I couldn't wait until the evening, I had to take the rest of the day off and unleash "Nostradamus" right away...I just finished my first session, so here's what I have in my mind right now...
First of all, people who...
- have an attitude problem against concept albums and conceptual art works in general...
- like to listen only simple, basic, guitars&drums heavy metal...
- have problems to concentrate on focused listening or any other activity that demands non-stop attention for a certain prolonged period of time...
- tend to listen music only as a background music while they do something else...
- don't appreciate classically influenced, flavored and executed music...
- don't appreciate orchestrations, classically arranged & anthemic vocal melodies...
- don't appreciate music made by using electronic keyboard and guitar synthesizers, electronic piano and B3 Hammond organ...
- have lost or never even found their faith in the old school heavy metal of Judas Priest and in general...
- keep comparing albums with each other...
- keep measuring the worth and status of an individual album by the "standards" set by some previous album(s)...
- don't appreciate the limitless possibilities of combining heavy metal with classical music...
...DON'T BOTHER. This album is way too majestic, powerful, multi-dimensional and generally too big for you to even start trying to digest.
I knew beforehand that this new concept would definitely divide people to those who understand, appreciate and enjoy this and to those who more or less loathe this and decry it's worth and excellence. This album is definitely a landmark in the history of Judas Priest and heavy metal - just as I thought it would be. Once again Judas Priest goes far and wide towards new, brave, intriguing and extremely demanding horizons of heavy metal and music in general. I would say that only Judas Priest have the vision, the ability, the strength and balls to make an album of this magnitude. No matter how powerful albums bands usually make, they seem to be just regular heavy metal - excellent and unique as they may be. This is not just old school heavy metal, this is Judas Priest going higher & beyond the boundaries of heavy metal traditions. This time Judas Priest made not just another brilliant heavy metal album in the long line of their discography but a true masterpiece, a work of beautiful, mind-exploding and career-crowning art.
I won't analyze the soundscape of this album too much or try to convince any slammers otherwise, because it's useless. The sounds of all insruments feel perfect, just as they are. The heavy guitar riffs & head-splitting leads, the smashing drums...100 % heavy metal!!! And I would also say that this album shows Rob Halford at his very best, this album demanded his best and he gave it his best. I think Rob Halford is a better overall vocalist than he ever was.
Is this the final album of Judas Priest as it has been rumoured? It may well be and I would not be amazed at all. Sad as it may be, I would accept it. The grandness, the power, the multi-dimensionality, the general finality of the concept and the message in the lyrics all suggest that this album could be the ultimate album of Judas Priest, their magnum opus. Time will tell.
In short: "Nostradamus" testifies that Judas Priest have always been and will always be the METAL GODS!!! |
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