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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: Zook on April 29, 2009, 06:38:16 PM
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:chillIt's time for The Official Jon Schaffer Band Thread. Here we can discuss how much of an egotistical douche Schaffer is..... Just Kidding. Discuss all things Iced Earth and post whatever news you find about the band, but please, keep the Ripper Vs. Barlow debate to a minimum. They both released amazing work with Iced Earth, and I for one find it difficult sometimes to choose a favorite.... So I made a poll :neverusethis:
Gettysburg is Schaffer's greatest accomplishment.
Here's a funny sound byte from Schaffer I spliced together: https://www.mediafire.com/?lcwgetfxm4t
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Are you on the Brazil under Ice forums?? Because I got that same clip from there!
P.S. It works amazingly as an intro to Behold the Wicked Child.
P.P.S. Barlow, but both are in my top 5 singers ;D
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Yeah, I frequent that forum, although, lately it's been very slow (and probably will be for awhile as Schaffer is taking a long break). I tried that as an intro and it does work pretty well lol. I think I'm going to include the sample in our next KrotchRaut song.
Ripper and Barlow are always switching spots on my list, but Right now it's:
1. Russell Allen
2. Ripper Owens
3. Matt Barlow
4. James LaBrie
5. Sharon Den Adel
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barlow ftw
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I like Ripper better, and my favorite album by them is Framing Armageddon. I find myself listening to Horror Show, Something Wicked, and The Crucible of Man a lot as of late.
The Glorious Burden is good, but nothing spectacular.
So I usually just go by the music and not the singer. Both are good, I just like Ripper more.
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Here's my favorite albums in order:
1. Night Of The Stormrider
2. Burnt Offerings
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes
4. Framing Armageddon
5. Horrow Show
6. The Glorious Burden
7. The Dark Saga
8. Iced Earth
9. The Crucible of Man
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barlow
i still listen to storm rider but that guy doesnt matter cause hes a nazi and i hate all racism
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barlow
i still listen to storm rider but that guy doesnt matter cause hes a nazi and i hate all racism
You obviously hate grammar too.
Ripper Owens for me.
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There is a difference between subjective and objective.
Ripper is a better singer = subjective.
Barlow is a better singer = objective.
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I had to go with Barlow. His voice is just so much more manly and metal compared to ripper.
Not to mention, Barlow's performance during Alive in Athens is probably one of the most epic of all metal concert performances ever. And I mean EVAR!
Also
barlow
i still listen to storm rider but that guy doesnt matter cause hes a nazi and i hate all racism
I'm going to ask you nicely, please stop posting until you get a sense of how to use grammar and what racism means. Nazis aren't an equivalent to racism. Goddamn, how old are you anyways?
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It sucks that Greely's a nazi, but he left an awesome mark in Iced Earth history.
SPLATCH an Angels Holocaust!
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i like barlow the best
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Barlow is THE ONLY singer for Iced Earth. I love em all, and The Glorious Burden is probably my second-favorite IE disc, but nobody competes with Matt when it comes to being Iced Earth's singer.
Can't wait for the new live DVD, with European festival sets featuring shows with Ripper and Matt. That's going to slay!
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A new DVD? Wow, I hadn't heard that. I'd be interested in that for sure. Like Grap said, Barlow IS Iced earth.
However, Gettysburgh 1863, is a Top 10 all time song for me. Absolutely brilliant!
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Oh Hey, an OFFICIAL ICED EARTH THREAD.
Yeah I can't wait for the DVD, and it's nice that Schaffer included footage from when Ripper was still in the band.
I'd have to say Barlow is my favorite singer with Iced Earth, but songs such as Gettysburg, and pretty much all of Framing Armageddon are pretty much unmatched. Before the Something Wicked Box Set was called off, I was kind of scared to hear Barlow sing The Domino Decree. lol
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I almost wish I'd voted for Greely now or cant decide.
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I almost wish I'd voted for Greely now or cant decide.
...Why?
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barlow
i still listen to storm rider but that guy doesnt matter cause hes a nazi and i hate all racism
Why is he a Nazi?
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barlow
i still listen to storm rider but that guy doesnt matter cause hes a nazi and i hate all racism
Why is he a Nazi?
He was a full blown racist. Jon talked about it in an old interview which I'm not sure anyone can locate now. Jon said he even took Greely to Auschwitz to get him to change his mind and Greely just took the whole thing as a joke.
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barlow
i still listen to storm rider but that guy doesnt matter cause hes a nazi and i hate all racism
Why is he a Nazi?
Originally Posted by spawn (Ultimate Metal Forums)
Greely was a full blown racist and Jon would dissolve the band before ever bringing him back.
Exactly. I found an old interview with jon on a unnoficial website but can't remember where. He explained that. He even brought him at auschwitz (spelling?) during the world tour to try to make him realize how much racist is shit and he just made some very disturbing comments. Jon kicked him a few days later.
Night Of The Sotrmrider is still my favorite Iced Earth Album though.
DAMMIT PERPETUAL CHANGE!
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hehe
sc00ped
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I'd be interested in seeing that interview. Anyway, I liked Greely's voice and his falsetto.
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Former vocalist, John Greely, was ejected from the band after making anti Semite comments while on tour with Blind Guardian in Europe. Jon Schaffer took John Greely to a former concentration camp in hopes of trying to change Greely's attitude. While they were there, John Greely made anti Semite comments towards a Jewish man who was praying. Greely also expected that since he was the front man of a band that he should be getting more money. When his wishes were not met, he tried to steal money from the band and was immediately kicked out as a result.
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LOL DAMMIT
NICK GREELY, YOU TURD!
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Greely was kicked out of the band after allegedly stealing money from other band members and making anti-semitic comments on the European tour with Blind Guardian while in Germany. Vocalist Matt Barlow joined the band (after a three-year band hiatus following Night of the Stormrider) in 1995 for Burnt Offerings.
And, for good measure:
John (Greely): Anti-Semitic comments, that I stole money…it's a joke. I paid money into that band in the form of dues for like two years, like a hundred-twenty bucks, hundred-thirty bucks a month or whatever, towards the band. And from Dave Abel, you'd find out what I'm telling is true too. He just made that sh*t up.
Greely completely dodges the anti-Semitic thing, and when asked about stealing money he just says that he "paid dues." Sounds to me like the anti-Semitic thing is probable, and he thought he could just take it upon himself to "take his dues back" after he got kicked out.
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So Greely denies it PERSONALLY but because somebody has ALLEGEDLY said he made some unspecified comments and the generic to cover all sins "stole money" we must think the worst about him and he suddenly becomes a "full blown racist". Summary justice and execution there perhaps?
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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
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Dante's Inferno
Travel in Stygian
When the Night Falls (1997 version)
A Question of Heaven
Burnt Offerings
Dracula
Ten Thousand Strong
Pure Evil
Ten Thousand Strong
The Coming Curse
Hmm, that was a lot harder than I expected.
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So Greely denies it PERSONALLY but because somebody has ALLEGEDLY said he made some unspecified comments and the generic to cover all sins "stole money" we must think the worst about him and he suddenly becomes a "full blown racist". Summary justice and execution there perhaps?
Well, shit, I showed both and links sides. Am I allowed to come to my own conclusions, or what?
If you read it, he doesn't comment specifically on the anti-Semitic part. His denial of the money-stealing is also rather equivocal. On top of that is common sense- why would Jon make any of that up? Jon is generally honest and to-the-point. He's had no problem dismissing Barlow and Ripper Owens without making up extravagant lies about them. Also, making up lies about another person and printing them is libel. I don't like Jon anymore than the next guy, and I think he runs Iced Earth in a very self-centered and narrow fashion, but I doubt he ever took tyrannic rule over the band to that level.
The fact is, Andy, that you are a complete n00b to the world of Iced Earth and this info about Greely is nothing new. It's something that all the die-hard Iced Earth fans know and have generally accepted. If you'd like to investigate further and maybe even pull up this Schafer interview which everyone seems to know about, feel free to. Make sure to post what you find.
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Yea, I've known about greely being racist for a long time.
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Great band. I'm not a big fan of the genre, but this one is really special. I love The Dark Saga; especially Question of Heaven, it's a masterpiece.
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Im aganist racism but I still like Stromrider and in all the Iced Earth albums I've heard I have only had a problem with two songs and that is dark saga and I died for you. Here is my album ranking.
Burnt offerings
Horror Show
Night of the Stormrider
Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1
The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2
Something Wicked This Way Comes
The Glorious Burden
The Dark Saga
Iced Earth
I havent heard Iced Earth yet and I think they might be making a box set with rerecording of the Ripper albums with Barlow.
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If you haven't heard the first album, be prepared for some atrocious vocals. Don't let that scare you away though 'cause the music is still awesome. I've actually learned to tolerate Gene Adam.
As for the box set, currently it's been called off due to the record label's bankruptcy.
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I think its hard to find but I think they released recordings of the glorious burden with Barlow on vocals.
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Jon would never release such material. The only person that might still have that material is Ripper, since he would have to listen to the songs to learn them. Even then, it's highly doubtful and more than likely just a rumor.
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Jon would never release such material. The only person that might still have that material is Ripper, since he would have to listen to the songs to learn them. Even then, it's highly doubtful and more than likely just a rumor.
i heard they recorded it with barlow before he decided to leave the band
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Jon would never release such material. The only person that might still have that material is Ripper, since he would have to listen to the songs to learn them. Even then, it's highly doubtful and more than likely just a rumor.
Well, he might now that Barlow is back. He loves going over old stuff with the new vocalist.
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Jon would never release such material. The only person that might still have that material is Ripper, since he would have to listen to the songs to learn them. Even then, it's highly doubtful and more than likely just a rumor.
i heard they recorded it with barlow before he decided to leave the band
They did, but Jon wasn't satisfied with Matt's singing. During the recording of Gettysburg, Jon knew from Matt's performance that he wasn't into it anymore, and that's when Schaffer decided it was time for him to go.
Jon would never release such material. The only person that might still have that material is Ripper, since he would have to listen to the songs to learn them. Even then, it's highly doubtful and more than likely just a rumor.
Well, he might now that Barlow is back. He loves going over old stuff with the new vocalist.
Maybe, if they find a non-shitty record label, but then Schaffer has to worry about aquiring the rights to his songs. If we don't get the Something Wicked Box set, we wont get The Glorious Burden either.
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As far as I know, Jon doesn't have plans to re-record TGB, or release the version with Matt, since he was unhappy with his performance.
His only plans were to have Matt re-record Framing Armageddon for continuity with The Crucible of Man. That re-recording was supposed to be in the box set.
FYI - Gettysburg is the best piece of music that Jon has ever written. :metal
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As far as I know, Jon doesn't have plans to re-record TGB, or release the version with Matt, since he was unhappy with his performance.
His only plans were to have Matt re-record Framing Armageddon for continuity with The Crucible of Man. That re-recording was supposed to be in the box set.
FYI - Gettysburg is the best piece of music that Jon has ever written. :metal
As far as I know, Matt left the band, not john asking him to leave. Matt wanted to leave around the time of Horror Show, but John talked him into staying. So I doubt he'd kick him out after convincing him to stay.
And Gettysburg is rather boring over all, with some good stuff thrown in. Just more mid tempo chugging.
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And Gettysburg is rather boring over all, with some good stuff thrown in. Just more mid tempo chugging.
I'm not sure how familiar you are with the battle of Gettysburgh, or the book, The Killer Angels, which is the narrative that Jon followed in the song (as did the movie Gettysburgh), but the song, written as it is, provides the perfect atmospheric elements for each section, and I feel it works perfectly. If you look at it as a long metal song, I can see you getting bored with it, but if you can somehow climb inside the song and the storyline, it really is quite amazing.
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I'm sure it fits the book perfectly, but I'm not usually reading the book while driving in the car listening to the song. By itself the song is good, but not nearly the masterpiece people make it out to be.
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You mean you DON'T read while driving?? :lol
I do agree with you that the best way to judge a song is how it feels while driving. I understand that. But it's really more than just another song.
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Message from Matt (read first)
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Posted by Matthew Barlow on 2003-06-02 09:15:38:
In December of last year, prior to Iced Earth signing a new record deal,
Jon and I had a sit-down concerning what I felt was best for my future and the
future of Iced Earth. I told him that my heart was no longer into performing
music and I intended to stand down from my position in the band in pursuit of
what I felt would be a more satisfying career and consequently a more
fulfilled life. Jon was very adamant that I should not leave the band, and asked me
not to do something that I might live to regret. I was compelled to stay with
it, but as it turns out my course had remained altered.
For you to understand my position on this matter, I feel I must explain
myself. As for many people, in and outside of the United States, the events of
September 11, 2001 had a profound impact. For me personally, it shined a new
light on life. It forced me to realize how precious and how short life is. I
feel very fortunate to have been a part of something that has affected so many
throughout the world, but I believe that what I am striving for will also
reflect positively on those I come in contact with.
I am presently going to school in order to obtain my Bachelor's Degree in
Criminal Justice Administration. When I have received my degree, I intend to
follow with a career in law enforcement administration.
I realize that it may be difficult for some of you to understand the decision
that has been made, but please believe that it has been made to preserve the
integrity of Iced Earth. I know that there will be people who bad-mouth the
band and me for this and that there will never be a good enough explanation.
For those people, I feel pity that they must live through others and I hope
that someday they will find themselves in another place. I have been on a great
ride with all of you and I have not a single regret. There are great things
to come from Iced Earth and we will all be there to witness them.
I wish Jon and the guys well and I thank you in advance for your support and
understanding.
Best wishes,
Matt
Message from Jon (read second)
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Posted by Jon Schaffer on 2003-06-02 09:16:24:
If you haven't seen Matt's message, please go read that first.
Hello All,
As you can see from Matt's post a very difficult decision has been made.
The events of 9-11 have affected us all in very different ways. I think it
made most people step back, take a look at their lives and change their
priorities. I certainly did and so did most of the people I know. In fact, I would bet
that the whole reason I chose the theme of "The Glorious Burden" for the next
CD was probably because my sub-conscious is dealing with what happened that
day. I realize that some of you don't care about what happened, and actually
that's your problem, but I know that most of you do. We have never been afraid
to show our loyalty and love of country way before 9-11, and anyone who has
paid attention knows that. The reason that I'm explaining all of this is so that
you know how close Iced Earth came to being a memory. After the attacks I was
also questioning what I had done with my life and if there was some way that I
could help people and do something that really mattered instead of this
"illusion" called the music business. When something this real and tragic happens
it has a huge effect on guys like Matt and I, who come from families who have
served, and who have a fierce dedication to our republic.
The music business is a big lie, plain and simple. It's an illusion that's
marketed and sold. It's the big production, photos, videos, promotion and image
building and all the other shit that makes you the fans think and feel a
certain way about whatever band or style it is that you're into, and you don't even
know it, that's the amazing thing. However, what happens behind the scenes in
the real world is often very different from the fantasies that the fans
create in their own minds about their favorite artists. Fans base these fantasies
on the images they are fed.
The point to all of this is that it's pretty hard to stay positive and take
it seriously when you figure out what a huge lie it is. After 9-11 I nearly
dissolved the band because I thought that what I do with my band is pretty
insignificant in the big picture, and it is. However, after months and months of
very heavy thought I realized that it doesn't really matter that the music
business is a big fucking lie because my songs are not, and my songs are the only
reason that I do this. I've said it before, I don't care about the rock star or
guitar hero bullshit, this thing called Iced Earth from the very beginning has
been a vehicle for my songs and that's it. If some fans have created another
"reality" about I.E. in their own minds, I can't help them with that, that's
the "illusion" that's getting them. Iced Earth is and always has been my band
and my vehicle to get my songs out, no matter the members that are involved.
It's entertaining to see and hear some of things people come up with when they
have absolutely no facts. Some people get it and some don't and that's ok
because in the end the only person that I need to please is me, and usually if I am
pleased then the majority of the fans will be as well. I have no need or
desire for Iced Earth to have fair weather fans. I realize that comments like this
make people think I must be a real prick, and maybe they're right, but I know
who I am and what I stand for and that scares some people.
I hope that this long and wordy post will help you all make sense of the
changes that are taking place.
Matt called me a few weeks before we started pre-production and said that he
wanted to quit the band and pursue a career doing administrative work for the
Department of Homeland Security. He feels that because he is not a songwriter
he'd have a more secure future and would be happier doing some good in the
real world rather than living the illusion of something as shallow as a "rock
star." I asked him to not do something he would live to regret, we have a new
label and I've written by far the strongest and most compelling material ever and
we basically have a new beginning. In hindsight I should not have pressured
him into staying but there was no way I could have predicted what would happen,
Matt had already quit in his heart, yet out of loyalty he was willing to give
it a shot. The recording of the vocals did not go smoothly. It was obvious to
Jim Morris (producer) and me that something was very wrong. However, we
pushed forward and Jim felt that we may have to change the way we mixed the vocals
but that we'd basically be ok. After tracking was done we proceeded with the
mix. I was becoming more and more disturbed with the way things were sounding
and by the time we started the mix on the 32 minute Gettysburg (1863) epic I
knew I had to make a serious decision. It was not a decision that I ever wanted
to make; I always expected Matt and I to jam together until we were grumpy old
men.
