Nostradamus

iTunes Review

In 2008, after four decades surviving the changing fortunes of heavy metal, Judas Priest are dedicating themselves to their hardest core fans with this elaborate collection. It weighs in at over 2 hours on 23 tracks and includes introductory pieces (“Dawn of Creation”), minor key laments (“Awakening,” “The Four Horsemen”), epic heavy metal riffing from Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing (“Prophecy,” “Revelations,” “Nostradamus,” “Death”) and, of course, lead singer Rob Halford’s gruff pronouncements and blood-curdling screams. Priest’s genuine magic has always been their ability to remain accessible even in their heaviest moments. They flirt with pop conventions but never succumb to them, and Nostradamus is filled with the heavy metal traditions they in part invented. The additional keyboards and strings throw them slightly off track and the over-serious tone and occasionally forced melodrama makes for unintentionally comic moments. But like any good supernatural trip, a certain willful suspension of belief is necessary to enjoy the ride. And with Tipton and Downing guitar soloing in lockstep, Priest hang on for dear life as well.