thanks for the review. I havent heard it, and wont untill I buy the CD on Tuesday.
and if anyone doesnt like it, fine, anyone who hates JP because of it cant call themselfs a true fan. a former fan perhaps. a true fan could dislike the CD, but not hate the band
BTW, Zan welcome back. [Show/Hide Quoted Message] (Quoting Message by ZaNMaTo from Thursday, June 12, 2008 5:54:12 AM) |  | ZaNMaTo wrote: | | I'll start with the beginning and go song to song. (Note: I am reviewing because I think it needs to be done properly. And I want to get Priest fans pumped who haven't heard it.)
Dawn Of Creation -
Starts slow and slowly builds into an intense melodic rhythm that fits perfectly with the song it introduces. Very unique sounding and flawless.
10/10
Prophecy -
Pretty solid track. Holds previously built intensity pretty well. Solo section is Ram It Down Era awesomeness(I must note than the arpeggio lick before the harmony section of the solo is fantastic!) Rob's "freestyle" section in which he kind of narrates before the solo and after is pretty cool, backed by violins. And the part in which the drums drop out then start to build back up to the chorus with the deep voiced Nostradamus is lame as the chorus, but always gives me a smile, I love this song.
9/10
Awakening-
Slow acoustic intro for Revelations, fantastic vocals, interesting "bouncy" guitar effects.
10/10
Revelations-
What can you say about Revelations, one of the strongest from this album. Lyrics start out kind of iffy and in a slow pace. Rob builds it with harmonies, and the strings in the back keep this song layered. The bridge before the chorus is intense and the chorus is better than most Priest choruses have ever been. Top notch. This song has great changes, taking it to new heights.
Midway into the song it sounds like Priest are more getting experimental, which is a great thing.
The long drawn out sweeping solo is a disappointment, because it started out great. And it must be mentioned that the second solo tone(in the left channel) is a bit much. Very nasty sounding. But this song will keep you guessing and surprise you. And overall it is awesome.
9/10
The Four Horsemen-
Starts out like a church hymnal or something, But it redeems itself with neat orchestral elements that build.
7/10
War- Very theatrical song. Has lots of neat orchestral elements. Very powerful chorus, preceded by a mediocre, yet dark and nice in its own way verse. Lots of nice sound effects and buildup, then it climaxes in an awesome way. Note: For me, the vocals on this song are somehow out of time. Don't know how they missed this. My guess is the warlike marching beat is somehow to blame, since it isn't a typical hihat/ride beat.
7/10
Sands Of Time-
Pretty ballad with Rob demonstrating his fantastic vocal control, and showcasing his midrange. Lots of reverberation. It ends with a questionable note choice on Rob's Part. However, foreshadows well what is to come.
8/10
Pestilence and Plague-
Pestilence and Plague picks up and shows the band is still in top form. The intro riff has nice choir voice sounds. Don't really know how to describe them, but they add color to the riff. The verse is somehow a little weak, but the chorus fully makes up for it. The chorus is awesome! Rob sings BEAUTIFULLY. The Metal God at his best right here. The drumming is pretty spot on, fits the rhythm nicely. The solo section is probably the best from this album. Amazing leadbreak, tasteful and beatiful tonal quality. It goes into the chorus melody only with guitars and of course, strings in the background. The song doesn't end there, Priest shows off their dynamic abilities, then climaxes the song with the chorus. Beatiful Ending.
10/10
Death-
The album then takes a sudden dip to hell. And I mean that in a very good way. Messenger of DEATH! Doomy riffs(sort of) and dark vocals. Rob also shows he can still wail(not perfectly, but he gets up there.). Gotta love those evil arpeggios after the chorus.
Unexplainably good tempo changes and powerful melodic vocals later in the song make this song a classic, glad they are playing it live.
10/10
Peace-
Peace begins very soft but builds nicely.
Very memorable vocal melody, and the harmonizing acoustic guitars make this a perfect addition to the album.