Here's the not so glorious burden of being the guy who makes tough decisions:
I decided to stop production and shelve the album until I find a new singer.
Matt's heart was not in it and it showed in his performance. I'm sure that's
hard for some of you to believe but it's simply a fact. There are a lot of
things you can do with today's technology to make a singer sound better but you
can't add feeling with a computer. And we all know from past recordings that Matt
has never had a problem delivering feeling, so it was obvious that it was
over and he just didn't have it in his heart to really feel the album.
The Glorious Burden is without a doubt the best album I have ever written. It
is the first time that I've written about such serious and important events.
It's also the first time that I've written about something as near and dear to
my heart as the history of our country. It probably sounds corny to some of
you but I've often used the American Revolution as inspiration to give me the
strength to carry on in this constant uphill battle. My love and passion for
the study of the Civil War is being translated to music for the first time in
the history of the band and that's what makes this album so special. I spent
countless hours creating what is most definitely my masterpiece as a songwriter.
This is not just another album about dark fantasy/sci-fi/horror material.
After Horror Show, which is a good record but the personal touch is missing on a
lot of it; I felt this would be the best way to bring that personal passion
back into the music in a new and fresh way.
So it really comes down to the fact that I still feel like I've got something
to say as a song writer, so I'm going to keep going. I would have rather
continued the way things were but I can't make someone want to do something, no
one can. This has been a very hard decision, and a costly one, but I would
rather not release an album at all than to have it haunt me for the rest of my life
because I knew it wasn't the way it should be. Also, I will carry on because
I can't see flushing nearly 20 years of hard work down the toilet because a
member has had a change of heart. I don't think real Iced Earth fans would want
that either.
I have spent some of the best times of my life with Matt. We have been able
to experience many things in our travels together and I hope he finds what he
seeks for his future, I truly wish him the best for his life.
And so another chapter in the struggle for Iced Earth and my love of metal
begins. I have to say I feel great and completely energized and am very
optimistic for our future. A strange thing considering the uncertainty that lies
ahead, but if you know me, you know I love a challenge.
The Glorious Burden will come out in all it's glory when I find the right guy
to redo the vocals. If it takes 2 months, 6 months, a year; whatever it takes
to do it right we will get it out the way it's meant to be. The true and
dedicated fans should not be concerned that this is the end; it most definitely is
not, before you know it the album will be out and it will be the best thing
you've heard from Iced Earth.
I hope most of you will understand the situation that I'm in and will be
confident that I will carry on in the same I.E. tradition as I always have;
quality, honesty and integrity...
Stay Metal!
Jon Schaffer
There you go.
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I remember those posts. I've always felt that Jon was publicly more than disengenuous. To say shit like Matt was singing without feeling..true or not. I don't remember Matt responding publicly and I've respected him for that.
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bands need to stop listeing to the record companys. the only person with rights to the songs is the bands and they can do whatever they want with it. if they wanna rerecord an album of there own material then they should do it. if a member goes solo and wants to preform a song from his previous band live on their solo tour they can
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listened to SWTWC today (my first listen to iced earth in like a year). i forgot how good this band is.
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You know what sucks? Ripper's my second favorite vocalist, but I can't stand his solo and Beyond Fear work, and find his stuff with Judas Priest to be meh. He only really shines in Iced Earth and most of his cover songs he's done including the live Roadrunner United covers. The man should just never write lyrics or vocal melodies. :-\ I think Barlow's gonna jump to second again.
I came to this conclusion after hearing two of his new solo songs on his myspace. I was hoping for an awesome solo record, but also dreading it due to my knowledge of his lyrical abilities. poogas.
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Zook, what do you think of the Pyramaze album with Barlow?
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So Greely denies it PERSONALLY but because somebody has ALLEGEDLY said he made some unspecified comments and the generic to cover all sins "stole money" we must think the worst about him and he suddenly becomes a "full blown racist". Summary justice and execution there perhaps?
Well, shit, I showed both and links sides. Am I allowed to come to my own conclusions, or what?
Erm yes. I didn't realise I'd tried to stop you.
If you read it, he doesn't comment specifically on the anti-Semitic part.
He said "it's a joke"
His denial of the money-stealing is also rather equivocal. On top of that is common sense- why would Jon make any of that up?
It's open to interpretation and anyway people can be bitter and exaggerate.
Jon is generally honest and to-the-point. He's had no problem dismissing Barlow and Ripper Owens without making up extravagant lies about them.
He dismissed Barlow? I thought he left of his own accord. Also Owens was dropped by *email* before Xmas because he committed the sin of having outside interests - just like Schaffer. I can understand JS looking after the band and music but to take his comments and turn them into something else like "full blown racist" is another.
Also, making up lies about another person and printing them is libel. I don't like Jon anymore than the next guy, and I think he runs Iced Earth in a very self-centered and narrow fashion, but I doubt he ever took tyrannic rule over the band to that level.
The fact is, Andy, that you are a complete n00b to the world of Iced Earth and this info about Greely is nothing new.
Not a complete Noob I've listened to them for several years now. My comment before was a nod to those who've liked them say since the late 1990s or before.
It's something that all the die-hard Iced Earth fans know and have generally accepted. If you'd like to investigate further and maybe even pull up this Schafer interview which everyone seems to know about, feel free to. Make sure to post what you find.
If I can dig deeper I certaily will. The problem I have with it this: there's going to be a dozen or more people reading this who might be interested in the band but are going to run a mile and never touch Iced Earth again with a barge pole at even a whiff of "racism" in the band past or present. So I think it does the band no favours to throw unsubstantiated remarks about past members around. Judas Priest's fromer drummer Dave Holland is in prison for abusing a boy, that's substantiated by press releases and the conviction etc. But that's justice done it seems. Calling Greely a racist does nobody any favour not least the band. In many of IE's songs theres a very, very important message aisde from amazing riffs, music etc and JS would say the same. These shouldn't be ignored by anybody in my view or at least as few people as possible.
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Zook, what do you think of the Pyramaze album with Barlow?
I think it's awesome and much better than The Crucible Of Man. What makes it more awesome is the Barlow wrote all of the vocal melodies. It's a shame we wont hear anymore albums with Matt on them, but he left an incredible makr in Pyramaze history. I was hoping we'd hear some live Bone Carver material with him but oh well.
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Zook, what do you think of the Pyramaze album with Barlow?
I think it's awesome and much better than The Crucible Of Man.
I agree.
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Hey Andy, I think Jon already has enough against him and his band for being so against organized religion.
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You mean you DON'T read while driving?? :lol
I do agree with you that the best way to judge a song is how it feels while driving. I understand that. But it's really more than just another song.
I listened to it dozens of times in the car. The time I enjoyed it least strangely was on the DVD even though the documentary I thought was worth watching.
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You mean you DON'T read while driving?? :lol
I do agree with you that the best way to judge a song is how it feels while driving. I understand that. But it's really more than just another song.
I listened to it dozens of times in the car. The time I enjoyed it least strangely was on the DVD even though the documentary I thought was worth watching.
I've actually stayed far away from the DVD!
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The documentary draws you in a bit if you just watch it and there's an interview with JS at the end. If you can get it at cut-price it's probably worth it.
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The documentary draws you in a bit if you just watch it and there's an interview with JS at the end. If you can get it at cut-price it's probably worth it.
Yeah, for whatever reason, I don't need Jon telling me about the battle. I've read enough books on it. I still need to get the Alive In Athens DVD first.
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Yeah the DVD pretty much sucks..... Both of them. The Gettysburg DVD offers a good interview with Schaffer in his fancy study, wearing his fancy robe, puffing his fancy pipe. Ok that last one wasn't true. If I wasn't such a collector, I'd probably trade in both Alive In Athens and Gettysburg.
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You're the first person I've heard say the AIA video sucks. Only bought it last year myseff. There's some oddities (e.g. Tarnowski being completely absent on one song and some overdubbing) but apart from that either as good or better than studio versions and a crazy crowd.
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Hey Andy, I think Jon already has enough against him and his band for being so against organized religion.
I bet, but he doesn't seem to be anti-religion itself. There was an interview in Metal Hammer with him saying what grinds him is people forcing it on other people.
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i bet its hard trying to explain iced earth to new comers. the singers changing and if they rerecord the ripper albums with barlow.
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You're the first person I've heard say the AIA video sucks. Only bought it last year myseff. There's some oddities (e.g. Tarnowski being completely absent on one song and some overdubbing) but apart from that either as good or better than studio versions and a crazy crowd.
All you're hearing is the audio from the CD, except very few moments when they slipped in footage from the other night that didn't make it to CD. I know there's plenty of speculation on whether this live album is truly live, but when watching Stormrider on the DVD, you can clearly see Jon is not talking to the crowd, and I highly doubt he did something as ridiculous as fake talking to the crowd in the post-production.
Hey Andy, I think Jon already has enough against him and his band for being so against organized religion.
I bet, but he doesn't seem to be anti-religion itself. There was an interview in Metal Hammer with him saying what grinds him is people forcing it on other people.
Well yeah, he has a personal relationship with god, but other than that he wont have any of that religious garble.
I think he kind of points this out in Brainwashed when he says, "Christ, it's nothing personal, you gotta see, they twist and turn your words, for their own need". Of course, he could also be talking about those lovely bunch of people who you want to open the door naked to.
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Top 10 IE songs:
Coming Curse
Creator Failure
Order of the Rose
The Domino Decree
Sacrificial Kingdoms
Retribution Through The Ages
Come What May
Dante's Inferno (duh)
Dracula (duh, also)
Transylvania
I really enjoyed the experimental side of Framing Armageddon, I hope he does that for the next album, he didn't do it for this one.
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I dunno, Andy. I think you're getting my point confused. I'm just showing you what a lot of people know and already accept as truth. I'm not making the accusation. As I think I did a good job showing, this is something that's kinda "common knowledge." Also, if you're gonna play the whole "talking bad about the band will discourage future fans" card, try not to jab Schaffer so many times. I do admit that I may have dismissed Greely a bit too soon as a vocalist- I've been getting him confused with the first guy for ages now.
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Yeah the DVD pretty much sucks..... Both of them. The Gettysburg DVD offers a good interview with Schaffer in his fancy study, wearing his fancy robe, puffing his fancy pipe. Ok that last one wasn't true. If I wasn't such a collector, I'd probably trade in both Alive In Athens and Gettysburg.
Alive in Athens might've been the best $20 I've ever spent. Was in a store, saw this DVD, thought "Hmmm, 28 songs for $19.99? DONE!" Up till then, I had heard 2 or 3 Iced Earth songs, so when I got AiA I was absolutely floored. It's got poor production sure, but everything else is so awesome it makes up for it.
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Yeah the DVD pretty much sucks..... Both of them. The Gettysburg DVD offers a good interview with Schaffer in his fancy study, wearing his fancy robe, puffing his fancy pipe. Ok that last one wasn't true. If I wasn't such a collector, I'd probably trade in both Alive In Athens and Gettysburg.
Alive in Athens might've been the best $20 I've ever spent. Was in a store, saw this DVD, thought "Hmmm, 28 songs for $19.99? DONE!" Up till then, I had heard 2 or 3 Iced Earth songs, so when I got AiA I was absolutely floored. It's got poor production sure, but everything else is so awesome it makes up for it.
Why? I thought it was just a bunched of random live footage overdubbed with the original AiA concert.
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Yeah the DVD pretty much sucks..... Both of them. The Gettysburg DVD offers a good interview with Schaffer in his fancy study, wearing his fancy robe, puffing his fancy pipe. Ok that last one wasn't true. If I wasn't such a collector, I'd probably trade in both Alive In Athens and Gettysburg.
Alive in Athens might've been the best $20 I've ever spent. Was in a store, saw this DVD, thought "Hmmm, 28 songs for $19.99? DONE!" Up till then, I had heard 2 or 3 Iced Earth songs, so when I got AiA I was absolutely floored. It's got poor production sure, but everything else is so awesome it makes up for it.
It's the actual songs, but there's obviously a fair amount of overdubbing on Tarnowksi (he was like 20 at the time they did it though, wasn't he?). A little over the crowd as well. But it's far from "random" live footage.
Why? I thought it was just a bunched of random live footage overdubbed with the original AiA concert.
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Yeah the DVD pretty much sucks..... Both of them. The Gettysburg DVD offers a good interview with Schaffer in his fancy study, wearing his fancy robe, puffing his fancy pipe. Ok that last one wasn't true. If I wasn't such a collector, I'd probably trade in both Alive In Athens and Gettysburg.
Alive in Athens might've been the best $20 I've ever spent. Was in a store, saw this DVD, thought "Hmmm, 28 songs for $19.99? DONE!" Up till then, I had heard 2 or 3 Iced Earth songs, so when I got AiA I was absolutely floored. It's got poor production sure, but everything else is so awesome it makes up for it.
It's the actual songs, but there's obviously a fair amount of overdubbing on Tarnowksi (he was like 20 at the time they did it though, wasn't he?). A little over the crowd as well. But it's far from "random" live footage.
Why? I thought it was just a bunched of random live footage overdubbed with the original AiA concert.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good CD. But I just can't help but feel weird since you almost never get to see Barlow actually pronouncing the words. There always seems to be hair or his arm or something in the way. Or he's just really far away.
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If you're claiming that Barlow was largely overdubbed, I'd be curious to see if it was the case... there's no existing bootlegs of those two shows. However, I've heard other bootlegs from SWTWC tour and others, and he really is a monster live. I wouldn't be surprised if the cd had little to no overdubbing of him. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if Schaffer redid all his vocals as well. Especially considering how big a fan of KISS Schaffer is. ;D
As for seeing Barlow pronounce notes, there is a fair amount of interference from his hair. But at least on the next DVD there won't be that problem!
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If you're claiming that Barlow was largely overdubbed, I'd be curious to see if it was the case... there's no existing bootlegs of those two shows. However, I've heard other bootlegs from SWTWC tour and others, and he really is a monster live. I wouldn't be surprised if the cd had little to no overdubbing of him. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if Schaffer redid all his vocals as well. Especially considering how big a fan of KISS Schaffer is. ;D
As for seeing Barlow pronounce notes, there is a fair amount of interference from his hair. But at least on the next DVD there won't be that problem!
I'm not saying he was largely overdubbed... but from what I understand they AiA (album) is made up from a series of shows in Athens, and the DVD is footage from either only one of the shows of a different show altogether.
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I beleive there's quite a few "fixes" on Alive In Athens.
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I'm sure, but there are still quite a few mistakes from Barlow and Larry that Schaffer could have touched up in the studio but didn't.
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The AiA CD is indeed made up of different shows, but only 2 or 3 at most. The video is of only one show and overdubbed with the CD. However, if the CD isn't overdubbed, then what you're hearing is real, it's just not always the same thing that you're seeing.
I'm sure there's a reason Scheaffer told fans not to buy it.
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He told the fans not to buy it cause it looks like crap and not up to Iced Earth standards. Hopefully he's not hiding some evil post production secret like, A Question Of Heaven was entirely overdubbed, and that's why it's absent from the DVD. :sadpanda:
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Holy crap you guys.
Alive in Athens was recorded over two nights. It is NOT one concert on the DVD. Century Media just took the audio from the cd's and added it to the video footage. Sometimes, they used a song performed from night 1 and used the video from night 2 - which is why it doesn't match up, and you can hear Matt or Jon's vocals but they're nowhere near a microphone.
Here's Jon's statement regarding the DVD. https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=58836
ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer has sent the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding the upcoming release of the band's "Alive in Athens" DVD via their former record label, Century Media Records:
"I've been asked recently about the release of the 'Alive in Athens' DVD and I want my position on this to be very clear to all of the ICED EARTH fans out there. In my opinion, this is purely a money grab on behalf of Century Media Records. The reason that it was never released before is because the footage is substandard. This was only a three-camera shoot that was done for a German music television channel called Viva. I hosted the show as a guest VJ and played videos from different bands as well as a few tunes from the 'Alive in Athens' concert.
"About a year ago, Century Media contacted me and asked if I'd like to be involved in doing this. I said that I did not think it was a good idea based on my memory of the footage, but to go ahead and send me some of the camera angles on DVD so I could think about it. After viewing the footage I felt that it would be extremely difficult to make a release that would live up to the standards that we have set for ICED EARTH over the years. So I turned the project down.
