๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ - ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ย ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ & ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โฆ
15 years ago today, the coming of โthe Four Horsemenโ of the apocalypse was foretold!
On this day (June 17) 2008, Judas Priest released their sixteenth full-length studio โNostradamusโ in the US via Epic Records (June 16 in Europe via Columbia Records). The album was focused on the 16th-century writer Nostradamus.
It is a double album and the band's first concept album. The first disc details various forecasts he has about the future and the end of the world.
It was originally intended to be released in late 2006 before being pushed back to a 2007 release, and was finally released in June 2008 on Epic Records.
It is Judas Priest's last studio album to feature the โPainkillerโ-era lineup with guitarist and founding member K. K. Downing retiring in April 2011.
Background:
The Nostradamus concept idea originated from manager Bill Curbishley and was pitched to the band while on tour in Estonia in 2005. Guitarist K. K. Downing revealed in a February 2007 interview with Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles that 18 tracks had been recorded with a total length of more than 90 minutes and that there was not much he would like to cut down. Musically, the album contains symphonic orchestrations, including the use of keyboards and choirs, which is unlike anything the band has previously attempted. In November 2007, the band began mixing the album.
In November 2007, singer Rob Halford indicated that it was still undecided whether it would be a double-disc set or not. In April 2008, it was confirmed that the album would be released as a double-CD/triple vinyl LP.
"Nostradamus" sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was the band's highest-ever chart position in the US before being surpassed by โRedeemer of Soulsโ in 2014, when it took the No. 6 position. According to Billboard.com, the album was released in Europe on June 16, 2008 and June 17 in United States. Three configurations of Nostradamus have been issued. The most common is a regular jewel-cased double CD, but there is also a "CD deluxe hardbound version", which features a 48-page booklet, while a "super deluxe version" includes three vinyl records (in addition to the CD deluxe packaging, plus a poster).
The title track was released on April 12, 2008 as a free download on Judas Priest's website through Epic Records. The second single "Visions" was released on May 4, 2008.
The title track was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards. The song "Visions" was also nominated for a Grammy in the category Best Hard Rock Performance.
The band has repeatedly made mention of a desire to perform the album in full, as part of a theatrical production, but the idea was scrapped, possibly due to the album's lukewarm reception by fans. Only two of the album's songs were performed live on the subsequent tour, "Prophecy" and "Death", with the former reappearing in the setlist in 2011โ12.
Metal Masters Tour:
Judas Priest embarked on the Metal Masters Tour in August 2008 to promote Nostradamus. It was a 17 date concert tour of arenas across North America. The tour also featured Motรถrhead promoting Motรถrizer, Heaven & Hell promoting The Rules of Hell and Testament promoting The Formation of Damnation.
Critical Reception:
Sputnikmusic said that with โNostradamusโ the band "has cast away both speed metal and hard rock in favour of a more Symphonic Metal approach", with the album having a "greater emphasis" on synthesizers, but not in the unsatisfying manner of their 1986 album โTurboโ. The reviewer said he thought it was "painfully obvious" that the band had been struggling to work in an unfamiliar style.
AllMusic said that the album represented "epic metal" of the sort previously produced by Iron Maiden in 1988's โSeventh Son of a Seventh Sonโ. The album was seen to contain Spinal Tap-style clichรฉs such as "melodramatic spoken interludes". "Dated" synthesizer string sounds added to the sense that the band was seeking filler material to make a double album, which "should have been" trimmed down to a single album. The album has sold over 100,000 copies in the US and 500,000 copies worldwide as of 2009.
Reflecting on the album in 2020 memoir โConfessโ, Halford stated that he is fully proud of the album and feels that it will one day be recognised as a classic. He also hopes that Judas Priest will one day present the album in full as a live spectacle, having only played two tracks from the album on their 2008 tour.
Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:
Click this link to listen to โNostradamusโ via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/nostradamus-deluxe-edition/281279005
Click this link to watch the official music video for โThe Four Horsemen/Warโ: https://youtu.be/qaFhMB6Hy9A
Click this link to follow Judas Priest on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJudasPriest/
Click this link to follow Rob Halford on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robhalfordlegacy
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. โ E.N. Wells
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