Michel de Nostredame Latinized to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous world-wide. He is best known for his book 'Les Propheties'. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted an enthusiastic following who, along with the popular press, credit him with predicting many major world events. Nostradamus quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations or else, are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power.
That was, until now. Metal gods JUDAS PRIEST will be unleashing their expansive double disc concept album, ‘Nostradamus’ to the hordes of metalheads this summer. Long in the works, ‘Nostradamus’ takes epic storytelling to a whole new level, as it recounts the life of this mysterious, world-known 16th Century French prophet. Some of the events that Nostradamus experts have interpreted as his predictions include the great fire of London in 1666, the rise of Adolf Hitler, and most recently, 9-11, among countless other renowned events. When The Rocker and I found out two years ago that Judas Priest would be doing a concept album based on the life of Nostradamus, we though, hell if there is one band that could deliver the goods, it's Judas Priest. We had the pleasure and honor of talking with Judas Priest frontman and Metal icon, Rob Halford from his home in England, after a long day putting the set-list together for their upcoming world tour. Here is what he graciously shared with us.
AAM: Let's talk about your latest work, the life of, Michel de Nostradamus.
ROB HALFORD: 'Nostradamus' is an hour and forty minutes. It's a wonderful achievement for us. It's very ambitious and we are very proud of the final outcome and we are ready to unleash it to the world.
AAM: The life of Nostradamus and the career of Judas Priest are pretty similar. Nostradamus was not like by many and Judas Priest has had its share of haters. Would that be a fair assessment?
RH: I'm glad you mention that. That is a very cool observation. In life, Nostradamus had his struggle and he has his rejections. He had to overcome many difficulties. That is part of the message that we've been spreading with metal.
AAM: What kind of research did you do for the making of 'Nostradamus'?
RH: We got books and I watched documentaries. Nostradamus was a real man. We knew he was a well-documented individual and a lot of people had an insight already. We stayed true to the cause and although we have artistic license, we have not strayed that much away from the facts.
AAM: How important was gathering the information?
RH: It was important for me to get as much information as I could. As far as research goes, I picked out the highlights of this man’s life and to tell a story, from when he started making his visions, to the very end, where he passes away and crosses over.
AAM: You could have easily just stayed focused on Nostradamus' more popular visions. It is obvious that you wanted to show that he was human and not just a prophet.
RH: On a human level, Nostradamus went through a lot of things that we all can relate to. He had acceptance and rejection. A lot of people didn’t like what he did, much in the same way some people don’t like Metal. He was banished into exile and he lost his wife and children to the plague. A lot of terrible things happened to him. We thought it was important to get that human part of the story and still have a great time with the prophecies, like the Four Horsemen and Death. We mixed it up. We could have just done all the prophecies, but then it would have been laborious. We wanted to give more of an insight to his life and as a listener, you can kind of know what he went through.
AAM: What challenges will this present, if any, when you present Nostradamus in a live setting? Will you be doing Nostradamus in its entirety?
RH: Whatever we do in terms of recording, we know we can translate into the live performance. Everything that you hear on Nostradamus can be created live in some form or another. We plan to do some of the new songs on this upcoming tour. Then next year, do it in its entirety.
AAM: Speaking of playing live, you are also getting ready for the "Metal Masters Tour", right? Are you guys ready?
RH: Ready as ever, we look forward to screaming out loud with our metal maniac fans when we hit the road.
AAM: Who did the amazing artwork for 'Nostradamus'?
RH: The same person did this, Mark Wilkinson as did 'Painkiller' and 'Angel of Retribution'. Mark is a talented guy. We knew he was the guy we wanted from the start.
AAM: We heard the packaging for 'Nostradamus' is going to be mind-blowing.
RH: 'Nostradamus' will be unleashed in three limited edition vinyl editions. Then there is an ultimate deluxe package, where you get the three vinyl pieces, plus the two CDs, a forty-eight page book and the poster. You can also just buy the CD jewel box. We are doing it this way because of the state of the business. It's great to pick and choose. You can get it from iTunes or you can pick and choose between the three physical packages.
AAM: Will there be a video from 'Nostradamus'?
RH: We are actually working a on an animated video for, "The Four Horsemen (WAR)". It should be out very soon.
AAM: Some of your contemporaries have lost the power and range of their voice. How have you maintained your vocals?
RH: Heavy Metals singers are unique animals. We're still stepping up to the mic, whether it's me or Bruce Dickinson or Geoff Tate. I don't know why it is. Each of those guys that I've mentioned all have special unique talents. You'd think we'd have all blown out our vocal cords by now, when you consider what we've put them through. I think we're all in our golden years. If you've got a good voice, as long as you do the right things to take care of it, it keeps making the metal.
AAM: Are there any future plans of you doing anything with Bruce Dickinson and Geoff Tate?
RH: 'The Three Tremors' so to speak. I trademarked that name because I really want to do something with three vocalists and call it the Three Tremors. It would be myself with Bruce Dickinson. We have not even talked about a third vocalist as of yet, but Ronnie James Dio would be a great one. Geoff Tate would be great. We will wait and see. There is so much to do. The longer you are in the metal world the more there is to do. I have been in the metal world for thirty-five years.
AAM: Your previous release, 'Angel of Retribution' was a reunion album for you. Does a project like 'Nostradamus' bring you ever closer as band than before?
RH: We had all the right ingredients and we had a lot of fun. 'Angel of Retribution' is a great album but I think that 'Nostradamus' is above and beyond anything we have ever done before.
AAM: Talk to us about the Metal Masters tour.
RH: We got excited about this. Before we had the Metal Masters idea we just planned on going out with some friends like we always do. The industry is still in a state of flux. The last ten years have been really turbulent. Touring right now are going out in package deals. I think that is great because we have a real set up here for real metal heads. The Metal Masters Tour will be a magical moment and we are thrilled. We look forward to screaming out loud with our metal maniac fans when we hit the road.
AAM: What is your secret? As a band, Judas Priest is stronger than ever and it looks like there is nothing going to stop you guys.
RH: We're a unique breed of musicians, those of us that came into the rock and metal world in the '70s. I think we always hoped that we would be in a musical environment and keep going and going. It's lasted over three decades now, and I think the proof of being able to sustain, is all about the quality of work, and we're real taskmasters in Priest. It's to make sure what you create is as valuable in the future as it is now. We've counted our blessings that we came from that time in rock in roll that really helped us stay the course in what we do with our metal.
AAM: In your opinion, do you believe that, 'Nostradamus' will go down in metal history as a classic recording?
RH: I think that in the world of concept albums this will became a classic. It could be years from now but it will get there. 'Nostradamus' is unique and special. I think it’s some of the greatest stuff that we’ve ever done in Priest.
AAM: Rob, it’s been a pleasure and an honor talking to you. Thank you so much for talking with us.
RH: You guys are more than welcome. I'll see you guys when the Priest hit Los Angeles! Thank you once again for your devotion and support. The Priest is back! Cheers guys!
There you have it folks. The Priest are back! 'Nostradamus' is sure to be another huge success for Judas Priest. The band will tell you they knew that all along. How did they know? Because Nostradamus predicted it. The Rocker and I along with All Access Magazine would like to thank Rob Halford for doing this interview. Rob, the pleasure was all ours. Cheers!
For more information, please visit: Judas Priest - Official Site