"Several weeks ago, I learned that they were determined to release this DVD anyway. When I found this out I asked to see the edit and they obliged. After viewing it and seeing how weak it is I asked if they would be willing to fly me over and rework some of the edits. The answer was no, they did not think it could be done better. That translates into, 'We don't want to spend the money to make it the best it can be.'
"So here's the deal: I want you all to be aware of what it is that they are releasing. This is a very low-budget, badly edited video of an amazing concert and an awesome period in the history of ICED EARTH. They promised me that they are going to keep the price down and that they are not going to market it as something it's not. But I feel it's my responsibility to let you know the reality of the situation.
"I've often regretted that there was never a high-quality filming of the band during that period but it was something that we could never persuade the label to do. And it's not cheap if you do it right.
"ICED EARTH will be filming a real DVD on the next world tour. This will be what the fans have been waiting for. It will consist of a 16-camera crew with cranes and a real stage show and all of the things necessary to finally bring to the fans a state-of-the-art DVD that will really give you the feeling of being at an ICED EARTH show.
"The decision to purchase the 'Alive in Athens' DVD is up to you. I just want you to be aware of what it is you're getting should you choose to do so.
"I don't want to make it sound like it's some horrible bootleg, because it's not — it's just not up to the standards that you've come to expect from us."
For a fun read, here's a tour report from Neil Gregie, their former webmaster that made the trip to Greece with the band: https://www.gregie.com/neil/words/1999/01/
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I pretty much love Iced Earth. Especially their albums 'Burnt Offerings' and 'The Glorious Burden'. I find them both progressive.
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I pretty much love Iced Earth. Especially their albums 'Burnt Offerings' and 'The Glorious Burden'. I find them both progressive.
Agreed, what about Stormrider or the song Travel in Stygian?
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Whats a good album to start with? I tried listening to the glorious burden, but I hate the subject of the album and I wanted to turn it off as soon as it started with the star spangled banner.
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I pretty much love Iced Earth. Especially their albums 'Burnt Offerings' and 'The Glorious Burden'. I find them both progressive.
Agreed, what about Stormrider or the song Travel in Stygian?
It's a good thrash song. Barlow does a good job of it live. I heard the original a few times, nothing stuck in my memory.
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Bunt Offerings is they're best album.
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Bunt Offerings is they're best album.
We finally agree.
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I've only listened to the Days in Purgatory versions of Burnt Offerings. Are they better? Worse?
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Only album that I ever listened to frequently was Something Wicked This Way Comes. Though I also have Framing Armageddon, The Crucible of Man, Alive In Athens, and I think Horror Show. SWTWC is amazing though. I always thought 1776 would be a great song to cover.
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I love Reaping Stone. Very underrated, especially the "Queensryche" part. :metal
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I've only listened to the Days in Purgatory versions of Burnt Offerings. Are they better? Worse?
Their later work is very different. If you liked the vocalist that was on that, check out Something Wicked This Way Comes, if you want to try a new vocalist, try Framing Armageddon.
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I've only listened to the Days in Purgatory versions of Burnt Offerings. Are they better? Worse?
Their later work is very different. If you liked the vocalist that was on that, check out Something Wicked This Way Comes, if you want to try a new vocalist, try Framing Armageddon.
I mean the remix compared to the originals- I've heard most of I.E.'s stuff.
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D:
Thanks for misleading me.
I like the original versions over the days in purgatory.
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Whats a good album to start with? I tried listening to the glorious burden, but I hate the subject of the album and I wanted to turn it off as soon as it started with the star spangled banner.
Alive in Athens.
They sound much better live, and it's 3 cd's (if you get the special edition) packed with their best music!
(It's worth it just because of the live version of Dante's inferno and A question of heaven) :metal
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Whats a good album to start with? I tried listening to the glorious burden, but I hate the subject of the album and I wanted to turn it off as soon as it started with the star spangled banner.
Alive in Athens.
They sound much better live, and it's 3 cd's (if you get the special edition) packed with their best music!
(It's worth it just because of the live version of Dante's inferno and A question of heaven) :metal
This X1000000
I actually prefer anything off of Alive in Athens to most of their studio material. Barlow's vocals on that live album are just so fuckin brutal yet incredible.
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Thanks! I'll check it out.
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Has any other metal band ever even attempted something like Gettysburg?
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Has any other metal band ever even attempted something like Gettysburg?
Off hand, symphony X.
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Whats a good album to start with? I tried listening to the glorious burden, but I hate the subject of the album and I wanted to turn it off as soon as it started with the star spangled banner.
Alive in Athens.
They sound much better live, and it's 3 cd's (if you get the special edition) packed with their best music!
(It's worth it just because of the live version of Dante's inferno and A question of heaven) :metal
This X1000000
I actually prefer anything off of Alive in Athens to most of their studio material. Barlow's vocals on that live album are just so fuckin brutal yet incredible.
Currently watching it. It's simply awesome. It sound so heavy it's unbelievable.
Barlow's hair kicks ass. Everyone in the croud is part of the show. And the sound quality is great.
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The Alive in Athens dvd was one of the bigger disappointments i've had with concert dvds. I was far more expecting something better than just a visual with the cd tracks layered over it. At times, neither the audio or visual match, in both of tracking and them simply playing.
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Listened to The Crucibal of Man again today after a long time. I just really disliked this album the first few times I heard it. Few good moments, but over all REALLY bland, and I thought Come What May was horrible and overrated.
Then something clicked today, or yesterday (forgot). The first few songs are great, then they got a little stale, but then better. Come What May is now my favorite song, for a while. It won't be soon enough I'm sure, but for now...DAMN!
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It is a good song I reckon with the "must evolve" message.
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A friend and I have been arguing over which album is better, Framing Armageddon or The Crucible of Man. What do all of you think?
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A friend and I have been arguing over which album is better, Framing Armageddon or The Crucible of Man. What do all of you think?
Framing Armageddon. No question. Crucible is good, and has some great songs, but FA is just great.
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Definitely Framing Armageddon. Ripper sounds incredible and the music is great too.
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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.
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Something Wicked definitely contains Iced Earth's best sound. The bass is very audible and full sounding, and it's just all around great. Horrow Show would sound better if it had the bass sound of Something Wicked.
As for you thinking Burnt Offerings is terrible: Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?
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Maybe I'll have to go back to check out BO. The vocals in the first song are pretty lame. I'll pull it out over the next week or so...
It's been ages since I heard it, but I just never liked it..
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Maybe you have the original version which sounds the worst out of the original 3 and needed the most work done to it.
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Yeah, remastered BO sounds awesome. Well maybe not awesome, but good.
And yeah, Framing Armageddon for sure. CoM's songwriting is just so tepid.
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Burnt Offerings was definitely a beast for me to get into. I still don't like most songs on it.
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Barlow by far.
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Definitely Framing Armageddon. Ripper sounds incredible and the music is great too.
I thought Ripper was very good too.
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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.
If you already think Iced Earth, then I'd just give up. I like 'em, but their music really doesn't really have a long shelf life.
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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?
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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.
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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.
You may now take a breathe :hat
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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.
No, that's a fact. The original sounds very terrible. Especially the drums.
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You may now take a breathe :hat
:lol
yeah..Thanks!
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Personally, I think the rotating door policy of Iced Earth has really harmed it since the Dark Saga, because ever since Randall Shawvyer left there has not been another member who has contributed significantly to songwriting like him or Dave Abell did. They were a major part of Iced Earth's sound, and I think some of the songwriting has been lacking depth (and speed) since then.
Also, the whole vocalist switches left us with an album with Ripper performing Barlow's lines (Glorious Burden) and an album of Barlow performing Ripper's lines (Crucible of Man), limiting what could be done with both.
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Also, the whole vocalist switches left us with an album with Ripper performing Barlow's lines (Glorious Burden) and an album of Barlow performing Ripper's lines (Crucible of Man), limiting what could be done with both.
Wrong, all of them are Jon Schaffer's lines. He writes the vocal melodies the same way, regardless of who is singing. He has stated numerous times in interviews that he does not write songs for specific singers' voices.
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Personally, I think the rotating door policy of Iced Earth has really harmed it since the Dark Saga, because ever since Randall Shawvyer left there has not been another member who has contributed significantly to songwriting like him or Dave Abell did. They were a major part of Iced Earth's sound, and I think some of the songwriting has been lacking depth (and speed) since then.
Also, the whole vocalist switches left us with an album with Ripper performing Barlow's lines (Glorious Burden) and an album of Barlow performing Ripper's lines (Crucible of Man), limiting what could be done with both.
Schaffer has said that he doesn't write music around the vocals, and even though he said he hears Ripper's voice when writing lyrics, in an interview I heard several months back, it sounded like he took offense to a question regarding Matt singing "Tim's Songs". Schaffer said something like, "they're not Tim's or Matt's songs, they're my songs."
But it appears that rat bastard Grappler already beat me to the punch.
Ya rat bastard! :-*
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I'll say something controversial, the only problem I have with Barlow is he gets into that growl sometimes and doesn't really add anything to the song e.g. Stand alone.
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AndyDT saying something controversial? Nah.. never! ;D
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I'll say something controversial, the only problem I have with Barlow is he gets into that growl sometimes and doesn't really add anything to the song e.g. Stand alone.
I think that's one of his strengths.
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I haven't liked any of their albums proceeding and including The Glorious Burden, but all their others are masterful. One of my top 5 bands. My IE top 10:
1. Travel In Stygian
2. When the Night Falls
3. Dracula
4. Burnt Offerings
5. Consequences
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I haven't liked any of their albums proceeding and including The Glorious Burden, but all their others are masterful. One of my top 5 bands. My IE top 10:
1. Travel In Stygian
2. When the Night Falls
3. Dracula
4. Burnt Offerings
5. Consequences
I know opinions on music are subjective and all, but I believe your top 10 is... lacking.
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I haven't liked any of their albums proceeding and including The Glorious Burden, but all their others are masterful. One of my top 5 bands. My IE top 10:
1. Travel In Stygian
2. When the Night Falls
3. Dracula
4. Burnt Offerings
5. Consequences
That's a nifty set of 10 songs you got there, sir.
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Has anybody heard "Enter the Realm"?
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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.
This actually sums up my thoughts on Iced Earth album 100% :tup
I've tried to get on the inside of this band multiple times, but they have a way of making me just not want to care anymore. Anyway, I like Blind Guardian and Demons and Wizards much better.
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I haven't liked any of their albums proceeding and including The Glorious Burden, but all their others are masterful. One of my top 5 bands. My IE top 10:
1. Travel In Stygian
2. When the Night Falls
3. Dracula
4. Burnt Offerings
5. Consequences
I know opinions on music are subjective and all, but I believe your top 10 is... lacking.
Lol, yeah. I decided to change it to simply a top 5, but apparently forgot to change the text accordingly...
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I am the one
I am the one
The godlike Terror Train
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What annoys me about Maiden is they'll never downtune and for the entire 1990s didn't seem to even try a heavier kind of production or guitar effect or something. One possible exception is "Brighter than a Thousand Sons". Iced Earth is a ton heavier not just because of the faster gallop that everbody talks about but *because* of the production.
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What annoys me about Maiden is they'll never downtune and for the entire 1990s didn't seem to even try a heavier kind of production or guitar effect or something. One possible exception is "Brighter than a Thousand Sons". Iced Earth is a ton heavier not just because of the faster gallop that everbody talks about but *because* of the production.
I concur about the 90's Maiden production values. Very lacking indeed. But please don't turn this into an Iced Earth vs Iron Maiden thread. Brighter Than 1000 Suns was a 2006 release, and everything they've done in the 00's has been pretty well put together.
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What annoys me about Maiden is they'll never downtune and for the entire 1990s didn't seem to even try a heavier kind of production or guitar effect or something. One possible exception is "Brighter than a Thousand Sons". Iced Earth is a ton heavier not just because of the faster gallop that everbody talks about but *because* of the production.
I concur about the 90's Maiden production values. Very lacking indeed. But please don't turn this into an Iced Earth vs Iron Maiden thread. Brighter Than 1000 Suns was a 2006 release, and everything they've done in the 00's has been pretty well put together.
That could be a very interesting discussion provided it was just comparisons and not rubbishing the other band.
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That could be a very interesting discussion provided it was just comparisons and not rubbishing the other band.
One that hopefully starts with "There would be no Iced Earth without an Iron Maiden" first.
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Well, here's where I get controversial. I think Iced Earth is decent, but the only album of theirs that I consider to be good, and that I still listen to on a regular basis, is the self-titled. So, for the poll, I voted (seriously) for the comedy option.
I don't know what my issue is with the other albums is...but they just don't click with me. The Glorious Burden is okay, but it's not something I feel like listening to very much. Most of the other albums are, like I said, decent, but they just don't stick out to me.
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Top 5 bands for me right here...My love for them is = to Dream Theater...Love every album
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I wish Schaffer would get on with this new video. In the entire history of the band there's been one live video and even that wasn't sanctioned by Schaffer.
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I picked up The Dark Saga and Night of The Stormrider recently. Both good albums, but man, Barlow is awesome on Saga.
-
Both good albums, but man, Barlow is awesome on everything.
Totally.
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Global Warming.
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Found this interview of Schaffer explaining the story behind the Something Wicked saga. Pretty interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh6SuDdiK5Y&feature=related
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I've been hearing about a box set that is supposed to have Framing Armageddon re-recorded with Barlow doing vocals so he's on both Framing and Crucible. Has anyone else heard about this/have and updates on it?
-
As of now, the box set has been scrapped because label SPV went bankrupt.
-
Damn that's a shame. As much as it would have sucked for Owens to have a bunch of his work done over I think it would have been really interesting to see what Framing Armageddon would sound like with Barlow.
-
Yeah, I was kind of worried though, cause songs like The Domino Decree and Framing Armageddon could be butchered by Barlow. I wasn't all that impressed with the songs he did re-record, but I think that was just a quick throw together for the EP, and I was hoping they'd record it over again. Barlow is my favorite singer with Iced Earth, and he's fully capable of hitting some really high notes, but I still recognise his limitations. Ripper can definitely hit higher notes than him.
Hopefully the big news Schaffer has been hinting at is that he's still going to release the box set.
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It could be the box set. I think it would be weird for him to be hinting at something that has already been announced and then canceled though. I don't have any better guess at what it might be though. :-\
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Well, he already mentioned new Demons & Wizards in 2010, Freddie mentioned the new Iced Earth album being started late this year, Jon already talked about the Festivals of The Wicked DVD so that can't be it. Maybe he's starting his own record label so he can release whatever the fuck he wants. That'd be cool.
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Off-topic = Dante's Inferno must be one of the best epics performed by any metal band.
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Off-topic = Dante's Inferno must be one of the best epics performed by any metal band.
You are correct, sir. I can't wait for the day Schaffer finally makes a newer version with a real orchestra. It won't beat the original, but it'll be epic as fuck.
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So a friend and I have an idea for next time Iced Earth comes to Portland. There's a 'Barlow street' near by and we think it would be really great is we took the sign and got Matt Barlow to sign it. We just don't know how he would react since he is a cop. Also that would mean we have to steal a street sign, which is bad.
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So a friend and I have an idea for next time Iced Earth comes to Portland. There's a 'Barlow street' near by and we think it would be really great is we took the sign and got Matt Barlow to sign it. We just don't know how he would react since he is a cop. Also that would mean we have to steal a street sign, which is bad.
Steal the street sign, but replace it with a piece of cardboard that says "Barlow street" on it. Problem solved.
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Update from Jon about future updates:
News from Jon!
2009-09-17 11:25:49
Hello Minions!
Well here we are, several months after an amazing vacation on the island of Roatan, Honduras, and I’ve been back to work on many things Iced Earth related and otherwise.
First off, we will be headlining the Hammerfest in the UK in March of 2010. We are very much looking forward to coming back to the UK!!
More about this at:
https://www.hammerfest.co.uk/
https://www.hammerfest.co.uk/tickets
As for what I’ve been up to since the vacation, well it’s been a very busy and intense time. Management and myself have been plotting and planning the future of the band concerning record labels, the DVD and the next IE studio album. I’ve also been writing and working on a new project that I will be making announcements about very soon. All this always takes longer than any of us want, but it’s usually worth the wait. From your perspective things may have seemed to be very idle lately, but trust me, they have not been. Management and I are working very hard behind the scenes to bring some exciting and inspiring news to you. Announcements will be made as soon as possible, but the main reason for this update is to let you know that we are starting to confirm a few shows and we’re very excited about that!
Again, I will be making an announcement very soon that will have much more detail about the future of IE and other things in the works, we just need to make sure everything is set in stone.
As always, thanks for your continued loyalty and support!
Rise up Minions!
Take care,
Jon
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Can't wait to find out what he's been working on. Glad to finally get an update though. Things have been pretty quiet lately.
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Some South American dates for 2010 have been announced. Lets home some North American dates are to follow!
