hand, manages to live up to nearly every Spinal Tap cliché (non-deliberate, laugh-inducing cover art; melodramatic spoken word interludes; rhyming "fire" with desire). At nearly two hours long, one expects a certain amount of filler, but the dated keyboard strings, soft piano, and bluesy, minor-key guitar licks that populate every nook and cranny in between (and often throughout) each track sound like discarded incidental music from The X-Files or an RPG video game "cut scene." The songs themselves are hit or miss, with the emphasis falling on the latter, due mostly to an over-reliance on three-chord, midtempo filler, but as is the case with nearly every Priest offering, when they're on they're dead on. Disc one closer "Persecution," after a lengthy organ/guitar intro, unleashes Nostradamus' finest six minutes, boasting one of the best choruses the band has produced since 1988's "Hard as Iron" (few things sound as natural and satisfying as Rob Halford's metallic voice running through a phaser, and his signature scream, when it arises, still has no equal). The predictable but effectively apocalyptic "War" (taking a cue from Holst's Mars, Bringer of War) spawns one of the few great orchestral breakdowns on the record, while both "Death" and the nearly seven-minute title track feature stunning guitar work from Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. None of this, however, can save Nostradamus from the fact that even if it were reduced to a single album (it should have been), its flaws would far outweigh its triumphs. Excess and metal go together like blood and guts, but even gore loses its ability to draw a reaction after the umpteenth beheading. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
See all-
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- The Essential Judas Priest
- Released 2006
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- The Best Of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight
- Released 1998
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- Metal Works '73-'93
- Released 1993
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- Screaming For Vengeance
- Released 1982
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listener reviews
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Best Yet !
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- By freds1767
- 6/29/2008 05:57:07
- Nostradamus is the best concept album i've listened to. Priest has reached a new level with this album. It gets better every time i listen to it. Everything blends together perfectly, the guitar work is fantastic. And halford is super.
- 1 out of 1 people
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Well done...
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- By Catcher 10
- 6/23/2008 17:29:35
- Nostradamus is a very well done concept album by Priest...I have listened to it 3 x already and enjoy it very much. Its good to see Judas Priest back in action. Halford seems to be in top form and the guitar work is excellent from Glenn and K.K.<br/>Now I just need to see them live...last time for me was 1983 US Festival...ooofah too long!
- 2 out of 2 people
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Highly recommended
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- By XBoxTDavid
- 6/19/2008 20:08:41
- This is Judas Priest's best album since Painkiller. It's Saturday night and the Priest is back! This is the guitar synth album that Turbo should have been but never was, more like Ram It Down meets Stained Glass. It's a moody album with some great acoustic guitar work as well as signature Halford screams like the last one in the track 'Alone.' Chilling stuff. Major props for this epic 23 track album. Prepare to listen to Nostradamus for a long time.
- 1 out of 1 people
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