10 Most Disappointing Hard Rock Albums Ever Made

The idea of Judas Priest spending all of their glory years without releasing a concept album really feels like a missed opportunity. Given that Rob Halford's way with words has set up mini-stories in your head on tracks like Breaking the Law, the idea of a full concept record from the kings of heavy metal should really feel like it should be a fireworks show from front to back. Then again, you might want to make sure the concept is set in stone first.

Being one of the more high-profile later period Priest albums, Nostradamus was intended to be the Priests' first step into the world of power metal, with songs that reflected the acts and teachings of the famous astrologer. Though there are more hits than misses on this album, the crushing length of the project just makes the end result feel too ambitious for its own good.

While a lot of the orchestral production certainly sets things up for something epic to happen, a lot of the actual tunes on display don't really carry the same amount of staying power as something like Painkiller or You've Got Another Thing Comin. As a result, Nostradamus tends to have a lot of good ideas but no resources to get them off the ground. Certainly fine by Judas Priest standards, but nowhere near the masterpiece many of us were probably expecting.