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Some Jon Schaffer news:
Hello friends,
For the last several months I have been working on a new project/solo album called Sons of Liberty. I am excited to unveil this and talk about the motivations behind it this Friday on the Alex Jones show.
I will be in the studio with Alex on Friday December 18th at 2pm CST. The show is broadcast from 11am to 3pm CST to over 80 stations nation wide.
To find a station near you, go to GCN Live or stream it LIVE for free from Infowars.
Just click on Infowars and you will be able to follow the broadcast.
Prison Planet members can watch the interview from PrisonPlanet.TV
On a newly created website that will go live Friday, December 18th, you will be able to download and listen to this new album for free. You will also be able to purchase a high-resolution version. The web address is www.sons-of-liberty.net
My desire is for Sons of Liberty to become part of a much larger movement that is happening around the world. This new website will be a think-tank containing lots of interesting web-links, book and movie recommendations, and much more. This will be an ongoing process, so check back often.
I am very proud to be invited to Alex Jones’ show and I feel this is the perfect place for me to reveal the first Sons of Liberty album entitled “Brush-fires of the Mind.”
This is about the message and not the messenger. This is a project that I encourage you to copy and share with your friends.
I care very much about what is happening in our world, we’ve been steamrolling down this road for a long time, so I assure you this is not a politically biased message. I’m hoping to set a few brush-fires in the minds of the listeners with this one. So please, check it out, do the research and get involved!
Looking forward to getting your responses on this new chapter in my life!
All the best,
Jon Schaffer
Interesting. Clearly Jon is doing this because Matt can't tour as much as he'd like. I'm sure Jon will be doing the vocals as he did label it a solo project. I just hope we don't hear too many rehashed Iced Earth/Demons & Wizards riffage. I'd like to hear this.
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Off-topic = Dante's Inferno must be one of the best epics performed by any metal band.
You are correct, sir. I can't wait for the day Schaffer finally makes a newer version with a real orchestra. It won't beat the original, but it'll be epic as fuck.
WANT :metal
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And the verdict for Sons Of Liberty is......... :facepalm:
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And the verdict for Sons Of Liberty is......... :facepalm:
This. I don't get the point for the site at all.
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Yeah, I'm not too crazy about it. I knew what to expect. I figured it would be a ham-handed right wing thing and, well, it kinda is.
Not the greatest quality either (obviously home studio stuff). Musically it's not driving enough for me to look past the pseudo-political mumbo jumbo. But, that being said, I don't hate it or anthing. His Ace Frehley solos are cute :lol
This is my introduction to the thread, so I'll share a bit. Outside of the "classic", immovable metal bands, Iced Earth were by far, hands down, my favorite band on the planet. Tim Owens is my vocal hero and Schaffer my favorite rhythm player, so I was looking forward to a long and fruitful collaboration. I was disappointed to see it end as quick as it did. Don't get me wrong, I love Matt and will continue to listen to band, but the fairly shitty way of sacking Tim left such a bad taste in my mouth that it permanently soured the name "Iced Earth" for me and they'll never have that same place that they did in my heart.
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I'm confused, what the hell is this music? That is barlow, right? Is this not iced earth? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!
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No, it's Schaffer singing.
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The whole thing is Schaffer?
Really? wow.
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I can't take a musical project seriously if Zeitgeist the Movie and Glenn Beck's "Common Sense" is "required reading" on the sidebar.
Glad I bailed from Schaffer related projects long ago.
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I hope he puts all his alex jones crap into this project. I'd hate it if Iced Earth turned into a libertarian propoganda machine.
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Well Iced Earth has been all about Schaffer fapping since TGB so we'll see.
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Well Iced Earth has been all about Schaffer fapping since TGB so we'll see.
Huh? How has the Wicked cd's been about that?
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Some Jon Schaffer news:
Hello friends,
For the last several months I have been working on a new project/solo album called Sons of Liberty. I am excited to unveil this and talk about the motivations behind it this Friday on the Alex Jones show.
I will be in the studio with Alex on Friday December 18th at 2pm CST. The show is broadcast from 11am to 3pm CST to over 80 stations nation wide.
To find a station near you, go to GCN Live or stream it LIVE for free from Infowars.
Just click on Infowars and you will be able to follow the broadcast.
Prison Planet members can watch the interview from PrisonPlanet.TV
On a newly created website that will go live Friday, December 18th, you will be able to download and listen to this new album for free. You will also be able to purchase a high-resolution version. The web address is www.sons-of-liberty.net
My desire is for Sons of Liberty to become part of a much larger movement that is happening around the world. This new website will be a think-tank containing lots of interesting web-links, book and movie recommendations, and much more. This will be an ongoing process, so check back often.
I am very proud to be invited to Alex Jones? show and I feel this is the perfect place for me to reveal the first Sons of Liberty album entitled ?Brush-fires of the Mind.?
This is about the message and not the messenger. This is a project that I encourage you to copy and share with your friends.
I care very much about what is happening in our world, we?ve been steamrolling down this road for a long time, so I assure you this is not a politically biased message. I?m hoping to set a few brush-fires in the minds of the listeners with this one. So please, check it out, do the research and get involved!
Looking forward to getting your responses on this new chapter in my life!
All the best,
Jon Schaffer
Interesting. Clearly Jon is doing this because Matt can't tour as much as he'd like. I'm sure Jon will be doing the vocals as he did label it a solo project. I just hope we don't hear too many rehashed Iced Earth/Demons & Wizards riffage. I'd like to hear this.
This is awesome. Schaffer has certainly done his reading.
Who else is playing on this?
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I think Schaffer isn't a complete idiot and doing this was a way for him to keep IE pure. He was hinting towards it with Glorious Burden, but he did an about face and got back on the right track with the Wicked concept albums.
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Good point, I'd personally prefer him to be more subtle like on TGB than this with Iced Earth songs. That said I don't mind him doing different things with IE, it's about being different to trends and vanity not being the same as what people expect of IE.
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Yeah but IE should stick to dark, super-epic fiction story-telling.
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IE should stick to you, good lyrics. Not crappy anarchistic conspiracy theories. This album makes the lyrics to "Endgame" look like a reasoned critique in comparison.
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I saw some of you talking about Sons Of Liberty... and I, for one, LOVE it (so far atleast).
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Well, being a huge Iced Earth fan, I couldn't even make it through the first song. There was just nothing to it. The second song was a snooze fest. I'm not a fan of political lyrics at all, but I was atleast expecting the music to be good. I know Schaffer can do better than this.
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I usually don't mind political lyrics in music as long as they don't come off as preachy. It's bad enough the whole website is trying to cram Schaffer's political views down my throat but the whole album is trying to do that as well.
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I wouldn't be that concerned even if it was just political. Instead, he's peddling misinformation.
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Ok, I've sampled more songs, and it still sucks. I always thought it would be cool to hear Jon sing lead vocals for an Iced Earth song (non thrashy Stormrider style) but now that I know what he sounds like, I hope he sticks to backing vocals.
And what's the deal with the bass? It's never that well sounding and prominant in Iced Earth. WTF Jon?
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I think Jon needs to take a break for a while and regain his inspiration. Burnt Offerings, Dark Saga, Something Wicked, and Horror Show are some of my favorite albums of all time, but I feel like Schaffer has lost that edge over the past few years, and Sons of Liberty is no exception.
Additionally, I've always hated political music. Music has always been a way for me to escape from shit like politics, so I've never enjoyed politically driven albums. I'm a conservative, and the political shit in this album still way too prevalent for me to be able to enjoy the music. (not saying I agree with everything Schaffer believes, but I'm not on the other side of the spectrum as some people are)
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Just as I entered this thread Reaping Stone came on. :metal
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I really hope next time Iced Earth does some touring they don't waste set time with anything from Sons of Liberty. I would be a :sadpanda:.
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I doubt they would. Jon never performs anything but IE material on tour. He's very strict with that sort of stuff.
Maybe he'd do a separate tour for it, but I doubt it. I'd think this would remain just a studio type thing.
Say what you will about Ripper, but the fact is the guy had his priorities set. Anytime IE needed him, he'd be there.
Schaffer wanted a guy who isn't going to do anything else musically, but when you live exclusively off of touring, which
Tim does, it's not always going to pay the bills, especially when they do maybe one tour a year. As you can see, Tim is having
to tour under 4 or 5 different bands to make enough to support his family.
Now we're stuck with a very inactive band as Matt's priority is being a police officer, which is fine, I have no issue with that.
But I'm sure it won't be long before Jon realizes that going with Matt is going to cost him even more because of the inability
to live off of the road. To me, IE is no longer an active beast to anticipate. It's sadly a band with such potential that will never
quite reach the apex it should've. They're gonna remain a cult band, which is a shame. I felt they had the potential to break
a little bigger then that.
For a good 5 year stretch, IE were my favorite American band. They've fallen by the way side due to some shoddy business decisions
and just general bad choices on the part of Jon. I guess I'll always love'em deep down, but I can't lie. My genuine enthusiasm plummeted many moons ago and continues to wane.
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You summed it up very well, Myke.
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I've been listening to The Clouding lately and I love this song. The first part remonds me of very early Rainbow (1st album era), especially in the chorus, and it breaks out into a wicked Black Sabbath section around 5:35. I'm having trouble placing that Sabbath riff though...
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Haha yeah that is Tim's best Dio impersination ;D
I love that song, and more specifically the entire album. I felt part 2 was a bit of a let down (besides not having Tim's vocals)
in that part 1 was a great set up and the part 2 just didn't really resolve everything as nicely as I had hoped...although it still is a
decent album.
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Haha yeah that is Tim's best Dio impersination ;D
Actually his best Dio impersonation is Declaration Day! IMO..
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Ripper fit this band the best. barlow almost has a whine the his voice. I thought the ripper vocals were fantastic!
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Ripper fit this band the best. barlow almost has a whine the his voice. I thought the ripper vocals were fantastic!
Switch the two names around and this is correct!
I do like both of them but Barlow is the best singer for them.
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It's an eternal debate that never ends. I'm in the minority. The tone of Tim's voice with Jon' riffing is magic. It can never be duplicated with any other two musicians.
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Barlow is one of my favorite vocalists. Maybe even my favorite. So for me it's Barlow 100%. IE without him doesn't feel like IE
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I'd love to hear Owens make an album with Tony Iommi.
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I'd love to hear Owens make an album with Tony Iommi.
You never know. We'll see what happens when Yngwie kicks him out after the second album.
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I'd love to hear Owens make an album with Tony Iommi.
You never know. We'll see what happens when Yngwie kicks him out after the second album.
True...
Perpetual Flame is an awesome album though..
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I'd love to hear Owens make an album with Tony Iommi.
You never know. We'll see what happens when Yngwie kicks him out after the second album.
True...
Perpetual Flame is an awesome album though..
I tried to listen to it but Ripper is mixed so low and sounds so thin it's unbearable.
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I'll bet had Yngwie left Roy Z alone and let him mix it by himself, it would've sounded better. In fact he should've let him produce it, too.
I'd like to clarify that I myself do love Barlow's vocals. His contributions with IE plus the Pyramaze album he did are all classics.
But the Owens/Schaffer combo just fit better to me. I might even go as far as to say that the Demons & Wizards sound "clicks"
in my brain a bit more then IE with Matt...But musically, in regards to impact, those records have always had more weight and
importance to me.
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If I had the extra money, would this be worth it? This is definitely rare, but no one has bought this and it's always on, so I wonder if the guy is asking way too much. I always miss out on the CD version when someone finally puts it up. This is the only version of Night of The Stormrider I don't have, not counting the European album cover variants.
https://cgi.ebay.com/ICED-EARTH-NIGHT-OF-THE-STORMRIDER-LP-1991-HELLOWEEN_W0QQitemZ350279428150QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item518e47e836#ht_500wt_975
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Hello chaps. Is anyone interested in an Iced Earth Survivor?
Anyone?
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Like i said in the chat thread, I am. I just need to refresh my memory.
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I'm not too familiar with their first album, and only slightly familiar with their second. But after that I'm in.
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Me neither. I'm gonna try and listen to each a couple times before it starts though.
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I'll give you both a heads up. Their first singer, Gene Adam is terrible but the music is really good. Night Of The Stormrider is my favorite IE album so I recommend it to everyone. John Greely isn't a bad vocalist either.
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I'm not a real huge fan of either singer. That's why I'm so unfamiliar wih the albums.
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Hello chaps. Is anyone interested in an Iced Earth Survivor?
Anyone?
I'd only be able to participate in two albums, but yeah I'd follow it (just not vote).
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ICED EARTH SURVIVOR IS ONLINE! GO VOTE! NOW! PLEASE!
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Stormrider is definitely their masterpiece. Love every song on that album.
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It's okay.
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?????
to me it has Jon's best song-writing skills. His structures have gotten boring but early on, he was taking some cool twists.
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I'd have to agree that Stormrider is the quintessential IE album
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I'll continue the Iced Earth survivor as soon as I can. Should I even continue the self titled?
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Sure, why not? We were getting enough votes to do it, right?
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Round 2 had 3 votes I think. I'll just make the voting last for two days.
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Any news on a new album??
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No, but I've seen mention of a Sons Of Liberty tour with Brent Smedley apparently drumming.
AREN'T YOU EXCITED?! SONS OF LIBERTY TOUR!!!! OMG!!! FREEDOM!!!!!!
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No, but I've seen mention of a Sons Of Liberty tour with Brent Smedley apparently drumming.
AREN'T YOU EXCITED?! SONS OF LIBERTY TOUR!!!! OMG!!! FREEDOM!!!!!!
:blush
I'm the only one that likes them
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No, but I've seen mention of a Sons Of Liberty tour with Brent Smedley apparently drumming.
AREN'T YOU EXCITED?! SONS OF LIBERTY TOUR!!!! OMG!!! FREEDOM!!!!!!
Is the tour free? No? We have to pay for tickets? We have to pay taxes on the tickets? We have to pay the federal government money to see a show about how bad the federal government is?
Federal Government - 1
Sons of Liberty - 0
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:lol
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What's this? Ticket sales creates an income for the band? They have to pay taxes on their income? They have to pay the federal government to play a show about how bad the federal government is?
Federal Government - 2
Sons of Liberty - 0
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Poor Jon...
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Fuck, Sons of Liberty is so awful.
I've given up hope that we'll every see another great IE release.
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I'm sure we will someday. It may just be a long time before it happens. Whether or not Iced Earth will be touring again is what I'm wondering.
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SONS OF LIBERTY FTW :metal
No, I didn't forget to write it in sarcasm green
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Matt Barlow is my preferred vocalist, although I think "Ripper" Owens did a pretty decent job too.
My favorite Iced Earth album is "Burnt Offerings".
And I have listened to Jon's "Son's of Liberty" project. As much as I agree with the message that the federal government has been grossly violating The Constitution for many decades and needs to be completely reformatted, the lyrics to songs such as "We the People" are particularly weak. I would have preferred for there to be more allegory than cheesy 80s-style lyrics.
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I think Sons of Liberty is great.
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I have yet to make it through a full Sons of Liberty song. Those songs do nothing for me on an emotional, intellectual, or even simply "headbanging" level.
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I'd be indifferent to them if they weren't propagating ignorance.
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Well, I can't imagine Jon Schaffer writing a heavy metal album which encourages people to inform themselves and take moderate positions on actual issues the nation is facing, because that would be about as fun as an unbiased musical appraisal of the Stem Cell Research debate.
Sons of Liberty sounds like Schaffer trying to write a prequel to the Something Wicked stuff without referencing the aliens.
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Quiet fool! He might be reading this! The last thing we need is a prequel back story of the humans before they get to Earth.
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Well, I can't imagine Jon Schaffer writing a heavy metal album which encourages people to inform themselves and take moderate positions on actual issues the nation is facing, because that would be about as fun as an unbiased musical appraisal of the Stem Cell Research debate.
Sons of Liberty sounds like Schaffer trying to write a prequel to the Something Wicked stuff without referencing the aliens.
I wouldn't mind that much if it was just political beliefs. At the end of the day, I can live with a song about ending the Federal Reserve (if it's good, mind you), because at the end of the day, it's a just as valid political belief. But I can't live with him writing a song about how the Federal Reserve engineers economic collapses to destroy the middle class.
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I'd be indifferent to them if they weren't propagating ignorance.
With lyrics like "educate yourself". Not sure how that makes sense.
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Schaffer could probably benefit from getting info he doesn't make-up himself, that's for sure.
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Quiet fool! He might be reading this! The last thing we need is a prequel back story of the humans before they get to Earth.
:lol My god, that'd be terrible.
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I'd be indifferent to them if they weren't propagating ignorance.
With lyrics like "educate yourself". Not sure how that makes sense.
I think there's a little more context to an entire albums lyrics than just two words. Come on.
