LONG-TIME British heavy metal act Judas Priest has released the comedy album of the year, regardless of whether they meant to.
Their new double-CD opus Nostradamus (Sony) is based on the life of the famed Middle Ages seer, but it immediately brings to mind the over-the-top, pretentious and silly heavy-metal spoof band, Spinal Tap.
Just as in This is Spinal Tap, it wouldn't surprise to see a miniature Stonehenge lowered on stage as Judas Priest performs Nostradamus.
Two-and-a-half years in the making, the album brings together the original members of the band from 1970, including charismatic leather man and vocalist Rob Halford.
Audio: Listen to Judas Priest's, Vision
Songs on the double album include such cheerful ditties as Death, Prophecy, Pestilence And Plague, Visions, Future Of My Kind and War.
Complete with a choir of "heavenly angels", an orchestra, over-the-top imagery about knights, swords, druids and death and heavy rock riffs, this is laugh-out-loud music.
Surely, they could not have been serious when they recorded it.
Halford, apparently straight-faced, said of Nostradamus: "It contains new frontiers explored and defined. The sense of adventure and the journey we undertook brings the man's life alive with metal and was a real labor of love for us."
Guitarist K.K. Downing described the album as"a musical journey without comparison".
"The mystery and intrigue that surrounds this revered man has expanded my perception of heavy metal to the highest plateau and enabled me to reach the outer limits of my imagination and transport unique feelings and emotions to the instrument," he said.
Affable bass player Ian Hill admitted the band had left itself open to parody.
"I suppose a band like Spinal Tap are pretty close to the bone with us," he said.
"No, we won't be having any miniature Nostradamuses lowered from the roof during our show.
"In fact, our upcoming Australian tour will have a 'best of' set with only a few of the tracks from Nostradamus thrown in."
Judas Priest formed in 1970 and became one of the most acclaimed heavy metal bands, releasing 15 albums with sales of 35 million.
The band made headlines in the US in 1990 when they were accused in a civil action of causing a number of young people to commit suicide with "hidden" messages in their music.
"People were reading things into our music and lyrics which just weren't there," Hill said.
"We always get a lot of 'nutters' at our US concerts. There are certain areas in the Bible belt that are just over the top with religious fanatics."
Judas Priest play Vodafone Arena on September 13.
