Judas Priest NOSTRADAMUS (sound link posted)

[Prog_Muse]

<thread hijack>

Hahaha Prog Muse, now with extra cynicism. How's it going? It's been a while.

Brent

Aye, it has.

I battled for weeks against my browser trying to figure out why I couldn't view this forum anymore ("you must have javascript enabled blah blah blah") even though it was enabled according to Safari...I swear to god I turned this computer inside out trying to figure out what the problem was, only to finally discover that there was no update for Safari that was compatible with my OS...and then in a moment of booze-inspired clarity I realized that I could just download Firefox and be done with it.

Lo and behold, I'm back.

All hail booze.
</thread hijack>

Angel of Retribution fails when compared to an album like Painkiller.

Fails how? Musically? er.....no. Lyrically? Except for Lochness (which is no worse than Metal Meltdown).....no. Ah....there's no use to arguing, it all boils down to personal taste. We'll just agree to disagree!

Fair enough; it does come down to individual preference.
I find the notion of Angel (which was contrived and faded quickly from memory) being better than Painkiller (which is an inarguable classic) to be absurd, but we all have our own opinions and I am more than happy to graciously disagree with you.

That's not a slam against Judas Priest, it's a fact (one that I bet Halford and friends would agree with).

Can you point me to the book where this fact can be found?

No, but I bet if you asked 100 die-hard Priest fans which album is better, you could write a book about how 99% of them will go with Painkiller...

I guess I'll be swimming against the current on this one. To each their own!

Indeed.
Hey, they're just opinions, right?
No need to get uppity or anything...

 

[Comic Book Dude]

"Fair enough; it does come down to individual preference.
I find the notion of Angel (which was contrived and faded quickly from memory) being better than Painkiller (which is an inarguable classic) to be absurd, but we all have our own opinions and I am more than happy to graciously disagree with you."

Absurd? Sheesh.... thanks for "graciously" acknowledging my opinion. And yes, Painkiller is considered a classic....but I maintain that it is looked that way primarily because it followed Ram It Down and Turbo, where the band kinda lost it's way.
Anyhoo.....bring on Nostradamus! I'm itching for some new Priest material!

 

[Prog_Muse]

Anyhoo.....bring on Nostradamus! I'm itching for some new Priest material!

Agreed.

 

[Valarien]

Dude, you're talking to someone who actually likes Demolition! Yeah.....Painkiller is a great album, but for me it's a one-trick-pony. I love Angel for it's variation. It has a few more wrinkles than Painkiller (by the way, I think Painkiller was great mostly because it followed Ram It Down....chuckle!). I have a feeling that Nostradamus will be like this........kinda like an Ayreon album....ebbs and flows. As far as Priest faves, I have to go with Sad Wings, Sin After Sin, Screaming/Defenders(they're pretty much one album!), and Angel of Retribution. I'm excited for Tuesday!

Ok, I'm a little late in the conversation here, but I'd like to throw in here with the Comic Book Dude, your Priest tastes seem to jell with my mine, and well I agree with you completely. I personally thought Angel of Retribution was a return to the priest I love, I hadn't heard anything this good from Halford since Ressurection. And your references to classics line up with mine, but I'd also add British Steel and Unleashed from the East, but hey - it's all good. y'all this is priest with Halford, that friggin' religious as far as I'm concerned, so yeah - let's bring on Nostradomus, and any Nay-sayers be damned! All Hail the Priest!!! :Smokin:

 

[KingsGene]

Listening to Nostradamus via Rhapsody music service here at the office....

There is definitely some great stuff on here....however it will need some time to digest. I don't think it will grab folks like a "...Mindcrime", but I recall I didn't exactly dig that one initially either. Rob sounds great...that's for sure.

 

[Cheiron]

Rob does sound great. The guitar tone sounds like it was digitally processed too much. But after a while (and after hearing some strings) I was wondering if they were trying to get the tone to be closer to a cello. Not sure. After one listen I think there are some really interesting songs, but a lot of throwaways that don't do anything for me.

 

[spag]

I would guess that more traditional Priest fans would really hate this album, but I'm digging it so far. Yeah, not every song is great, but there is some very cool stuff as well.