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It is free to purchase...
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You get what you payed for.
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:lolpalm:
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You get what you payed for.
:clap:
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A bit of news:
Jon had been talked with me today, so here are the main points:
- DVD will be out later in the year.
- SOL will be out in July, then DVD, then new IE in spring 2011.
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I'm actually glad he's doing SOL, not that I have to listen to it. Now all his horrible anti-gov songs won't be iced earth.
Keep it up john. Take all your lame generic ideas, throw them into SOL. Make sure all your good writing goes to iced earth though.
Also, STOP MAKING ALL CHORUSES HAVE 10000 LAYERS OF VOCALS!
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ICED EARTH SURVIVOR ROUND 3 IS ONLINE.
Also, STOP MAKING ALL CHORUSES HAVE 10000 LAYERS OF VOCALS!
He's clearly jealous of Hansi. Ever since Demons & Wizards, Jon has been trying to emulate Blind Guardian's choir sound in some way.
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Well rippers voice wasn't as huge as borlow, and it worked well for him. However, Barlows voice does not need that many layers, it's really strong. Sure, sometimes it sounds really cool, but it sounds much less cool if you ALWAYS do it.
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Yeah The Crucible of Man was way too layered when it shouldn't have been. The layers did sound awesome with Ripper though, especially on The Domino Decree. On songs like Sacrificial Kingdoms, the double layers sounded off. I miss old Iced Earth. Jon said he's giving the other members A LOT more creative input on this new album, so we might have a pretty kickin' album.
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Jon said he's giving the other members A LOT more creative input on this new album, so we might have a pretty kickin' album.
Wait what? Really?
Oh my god, is Jon dying or something?
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Jon said he's giving the other members A LOT more creative input on this new album, so we might have a pretty kickin' album.
Wait what? Really?
Oh my god, is Jon dying or something?
Yeah I read it somewhere, but now I can't remember or find what it was from. I watched and read a lot of interviews with him last year. Plus, he let Matt write half of TCoM, which is Jon's big story so I think he's starting to see the light.
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Jon said he's giving the other members A LOT more creative input on this new album, so we might have a pretty kickin' album.
Their working on an album right now? I had no idea.
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Jon said he's giving the other members A LOT more creative input on this new album, so we might have a pretty kickin' album.
Wait what? Really?
Oh my god, is Jon dying or something?
Yeah I read it somewhere, but now I can't remember or find what it was from. I watched and read a lot of interviews with him last year. Plus, he let Matt write half of TCoM, which is Jon's big story so I think he's starting to see the light.
Well lyrically, yea. But I assume this time the bassist and other guitarist will have an actual say? I don't think that's been done since Dark Saga. Unless you count 1 riff in Im-ho-tep.
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Jon said he's giving the other members A LOT more creative input on this new album, so we might have a pretty kickin' album.
Their working on an album right now? I had no idea.
Jon had been talked with me today, so here are the main points:
- DVD will be out later in the year.
- SOL will be out in July, then DVD, then new IE in spring 2011.
-
Jon said he's giving the other members A LOT more creative input on this new album, so we might have a pretty kickin' album.
Wait what? Really?
Oh my god, is Jon dying or something?
Yeah I read it somewhere, but now I can't remember or find what it was from. I watched and read a lot of interviews with him last year. Plus, he let Matt write half of TCoM, which is Jon's big story so I think he's starting to see the light.
Well lyrically, yea. But I assume this time the bassist and other guitarist will have an actual say? I don't think that's been done since Dark Saga. Unless you count 1 riff in Im-ho-tep.
James MacDonough wrote the fast section in Reaping Stone. Maybe Jon was jealous of Randy Shawver too...
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James wrote that? I had no idea. Awesome.
Also, they need to get Randy back on lead guitar (or at least someone who can write tastefully and can contribute more than just a solo per song) and James back on bass. Brent can stay, he's cool.
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Don't diss Freddie. He's awesome.
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Don't diss Freddie. He's awesome.
Which one's freddie?
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The bassist. He's more enthusiastic about Iced Earth than Jon.
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The bassist. He's more enthusiastic about Iced Earth than Jon.
Oh yea, he's got a cool live personality (assuming he was playing at matts first show back in chicago). But I just like James better, he is DAMN fast with those fingers and I dunno just seems to remind me more of classic iced earth.
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I wish they would have kept the Something Wicked This Way Comes sound. Everything was perfect. The bass was nice and thick and not twangy like it is now.
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You can hear the bass now? :eek
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You can hear the bass now? :eek
Meh. With the exception of one song that I can think of (from the past 2 albums), the bass is not doing anything worth listening to.
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Mostly because it's played by Jon.
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Mostly because it's played by Jon.
It was? Jeez, I need to read the the liner notes more often.
Was the fretless stuff played by john?
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Nope, that was one of two tracks on Framing Armageddon that Dennis Hayes played on.
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Nope, that was one of two tracks on Framing Armageddon that Dennis Hayes played on.
Stop knowing all this stuff, you're making me feel dumb.
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It would've made a lot of sense to get the Something Wicked tour lineup back together in full, as that's kinda what I was feeling with the release of Crucible of Man. Don't get me wrong, I go no issue with Freddie or Troy. Both great guys and great musicians. But going through the trouble of getting back Matt and Brent, I figure why not seal the deal?
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The Mellon Arena played "Ten Thousand Strong" during a break in the Pens/Senators game tonight. I'm not a Pens fan, but I'm at least routing for them in this series.
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I'm actually listening to the Days Of Purgatory version of "Iced Earth" right now. :metal
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I miss the relevant Iced Earth. It's really sad to see a metal titan subside to something so...I don't even know...safe?
I just don't feel the fire any longer. The name doesn't strike fear and obsessive need to explore as it once did.
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ROUND 4 IS UP!
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ROUND 5 AH AH AH!
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ICED EARTH / SONS OF LIBERTY ANNOUNCE SELECT DATES
IN NORTH AMERICA FOR 2010
ICED EARTH have confirmed 4 North American tour dates for the Fall of 2010. Meant as an "Escape From The Studio", these exclusive dates will also get fans the chance to see Jon Schaffer's new project SONS OF LIBERTY on stage for their first-ever live performances.
Jon Schaffer: "It has been too long since we played North America and after the South American shows we felt we should bring a "Greatest Hits"-set to our loyal fans in the US. I am also very much looking forward to introducing SONS OF LIBERTY to the Minions. See you out there!"
For the dates listed below, ICED EARTH will be offering a very limited number of fans the opportunity to attend the show as the band’s guest VIPs. Fans who purchase a VIP package with www.icedearth.com will receive the following:
A General Admission Ticket
VIP meet and greet with Iced Earth
Autographed tour poster
Iced Earth Flag
Limited Edition Iced Earth T-Shirt
VIP commemorative laminate
The VIP packages are very limited and available on a first-come/ first-serve basis. The VIP package cost is $75 including the concert ticket.
VIP packages via www.icedearth.com will be available starting April 21. Regular tickets sales via Ticketmaster and all other outlets will not begin until May 7 and will be subject to local service fees.
I C E D E A R T H
with very special guest
SONS OF LIBERTY
Fri/Sep-10 - Washington DC -- 9:30 Club
Tue/Sep-21 - Chicago IL -- House of Blues
Thu/Sep-23 - New York NY -- Nokia Theater Times Square
Sat/Sep-25 - West Hollywood CA -- House of Blues
:rollin
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:-X
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What if I want to see SOL but dont' feel like sticking around for Iced Earth?
Oh oh oh me me me....
Maybe SOL will have special guest vocalist Matt Barlow to play with Jon, Brent and the other guys from Iced Earth.
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Guys, I barely know Iced Earth but I've heard it's a pretty cool band. Which album do you suggest me to start with?
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Alive in Athens. It's a 3 CD Live album spanning their entire career up to Something Wicked This Way Comes. Then get Something Wicked and Night of The Stormrider.
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AIA is a decent choice for starters, bu if you're more of a studio album/compilation as apposed to the live thing, I say start out with Days of Purgatory, which is a double-disc set of re-recorded songs from the first 3 albums with the then current lineup. Superior production is applied to great songs that suffered from inferior quality before. If you dig that, then go chronological from there. So I'd say:
Days of Purgatory
The Dark Saga
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Horror Show
That's a good starting point and covers the bases of the band's most popular and successful era. If you seek further and are a fan of Tim Owens, as I am very much so, check out The Glorious Burden and Framing Armageddon. Then of course the second half of the concept started on FA is finished on the album featuring Barlow's return, The Crucible of Man. After that, if you seek it, grab the original three albums remastered to get all the songs not featured on the DOP set and then of course AIA if you want to hear them in a live setting.
IE were one of my favorite bands for a long time. I'm really bumming on how unexcited they make me these days.
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Feel free to skop The Glorious Burden. If you reallllly like everything else, maybe check it out.
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I think there's a ton of great songs on Glorious Burden. In fact, Reckoning is in my top ten favorite IE songs.
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I think there's a ton of great songs on Glorious Burden. In fact, Reckoning is in my top ten favorite IE songs.
A ton? Really?
Almost every verse has the exact same melody....seriously check it out.
Yes, there's a few good songs, but more bad ones. And Gettysburg is horribly overrated as well, not to say it's bad, but it's far from great.
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Don't listen to Adami. He's had some of Locke's Kool-Aid.
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I think there's a ton of great songs on Glorious Burden. In fact, Reckoning is in my top ten favorite IE songs.
A ton? Really?
Almost every verse has the exact same melody....seriously check it out.
Yes, there's a few good songs, but more bad ones. And Gettysburg is horribly overrated as well, not to say it's bad, but it's far from great.
I disagree. As a singer, I figured I'd pick up on repetitive melody lines. Although I too find Gettysburg to be overrated and a bit overblown, its still a good listen. I think Declaration Day, Reckoning and Attila are great, and tracks like When the Eagle Cries, Green Face, Red Baron and Waterloo to be quite good. Overall, it's a strong effort. As strong as previous Albums? No.
Of the two Tim albums, I find Framing Armageddon to be the superior.
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While I don't really care for any of Ripper's input to Iced Earth all that much (Glorious Burden was k, and Framing Armaggeddon had...4 excellent tracks at most?), I can safely say nothing Iced Earth does or had done will ever be as much of a let down as The Crucible of Man. My god, I've tried at least 8 seperate times (2 more recently) to get into this album, and it's just isn't happening.
I miss the relevant Iced Earth. It's really sad to see a metal titan subside to something so...I don't even know...safe?
I just don't feel the fire any longer. The name doesn't strike fear and obsessive need to explore as it once did.
I also fully agree with this. Where did the evil go? Enough science fiction, let's get back to the journeys through the fiery pits of hell.
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Feel free to skop The Glorious Burden. If you reallllly like everything else, maybe check it out.
lolwut?
The Glorious Burden is great.
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While I don't really care for any of Ripper's input to Iced Earth all that much (Glorious Burden was k, and Framing Armaggeddon had...4 excellent tracks at most?), I can safely say nothing Iced Earth does or had done will ever be as much of a let down as The Crucible of Man. My god, I've tried at least 8 seperate times (2 more recently) to get into this album, and it's just isn't happening.
I miss the relevant Iced Earth. It's really sad to see a metal titan subside to something so...I don't even know...safe?
I just don't feel the fire any longer. The name doesn't strike fear and obsessive need to explore as it once did.
I also fully agree with this. Where did the evil go? Enough science fiction, let's get back to the journeys through the fiery pits of hell.
You're pretty much right, but there are still some good songs on Crucible of Man:
....
.....
...................
You have Come What May.......
......
....
FUCK!
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Here's my review of the album (on a date before the official release of September 5, 2008,
presumably 07-31-2008) :
In Sacred Flames - Reminds me of Symphony X's Oculus ex Inferni from Paradise Lost, and I wish it was longer likewise. My only complaint here. 5 out of 5 because it's more memorable than most of the album. 5/5
Behold The Wicked Child - Pretty cool song, with a good chorus melody. Typical Schaffer riffs, nothing really special. This song sounds reminicent of Horror Show. Well, this is definitely one of the better songs on the album and it's grown on me, but Schaffer needs to stop with the damn drawn out outros. 4/5
Minions Of The Watch - Cool Schafferage, but weird singing by Barlow in the verses. I here Ripper all over the verses actually... Not Literally. The chorus is great though. Here's the first of a few songs that could have been made longer and better, but Schaffer decided to make them interlude type segue-ness. 3/5
The Revealing - Cool Schaffer riffs, and badass singing in the verses. This song is all around
awesome, but I wish it was longer, and I don't mean the dragged out outro. A minute and a half of the same damn riff. If this song was longer, it very well could have been my second favorite on the album. 4/5
A Gift Or A Curse - For a second I thought I was listening to Blue October with some Jamaican music. What I thought was Matt singing in more weird styles is actually Schaffer. I wouldn't mind if he sang more, but this song definitely screams Blue October for those who have heard them. The heavy middle section is pretty cool with a nice solo before coming back to more Blue October. 5/5
Crown Of The Fallen - Familiar and kinda boring drum beat in the verses, with Matt giving of a Geoff Tate vibe... Maybe it's just me. Very nice mellow chorus and a Glorious Burden-ish solo. 2/5
The Dimension Gauntlet - Funky opening riff into those galloping riffs Schaffer knows so well. This song features the first appearance of the Dorian riff from Demons & Wizards' Touched By The Crimson King during Set's speech. Speaking of returning riffs, here comes The Coming Curse's outro riff. 2/5
I Walk Alone - Ahh the first single. It's not too bad, but nothing really special either. Barlow is menacing, and the chorus isn't bad. Set makes it clear he will divide and devour... Something he does alot on this album... The instrumental section is cool but could be much more. 3/5
Harbinger Of Fate - Or Reflections, you decide. This song's better anyway. Maybe it's just a Reprise of some kind. The whole story reprises itself several times as it is. Nice slow song with an epic chorus. Set is wicked if you didn't know. Cool solo even if it was like 3 seconds... The tribal hand drums seem out of place like I had one of those annoying pop up ads on my screen. Some cool Latin and bell tolls end the song. 3/5
Crucify The King - More slower riffage. Matt sings like Timporary Owens a little but also has his own awesome high note godliness... The song speeds up a little for a nice little solo. The bridge is pretty cool, but the chorus really saves this song from being kind of bland. For a song about Set causing the crucifixion of Christ, it's not very fast or brutal. 2/5
Sacrificial Kingdoms - Cool riffs with Barlow singing overlapped high and lower notes pretty much the whole song. Awesome verse and chorus. Signature Schaffer riffs return, with a little solo, before the final chorus. For some reason the last bit of the final chorus reminds me a little of Adema's "Trust"... Don't ask. 5/5
Something Wicked (Part 3) - In case you forgot, Set is wicked... Something Wicked Trilogy lyrics reprise themselves, but it works considering the title of the song. The chorus is pretty cool. The cool Coming Curse instrumental section returns with a little revision, but is still awesome. More multi-headed Hansi singing from Barlow. OK, this song is like a summary of The Coming Curse. 3/5
Divide And Devour - Ok, let's see if we got everything so far: Set is Wicked, he's an anitchrist, he's a Harbinger Of Fate, he assassinates and he divides and devours shit. Well, he will eventually anyway. This is probably my least favorite song on the album. Not too fond of the melodies in the chorus. Pretty fast and typical riffage from Schaffer. 2.5/5
Come What May - THE best song on the album. Only flaw is that the Dorian riff returns again. Oh well, it's a cool riff anyway. Great verses that end with some Barlow screams before breaking down into the best chorus of the album as well. Haven't really studied the lyrics yet, but this song doesn't really scream "I will kill all you damn dirty humans!" Anyway, I love the ambient instrumental section. I wish it lasted longer as well. Schaffer drags out meaningless rhythm sections, but not awesome musical genius. WTF? The remainder of the song is very uplifting including the awesome chorus. I know it's a long chorus, but I don't care, it should have been repeated 4 times at the end. 10/5
Epilogue - Pretty much Overture. That's about it. Overture is cool... 2/5
I'd give this album a good 3/5. After almost 2 years, I can safetly say it isn't actually better than Framing Armageddon, and like Part 1, it leaves much to be desired, but I could say that about the whole Something Wicked Story. The lyrics can get a bit redundant at times, but that's not too much of a big deal.... Actually, it kind of is a big deal.
"The destruction of mankind shouldn't be mid-tempo"
Edited: April 22, 2010
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Just ordered my New York VIP tickets. :2metal:
...and I actually like Sons Of Liberty, so that makes it better. :laugh:
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Just ordered my New York VIP tickets. :2metal:
...and I actually like Sons Of Liberty, so that makes it better. :laugh:
Jon is gonna wear out his vocals before he gets to Stormrider :P
It's quite sad that I'm making fun of one of my favorite bands that I put so much money into...
