Judas Priest
Nostradamus

The Judas Priest return with this "Nostradamus," the first true concept album the heavy metal band has ever composed in its prestigious career, and it is centered around the figure of the eponymous French prophecy writer (formally Michel de Notre-Dame). I'd rather leave it to you to discover the details of the concept's story, also because I don't consider it the most important element of this work, and I would risk making the review somewhat tedious by dwelling too much on it; rather, I will immediately outline what struck me about the music, both positively and negatively.

The first characteristic that immediately stands out is the (excessive?) length of the album, as it comes in two CDs with a total duration of a whopping 1 hour and 42 minutes, and one would spontaneously wonder how our lads have chosen to employ heavy metal over such a long period. We can observe a very elaborate cover, perhaps... Epic? This is unusual, and indeed it is not only the artwork that doesn't seem at all like a Judas trademark, but above all the music and the approach to it that's different. For heaven’s sake, I am always on the side of those who want to change the usual sauce with something innovative, but an evolution of this genre should be done well and with great caution; yet Judas, I say it clearly and distinctly, with this "Nostradamus" have wanted to overdo it by trying to build an album decidedly bigger than themselves and coming very close to a hybrid of Symphonic Heavy Metal.

So this mammoth full-length opens with a two and a half minute intro, "Dawn of Creation", which promises a lot thanks to its dreamy, almost oneiric and Oriental atmosphere, with constant prominent keyboards; completely normal for an opening track, indeed it is very pleasant. We then quickly arrive at the second track, "Prophecy" (don't worry, no track-by-track in sight, it would be madness with 23 songs!), where the new Judas finally emerge: a gritty mid-tempo with a marked and cadenced gait, a Rob Halford quite in shape despite advancing age, guitars a bit too "chugga chugga riffing" for my taste and, last but not least, again the keyboards enveloping the epic and apocalyptic atmosphere of the song, which is overall full of pathos and certainly appreciable.

Okay.
But the rest of the album? The other hour and a half?

Well, the JP really misused the remaining songs: the entire album turns out to be slow (despite the determination that can be felt every minute), wordy and rather awkward in certain instances, moreover there is no track that stands out or could possibly be considered noteworthy or destined for live performance, precisely because this abundant hour and a half the band has saddled us with is far too homogeneous, diluted and at the same time clogged by its pumped-up and flaunted epicness. The result is therefore a pot of broth in which very few juicy episodes are saved, almost all of which after the 50-minute mark ("Prophecy"; "Persecution"; "Alone"; "Visions"; "Nostradamus"; "Future of Mankind"). Six excellent or simply decent tracks that wander aimlessly in the cosmic depth of the album, not to mention the absence of a classic killer song in a priestly style, another aspect absolutely not to underestimate.

But what should Judas not have done in this hotchpotch? First and foremost, they should have eliminated the NINE annoying interludes of 1-2 minutes, composed with the intent of creating atmosphere but which only weigh down the listening of the already staggering other tracks, and in doing so they would have removed almost half an hour of practically futile and empty content.
Secondly, it would have been more advisable to speed up some songs, obviously not all since it is right to maintain that magical and mystical aura that belongs to the album, but some parts could have been more agile and light; instead, practically 90% of the time it’s a mid-tempo characterized by a pleasant solo that however has absolutely nothing to do with the solemn and evocative structure of the track. Finally, in my modest opinion, there is a considerable abuse of keyboards.
Summarizing: interludes largely or totally reduced, some songs trimmed and sped up, keyboards partly reduced without denaturing the mighty epicness, and certainly "Nostradamus" would have been a great four, if not five-star work.

In short, the good ideas were definitely there and you can hear it by listening to both CDs (and reading the excellent lyrics), it's a shame they have been developed in such a sketchy and ambitious way. But alas, the work is what it is now, and we have to take it as it comes. I give it a 3, and I’m not even sure if it’s reluctant or deserved.