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

Rob does sound great. The guitar tone sounds like it was digitally processed too much. But after a while (and after hearing some strings) I was wondering if they were trying to get the tone to be closer to a cello. Not sure. After one listen I think there are some really interesting songs, but a lot of throwaways that don't do anything for me.

I was thinking the same thing, about Rob and about the guitar tone.

It's strange, really. Usually, the first thing to go in a classic band is the lead vocalist's voice. Not always, but I can think of quite a few singers (Geoff Tate, for example...or Steve Walsh...or even Greg Lake) who aren't the same.

In the case of Judas Priest, Rob Halford sounds remarkably good. He's hitting notes guys half his age can't hit. (No doubt there's a portrait of Rob Halford aging in an attic somewhere.)

But the guitars...

That's another story. The tone isn't raw. The riffs sure aren't "Living After Midnight" or "Metal Gods," that's for sure. They're not even "Screaming For Vengeance." Overall, the tone is more subdued, as well as the overall pace of the album. (Although "Revelations" is killer. And the riff to "Conquest" is tasty.) Too much orchestration. Not enough Marshall stack.

Still, this is quite an ambitious accomplishment from a band that's been around since the dawn of great metal. It'll take many more listens before it grows on me. And I'm not sure any one track is as hair-raising as Judas Priest music should be. But this is a pretty darn good album -- though not nearly as grab-you-by-the-throat as Angel of Retribution.

 

[spag]

And I'm not sure any one track is as hair-raising as Judas Priest music should be. But this is a pretty darn good album -- though not nearly as grab-you-by-the-throat as Angel of Retribution.

Which is why I don't think most Priest fans are going to be in to it. I saw mentioned somewhere else "Imagine a Broadway musical of one of the Harry Potter books with songs written by Jim Steinman and Anne Rice." He thought it sucked.

 

[SOULISFOREVERBLACK]

Your right "spag", most Priest fans are not going to like it because Priest fans like myself enjoy the dual guitar attack of KK and Glenn which is no where to be found!! Its like someone stole their electric guitars because for the life of me I cannot find a rocking song on the whole disgusting album with the exception of the song "Nostradamus". I am sitting here looking at the limited edition box set from Best Buy I just purchased, thinking maybe there is a different album hidden somewhere on the vinyl in the box set!!

 

[livingwithwolves]

Love it. Great headphones record OR blasting out of a Kicks Ass sound system. This will eventually become one of the Priest fans favorite albums in time!

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

Yea, I got my vinyl version in the mail today and I absolutely love it!

 

[Imagikafan]

It's a complete snoozefest.

 

[SOULISFOREVERBLACK]

SNOOZEFEST!!!.............I AGREE!!!

 

[spag]

Cool. I'll give you $10 for your deluxe edition.

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

ROFL! If you get a chance, get the deluxe vinyl edition, the poster inside is worth the money alone!

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

Listened to it 4-5 times now. Each time becomes better. Pestilence and PLague is my fave so far. Love the deluxe version.

Can't wait for the Vancouver (Platinum VIP!!) & Calgary shows (VIP).

 

[J-Dubya 777]

It's a complete snoozefest.

Yeah, color me VERY disappointed in this release...
Not quite "stick a fork in em'" but CLOSE!

 

[Comic Book Dude]

I finally bought a copy of Nostradamus and listened to it 4-5 times, and I have to say that I like it quite a lot! To me, this album has been a long time coming. If you listen to some of the songs they did in their early years like Dreamer Deceiver, Here Come the Tears and Beyond the Realms of Death, all the way up to the later stuff like Blood Red Skies, Eulogy and Lochness, you can tell where these songs are coming from. I personally like this side of Priest just as much as the balls-out metal side we've come to know and love. While this album isn't quite in the same catagory as Ayreon, it's an impressive effort all around. Kudos to the one-and only Judas Priest!

 

[DreamNeonBlack]

I can't stand the production at all, really poor guitar sounds and even worse drum sounds! Who let KK and Glenn produce this? They should be ashamed.
The songs aren't bad at all but with the poor production it really drags it down a few notches. I'm just having a hard time coming to terms with the fact they spent lots of time and it appears effort on the music, to let it all fall apart production wise is just mind boggling.