(Power Metal) Nostradameus - Words Of Nostradameus (Japanese Ed.) - 2000, MP3, 320 kbps

This is one of those bands that is a fucking dream come true when they're going at 100 m.p.h. (or km.p.h., if you use the "metric system" instead of the "right system"), but suffers a bit when it slows down to play a ballad or something.

Words of Nostradameus is the first release by Nostradameus, and it is very promising material. The guitar work is awesome and the riffage is just incredible. There is a lot of thrash influence in here, althuogh the base genre is solid power, and the resulting blend is a riff-packed headbanger of an album that rarely sleeps. The drums are frantic and the vocals are cheesy yet cool--they never really go to the stratospheric range of some other Power Metal bands, but they're still very good. Most of the songs on this album are blazing fast, and that's the speed at which this band sounds the best. When they slow down to play the occasional slower song, the sound tends to slide into mediocrity.

Highlights. The introduction is really cool--it's very operatic and sounds a bit like something off Carmina Burana (very menacing and powerful), and after a short little opening ditty, the album progresses immediately into The Vision, a hellblazing speed demon of an opening track. Out of this World has a really cool opening riff set and then blazes straight into more fast headbanging. Master of the Night is a bit darker in tone than some of the other songs on here, and it includes one of those opening riffs that you can't really fuck up (I love those riffs). Brother in Chains is the fastest song in here and could easily be found on a Children of Bodom album--I'm serious; this bitch just FLIES.

The lyrics are cheesy, but the music is most definitely NOT. Power and speed/thrash fans will drool over this one; others should listen before a purchase. Well worth the money.

Review written by "OSheaman" for www.metal-archives.com

Freddy Persson - Vocals, Bass
Gustav Nahlin - Drums
Erik Söderman - Guitars
Jake Fredén - Guitars