I'm having trouble getting into both.
And I think Burnt Offerings is terrible. Alive In Athens stands out because their studio work is very flawed. They have never really been able to catch Barlow quite right, and a lot of it just sounds thin. The drum sounds that they have is terrible. I forget the session drummers name off the top of my head. He's excellent, but I don't like how it's layered in the music. I think Horrow Show is probably the best produced studio album they have though.
TAC - do you honestly think Maiden's production is better? If so, how?
Andy, I don’t ever recall trumpeting Maiden’s production values, but I’ll get to that later.
I reread some of my comments. I usually try to not depreciate in these threads. But I think I was looking at it as a “discussion” thread rather than an “appreciation” thread.
Let me just try and restate my thoughts. I do not “not” like Iced Earth. There is plenty to like about them.
Alive In Athens is one of the MUST have metal albums of all time. But here was my general point regarding production: The thing that makes Alive In Athens so strong is that it truly captures the band optimally. It quite effectively captures the energy and intent of these songs in a way that is not evident on the studio versions. That is what I mean when I talk about the production of their earlier albums. I just don’t think, in the studio they were ever able to capture Iced Earth in all of their glory. I’m referring to Pre Athens mind you. Something Wicked, up until that point, to me, comes the closest. I have an original Burnt Offerings and my understanding is that the remaster did wonders for this album. That’s good, because to me, the original sounds terrible. That’s just my opinion.
Alive In Athens is not unlike so many other classic live albums. What makes these albums special is that they capture the true essence of the band. UFO’s Strangers In The Night, Kiss Alive, Frampton Comes Alive, Thin Lizzy’s Live And Dangerous just to name a few. It takes those bands’ respective songs and elevates them far beyond what was catured on the studio versions. Alive In Athens does this for Iced Earth. It’s a victory for the live album, but I can’t help but feel the missed opportunity for their studio work.
Dark Saga, to me just sounds so sterile and thin.
Now you’re a big Iced Earth fan, so you’ll probably like most of anything that they do. I’m a casual Iced Earth fan.
Post Athens, I love Horror Show. I think it sounds great and I have zero complaints about it. As far as the Glorious Burden, after Gettysburgh 1863, I think the album relapses back to that too sterile feeling. Again, I bet Delcaration Day is 10 times better live.
Honestly, to me, the last 2 albums have been kind of a blur. I can’t get my hands around them. I certainly haven’t given up on them. I think there’s a lot to offer, and I haven’t had the time to really “dig in”. Pyramaze’s Immortal was much more accessable and I think it’s an outstanding album.
OK, to answer your Maiden question: I think for the most part they are fairly well produced. I like their sound. As far as the 80’s go, I’m OK with most of it. I think Powerslave could have more balls, that’s for sure.
No Prayer, productionwise, isn’t that good, and the production damn near killed both The X Factor and Virtual IX.
I can’t complain about anything they’ve done since Bruce came back into the band. You could argue that 3 rhythm guitarists isn’t necessary. That’s an argument for another day. A lot of people do not care for the production on AMOLAD. I like it very much. It does a great job in capturing the energy of those songs. After hearing the Death On The Road version to Dance Of Death, maybe you could argue that the studio version didn’t do it justice as well.
Production issues aside, and I don’t want to turn this into a bashing Jon Shaeffer thing, but Iced Earth is a band that can be hard to root for from the outside. They just never seem to gain any momentum. The lineup changes makes it hard to find any continuity,. I like rooting for bands, not just listening to their music. Jon comments when Matt left the first time, and I remember them from the time, I thought were uncalled for. Jon’s made it very clear how difficult the music business is, so I don’t mean any disrespect, but the pacing of this whole Iced Earth project over the last 15 years makes it very tough to stay in touch with them. Believe me, I like Iced Earth. I just wish I liked them more.
My Iced Earth Top 10:
Gettysburgh 1863
A Question Of Heaven
Dante's Inferno
The Prophecy
Travel In Stygian
Dracula
Pure Evil
The Coming Curse
Path I Choose
Stornrider
Reaping Stone
Homestly, I would put these 10 songs up against ANY, and I mean ANY band.