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Just ordered my New York VIP tickets. :2metal:
...and I actually like Sons Of Liberty, so that makes it better. :laugh:
Jon is gonna wear out his vocals before he gets to Stormrider :P
It's quite sad that I'm making fun of one of my favorite bands that I put so much money into...
Why does everyone hate Iced Earth so much ???
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Just ordered my New York VIP tickets. :2metal:
...and I actually like Sons Of Liberty, so that makes it better. :laugh:
Jon is gonna wear out his vocals before he gets to Stormrider :P
It's quite sad that I'm making fun of one of my favorite bands that I put so much money into...
Why does everyone hate Iced Earth so much ???
I don't hate Iced Earth. Like I said, I put a lot of money into them, and I'm proud of my collection, but Jon Schaffer is fun to pick on. I mean, come on. How is this not ridiculous:
I C E D E A R T H
with very special guest
SONS OF LIBERTY
-
Just ordered my New York VIP tickets. :2metal:
...and I actually like Sons Of Liberty, so that makes it better. :laugh:
Jon is gonna wear out his vocals before he gets to Stormrider :P
It's quite sad that I'm making fun of one of my favorite bands that I put so much money into...
Why does everyone hate Iced Earth so much ???
I don't hate Iced Earth. Like I said, I put a lot of money into them, and I'm proud of my collection, but Jon Schaffer is fun to pick on. I mean, come on. How is this not ridiculous:
I C E D E A R T H
with very special guest
SONS OF LIBERTY
Being a fan of both bands, I don't mind it that much (aside from the already mentioned statement that Jon may wear out his voice before IE :tdwn ). It'll be my first time seeing either of them, and first meet & greet ever (aside from Sacred Oath, but they're not as big as IE). I'm very excited. Check this out, they all sound at the top of their game, especially Barlow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nli8cwJ1Ndg&feature=related
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Just ordered my New York VIP tickets. :2metal:
...and I actually like Sons Of Liberty, so that makes it better. :laugh:
Jon is gonna wear out his vocals before he gets to Stormrider :P
It's quite sad that I'm making fun of one of my favorite bands that I put so much money into...
Why does everyone hate Iced Earth so much ???
Because of how much they're failing as of late.
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Just ordered my New York VIP tickets. :2metal:
...and I actually like Sons Of Liberty, so that makes it better. :laugh:
Jon is gonna wear out his vocals before he gets to Stormrider :P
It's quite sad that I'm making fun of one of my favorite bands that I put so much money into...
Why does everyone hate Iced Earth so much ???
Because of how much they're failing as of late.
How so? I haven't been keeping track of them lately. But the video I posted above is :metal , and they seem awesome live as of now.
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Just ordered my New York VIP tickets. :2metal:
...and I actually like Sons Of Liberty, so that makes it better. :laugh:
Jon is gonna wear out his vocals before he gets to Stormrider :P
It's quite sad that I'm making fun of one of my favorite bands that I put so much money into...
Why does everyone hate Iced Earth so much ???
I don't hate Iced Earth. Like I said, I put a lot of money into them, and I'm proud of my collection, but Jon Schaffer is fun to pick on. I mean, come on. How is this not ridiculous:
I C E D E A R T H
with very special guest
SONS OF LIBERTY
Being a fan of both bands, I don't mind it that much (aside from the already mentioned statement that Jon may wear out his voice before IE :tdwn ). It'll be my first time seeing either of them, and first meet & greet ever (aside from Sacred Oath, but they're not as big as IE). I'm very excited. Check this out, they all sound at the top of their game, especially Barlow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nli8cwJ1Ndg&feature=related
You're quite lucky to get the meet & greet. If you can remember, ask Jon what "Splatch" means. I know Greely sang it, but Jon didn't edit it out lol.
Also, he mentions bringing a "greatest hits" set to the US fans. I guarantee it'll be the same set we got in 2009. I wish Jon would take risks. It's like he's afraid of losing fans or something. I'm sure no one would complain if he completely revamped the set list we've been given since 2004.
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That's actually one of the reasons I probably won't go. I saw Barlows first show back (yea I'm awesome), but I have a feeling the setlist will be pretty identical, with some extra COM songs.
PLAY DANTES INFERNO!
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NO! DANTE'S INFERNO WAS ON BURNT OFFERINGS AND THAT'S ICED EARTH'S LOWEST SELLING ALBUM. I WILL NEVER SUBJECT THE FANS TO SUCH AN ABOMINATION AGAIN!
- Jon Schaffer
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:lol :lol :lol
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See, I was thinking that the whole silver lining to the tripe that is Sons of Liberty is that it would provide a creative outlet for Jon and keep the political/conspiracy hogwash away from Iced Earth.
So now there is no redeeming factor for that.
I guess this sort of what Queensryche fans feel like, even though Iced Earth isn't quite there yet.
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They seriously need to ditch half of the Dark Saga songs they play, and songs like Melencholy (not a bad song, but we get it already) and anything Tim Owens orignally sang.
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Hey Zook, you post at that Iced Earth forum (Minions of the Watch I think it's called), right? Are those of us in this thread just being really negative or do most Iced Earth fans feel this way about the band now?
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Hey Zook, you post at that Iced Earth forum (Minions of the Watch I think it's called), right? Are those of us in this thread just being really negative or do most Iced Earth fans feel this way about the band now?
I still like Iced Earth, I even like their last two albums quite a bit. However, I agree they stopped taking risks, they're playing it VERY safe now a days, and from a band like Iced Earth, it's just lame.
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Hey Zook, you post at that Iced Earth forum (Minions of the Watch I think it's called), right? Are those of us in this thread just being really negative or do most Iced Earth fans feel this way about the band now?
I still like Iced Earth, I even like their last two albums quite a bit. However, I agree they stopped taking risks, they're playing it VERY safe now a days, and from a band like Iced Earth, it's just lame.
I didn't mean that we don't like the band anymore. I was just asking if most fans agree the band is heading in a bad direction or are we just coincidentally on the more negative side of things.
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Hey Zook, you post at that Iced Earth forum (Minions of the Watch I think it's called), right? Are those of us in this thread just being really negative or do most Iced Earth fans feel this way about the band now?
Well I don't post there much anymore, but at Brazil Under Ice https://www.icedearth.com.br/forum/ the fans kinda have a similar outlook.
Here's a post from there now:
yay, now IE serve as a promotion tool for Sons of Lavatory
Oh yeah, here's that gretaest Hits setlist for all of you who are wondering:
Burning Times
Declaration day
Vengenace Is Mine
Violate
Melancholy
some shitty song from FA or that other shitty SW concept album I couldn't care less about
Stormrider/Angel's Holocaust/Pure Evil (One of those, not all of them, of course)
some shitty song from FA or that other shitty SW concept album I couldn't care less about
My Own Saviour
A Charge to Keep
Some random song from the Gettyburg trilogy
A Question of Heaven
Dracula
Someting Wicked Trilogy
---
My Own Savior
Iced Erratic
Propably missing one or two songs from FA or that other shitty... (...), but you get the drift
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They're just being blande at this point. Jon has it good I guess, his life isn't as conflicted anymore, and like most artists, that affects things poorly.
I don't want his life to get worse, but until it does, his music will.
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:lol
Okay, so it looks like we really aren't even being that negative compared to some people.
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So does anyone wanna make any comments on the "Pure Evil" video I posted? I think they sound terrific.
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They still sound great live. I don't think that's what most of us have complained about.
-
So does anyone wanna make any comments on the "Pure Evil" video I posted? I think they sound terrific.
Yeah I watched it. They were indeed terrific, and Troy didn't fuck up or improv the solo like he usually does with other songs. Iced Earth rarely miss a beat live. Troy should have the solos down pat now anyway...
-
Well those two comments made me feel better, because I thought you guys were getting at "IE sucks nowadays (as in live/studio/everything)" and I was kinda getting down because I just spent all my money and got so excited about this and then someone said it was going to terrible (That's what I THOUGHT you guys were saying, but now I know you're not :) ).
-
No way, they kick ass live.
Here's some more goodies from Brazil Under Ice:
The following are words that I am hoping will not be associated with the next IE album (if there ever is another one).
Epic
Dramatic
Concept-based
Theme-based
Story-driven
Orchestra
Set Abominae
New singer
New bass player
New drummer
New lead guitarist
...if anyone wants to add to the list, feel free.
I want to add one: Prophecy.
Oooh, just thought of another one: Trilogy
Nothing about a thousand or a million souls too! "Wicked" has been overused, too!
Not to forget "killerest" and "yet"
:lol
-
I would actually welcome a new lead guitarist. But the rest is pretty right, however...epic? Really? Epic is bad?
-
No. Iced Earth is/was all about epic. Night of The Stormrider is epic as fuck.
-
I would love to see Richard Christy back in IE (I know he's in Charred Walls Of The Damned currently). He's one of my favorite drummers, for his work with IE and Death.
-
Out of Iced Earth's 4 only good drummers (Rick Secchiari, Mark Prator, Brent Smedley and Richard Christy) I'd stick with Brent, but Christy was awesome too.
-
My friend's dad's house is right near a record store and Christy was there for Record Store Day. Too bad my friend wasn't at his dad's house.
-
Crucible is inferior to Framing IMO. Not just because I'm a total Tim fan boy (I am).
But it's as if the story has this amazing build in character development, and then the conclusion
is a big let down. That being said, I do like Crucible. Come What May is a great tune. Towards the end,
when Matt hits that crazy high melody line, I actually get kinda choked up. It is beautiful. But the the lyrics
are a bit to ho-hum for me. Yeah, people suck. Yeah, people should cut the shit before we kill ourselves.
EDIT: This was in response to most of what was on page 8. Didn't even realize there was a 9 :P
You know what I want? An album in the vain of Horror Show and Dark Saga. That's the IE material that is classic to me
and will never die. More horror related stuff. That's what attracted me to them in the first place.
-
Crucible is inferior to Framing IMO. Not just because I'm a total Tim fan boy (I am).
But it's as if the story has this amazing build in character development, and then the conclusion
is a big let down. That being said, I do like Crucible. Come What May is a great tune. Towards the end,
when Matt hits that crazy high melody line, I actually get kinda choked up. It is beautiful. But the the lyrics
are a bit to ho-hum for me. Yeah, people suck. Yeah, people should cut the shit before we kill ourselves.
Well, what's baffling is that throughout Crucible, Set is going on about destroying mankind, and then after the only thrashy song about dividing and devouring mankind, he suddenly has a change of heart and decides to step back and let mankind destroy itself.
Oh, and ROUND 6 IS UP!
-
I think they need to go either really heavy, or go back to being fast.
My favourite tracks (beside Come What May) off Crucible were Sacrificial Kingdoms and Crucify the King. The former's a fast song packed with great melodies; the latter's a sludgy Black Sabbath-esque beast of a song.
But just mid-tempo metal is just getting extremely old, extremely fast.
-
Here's something that'll never happen, but would be the best thing Jon could ever do.
An Evening with Iced Earth:
When The Night Falls
Angels Holocaust
Stormrider
The Path I Choose
Pure Evil
Travel In Stygian
Diary
Dante's Inferno
The Suffering
Something Wicked
Dracula
Gettysburg (1863)
The Domino Decree
Sacrificial Kingdoms
Come what May
Iced Earth
-
I'm sick of Dracula. Great tune, but Horror Show has so many other awesome tracks and I'd like to see one (or more) of them get back in the set. In fact, they've only done four songs from the album live. I'd like to hear the other half get some stage-time. I know it'll never happen, but it'd be sweet.
-
I'm sick of Dracula. Great tune, but Horror Show has so many other awesome tracks and I'd like to see one (or more) of them get back in the set. In fact, they've only done four songs from the album live. I'd like to hear the other half get some stage-time. I know it'll never happen, but it'd be sweet.
They've done every song except for Phantom Opera Ghost.
-
Really? I've never seen a boot of anything outside Wolf, Damien, Jack and Dracula.
-
That's because there are no complete bootlegs of the Horror Show tour, when they played 3 sets (Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings/Dark Saga-Something Wicked/Horror Show). A typical setlist for that tour (in Europe only though) was like this:
Iced Earth
Pure Evil
Brainwashed
Angels Holocaust
Stormrider
The Path I Choose
Curse The Sky
Travel In Stygian
---------------
Burning Times
Vengeance Is Mine
Stand Alone
The Hunter
Watching Over Me
Scarred
Slave To The Dark
A Question Of Heaven
1776
I Died For You
Prophecy
Birth Of the Wicked
The Coming Curse
--------------
Wolf
Damien
Jekyll & Hide
Transylvania
Jack
Frankenstein
Dracula
--------------
My Own Savior
So it looks like I was wrong; the songs they haven't played off Horror Show are Im-Ho-Tep and Phantom Opera Ghost.
-
Based on how he sings Imhotep on the album, I can picture it being kind of lacking live.
-
WTF? 30 songs at one show?! *faints*
That being said, I agree with who stated that Melancholy is overdone. Yeah, it's an okay song, but it's been at every
damn show, and I don't find it to be the definitive "Classic" that Jon wants it to be. In fact, less Something Wicked (the original) tracks, the better I think. Good album, but the material has been overdone live, while entire albums (awesome ones might I add) like Burnt Offerings and most of Horror Show gets forgotten about.
Hey Guinea, have you done an IE top 25/50 list yet? I'd very much like to read that.
-
I would love a show to be more Burnt Offerings focused, but as was said earlier, John seems to hate that album and I doubt we'll ever hear much from it again.
-
What's there to hate? Because it didn't sell well? I'm pretty sure current album sales are probably close to those numbers,
so what, should he stop performing new material too? What a bone-head. IE isn't a "hits" band. They're a band that has a dedicated following of fans that want a good mix of everything represented. The focus should be on a delivering a good live performance with a wide-ranging set. Not playing the same dozen songs over and over and throwing in a new track or two.
Seeing/hearing IE live has made me appreciate songs that I previously didn't think much of (like Violate). But if they don't mix up the set, I'll never really get to see the variety of how certain songs go over live.
Im-Ho-Tep rules. They should absolutely play that live. I'd say debut it on the next tour. That would be a treat.
What other songs have they not played live? I enjoy bearing witness to a band doing such things for the audience.
-
Hey Guinea, have you done an IE top 25/50 list yet? I'd very much like to read that.
I was thinking of doing this, but Guinea and others are much better in the writing department than I am. As long as I have the survivor though, I'm fine.
What's there to hate? Because it didn't sell well? I'm pretty sure current album sales are probably close to those numbers,
There's that, and he was dealing with a lot of shit at the time, mainly from Century Media. It's definitely reflected on the album, but that anger is what makes it so good.
-
So what IE album does everyone agree on being the quintessential masterpiece??
-
Night Of The Stormrider :2metal:
-
That's a tough question because I don't really have a favorite Iced Earth album. I guess if I had to pick it would probably be Burnt Offerings. On any given day Dark Saga, Something Wicked or maybe even Horror Show could take over though.
-
Alive in Athens.
But a studio album....I dunno, my fav is Burnt Offerings, but it seems albums like Dark Saga, and SWTWC are considered more popular.
-
Has anyone ever met any of the guys currently in Iced Earth? I'm super pumped for the meet & greet, and I'm sure they're all cool guys (I hope), but does anyone have any similar characteristics to the Dream Theater guys (James not speaking, John being the ultra cool one, Mike being the all-around awesome guy, etc...)?
-
Nope, but on stage, Matt seemed very disconnected from the audience. However it was his first show back, so who knows.
Though I'm sure the bassist is gonna be nice, he seems awesome as a guy.
-
Has anyone ever met any of the guys currently in Iced Earth? I'm super pumped for the meet & greet, and I'm sure they're all cool guys (I hope), but does anyone have any similar characteristics to the Dream Theater guys (James not speaking, John being the ultra cool one, Mike being the all-around awesome guy, etc...)?
I haven't met any of them unfortunately, but from what I hear, Freddie's probably the friendliest of the bunch. Not to say the others are assholes, but Freddie seems to be really enjoying his stay with the band. Knowing Jon, he'll probably fire him first.
Don't ask Jon about Ripper though. He'll probably run off crying. In fact, just ask him what SPLATCH means. Please.
-
Last time they were here I was at the meet and greet. Schaffer and Barlow seemed to be in a bad mood, but rest of the guys were really nice.
-
Last time they were here I was at the meet and greet. Schaffer and Barlow seemed to be in a bad mood, but rest of the guys were really nice.
Matt might have been sick, but were you giving Jon enough attention? Maybe someone said they liked Burnt Offerings. :neverusethis:
-
Well, the meet and greet was after the show so when I walked up to Jon I said how much I enjoyed the show and he just mumbled thanks and tried to hurry me down the line. He really didn't look like he wanted to be there.
