Judas Priest: June release date for Nostradamus

Judas Priest has set June 17th as the release date for Nostradamus, the veteran British band's 16th studio album and first concept effort. The two-disc package will tell the story of 16th century prophet Michel de Nostredame, widely known as Nostradamus, whose cryptic writings supposedly predicted major world events such as the rise of Adolf Hitler and the September 11th terrorist attacks. Priest frontman Rob Halford told Billboard.com about the creation of the record, "Making Nostradamus was a new experience for us...(Nostradamus') life is well-documented, so for us it was all about taking the significant episodes he went through, and then with the right emotion, create music and lyrics that would convey them."

Nostradamus will come in three configurations: a standard double CD in a jewel case, a "deluxe hardbound version" featuring a 48-page booklet, and a "super deluxe version" that will also contain a three-disc vinyl edition of the album and a poster.

Although Priest has not officially confirmed its U.S. tour plans, it's rumored that the group will hit the road this summer as part of a package featuring Black Sabbath offshoot Heaven and Hell, Motorhead and Testament. 13 dates for the trek were recently listed and them removed by Pollstar.com.
Submit the above story to:

Del.icio.us   Digg   reddit   StumbleUpon   Facebook