10/10
Conquest-
Power Metal-type rocker with a deeper, much more awesome side. Rob hits a nice clean desert plains-type note at the end of the chorus. Weird arabian sounds in the second verse. The solo section is amazing and fresh. And after the solo is Rob's less typical growled midrange vocals, which sound fucking brilliant. (9/10, maybe ten, haven't given it enough listens.)
Lost Love-
Lost Love shows that Nostradamus's life can be related to. It's a typical love song, but still, its Rob Halford. The guitar melody sounds flawed, but still nice. Doesn't really go anywhere, but tells a genuine story. I like it. The women will love this one.
6/10
Persecution-
Once this one begins and you start to see where its going with the evil voice and such, you begin smiling. You know Priest is about to Clydesdale you in the balls. And they do, just in a much different way than you'd expect. Sounds like a Halford tune at first, but then mixed in with Priest's new eviler side. Not Painkiler like evil, its much much darker, and more genuine. In the background you hear Rob's piercing vocals. The Chorus is incomprehensibly evil sounding.
The song's opening riff is "painfully generic" as i've said before, but it goes far beyond this riff. There is some shit here that we've never heard priest do. Rob does some vocals that are reminescent of Freewheel Burning because of their sheer speed, but they are more melodious and intense. This song isn't easily comprehended, its absolutely massive, it supercedes this whole album. I dare say groundbreaking.
10/10
Solitude-
This song is full of emotions, and it isn't very long at all. Sounds very somber, and gives you the feeling of being alone and reflecting on life.
8/10
Exiled-
More unique vocals from Rob in the verse, and it sounds fantastic. This song was produced thoroughly, and with good results. Beatiful mixed clean and growled syllables in the chorus. Song goes back to Solitude musically for a little while, with added elements. Climaxes well with some fresh new music. Priest is really starting to push this style of music, and I can already see its influence.
10/10
Alone-
Starts so genuinely happy and exciting. It almost makes you want to cry.
It gets heavy with an awesome slow Priest riff. The chorus is great at first but when he screams "Left Alone!" I can't deny the questionable note choice. In other words, it sounds pretty bad, not completely awful(it grows on you). The song continues on, with an awesome rhythmic repeat of the beginning melody and lyrics. Other than the weird note choice for the harmony on "Left Alone!" It's another fresh, vibrant track.
8/10
Shadows in The Flame-
Name sounds like something Shadows Fall would come up with. This one strikes me as something Glenn kind of heard somewhere before and used it because he thought it fit with the emotional side of the album. Fits well with Visions, which I won't review for obvious reasons.
9/10, because it sounds damn good.
Hope-
Hope starts out like wtf, then kind of starts to sound like Lost Love. Really slow and different. No chances of being good on its own, like Peace, but its a good introduction to New Beginnings.
8/10
New Beginnings-
Absolutely gorgeous song, completely unlike anything Priest or any of Rob's bands have done. Does sort of sound like an 80s New Age band or something, but other than that minor reference, its pretty unique.
9/10.
Calm Before The Storm-
Starts out sounding like 2 stoners jamming guitars, but it has some class to it. Sorta.. It then changes completely. It adds a new level of intensity and epicness to Nostradamus, which I won't review. I love it, for its place on the album, but not so great on its own.
7/10
Future Of Mankind-
Wow. Fantastic. Bassline is masterful, drums are totally solid(nice fills at the end), guitars are decisively heavy. The verse is kind of annoying, but the section before chorus gets you nearly ready for the chorus, which is absolutely amazing. The chorus features rob's growled midrange again which is a candidate for best vocal performance of Rob's career. The beautiful harmonies that start nearly halfway into the song are a brilliant musical climax to the entire album.
The Album ends nearly like it began with Dawn Of Creation.
11/10.
Other Thoughts: Man who would have thought Priest would have made such valid musical and conceptual statement. Though some will hear this and not comprehend its greatness, because they won't give it a chance. It doesn't sound like "Priest" to them. I say, what DOES Priest sound like? I say this is it. Nostradamus rules.
I'll give it a bold 9.75/10 overall. Quirks here and there but it is brilliant altogether. |
|
|