-
"hey jon....you're looking much older than you should"
"hey matt, how's that tour of duty helping your country? Oh you're just giving out tickets? America thanks you"
"hey other guys, hope you can find work when jon fires you next week."
-
"hey jon....you're looking much older than you should"
"hey matt, how's that tour of duty helping your country? Oh you're just giving out tickets? America thanks you"
"hey other guys, hope you can find work when jon fires you next week."
:rollin :rollin :rollin
-
*ding*
YOU'VE GOT MAIL
"Hey it's from Jon."
Hey Fredward, I have an important message from Jon Schaffer. We regret to inform you that you're fired. You're an amazing bassist and bring tremendous spirit to the band, but I just have to let you go. It wouldn't seem fair to Troy and Brent who I just fires 5 minutes ago through E-mail also. I wish you the best in whatever you do. You are the killerest of bass players and the best I ever had.
Regards,
Jon Schaffer
-
I think their masterpiece is Night of the Stormrider, but the definitive IE album is Dark Saga.
When I met Jon, this was the first American tour since firing Tim, and I harbored a lot of anger and resentment.
I popped by the bus and caught Jon, chilling in his Gibson sweat pants. He came down and signed my set list and shot the shit. I wanted so bad to give him a piece of my mind, but he was completely sweet and adamant that everyone who needed anything signed or any pictures got what they wanted. It was a big part of me letting that stuff finally subside. I realized that his decision making isn't to hurt the fans, but its for doing what he feels is truly right. Tim and Jon in a band together was a dream come true - albeit short in tenor. It was a time that came and went. I can't waste time pondering on the lost potential.
-
*ding*
YOU'VE GOT MAIL
"Hey it's from Jon."
Hey Fredward, I have an important message from Jon Schaffer. We regret to inform you that you're fired. You're an amazing bassist and bring tremendous spirit to the band, but I just have to let you go. It wouldn't seem fair to Troy and Brent who I just fires 5 minutes ago through E-mail also. I wish you the best in whatever you do. You are the killerest of bass players and the best I ever had.
Regards,
Jon Schaffer
More like,
"ur out kthnxbye"
-
So am I the only one who bought tickets to their 4-date United States tour? :blush
-
So am I the only one who bought tickets to their 4-date United States tour? :blush
Where do you get em from?
-
So am I the only one who bought tickets to their 4-date United States tour? :blush
Where do you get em from?
IcedEarth.com. VIP Package.
-
Done. Ordered the VIP package.
I would LOVE someone to walk in wearing a Tim Owens shirt or something. Or have Matt Barlow "The Glorious Burden" to sign.
-
GB still features backing vocals from Matt as well as two songs he helped pen, so it's no completely ridiculous. Framing Armageddon would be more (in)appropriate. Or even the first two albums.
Since none of the shows are anywhere near me, I did not buy tix. If they go anywhere in New England, I'd check it out.
-
I doubt this tour's coming to Canada, seeing as how we're bunch of crazy liberals who want to take away your freedom and your guns.
-
I doubt this tour's coming to Canada, seeing as how we're bunch of crazy liberals who want to take away your freedom and your guns.
FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
Done. Ordered the VIP package.
Which show?
-
SLAVERY!!!!!!!!!
-
So am I the only one who bought tickets to their 4-date United States tour? :blush
I would have if I lived anywhere near those shows.
-
FINAL ROUND:
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=12663.0
-
Done. Ordered the VIP package.
Which show?
Chicago.
-
Listening to Something Wicked this Way Comes right now for the first time. Good. Quite good.
-
I really want to check this band out, but hell, I've got tons of other prog bands to check. Namely PoS, Opeth, Symphony X and Porcupine Tree.
-
Done. Ordered the VIP package.
Which show?
Chicago.
:sadpanda: New York for me
Listening to Something Wicked this Way Comes right now for the first time. Good. Quite good.
My current favorite. :metal
I really want to check this band out, but hell, I've got tons of other prog bands to check. Namely PoS, Opeth, Symphony X and Porcupine Tree.
It'll only take you one album to get hooked.
-
Sons Of Liberty just posted this on Facebook:
Launch of secret US space ship masks even more secret launch of new weapon
https://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7106714.ece
-
It's clearly being used by the Federal Reserve to destroy the middle class.
-
Well shit...I might have to get tickets for the D.C. show depending on the job situation, just because if I get a new job in August I don't think I will be in position to ask for a Friday off in my first month. Maybe I should sabotage my job interview for the sake of seeing an Iced Earth concert...
-
Night of the Stormrider Round 1 is up! GO NOW, IN TO THE PLAINS!
-
Snippet from IcedEarth.com on Iced Earth and Sons Of Liberty partnering with Century Media:
Schaffer further states: “I am excited about the opportunity to work on SONS OF LIBERTY and ICED EARTH with Century Media. This was the label where my career began and there are many memories, some of them great, some of them not. However, we all grew up and are able to see eye to eye on the mission ahead: making sure my creativity gets the best possible outlet. I am much looking forward to this team delivering the goods and releasing some killer music.”
I thought you guys would get a kick out of that.
-
Snippet from IcedEarth.com on Iced Earth and Sons Of Liberty partnering with Century Media:
Schaffer further states: “I am excited about the opportunity to work on SONS OF LIBERTY and ICED EARTH with Century Media. This was the label where my career began and there are many memories, some of them great, some of them not. However, we all grew up and are able to see eye to eye on the mission ahead: making sure my creativity gets the best possible outlet. I am much looking forward to this team delivering the goods and releasing some killer music.”
I thought you guys would get a kick out of that.
WHAT.... ARE YOU....... IS THIS..... FUCKING..... I DON'T.... KIDDING..... EVEN.... ME?!
(https://msp343.photobucket.com/albums/o446/SpockSarah/facepalm.jpg)
-
Oh Mr. Shaffer. Why must you be so full of yourself?
-
Oh Mr. Shaffer. Why must you be so full of yourself?
I gotta agree, his ego has become insane.
Here's a band for ya, Mike Portnoy on drums, Jon on Guitar, Gildenlow on Vocals and bass. It will be called "nothing ever gets done".
-
Axl Rose and Gildenlow alternating on vocals.
Dear god....
-
Fail in regards to going back to Century Media. That's just pathetic. Knocks the integrity down another ten notches :-\
-
Burnt Offerings 2
FOR ALL THOSE YEARS OF TIM RIPPER OWENS
HE'S AN AMAZING SINGER
HE WAS NOT A TRUE BELIEVER
I HEARD HIS VOICE IN MY HEAD
CRIMSON HAIR WELCOMED TO MY LAIR
HEY LOOK A LINE UP CHANGE
NO NEW MUSIC, ONLY REHASHED SHIT
IT'S SONS OF LIBERTY
-
And yet, we'd all be blind enough to waste bandwidth and or money on it.
-
And yet, we'd all be blind enough to waste bandwidth and or money on it.
I'm not blind, my friend. I'm a collector. :neverusethis:
-
So love is a collector?
-
So love is a collector?
What's love got to do with it?
Got to do with it?
-
Well, you said you weren't blind.
-
Well, you said you weren't blind.
Why are you referring to me as love? What's this jibba jabba?
-
Well, you do love Iced Earth, do you not?
-
Well, you do love Iced Earth, do you not?
Hmmm, They were my first favorite Metal band, and they have special place in my heart, but I don't LOVE them. Especially lately. With only four albums, I think Redemption is a way better band than Iced Earth. You know what? I LOVE Redemption. :metal
-
STOP IT!
-
Never mind, fuck it. Let's all just appreciate Burnt Offerings and be happy.
-
Never mind, fuck it. Let's all just appreciate Burnt Offerings and be happy.
I guess I missed the joke?
Burnt Offerings :metal
-
Night of The Stormrider Round 2 is ONLINE!
-
Night of The Stormrider Round 2 is ONLINE!
Speed that stuff up!
-
The week long ban didn't help much. :p
-
Who got banned? And why? Was it Jon?
-
:lol Jon fired himself for a week.
-
Iced Earth is great and all, but Jon Schaffer is terribly "meh" to me. I mean, the music is great, lyrics are solid and all that, but I really don't care for him.
-
He can be kind of a douche. But he can also be a very good songwriter. :metal
-
He can be kind of a douche. But he can also be a very good songwriter. :metal
K guys I got a great idea for a song, not that you have a say in it. See, I'm gonna chug the lowest string open here.
Yea? Then what?
Oh, I was done.
-
His picking patterns are one of the most significant elements to the IE sound. He could just chug the open E all day, but he'd come up with a million cool ways to do it. Very influential to my rhythm playing skills.
-
Are we talking about that really boring chug in choruses like Melancholy? Duh deh duh duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
-
Ummm.....no....
I'm talking about his rapid gallops on....well everything else.
-
Oh I like those, but he's reused so many of the same galloping riffs that it's comical.
-
In actuality there have always been differences, no matter how similar a riff is. I know, it can feel repetitive after a bit, but for the most part, he's really created a sound that's all his own. People can say what they want, but when you know when you're listening to Schaffer's playing. There are few players with as instantly of a distinct tone and style as him.
-
In actuality there have always been differences, no matter how similar a riff is. I know, it can feel repetitive after a bit, but for the most part, he's really created a sound that's all his own. People can say what they want, but when you know when you're listening to Schaffer's playing. There are few players with as instantly of a distinct tone and style as him.
You're right about him creating a sound of his own, but he has ripped himself off, whether it be in Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards, or even Sons Of Liberty. He just has a signature riff..... Just like that generic metal riff that every metal band that even was has ripped off (2 Minutes To Midnight) Even Pyramaze has used the Schaffer riff in Year Of The Phoenix. I find that hilarious because Barlow sings on that album.
Oh, and Night Of The Stormrider Round 3 is up.
-
In actuality there have always been differences, no matter how similar a riff is. I know, it can feel repetitive after a bit, but for the most part, he's really created a sound that's all his own. People can say what they want, but when you know when you're listening to Schaffer's playing. There are few players with as instantly of a distinct tone and style as him.
You're right about him creating a sound of his own, but he has ripped himself off, whether it be in Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards, or even Sons Of Liberty. He just has a signature riff..... Just like that generic metal riff that every metal band that even was has ripped off (2 Minutes To Midnight) Even Pyramaze has used the Schaffer riff in Year Of The Phoenix. I find that hilarious because Barlow sings on that album.
I never payed that much attention to the riffs used in multiple songs, but come to think of it, there are two or three Sons Of Liberty songs that (I felt) used the exact same riff.
-
NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER ROUND 4 NOW ONLINE-AH!
-
NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER ROUND 5 NOW ONLINE!
woot
-
So, I figured out the perfect CD to get signed when I go to the meet & greet in September: The Crucible Of Man: Something Wicked Part 2. The touring lineup for the album is the same as the current lineup, so it it will include everyone.
-
So, I figured out the perfect CD to get signed when I go to the meet & greet in September: The Crucible Of Man: Something Wicked Part 2. The touring lineup for the album is the same as the current lineup, so it it will include everyone.
Oh yea I'm meeting them too I forgot. Ummm. I don't have any cd cases or booklets anymore. Who knows.
-
Well the VIP packages come with plenty of signable stuff (flag, poster, laminate, ticket itself, etc...), so it's not like you won't have anything to get signed.
-
Well the VIP packages come with plenty of signable stuff (flag, poster, laminate, ticket itself, etc...), so it's not like you won't have anything to get signed.
Yes, but aside from the ticket, I plan on burning it all in front of Jon.
No real reason really, just want to see his reaction.
-
Well the VIP packages come with plenty of signable stuff (flag, poster, laminate, ticket itself, etc...), so it's not like you won't have anything to get signed.
Yes, but aside from the ticket, I plan on burning it all in front of Jon.
No real reason really, just want to see his reaction.
Nothing like some burnt offerings! :neverusethis:
Normally when someone says something like this, I'd think they were kidding, but some of you really dislike Jon... so I'm not actually sure if you're kidding or not.
EDIT: 3,666th post!! :2metal:
-
I don't dislike Jon. I think he's a douchebag, but I have no like or dislike for him. He mostly writes good music, so he's cool by me.
-
If I ever get to meet Schaffer, the first question I'm asking is what "Splatch" means. The dude at Brazil Under Ice had an opportunity to ask Greely and didn't, so it's up to me it seems. The time will come. Oh, and when I have the money and if they're still available, I'm buying signed versions of Something Wicked 1 and 2 from Newbury Comics. Sure I already own the two albums, but they wont be the first multi copy albums I own from Iced Earth. Plus, I want Ripper's signature.
EDIT: fuck it, I'm buying them now.
EDIT 2: Fuck it, I'm going to bed instead.
-
If I ever get to meet Schaffer, the first question I'm asking is what "Splatch" means. The dude at Brazil Under Ice had an opportunity to ask Greely and didn't, so it's up to me it seems. The time will come. Oh, and when I have the money and if they're still available, I'm buying signed versions of Something Wicked 1 and 2 from Newbury Comics. Sure I already own the two albums, but they wont be the first multi copy albums I own from Iced Earth. Plus, I want Ripper's signature.
EDIT: fuck it, I'm buying them now.
EDIT 2: Fuck it, I'm going to bed instead.
That was a quick and subtle change of events. :lol
And I rather my stuff be signed in person, rather than buying it somewhere. I had my Sacred Oath and ticket and pick signed by them personally, and my friend offered me a band-signed Shovel Headed Kill Machine for $10 so I bought that. And my Endgame booklet was from a pre-order so no choice in that, and the poster that will come with my Exodus CD will be hand-signed, but not personally.
-
Why don't you just see Tim live and have him sign it?
Actually, I've yet to get him to sign any IE stuff. I doubt he'd have a problem with it though.
-
Why don't you just see Tim live and have him sign it?
Actually, I've yet to get him to sign any IE stuff. I doubt he'd have a problem with it though.
I don't know when That'll actually happen.
Night Of The Stormrider Round 6 is up... and
Matt Barlow sings the National Anthem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09RXJeX6ajA
-
I like how on "see" he just changes the key of the whole song. lol
Great stuff, just so weird seeing him like that and hearing him that....I dunno, not barlowish?
EDIT: Actually, that was pretty rough, Barlow seemed to lack his high range and was shifting key pretty often. Surprised Jon didn't ram him out of the way and replace it with some chugging.
-
That's was a bloody good effort I thought. I didn't notice anything wrong with his key.
-
That's was a bloody good effort I thought. I didn't notice anything wrong with his key.
Then you need to have your ears examined. It wasn't horrible at all, but it was far from great.
-
He didn't even have a musical accompaniment making the feat all the more impressive in my opinion.
-
He didn't even have a musical accompaniment making the feat all the more impressive in my opinion.
95% of people doing what he did have no accompaniment and pull it off. He didn't pull it off, but he did a decent job.
-
I think he did pull it off actually. I'm not sure why you don't but I respect your right to have differ.
-
I think it's sad that the guy can't even sing the National Anthem without being ripped apart.
-
I think it's sad that the guy can't even sing the National Anthem without being ripped apart.
Barlow is one of my favorite singers. But a sup par performance is a sup par performance. No matter who the person is or what the song is. I wouldn't care if it's DG singing a song about how his children were raped, if he does a bad job, he does a bad job.
-
He was in his uniform, standing completely still. It's not like he could have let loose. He restrained himself. It would have been cheesy as hell if he went into metal mode. He didn't need to show off like every pop singer and give it his all. He just sang it. Besides, it looked like a Nascar event or something so who cares. :neverusethis:
-
You can come up with as many excuses as you want. You could tell me Jon was behind him having butt sex with him without using lube. It doesn't change the fact that it was a sub par performance.
-
I think you just always need something to complain about.
-
I think you just always need something to complain about.
Nope. I'm just critical. You bring up PoS' TPE. I won't complain about a certain thing. And I praise barlow like crazy. It's just in this case it wasn't great.
-
Whatever. Round 7 is up.
-
Who cares if he wasn't perfect? I care way more about if he sounds good in Iced Earth (which he does) than how well he can sing the nation anthem.
-
Who cares if he wasn't perfect? I care way more about if he sounds good in Iced Earth (which he does) than how well he can sing the nation anthem.
I agree.
-
Anyone disturbed that this guy does a better job?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=590Pqb4qmAw
-
Anyone disturbed that this guy does a better job?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=590Pqb4qmAw
His voice is just so god damn annoying.
But yea....he did do a better job. Jesus I'm depressed now. Oh whatever, I'll just write it off as barlow having a bad day.
-
He was in his uniform, standing completely still. It's not like he could have let loose. He restrained himself. It would have been cheesy as hell if he went into metal mode. He didn't need to show off like every pop singer and give it his all. He just sang it. Besides, it looked like a Nascar event or something so who cares. :neverusethis:
Agreed, he did what was required of him.
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Burnt Offerings Round 1 is up!
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Is this the band with an album about the Civil War?
