After writing about rock music for an extended period of time, a few things have become apparent to me. One of them is that any project associated with former Deep Purple bass player Glenn Hughes will likely be overblown — and in some cases, overrated. Thankfully, Nicolo Kotzev's Nostradamus, a rock opera about the life of 16th century prognosticator Nostradamus, in which Hughes plays a sizable role, only falls into the first category. Plus, Hughes is now surrounded by ample vocal talent: Joe Lynn Turner, Sass Jordan, Jorn Lande, Goran Edman, Alannah Myles and Doogie White. But if you're one of those headbangers deeply rooted in the belief that metal and classical music do not mix, go read my review of the new Mushroomhead album elsewhere on this site. If, however, the intermingling of symphony orchestras, power chords and lyrics like "In these times of plague and madness/He claims to suffer pain and sadness/How could this man be a healer?/His own folks just died in fever" make you tingle, you're in for a major treat.
The brainchild of Bulgarian-born guitarist, keyboard player, percussionist, violinist and producer Nikolo Kotzev, the Nostradamus rock opera has been in the works since 1998. While the story of the man who predicted wars and other epic events in history doesn't translate seamlessly to record (Kotzev's ultimate goal is to bring Nostradamus to the stage), there's no denying the sheer talent of this cast. Jordan and Myles still sound like sultry angels after all these years, and Turner turns in a subdued yet effective performance. But it is Edman (perhaps best known as the lead singer in the Swedish melodic hard rock band Kharma) and Lande (solo singer and vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen's short-lived and ill-fated U.S. tour earlier this year) who provide the album's most stunning moments. Maybe that's because those two guys have the most to lose -— their careers have yet to peak.
Musically, Nostradamus runs from classical overtures (the aptly named "Overture") to straight-ahead rock ("I Don't Believe") to opera-inspired passages ("World War II"), from intense ballads ("Because of You") to Queen-size moments ("Desecration") to progressive-rock overtones ("World War III"). It's a package that's bound to please fans of many genres, despite its hefty subject matter and 101-minute running time. But ultimately, Nostradamus is not as rewarding as either Tobias Sammet's Avantasia or Trent Gardner's Leonardo-The Absolute Man concept projects.