High Concepts

SteveK and the latest from Wolf Parade and Judas Priest

Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer

A lot of us in Montreal have been waiting for the coming of this era. The era when the music world finally turns its ears towards us, when the spotlight shines down upon Montreal as we begin turning out band after band of rock superstars; the East Coast, French-speaking, Seattle. Recent years have seen the genesis of acts like Simple Plan, Arcade Fire, The Besnard Lakes, Bran Van 3000, Mobile, and of course Wolf Parade, just to name a few.

With the release of their first full-length studio album, ‘Apologies To The Queen Mary’ in 2005, Wolf Parade became virtual darlings of the alternative scene, and became one of those bands that you had to be into if you were in any way cool.

That being said, I have to admit that ‘At Mount Zoomer’, their follow-up album, has left me singularly unimpressed. The band prides itself on not producing songs that are “sugary cast-offs for the short-attention-span set” but the thing is, there is a difference between not pandering to the pop culture music mavens and just putting out ambient melodics for the sake of appearing artistic.

The music on ‘At Mount Zoomer’ is arrhythmic, punctuated by echoing vocals, subdued rhythms and complex variation, but it all plays far too much like a knock-off of the early work of groups like Genesis, without the sincerity. For example, the songs “California Dreamer” and “Fine Young Cannibals” attempt to tell stories in dreamlike, non-sequential manner, against a backdrop of free-style drums, keyboards and guitar work. Now, I’m not one for “sugary cast-off” pop music, but I’m also not prone to enjoy art for art’s sake. The music of ‘At Mount Zoomer’ borders on pretention, without achieving the kind of grandiose spectacle that normally accompanies such musical affectations.

Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer
Sub Pop
Steve’s Rating: 6/10

Judas Priest: Nostradamus

Now, if you’re going to be pretentious and grandiose, you should really go for it, go over the top, guns blazing and screaming as you lead the charge. That’s what Heavy Metal Forefathers and timeless Grand Masters Judas Priest did, when they decided to put out ‘Nostradamus’, a two-disc ultra high-concept Heavy Metal Operatic Epic.

This is classic Judas Priest, and it would be at home with any Heavy Metal work from thirty, forty years ago. But Judas Priest manages to still sound fresh, manages to still be relevant with this work. While most Metal acts these days are content to growl and roar, Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford sings, yells, vocalizes, recites and wails, showing the kind of vocal range that made Metal’s Golden Age so great.

The album is an epic musical retelling of the life, times, prophecies and power of Michel de Nostredame. While staying true to their classic Metal sounds throughout the two-disc set, Judas Priest has recaptured the greatness of the past while forging a new path ahead into modern Metal.

Each song flows seamlessly into the next; it’s almost like listening to the soundtrack to a Broadway musical. There is no denying that ‘Nostradamus’ is a rock opera, to be played from beginning to end, as loudly as possible. I hope that when Judas Priest go on tour to promote this one, that they will perform this as a stage opera, and let it stand alone, as opposed to playing sets from this album along with their old work.

This is the type of music that Jack Black could very easily parody or pay tribute to; if I were casting the stage production of this double album I would definitely put him in the lead-assuming Judas Priest themselves didn’t want to do this one all themselves.

When you play this album, I defy you to not thrust out your arms, your fingers curled into dual devil signs while violently thrashing your head, or rocking out on your air guitar while doing leaps and stage-slides. This album demands no less when being listened to.

This one doesn’t just rock; it rules; it’s going to take one hell of a fantastic second half of the year for me to find something else to put at the top of my “Best Of 2008″ list, at the end of the year.

Judas Priest: Nostradamus
Sony
Steve’s Rating: 666/666

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