Yesterday I bought "Nostradamus".
I guess this album will be received with mixed feelings by a lot of old school fans. Perhaps it helps me that I've listened to a lot of other metal, but maybe some people who prefer classic rock/metal will like this album as well.
I appreciate it that Priest doesn't try to repeat themselves. This is really new, not only for themselves but this album is also pretty original in the whole metal world.
It's very melodic and atmospheric. It containes a lot of synthesized guitars and also synths (by Don Airey) & real strings (by Peter Whitfield). Where some other bands hire choirs, Halford does it all alone, and I must say that his multiple vocals sound very impressive.
The speed of the songs is mostly low or mid-tempo, with just a few exceptions. On the last Ripper album I loathed that aspect, but on this album Halford's vocals make up a lot for that. His role is very dominant, not only because of the concept and the lyrics, but also because of the way the album is produced, and how the songs are built up.
You could say that the songs are long, they are changing slowly into emotional and epic tracks, mostly starting with a calm intro. The mood and the dynamics of most songs don't change when they progress, but the tracks grow into something bigger, almost as if the band wants to illustrate how Nostradamus' predictions slowly turned into reality.
Is it all fantastic from the beginning until the end? No.
Disc one features a duller track ("Lost Love"), and on disc two there's one dreadful tearjerker ("New Beginnings").
The rest of the album varies from decent to strong. At this point I enjoy "Revelations", "Alone" & "Future Of Mankind" (with its beautiful vocal line in the chorus) the most.
In "Revelations" comes a memorable segment, which I'll surely might play after Rob Halford "passe de ce monde à un autre":
I'll Spread The Word
Around The World
My Name Will Last
Eternally