This project has been talked about in the underground melodic rock circuit
for quite some time now. Rumor of an all-star line-up tackling a serious
rock-opera was abundent throughout internet chatrooms and magazine reports.
Well after nearly 15 months of speculation, Nikolo Kotzev emerged with
"Nostradamus" and
the line-up and material are staggering. Kotzev enlisted some of today's
premiere singers in the melodic-rock world and gave them the primary story
line of
the life of Nostradamus, asking each singer to write the lyrics to his/her
respective parts of the story. The outcome is one of the most successful and
inspiring
musical events of the year (this disc came out overseas in 2001, but
released in the US this month). The line-up is top notch at first glance.
Joe Lynn Turner
(ex-Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen) plays Nostradamus, alongside Glenn Hughes
(ex-Deep Purple), Jorn Lande (ARK, Millenium), Alana Myles (of "Black
Velvet"
fame a few years back), Goran Edman (ex-Yngwie) and Sass Jordan all handling
key characters within the opera. The backing band which consists of John
Levin, Mic Michaeli, and Ian Haughland, play their hearts out on every
track, giving each track and movement and unique voice of it's own. The
opera is underscored with a full 35 piece orchestra who add the bombastic
drama necessary to make an opera of this calibur become sucessful. What is
amazing is that Kotzev wrote every song, melody and orchestration on this
two disc event and conducted, produced and played all the guitar tracks.
Quite an undertaking for a group of people, let alone one person. But Kotzev
succeeds on
so many levels, that one has to sit back and truely applaud the man for his
vigor and vision. Disc one tells the life and times of Nostradamus along
with the ever
necessary love story between him and Harriet, who is played by Alana Myles.
The tracks move with amazing conviction and authority and never leave the
listener wishing for more. Each track can be taken on an individual basis
and rated, yet each track works with the entire scope of this album to make
one intense whole that needs to be listened to as an experience and not as a
'singles' sort of venture. Jorn Lande, who plays the part of the Inquisitor,
is intense with his howling delivery of bitterness, rage and jealousy, while
Turner, ever the melodic crooner, shows his sensitive side during the slower
moments of the opera. Glenn Hughes, who tells the story, shows his dynamic
range and flexibiltiy with every word he sings. The two of them could easily
have carried this story alone, yet the support cast adds a level of
maturity, intensity and musicallity rarely displayed in hard-rock. In an
overall scheme, this disc is one of the most successful rock-opera/concept
albums ever made. There are simply no dull moments on this two disc set and
if there is any indication as to how good it gets, disc two deals with the
predictions of Nostradamus which underscore the intensity and brutality of
War and the End of the World, only to close with an all inclusive,
grandious, uplifting number titled "I Rmemeber You" (the most over-used
title ever in the hard-rock world) that showcases the impact of this album's
emotions and melodic power. Hard rock fans and fans alike of high energy
Broadway musicals such as "Les Miserables" and "Jeckl and Hyde" will
undoubtably jump up for joy after listening to this masterpiece. If there is
one disc to really search out and sit down with and really "LISTEN" to, this
is one of them. Recommended in the highest order. Enjoy.
