The premier American metal band of the 90s, although the term "band" does not really describe it: it's always been Jon Schaffer (guitar) and a bunch of hired musicians. Labeled by many as "American answer to power metal," Iced Earth acquired a dedicated following (mostly through relentless touring), and became one of the best-selling bands on Century Media's roster. I disagree with use of the term "power metal" for IE: in my book, they're a lot closer to melodic power thrash: rocking, energetic, yet very musical, close to early 90s Megadeth (only with a lot more energy and speed), as well as to Rage and some Iron Maiden; certainly not in the same category as Helloween and Gamma Ray. The band's definitive years were the four albums in 1995-2001, featuring vocalist Matthew Barlow. In 2001 Jon Schaffer split ways with Century Media (bashing it very vocally afterwards -- the band is now on SPV) and soon after -- with Barlow, who quit to go into the field of criminal justice, and sang in some third-rate police band. Schaffer, not to be derailed, hooked up with none other than Ripper Owens (Winters Bane, Judas Priest), who lasted for two albums, before in 2007 Barlow rejoined the band. The result was their latest, "The Crucible Of Man" (2008). Schaffer's side project, Demons & Wizards with Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian, is also well-known in the metal community.
NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER (1992)
RATING: **1/2
BEST SONGS: "Angel Holocaust," "The Path I Choose," "Traveling In Stygian"
Although they say it's a theme album, I did not notice any common theme between the songs, except the general dark mood. What I did notice is a severely lag in the "catch" department. Barking of the vocalist John Greely I don't like either, and my favorite vocal part is the chorus to the title track, which is sung by Jon Schaffer himself. Besides, throughout the whole album I couldn't help myself but to bring the fond memories of The Doors and "Riders On The Storm" (title similarity only; Doors' tune surpasses any of this album's tracks). "Angel Holocaust" got a nice intro, and both "The Path I Choose" and "Travel In Stygian" are also good, but the whole feeling just isn't there. I must say, however, that live versions of several songs on Alive In Athens sung by Matt, are a lot better.
THE DARK SAGA (1996)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "The Hunter," "Slave To The Dark," "Question Of Heaven"
The band's second album with Matt Barlow. Now, that's a solid work, with good music and good comic book lyrics; the album is based on the Todd McPherlane's "Spawn" comic book series. Why didn't they make THIS a movie soundtrack instead of that techno / Marilyn Manson crap? It would fit the movie much better... Barlow's voice is really good and emotional. First four songs are all very good: rocking title track, emotional "I Died For You", pure thrash "Violate," and, again, thunderously rocking "The Hunter." Other songs are also alright: "Last Laugh" and "Vengeance Is Mine" are both fast and rocking. Last three songs are joined together by the same riff (which you might have heard in Metallica's "The Wait" and previous Iced Earth albums), and the final two of them are just terrific: a majestic rocker "Slave To The Dark" and, full of emotions and angelic voices (performed by Barlow's sister, Kate), "Question Of Heaven," which you can listen to over and over again. The whole album somewhat recalls Megadeth's Youthanasia, only it's more solemn and energetic. A good deal.
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1998)
BEST SONGS: "Burning Times," "Something Wicked" Trilogy
It's nice to know that some bands are still doing what they are known for, without changing the style 100%. SWTWC is very similar to The Dark Saga in sound, music, and texts. Needless to say, it's nice to hear the same vocalist staying in the band for longer than a week. A bassist, a lead guitarist, and a drummer from The Dark Saga period were less fortunate, and Iced Earth changed the line-up once again. This is a theme album, an inverted version of Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son by Iron Maiden. Similarities: both stories are about the inhuman "child," unsatisfied with the way things are going in the world. Also, neither albums are rock operas; instead, only a handful of songs actually show some kind of a story (last four tracks on 7th Son, and last three tracks here, although references to it are all over both albums). Maiden's hero seems to be "good," while IE's hero is, well, wicked. Actually, the whole album is very much influenced by Maiden: Egyptian symbolics all over the booklet (a-la Powerslave), references to Nostradamus and other predictions, such as "eastern sands" (a-la "Die With Your Boots On"), and there is even a song called "Prophecy." Musically, however, Iced Earth is a lot heavier. Highlights include: ripping opener "Burning Times," straight-ahead thrash metal "Disciples Of The Lie," and five melodic and emotional tunes "Melancholy (Holy Martyr)," "Watching Over Me," "Reaping Stone," and my favorites: "Consequences" and "Blessed Are You." Other good tracks are: blazing instrumental march "1776" (I haven't heard an instrumental this cool since Metallica's "Orion"), and the whole 3-song set "Something Wicked." Actually, the whole album is good. IMHO, Iced Earth is better with slow songs: they sound more original there, while with heavier / faster ones, they just turn into a rather usual thrash, like "Stand Alone" and "My Own Savior." Easily among the best albums of 1998.
