Nostradamus

"For your safety, a seat-belt is required while listening to this CD." So says the "warning" given inside Nostradamus, Divine Empire's third CD, but they might be giving themselves a little too much credit. The majority of people who are going to listen to this album are die-hard death metal fans, and it's doubtful they're going to be too shocked by what they're hearing here, even if it does rate as slightly above average on the complexity scale. Make no mistake, the blasting, odd-time drumbeats; squeal-laden guitar riffs; and growling/shrieking vocals are thoroughly well-executed, and the songwriting is solid enough. There's just nothing that really stands out as strikingly original, or that goes beyond what has already been done in recent years by the likes of Gorguts, Immolation, or Morbid Angel. Again, this is one for fans of the genre who are looking to add yet another good, solid, but still basically generic, Florida death metal album to their collections.