JUDAS PRIEST's NOSTRADAMUS Concept LP: A Heavy-Metal 'Phantom Of The Opera'

June 30, 2006

JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford has spoken to Jon Wiederhorn of MTV.com about the group's upcoming concept album about the legendary 16th-century French prophet Nostradamus.

The bandmembers, who have been working on their ambitious undertaking for more than three months, have already written 90-plus minutes of music. After they massage the tracks into final form, add solos and write lyrics, the band will choose a co-producer and begin recording. PRIEST hope to finish the project by the end of the year in time to release it in the first quarter of 2007.

"Nostradamus is all about metal, isn't he?" Halford said. "He was an alchemist as well as a seer — a person of extraordinary talent. He had an amazing life that was full of trial and tribulation and joy and sorrow. He's a very human character and a world-famous individual. You can take his name and translate it into any language and everybody knows about him, and that's important because we're dealing with a worldwide audience."

In addition to digging new lyrical ground for JUDAS PRIEST, the album will contain musical elements that might surprise their fans. "It's going to have a lot of depth," the singer explained. "There'll be a lot of symphonic elements. We might orchestrate it, without it being overblown. There may be a massive choir at parts and keyboards will be featured more prominently, whereas they've always been in the background before."

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