My classic metal album of the day is Slave To The Grind - Skid Row ( 1991 ).

Nostradamus
Rating: 10/10
Release Date: 2008

Nostradamus, 2 years in the making. Initial writing and recording began in 2006. It was scheduled for 2006, then 2007, now finally out in 2008. For two years we waited for this “concept album portraying Nostradamus”. Two patient years. And I couldn’t be happier for what we all waited for.

 This album is massive, huge, and about as epic as you can get, for the most part. Some fans met it with remarks like “it’s too slow”. It’s true that this is not a fast album by any means, but that alone does not take away from the album and it is certainly not another Painkiller. The epic scale of this monster and just sheer song writing makes up for the slowness.

 Everyone is in top form as they can be for this album. Sure Rob’s screams are almost a thing Steve Irwin should be hunting for but his midrange and lows shine on this album. His operatic vocals and power are still there, also with a bit of grit when applied to. Some songs take you right back to his Crucible album with his singing. KK and Glenn are nothing short of great on this Cd. Sure there guitar tone is strange and new but it suits the music well for what it is. It gets the job done, so to speak. Scott is as good as always. Not as good as he could have been, he is fairly laid back on this album but he is good for what he does in place of machine gun double bass. And it’s amazingly refreshing to hear Ian Hill stepping out from his regular “hold 5th fret and go crazy” technique.

 You can tell the boys did there research on this man. Everything from his medallion on the artwork, to the lyrics themself. It’s all extremely well done and takes you on a musical journey like none other, if you allow it to. This isn’t a “pop it in and go” album, you need to sit down and devote the full 104 minutes to listening and absorbing the music. Otherwise it’ll just seem weird and yourleftfeeling awkward like I was after listening to War when it was leaked on the internet. It fits so well into the music as whole and I love the song now.
 
                                                                                                                                                                            Act 1

 Immediately the music grabs your attention with the orchestra and soft piano. Very beautiful intro with Dawn of Creation that builds into Prophecy slowly. At first my initial reaction was “Hmm.... we’ll see how this works”. By the time the second chorus I was singing along “I Am Nostradamus!” Great effects with the demonic narrative explaining Nostradamus. It immedialy goes into Awakening, a beautiful acoustic intro to Revalations. A marching song about how Nostradamus realizes his ability to see the future and how he came to terms with it.

 The Four Horsemen/War is a stand out on the track mainly because of the lack of guitar use. It’s almost all orchestral work with very heavy epicness to it. The Four Horsemen is almost like a church hymn about the rising of these four leaders of the apocalypse. Very big drums sound from Scott and a commanding general-like voice from Rob. The middle section with the symphony build up and effects is nothing short of amazing from a band with a history like they do. Definitely a far cry from Breaking the Law.

 Sands of Time almost sounds like a vocal tribute to the Halford track “She”. Amazing singing from Rob none the less. It immediately goes into Pestilence & Plague. A song about none other then the legendary epidemic that almost killed off the entire continent. The Latin chorus fits into the song perfectly with a nice “tip of the hat” to the now deceased Luciano Pavarotti. R.I.P.

 Death. The one thing all of us fear most likely. As it stats in the song, his deed is merciless. A very slow song at first, with Rob almost whispering going into some higher range screams. Heavy as could be, the definite headbanger of the album if you could call any of the tracks that.

 Peace/Conquest. Calling back to the older styles of the band with a modern, almost middle eastern swing to it. The chorus is pure 80's power metal. Lost Love being the next track. This song almost brought a tear to my eye, it’s that well written and composed. A sad song in nature about when the plague took Nostradamus’ wife and children. All I say, is listen to it and just think of your loved ones, and hope you never lose them. The song almost has a spiritual vibe to it thanks in part to the effects on Rob’s voice in certain parts. Judas Priest have always been one of the great bands for light and shade in there music. The ballads in particular were always well written, but this song surpasses all of them in my humble opinion. It’s just beautiful.

 Persecution, the last song of Act 1. A fast past rocker and classic Judas Priest. The chorus is amazingly, simply put. Rob has never sang in the way he does it in and it suits him quite well. Also he delivers almost “Freewheel Burning fast” verses midway through. A song about how the Nostradamus was was forced by the church to believe in there God, and when he didn’t, the banished him.

Act 2

 Solitude/Exiled. Sad music that almost makes you feel his troubles going through the country side with nowhere to go. Either he left, or he was put to death. Alone flows flawlessly next and adds a sense of what he is going through being literally alone in the world, with no home. Almost in itself an anthem for metalheads alike to cry out to the rest of the world “We just wanna be left alone!” With a very “Sinner-esque” solo no doubt from KK, it really completes the song. Even the acoustic elements, it just wouldn’t be the same without them.

 Shadows In The Flame is an acoustic intro piece about when he realized he just has to see the visions, and express them to the world as best he can. Visions is the next song, the single from the album. Another song about how he sees his visions and interprets them. With a chorus that only Priest could right, you just can’t help but sing along to this great song. Simple, yet effective. Lot’s of great effects and noises deep in the song for you to find as well.

 The next piece of work is the intro Hope. A very surprising song by the band, but it works surprisingly well for them. New Beginnings is the song is introduces. Yet another surprising song. About the newfound love in his life and how he moves on from the past. This song almost has a Bon Jovi feel to it without over doing it. Now I can imagine all of you are cringing at the thought but this song just works for Priest. Some will like it, some won’t, it’s the sure surprise on the album.

 Calm Before the Storm/Nostradamus. It starts out with a nice acoustic piece and then grabs you right by the balls with the epicness of Nostradamus. Starting with a massive symphony and Rob singing opera style amazingly well. The song kicks in finally with a take-no-shit heavy metal rocker. With an almost black metal scream from Rob to start it off, the song is almost faster then anything on Painkiller and even the main riff is strangely similar. Infectiously catchy, it’ll have you yelling “Nostradamus!” in no time. Amazing solos and middle section as well.

 The end of the Act 2. Future of Mankind does a perfect job closing it. In almost a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band way, Rob proudly declares “Fair well!” portraying Nostradamus. With almost a Monsters of Rock marching attidude, Rob goes through the verses with an attitude! And the epic chorus is nothing short of amazing. More demonic narratives end the album, in French no less! The song ends with the intro for Dawn of Creation and it ends the album perfectly.

 Definitely a massive under taking for Judas Priest to complete and the end results are epic, full, and leaves you almost wanting more. They tell the story of Nostradamus well and accurately, right down to the emotions he must have felt at the time. I give this album a perfect 10/10 simply because of the musicianship, hard work, and the feelings it makes you experience while listening to the music this band created over those 2 long years.