ALIVE IN ATHENS (1999)
RATING: *****
BEST SONGS: too many to pick out, but "Dante's Inferno," "Traveling In Stygian," and "Slave To The Dark" are my personal favs.
All short but fruitful history of Iced Earth has been covered on this 3CD (that's the version that I have) set. Plenty of material from Night Of The Stormrider (and, since Matt Barlow is a much better vocalist, "Angel Holocaust" and "Traveling In Stygian" are much more ear-pleasing) and Burnt Offerings, while the last two studio albums, The Dark Saga and SWTWC are covered virtually in their entirety. One can only admire Matt: while quite often vocalists use all kinds of studio tricks to improve the way they sound in studio and absolutely suck live (Piet Sielk of Iron Savior delivered a pretty disappointing performance on Interlude, IMHO), he sounds just as great live as he does on studio albums, making this act a true gem. And, surprisingly, not a lot of studio tinkering is apparent on this album. I saw Iced Earth twice and testify that their sound is excellent in shows. A great thing to have.
HORROR SHOW (2001)
RATING: ****1/2
BEST SONGS: "Ghost Of Freedom," "Jeckyl & Hyde," "Dracula"
Three years after their last studio album, and new IE (featuring bass journeyman Steve DiGiorgio, who left right after the record came out and drummer Richard Christie, formerly of Death) comes out with the concept album, based on various old horror stories. While that concept initially scared me to the point where I refused to buy this album, eventually I succumbed and bought it. Well, in all honesty, this is a lot better than I expected, and quite possibly, the best IE album to date. Somehow, the horror lyrics are not as horrible as I thought they'd be, AAMOF they show a lot of creativity: I never thought you can squeeze that much out of old horror films, especially with Priest and Maiden already covering the ground on Jack The Ripper, "Omen," and "Phantom Of The Opera." But the biggest surprise comes from the fact that music and arrangements are rather different, and I can safely say that Iced Earth is not playing the same one old song anymore (except for "Wolf"). The arrangements are especially cool: looks like Schaeffer, Tarnowski, and Barlow actually spent some time trying to make the music interesting and intricate. I'm not going to bother with what movie is which song based upon, it should be obvious from the names. After hearing the first song, "Wolf," I thought to myself: "Oh, no, it's the same damn IE song again"! This is a very good song, but, god, how many times can you repeat the same triplet riff over a 10 year career? Thankfully, it becomes more original after that. "Damien" epic sounds a lot more original, with its interesting melody changes, great spoken mid-piece, and choir outro. "Jack" is the mandatory "ripping Track #3" (see "Violate" and "Disciples Of The Lie"), although it has an uncharacteristic slow midpoint. The problem is that the chorus "I cut you once, I cut you twice" is rather weak, both musically and lyrically. "Ghost Of Freedom" is the mandatory ballad (at least on this album it's not every other fucking song), and pretty good one at that. It was intended as the only song not based on a horror story, but it turned out to be related to the biggest horror story of the year: 9/11 attack. In this context, the song acquires another dimension and a whole new meaning. This is now my favorite IE ballad, on par with "Consequences." Of course, it's full of cliches (the outro "Don't tread on me, live free or die..."), but it works in the wake of the attacks. "Im-Ho-Tep" is weak (there are so many Egyptian songs out there), but "Jeckyl & Hyde" is very neat, with its sinister acoustic intro, equally sinister blaster of a main riff, the best lead break on the album, and dialogue of Barlow with himself. It is the closest this album came to Demons & Wizards. "Dragon's Child," "Frankenstein," and "Dracula" are all excellent songs: first one with the great riff, second with the double vocals, and third (my favorite song on the album) - with the best Blind Guardian imitation to come out of the United States (Barlow simply rips!). One thing I find slightly annoying is the overuse of voice echoes, which sounded good the first time in "Wolf," but they also appear in "Jack," "Imhotep," and "J&H." Album's final "The Phantom Opera Ghost" is somewhat of a letdown: guest vocalist Yunhui Percifield with her overly hysterical voice makes this song sound extremely cheesy (although she's got a pretty ungrateful part, because, lyrically, this song is the worst on the album by a mile: "Erik, my love" - "Christine, my love" - "Oh my love" - "Oh dear god," etc.), and not even conviction of Barlow saves it. Plus, riff-wise, we're back to "the same IE song." But that's a minor problem. Perfect production from Jim Morris, outstanding vocals from Matt Barlow, and Richard Christie gets my vote for Drummer of the Year. So, I pretty much guarantee you'll get your money's worth. This is an excellent album. I got the special edition with a cover of Maiden's "Transylvania" and a 60 minute interview with Schaffer, which didn't exactly make me happy (some points I wholeheartedly disagree with, like Schaffer's take on politics and Napster). Hope to see them on tour soon.
