OldSchool wrote:
After reading many reviews and discussions, I find it very interesting that everybody seems to like different songs. Some think Alone and Exiled are the best songs, others, like Raven here, exclude them from their compilation. Some worship Death or War, others think they're a total bore. Some love Pestilence and Plague and Nostradamus, others get annoyed with their choruses. Some dismiss the whole album and say they only enjoy Persecution and Future Of Mankind. And, with the probable exception of Persecution, people just can't seem able to find common favorites. This thing only happens when an album has a lot to offer and it's usually a sign of a great album as well.
I have to agree. That's a well thought out observation that you posted. The CD appeals to the likes and dislikes of many listeners hence causing debate on the validity of many of the tracks.
Turbo created a similar discourse due to the heavy use of guitar synths all over that album. Many JP fans felt that they had gone commercial due to the pressures of the MTV generation. JP just took different creative directions in sculpting the overall landscape of this project. It took many different textures for them to reach the final product that they were happy with. It's a really great achievement for JP but the average JP fan/listener may not be really interested in the scope of this project as JP were. Hence, why I selected the songs that I really like from the album to place on my computer and mp3 player.
I don't fault anyone for liking different aspects of the CD or the entire thing. It's all subjective...right?
What I like about them is Halford's singing. The only times he actually SINGS on this album. This is my biggest problem with Nostradamus: Mr. Halford. His performance is dull, flat, no dynamics....it really shows that he's an old man. I listened yesterday to AoR and it's worlds apart regarding Rob. It's true it lacked (almost) the screams, but vocally it's really strong. In Nostradamus, you can hear he can't mould his voice around the melodies, and he often uses a whispering/singing that only shows his limitations. My other gripe is with the production. Drums are waaaay back in the mix, so are the guitars when played over the synths. I like the orchestrations and musically it's a really strong album, but because of the aforementioned problems it won't be my top choice for this year.
