Mike (Deep Freeze), I'd say that Nostra is a complete change of course for Priest, Angel being a feeler in this direction.

I see on the board that some Priest fans recognise their beloved group in Nostra, some even find this change exciting, and others are disappointed.

And I understand the disappointment: I see that lotta, maybe most, Priest fans are into groups like Maiden, Testament, Megadeth, Slayer, and AC/DC. For my part, I like Slayer somewhat, but the other four groups don't do much for me.

Otoh I expect that Nostra is attracting an entirely different crowd: proggies (like me) - fans of Dream Theater, Symphony X, Queensrÿche, maybe even Arena.

I'm utterly surprised and dumbstruck by the fact that Rob & Co. made such a radical turn almost 40 years into their career, the guys being in their fifties. Unbelievable - I don't think anything like that's ever happened before ! The closest I can think of is Johnny Cash, who churned out endless albums with monotonous country stuff (hey, I didnt say "crap"), and then just before the end, together with Rick Rubin, made the amazingly deep, spiritual American Recordings  

Nicky.