THE GLORIOUS BURDEN (2004)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: “Attila,” “Valley Forge,” “Gettysburg” trilogy
At this point my mind is pretty much made up: I heavily dislike Tim Owens’ voice. He personifies the American school of vocals: he screams more than he sings and completely lacks elegance. While Iced Earth is certainly an American band (would “Old Glory” on the cover and opening “Star-Spangled Banner” be enough to prove this point?), musically it’s still closer to the European scene. This album’s main problem is the singing, the same problem that “Demolition” had. The songs in themselves are actually pretty decent: perhaps not quite as evenhanded as on the three previous outings, but still very, very solid. The lyrics evoke mixed feelings in me: at times they are very well written, at times – they are enormously banal, on the level of the movie “Patriot.” Jon Schaffer’s heartfelt patriotism deserves respect, but I’m afraid he takes it too far, where it borders on chauvinism. Luckily “We are the greatest country on earth” doesn’t come up too often, and the album concentrates on topics from the American and the world history: Attila, Revolutionary War, Waterloo, Civil War, World War I, etc. “Attila” and “Valley Forge” have excellent choruses, making them highlights. The title track and “When the Eagle Cries” are decent but, all in all, leave me untouched. “Waterloo” is OK, but IMO loses to the one by Running Wild (and by Abba). “Red Baron / Blue Max” is just bad. The album’s highest moment is the outstanding “Gettysburg” trilogy. All three parts are fabulous: the riffs, the melodies, the message. The fretwork shows the intensity that Iron Maiden wish they could still have. Even Ripper’s singing is not detrimental here, as he at least tries to be emotional. Barlow’s guest appearance in “High Water Mark” (the third part) is very welcome. Schaffer clearly feels for both sides, as it indeed was a national tragedy, and the result is more multidimensional than any song he has ever written. Truly, a marvelous epic, from human, historic, and “heavy” standpoints. The band’s lineup I’m not going to bother with: it obviously does not matter. Verdict: if you are not a Barlow worshipper, you will enjoy this album tremendously. If you are, like me, you will still enjoy it.
FRAMING ARMAGEDDON (2006)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: “Ten Thousand Strong,” “The Clouding,” “Setian Massacre”
Releasing concept albums is no longer enough for Jon Schaffer. His long time ambition (by his own admission) has been to craft a two-cd epic, telling the story of the Antichrist and Armageddon. We already got the epic introduction to it, in the form of “Something Wicked” trilogy from “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. Schaffer then put it on hold for awhile: first intrigued by the horror film concept, then by the post-9/11 patriotism. Now here comes the first full cd. Taking on a topic so big is a courageous act, and ideally the whole project should be bigger than even the sum of its songs. Unfortunately, the missile falls significantly short of the target. Some songs are very good, some aren’t so good, and the whole thing doesn’t really achieve the status of the “cataclysmic event” it strived after. It’s funny how the album’s best tracks, “The Clouding” (ripping second half!) and “Setian Massacre” were later sung by Barlow for the “I Walk Among You” single. In fact, these are the versions I suggest you look up. Another highlight, “Ten Thousand Strong,” simply rips, although it sounds like it walked straight off “The Glorious Burden”. In fact, most of the material is almost exactly like the predecessor. One would think that with subject matters so radically different, the music would differ as well, but alas! The songs are decent but not overly thrilling, and you already know how I feel about Owens’ voice. Luckily, Schaffer’s guitar is still very good.
THE CRUCIBLE OF MAN (2008)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: “A Gift or a Curse?”, “I Walk Alone,” “Crucify the King”
This is a solid but not particularly exciting album, with occasional bright sparks. Its greatest strength is the returned Barlow; he has not missed a step. Schaffer, on the other hand, is merely treading waters. I don’t have a problem with slower Iced Earth, but I do have a problem with lack of interesting melodies. Except “I Walk Alone”: this one is a true hymn, a worthy addition to the band’s catalog. Everything else sounds samey to the extent that I’m never sure which song I’m listening to at a given moment. “Behold the Wicked Child” heavily resembles “Damien.” “A Gift or a Curse?” is a melodic-piece-turn-rocker in vein of “Melancholy” and “Dracula.” “Crucify the King” has the Blind Guardian / Demons & Wizards vibe in the chorus. And so it goes. Lyrics, while being extremely pretentious (they sound like Baptist sermons), don’t alter at all from song to song: you can shuffle them around the album, mixing verses, choruses, and bridges any which way you like, and you’ll get the same exact effect. They all speak about three things: how hard it is to be Antichrist, how wicked and pathetic the mankind is, and how they’re going to suffer for it. It would be an interesting experiment to give Jon a mild electric shock every time Matt sings “man,” “mankind,” or “humanity.” I’m sure by the end of the album Jon would swear never to use these words again. The sound is rather pleasant (and the production in not as dry as before), and the atmosphere is perfectly metal, but this is probably the first Barlow album, that can be labeled “background music.” In comparison to Part I, this one has better singing but worse material.
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