[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-dLT3WJ0iY[/youtube]
Metal Insider contributor Anthony Maisano is listening to a different metal album that was released on that day every day this year. 6 years ago today, Judas Priest released their experimental concept album about the French prophet Nostradamus.
Since their new album, Redeemer of Souls is coming out later this year; this would be Judas Priest’s most recent album before that. It’s also the last album featuring K.K. Downing. This was one that I’ve never really heard fans say good things about. I actually think it’s a pretty good album…sometimes. The good tracks on this album are really good, and quite underrated in my opinion. The issue is that it’s insanely tiring to listen to this whole album because of the length, and that almost makes the good tracks forgotten because it’s a trial to listen to. I personally love the orchestration and keyboards that back this whole album up, even though they may be too much for many Priest fans.
First thing is first. Why the HELL is this album an hour and forty-five minutes long? The band could have EASILY scrapped half of the boring tracks on this album, like “New Beginnings,” “War,” and “Alone,” and made this an INCREDIBLY solid album! It was like they made it that long ONLY because they had a story to tell, and it took them this long to tell it. If you can’t write a concept album without dragging it out, and making it a battle to listen too, then it shouldn’t be a concept album, in my opinion. A lot of hardcore fans may be sad that the guitar work takes a bit of a backseat too.
Favorite Tracks: “Revelations,” “Prophecy,” “Nostradamus,” “Death.”
This was an album that had an immense amount of potential behind it, but fell short simply because it needed to be a concept album. Nothing more, nothing less. You could easily take out an album worth of music, and kept the good tracks to make this something special. This isn’t one of Priest’s worst records, in my opinion, but neither is it one of their best, because of the absolutely forced length either. I’d say listen to it, so you can find your own favorites. There ARE some great gems in here, but it’s going to be a battle to find them.
