I have to start this review by first saying that Judas Priest "IS" "Heavy Metal" to me in every sense of the word. They have been mainstays in the Genre for 30 years now and except for those few painful years when Halford was'nt in the band,they have never dissapointed me...that is until now.
         I understand that sometimes bands do change and try to experiment with different things to keep sounding fresh and new and while some change can be a good thing,I think it fails miserably in this case.
        Another painful example of this that comes to mind is "Metallica's" "Black" cd which was a commercial smash for them but it also alienated alot of diehard fans who believe the band was forever changed after that cd and I can only hope this does not happen to Priest.
        Nostradamus is the new Priest cd and it breaks my heart to say this but I just dont get it.The band was riding high after 2005's long awaited reunion cd "Angel of Retribution" and the following very successful Ozzfest tour which had to prove to the band that their millions of adoring fans were still there for them amidst all the turmoil of years passed.
        So,why a watered down concept cd right now at this time in their careers? Yes,I do understand that after doing the same thing for so many years it may have a tendency to get stale and boring and probably that is exactly what the members of Judas Priest were thinking also,but to me the timing on this "Midlife" crisis of theirs could not have been worse.This is not a band that had to prove anything to anyone, they just had to continue being Judas Priest.I doubt very many of their fans,myself included would have ever muttered the words "Gee,I wish Priest would do something different because they are just too boring".
        Whatever happpened to the philosophy...."If it aint broke,dont fix it"?If I wanted to be so relaxed that I fell into a deep coma, then I could just put on Pink Floyd's "Dark side of the Moon" and have a nice nap.This is not what I would expect from one of the world's greatest Metal bands of all time.
          This cd is full of boring intro's,cheesy dialog,and enough choirs and keybords to make even the most diehard church go-er feel right at home.Some of my farts have more passion and excitement.
          I thought Halford got all that experimental music out of his system with that unforgettable" flaming turd" of a project he did with Trent Reznor years ago called "Two".Rob Halford is one of the greatest Metal vocalists of all time and this cd is no exception to that rule, his vocals are Amazing as ever,but sadly the music and attitude that accompany him,leaves alot to be desired.
         To make sure you get your money's worth,the band and their management made this yawning opus avaiable as a two disc cd with 18 tracks of pure sedation guaranteed to bore the Shit out of any new potential fans and force the older fans to run frantically to the nearest oven to insert their heads.
         The thing that amazes me the most was that their record company was ok with this polished piece of crap because I doubt it highly this will sell nearly as well as other Priest cd's and we all know the record companies are all about the dollars.
       Other than Halford's vocals,I am really at a loss to say too many good things about this cd.
       If any of you younger fans out there want to see what Priest is really all about,check out "Screaming for Vengeance","Hellbent for Leather", "Defenders of the Faith" or any of the other classic cd's this band has given us over the years.I you want to hear opera,keyboards and choirs, pick up the latest cd from Nighwish,at least they do not pretend to be something they are not.
        I can only hope this isnt a sign of things to come with Judas Priest,and maybe after relieving themselves of this Giant Bowel movement, they can get back in the studio and do what they do best.....and that is to continue to be one of the best Metal bands in the world.
       Sorry brothers and sisters,I do love my Priest but have no love to give for this latest cd.I am forced to give this cd a very dissapointing 4 out of 10 points and that is only out of respect for this band and what they have meant to me over the years that it even scored that high. If some unknown band had sent this to me to review,I would not have been so kind.
         Horns way up............Nick.

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