Judas Priest: Rob Halford (vocals); Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing (guitar, guitar synthesizer); Ian Hill (bass guitar); Scott Travis (drums).

Recording information: The Old Smithy Studio, UK.

Any lingering fears held by Judas Priest fans about the group's reunion with vocalist Rob Halford being a short-lived exercise in nostalgia need look no further than 2008's NOSTRADAMUS. This epic two-disc concept album represents a bold move for the leather-clad metal gods. With his previous lyrics for such Priest classics as "The Ripper" and "Beyond The Realms Of Death," Halford has already demonstrated a flair for dramatic storytelling. NOSTRADAMUS takes the life of the endlessly debated 16th-century prophet and propels it into a body of music that incorporates orchestration, sweeping keyboards, Latin-sung vocals, acoustic guitars, and (gasp) choirs. In the process, old-school Judas Priest fans are served a plentiful dish that picks up where 1990's PAINKILLER left off.

Kerrang (Magazine) (p.54) - "[T]he entire work drags you in with its own irresistible gravity. Striking hooks and stirring pieces of instrumentation make themselves apparent from within the stately march of their surrounds..."

Q (Magazine) (p.135) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[G]loriously over-the-top..."

Record Collector (magazine) (p.95) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "NOSTRADAMUS is dark, mystical, complex and occasionally acoustic, and the Priest write around Halford's aging voice well, emphasizing power over range."