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.
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.
If you keep an open mind, this can be one of the most enjoyable collection of songs released by any "metal" group in recent years. Being a Priest fan since 1980, I had the typical WTF reaction when listening to the album for the first time. I was expecting much of the CD to sound like the Nostradamus single, which is a combination of Hellrider & Ram it Down. However, the CD consists mostly of beautifully crafted songs which introduce you, and build up to more emotionally charged tracks. If you really listen to the music, you will enjoy Nostradamus more and more with each play. While it is not a traditional "straight forward metal" priest CD, it is different, and a needed breath of fresh air. Much more enjoyable than most of priest's recent catalog, and much better than the stale recent offerings by groups like Def Leppard or Dokken. The musicianship is outstanding, and Ian Hill can actually heard on many of the tracks!
Best Tracks -
Pestilence and Plague - great keyboard/synth accompaniment in the chorus. Full of emotion and very grand sounding.
Persecution - One of the few metal songs; Halford's rant in the middle of song reminiscent of "free wheel burning"
Alone - Acoustic guitar and synthesizer track, accompanied by Halford's emotional, multi-tracked vocals. This is the only song where he sings ahigh note.
For a good comparison, listen to "Framing Armageddon" by Iced Earth.
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