• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

The last I'd heard of Sweden's Nostradameus was the quality The Third Prophecy which I certainly enjoyed a fair bit. After reading reviews of releases in the wake of The Third Prophecy I didn't bother checking out their last two albums due to them receiving a good few thrashings. Fortunately, chance had it that I did check Illusion's Parade, and I have to admit it's pretty smoking. Sporting the increasingly popular style of a moodier Power Metal, these guys fall into the category of acts such as Brainstorm, Nightmare, and Manimal etc. Although this is undeniably the same band who belted out tracks like "Randall Flagg" and "1986", they're brandishing some flashy new weapons in their arsenal. Singer Freddy Persson sounds better than ever before, in fact the whole band have completely stepped up their game – they certainly still seem as fresh as the last time I listened to them.

Guitarists Lennart Specht and Jake Freden lay down some flawless harmonies and guitar solos that are particularly impressive, and their riffing is nothing to sniff at either. Album opener "Walk of Pain" perfectly demonstrates how much they've come along as players, a tasty riff and an opening solo to floor you just past the starting line. This song is a lot heavier than anything I've heard previously from Nostradameus, and as a whole this album is quite heavy for a Power Metal release. Speaking of Power Metal, "Art of Deception" is your typical Nostradameus romp in the genre, reminiscent of a lot of older material – although there are some harsh parts that I don't think gel very well. Really there's nothing too sour on offer here, some ropey harsh vocals parts that almost ruin the fact of Freddy sounding so good. I mean, each song has something to offer – take a look at the awe-inspiring guitar solo in "The Eclipse of the Sun Cult", or the furious intro of "Nothing", nearly let down by a gay vocal part – but it's forgivable. "Broken Soul (Virgin Mary)" is probably the longest song I've encountered by these guys, they manage to keep the attention well enough and there are some cool parts but I would say it was one of the lower moments on this release. "Armageddon Forever" is a great ass-kicker and comes as quite a kick in the face after the chill "Illusions Parade". It's also worth mentioning the drumming as it is solid, some of the double bass runs are class and there's even drum parts that resemble the awesome "Randall Flagg".

Overall this is pretty good stuff that you can't really argue with, a few fruity moments here and there spoil part of the enjoyment – however you could do a lot worse than Illusion's Parade. If you enjoyed the latest by acts such as Brainstorm or Manimal I would certainly recommend a look in, to the rest – if powerful metal is your cup of tea, check it out.