Intolerant metal fans will no doubt slag this double CD for its keyboards and overall melody that metal bands simply aren't doing these days. Their loss.

We must remember that Glenn Tipton released a fine solo effort with John Entwhistle and Cozy Powell a few years back that was more melodic than Priest material was. These guys have been around too long to be expected to just repeat themselves over and over. With the experience and musicianship present, "Nostradamus" gives us a metal CD that offers the best vocalist in the genre ever, Rob Halford, instead of the extremely annoying grunt metal that permeates everything else. One hopes that this CD will be a hit, and will maybe encourage metal outfits out there to not be afraid to actually sing a little bit.

There's plenty of signature lead work and slicing guitars, but also lots of keyboards, which are necessary for the subject matter and add color and dimension to the music. Lyrically, it's basically a history of the great prophet, which one can take or leave, but overall I find it refreshing to see these metal godfathers stretch their wings whether some lunkhead likes it or not.

I almost threw this CD across the room when I heard it the first time through my iPod headphones, but after playing it a second time in my car, I had a whole new experience. I like most Judas Priest fans expected this album to be much heavier, but the songs really do get better with each listen. Nostradamus as a whole is more melodic than anything they have done in the past, and though some lyrics are pure cheese, I quite like it. I know people are going to be split in two groups of loving or hating it, but I am somewhere in the middle, maybe leaning towards loving it. Take a listen at least twice in a different setting and then make a judgement.

It was obvious from the beginning that some people would love this CD and others would hate it. Hardcore fans who want little else than a regurgitation of Painkiller will be severely disappointed. Those who are able to open their minds and explore a new world of Priest will find this CD to be an absolutely amazing journey. This piece of work displays a depth that most bands never reach.

There is no one formula or sound that makes this album. It is a combination of musical styles that requires you to listen to this album multiple times to actually "get it." This is precisely why some people will never "get it." Sadly they are missing out on one of the most amazing concept albums ever written. There are no instant radio hits here.

When you do take the time to be absorbed into the world of Nostradamus, you find layers of music rather than just a catchy guitar riff. With Nostradamus, Priest are again pioneers, blending heavy metal with operatic verses and orchestral accompaniments. If for no other reason, this CD is worth purchasing just to hear Rob Halford sing in Italian on "Pestilence and Plague." Halford shows that he is not just The Metal God, unleashing screams that will shatter glass and fragile ear drums, but that he is also a vocalist who SINGS with far more energy and talent than any pop tart that Fox Television tries to make into an "idol." This is not bubble-gum rock boys and girls. This is not pretty. This is not the 4 minute hit single they play on MTV with a bunch of screaming kids who don't even know what they are screaming at. This is Judas Priest. This is Rock & Roll. This is Heavy Metal. But this time, it's done with finesse that's usually reserved for much different musical genres. Congratulations to Judas Priest for taking the chance, and for doing it exceptionally well. There's a reason why this band is selling out arenas almost 35 years after their inception.

My final advice to anyone looking to purchase this CD. Do it! But you need to put in the time with this album to appreciate it. Priest took over two years to write and record this album. Listen to it in full- from beginning to end. Then do it again. And again. You need to immerse yourself into the world they created to truly appreciate it. If you put in the time, you will reap the rewards that this masterpiece has to offer.

All hail to the Call of The Priest and bow before The Metal Gods!

To be blunt, this album is just to deep for the average Priest fan. I own all the earlier Priest albums, and my personal favorites are Painkiller, Screaming for Vengeance, Sad Wings, and British Steel. Priest tried really hard to bring something different to the table this time, and for the most part is succeeds brilliantly. I think many of their fans just won't get it, because they are looking for either Painkiller brutality, or Screaming for Vengeance melody and "hits" as it were. Judas Priest is a band that is looking for new ways to expand the genre, and frankly since they are pretty much 1/2 of the founding fathers of Metal, (along with Sabbath) I think they have earned the right to try some new things. If you are willing to listen to the album with an open mind, and aren't looking for the same old same old. You will probably enjoy this music. If you want to listen to formula ad nauseum buy something by AC/DC. (who I love by the way)

Face it; there isn't going to be a return to the days of British Steel. That being said, for those of us over 40 who've been listening to Judas Priest since the 70's (except for those non-Halford years), you want to the band to do something new and/or daring rather than try to relive the days of long ago. This is a good hard rockin' album (not perfect) and the changes in tone and tempo allow it to be an enjoyable listen that can take you through different paces rather than a non-stop speed metal onslaught. Priest has no business trying to be like the latest psuedo-metal bands of today. That's mostly hard, fast, unintelligible screaming for the sake of screaming with no purpose other than to be noise (remember...over 40 here.) Priest makes sense out of metal, much like Sabbath and Iron Maiden. This is the type of record that makes them rise above the wanna-be-s.