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Is this the band with an album about the Civil War?
Just 3 songs. The rest of the album is a history book with music put behind it.
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Sounds interesting. Maybe I'll show my history teacher...
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Sounds interesting. Maybe I'll show my history teacher...
Just get him a book, and chug some Eb behind it. Not much of a difference really.
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Sounds interesting. Maybe I'll show my history teacher...
Just get him a book, and chug some Eb behind it. Not much of a difference really.
:lol
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RED BARRAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON
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RED BARRAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON
I can't listen to TGB without hearing that phrase from Atilla "He did his awful best".
Really Jon? Really?
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Well he did. Didn't you, Attila? YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BLUE MAX!
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It's a damn good album.
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It's a damn good album.
Eh. It's got some good moments. But overall? Nah.
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Gettysburg trilogy > most things Iced Earth has done.
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Gettysburg trilogy > most things Iced Earth has done.
Not really. Once again, has some cool moments, but over all it's by far the most overrated Iced Earth song(s) ever. It drags on and on and on and on and 99% of the time, the orchestra adds nothing.
I dunno. Maybe it's just me, but it just seems like a super long song of some cool ideas but mostly not much.
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Barlow wrote the lyrics to Attila, so take it up with him.
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He also wrote the lyrics to Dragon's Child. No one said he was Shakespeare. :neverusethis:
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Dragon's Child rules :metal
The melody lines are awesome. And, I mean, it's a metal song about the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Its about as epic as its gonna get with that kind of restriction.
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I don't know. It always bothered me how many times ''they've'' is repeated.
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Barlow wrote the lyrics to Attila, so take it up with him.
He did? Fine, he can't write lyrics EVER again now.
Settled and done.
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:lol I like Attila. Not for it's lyrics, I just like the song.
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:lol I like Attila. Not for it's lyrics, I just like the song.
The chorus is cool and the intro is cool, but the verse is the same as most of the other verses on that album. Even though appearently I'm the only one who thinks most of the verses on that album are samey.
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Did anyone manage to pick up the Box of the Wicked, if so what's the packaging like?
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Seeing how all the contents minus the bonus disc have been previously released, I'd say its probably just a slip case of some sort.
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Yea, I was hoping it would be more than just........a collection of previously released disks.
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Did anyone manage to pick up the Box of the Wicked, if so what's the packaging like?
What is that?
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Did anyone manage to pick up the Box of the Wicked, if so what's the packaging like?
What is that?
Pretty sure it's Framing Armagedon, Crucible of Man and the re-recordings both Ripper and Barlow did of each others songs that were already released. It might also have anti-government leaflet thrown in there, dunno.
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Overture of the Wicked, Framing Armageddon, I Walk Among You, The Crucible Of Man and a bonus disc. Even the bonus disc has nothing new on it.
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Such a pointless release......
...........end the fed.
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It might also have anti-government leaflet thrown in there, dunno.
:rollin
It really is an obvious cash grab, I actually saw a copy in store today and it really didn't look anything special, just a crappy foldout looking box, nothing really nice about it. Trust Schaffer to try and screw us again.
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I think it's a cash grab on SPV's part, not Jon's.
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I think it's a cash grab on SPV's part, not Jon's.
You could be quite correct about that.
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But Jon is supportive of the release. He has mentioned it in past interviews, in reference to him putting it together. Whenever Century Media put out shit he didn't approve of, he voiced himself to the public about it.
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I gained a crap ton of respect for Jon when he spoke out against the Live in Athens DvD. Granted I bought it anyway, and I'm glad I did, it was awesome to see him publicly tell his fans not to buy the DVD.
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As did I. I am looking forward to the Festival of the Wicked DVD though. Just to have the entire Wacken show with Ripper.
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As did I. I am looking forward to the Festival of the Wicked DVD though. Just to have the entire Wacken show with Ripper.
Woahhhhh what?
Tell me of this DVD. Every detail. Or link me. Or finger bang bang me every night.
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Don't get too excited. It's like 3 shows including the 2008 Graspop FM broadcast. 2 Barlow gigs and Ripper's Wacken gig. All with basically the same set list. I think theres some extras thrown in like backstage stuff.
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Oh, so it's like a Chaos in Motion for Iced Earth? Why can't they put on a DVD show? One with huge production and a super long set list. Or just do what they did for Athens, 3 or so nights in one city, changing set lists and so forth. I'd cum buckets of angels piss.
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FEAR THE ANGELS BUCKET PISS, THEY'RE CUUUUMING!
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:lol
I enjoy Iced Earth humor.
I settled on buying concert DVDs a while back...actually, DVDs in general, as my collection is just getting too big and never get around to watching enough of them. The last concert DVD I got was the Exodus Shovel Headed Tour Machine one, which is a fucking awesome set. Although I'm not in full gung ho Iced Earth mode, depending on the price, I may grab this. I have the Alive in Athens disc, as well as the Gettsyburg one and a few bootleg shows. But like I've expressed, my interest has waned with these guys. I'd be getting it mostly for Tim's appearance...although I have no idea if he'd be getting any cut of the profits.
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I WANTED TO GET THAT EXODUS DVD, BUT DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY.
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I found it used the week it came out for 15 bucks. Well worth it for a 3 disc set.
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Overture of the Wicked, Framing Armageddon, I Walk Among You, The Crucible Of Man and a bonus disc. Even the bonus disc has nothing new on it.
I picked it up this weekend (only had The Crucible of Man, so I figured why not).
The previously-released CDs all are in their original CD packaging. The bonus disc is in a slipcase. There also is a small poster and a booklet the size of a standard CD book that expains the Something Wicked concept. Not having four of the five CDs, was it worth it? Probably paid a bit more than I should have ($30) but it quickly filled in a few holes of the many, many holes in my Iced Earth collection. Can't wait to see them again in September...
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Which show will you be attending?
-
Which show will you be attending?
DC at the 9:30 Club on Sept. 10 (and then Kamelot the night after at Jaxx in Springfield, VA - gonna be a good weekend for music)...
-
Which show will you be attending?
DC at the 9:30 Club on Sept. 10 (and then Kamelot the night after at Jaxx in Springfield, VA - gonna be a good weekend for music)...
Aw, shucks. As you can see in my sig, I'm seeing them the 23rd. Did you get a VIP package?
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Anyone listened to Sons of Liberty?? Opinions??
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Who? :P
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Jon Schaffer's side project.
https://www.sons-of-liberty.net/
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Oh wow, I never knew he had a side project. *listens* OH GOD THE MEMORIES! YOU BASTARD! I HAD THIS SHIT BLOCKED FROM MY MIND! YOU BROUGHT IT BACK! I'LL NEVER BE OPEN AGAIN!!!
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I'm one of the few people who enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing them open for Iced Earth in September, although I hope that Jon's voice won't be strained when he gets to having to sing with Iced Earth thirty minutes after playing and singing for probably a good forty-five minutes.
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I doubt singing Stormrider and some backing vocals would do any additional harm if he were to strain his voice. It's funny you say 'them' when the only person who will be missing is Matt. I don't know, I just find the concept of opening a concert with your side project to be rather lame and conceited. Especially billing it as a seperate band. Or I'm mistaken and Jon found some other guys to play. Hope you have a good time.
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Will they really have a 30 minute break between the two bands? It's not like they have to switch out gear, Matt just has to......walk out.
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Does anyone else find it the wrong decision to rerecord Framing Armageddon? I mean, the Crucible of Man was written for Owens, and it didn't sound right with Barlow doing the super-melodic parts, and I think Framing Armageddon would be the same story, Barlow attempting an album that was meant for a completely different singer....
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Jon has stated many times that he doesn't write an album for any particular singer. He hears Tim's voice when writing melodies but that's it. Crucible was not written for Owens.
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Will they really have a 30 minute break between the two bands? It's not like they have to switch out gear, Matt just has to......walk out.
I don't know... I was just saying that generally because that's what the time between sets usually is.
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Does anyone else find it the wrong decision to rerecord Framing Armageddon? I mean, the Crucible of Man was written for Owens, and it didn't sound right with Barlow doing the super-melodic parts, and I think Framing Armageddon would be the same story, Barlow attempting an album that was meant for a completely different singer....
They aren't and haven't rerecorded Framing Armageddon. They re-did a few songs, just like they have always done. But as far as I know, the album stays as it is.
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Only because SPV went bankrupt. The box set was supposed to contain all rerecorded material, even the EP with the redone Trilogy. Jon always gets the shaft.
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Sons of Liberty are opening for Iced Earth, I find that hilarious, especially considering the members.
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Only because SPV went bankrupt. The box set was supposed to contain all rerecorded material, even the EP with the redone Trilogy. Jon always gets the shaft.
Yeah and now the fans get shafted with an unnecessary, watered down box set.
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That wasn't Jon's idea though. SPV released that on their own. A cash grab like Century Media does. That's why I find it so funny that Jon chose them again.
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That wasn't Jon's idea though. SPV released that on their own. A cash grab like Century Media does. That's why I find it so funny that Jon chose them again.
Century Media....uuugghhh.
I've seen so many copies of Box of the Wicked in store, I don't they will ever move them. I'll probably buy one when they chuck them in the clearance section.
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I said the same about the Slave To The Dark boxset but it's still $159
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I said the same about the Slave To The Dark boxset but it's still $159
I have actually never seen that in store here in Brisbane, Australia. Stores now stock the crappy paper sleeve versions of the albums that come from this instead of the regular jewel cases. Glad I picked up all their albums before these where released.
The Box of the Wicked on the otherhand is everywhere. :lol
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I haven't seen BotW yet but my local record store has a couple SttD boxes.
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WHAT DO I SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?!?!?!
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ON THE ICY PLAINSUUUUHHHH?!?!
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THE DESOLATE ONESUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH!!!
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*the desolate onesuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh* (response background vocal ;))
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IT'S MY TERRAINUUHH!
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Anyone listened to Sons of Liberty?? Opinions??
Fucking terrible :lol
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Anyone listened to Sons of Liberty?? Opinions??
Fucking terrible :lol
:lol Thanks for your honesty, why is it so terrible? I've seen some okay reviews about it.
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I don't know. Iced Earth got bland eventually, but Sons Of Liberty is just got really bland after the first song I heard. It feels so directionless. I don't like the lyrics, but I'm not ruling that in. I'm just talking musically.
The riffs sound so uninspired.
Although, I'm sure you could find someone who loves the same galloping riffs and song writing style for almost every song in a 20 year period.
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I don't know. Iced Earth got bland eventually, but Sons Of Liberty is just got really bland after the first song I heard. It feels so directionless. I don't like the lyrics, but I'm not ruling that in. I'm just talking musically.
The riffs sound so uninspired.
Although, I'm sure you could find someone who loves the same galloping riffs and song writing style for almost every song in a 20 year period.
Fair call. I must say, if it continues in the downward spiral from Armageddon 2, I won't be too impressed by it either. Crucible of Man almost made me vomit.
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I enjoy Sons Of Liberty, despite the fact that it's a blatant soapbox for Jon to stand on, and despite the fact that Jon is having his own band open up for him (which I will enjoy, as I enjoy both bands), and despite us basically being forced to hear the same thing over and over again, I enjoy it.
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I felt like listening to Burnt Offerings, so I am :metal
Can't wait to see and meet them in September! By the way, does anyone know if the meet and greet will interfere with me seeing Sons Of Liberty's set (inb4 lolsonsofliberty)?
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Considering they ARE SoL, then I doubt it.
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lolsonsofliberty
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:lol What Adami said.
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HEY, THERE'S A ONE-MEMBER DIFFERENCE
(I think)
But that is a good point :lol, my bad for not realizing that. So now the question is, will the meet and greet be before or after the show? I've heard that Iced Earth has had them after the show in the past, but that would seem like a drag for the people that need to get home, and also the band might be tired out and maybe not in their most fan-friendly mood.
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Schaffer was definitely not in a fan friendly mood for the meet and greet after my concert.
People have told me that's unusual though, so I don't know what to expect.
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Schaffer was definitely not in a fan friendly mood for the meet and greet after my concert.
People have told me that's unusual though, so I don't know what to expect.
Well are their meet and greets traditionally after the show? It would seem that it would be for this tour, because if the show starts at (*checks Ticketmaster*)
WHOOOOOAAH, it says the show starts at 9:00 PM... lolwat? This must be an error, but that would mean, what, Sons Of Liberty getting thirty minutes, and then Iced Earth going on at 9:40/9:45 and playing for twenty/twenty-five minutes? Unless they play 'til 11:00, which would mean they'd only play for about an hour and fifteen minutes... wat???
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Which show will you be attending?
DC at the 9:30 Club on Sept. 10 (and then Kamelot the night after at Jaxx in Springfield, VA - gonna be a good weekend for music)...
Aw, shucks. As you can see in my sig, I'm seeing them the 23rd. Did you get a VIP package?
I did not get the VIP package.
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Listening to the Melancholy EP makes me sad at how much the bass guitar in Iced Earth has diminished. Here it's so thick and full and just sounds great, but on newer albums, Jon makes it sound all twangy and you can barely hear it. DAMMIT SCHAFFER! On an unrelated note: KrotchRaut sounds awful on my nifty new headphones.
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On an unrelated note: KrotchRaut sounds awful on my nifty new headphones.
As opposed to...
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Ack. I caved. Yesterday, I rebought Alive in Athens from the Used record store for $7.99 (previously, I had sold all my Iced Earth CDs to them.)
I just can't deny that there was a point in time where I loved this band, and Alive in Athens seems to have everything about the band that I once loved included.
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Why would you deny liking Iced Earth? They're a great band!
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Ack. I caved. Yesterday, I rebought Alive in Athens from the Used record store for $7.99 (previously, I had sold all my Iced Earth CDs to them.)
I just can't deny that there was a point in time where I loved this band, and Alive in Athens seems to have everything about the band that I once loved included.
I don't think anyone could deny that IE WERE a great band.
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Something Wicked Saga = :2metal:
Listening to The Crucible Of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 now. :2metal:
Seeing them two weeks from Thursday. :metal
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Something Wicked Saga = :2metal:
Listening to The Crucible Of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 now. :2metal:
Seeing them two weeks from Thursday. :metal
Crucible of man was extremely dissapointing.
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It's still a good album. A step down from Framing Armageddon, but I still think its got some decent tracks. I think that's what I dig about IE...they don't really have a crap album in my opinion. I think the entire catalog is fairly strong. Its simply a matter of preferring certain works over others, but I like most songs from all releases.
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It's still a good album. A step down from Framing Armageddon, but I still think its got some decent tracks. I think that's what I dig about IE...they don't really have a crap album in my opinion. I think the entire catalog is fairly strong. Its simply a matter of preferring certain works over others, but I like most songs from all releases.
They don't have an album with ALL bad songs. But they do have an album with LOTS of bad songs, and that album is called...I forgot, whatever the history book one is.
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Oh yeah, you're the guy who thinks Gettysburg is mediocre. Although I kind of agree with you on The Glorious Burden, I still fart in your general direction.
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Oh yeah, you're the guy who thinks Gettysburg is mediocre. Although I kind of agree with you on The Glorious Burden, I still fart in your general direction.
It is mediocre. There are some VERY cool sections in it, but it's what 30 minutes? It ends up being 5 minutes or so of awesome stuff and 25 of either generic IE or parts that just drag on and on and on and on and....well you can see where I'm going with this...
....and on and on and on an
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I disagree. There's no shredtastic guitar solos, but the rhythm playing is excellent and to me, isn't generic but a nice change. The instrumental section after ''the worms go marching one by one'' is amazing. I consider Gettysburg to be Jon's masterpiece....... Right after Night of the Stormrider.
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I disagree. There's no shredtastic guitar solos, but the rhythm playing is excellent and to me, isn't generic but a nice change. The instrumental section after ''the worms go marching one by one'' is amazing. I consider Gettysburg to be Jon's masterpiece....... Right after Night of the Stormrider.
I don't listen to IE for "shredtastic guitar solos". They never have them. It's just....lifeless. It had a lot of potential too. But I'm glad you liked it so much.
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The Glorious Burden has another 9 tracks on it outside of the Gettysburg trilogy, and plenty of them kick ass. Plus Ripper sings on it, and Ripper slays everything.
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Something Wicked Saga = :2metal:
Listening to The Crucible Of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 now. :2metal:
Seeing them two weeks from Thursday. :metal
Is there an alternate version to this album I was unaware of? Because last time I checked, the album was very short on the :2metal:.
Also The Glorious Burden is rather boring. I agree with Adam-*stroke*.
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The Glorious Burden has another 9 tracks on it outside of the Gettysburg trilogy, and plenty of them kick ass. Plus Ripper sings on it, and Ripper slays everything.
Yes, and some are ok. Greenface is pretty rockin, so is um....well I'm sure there's another 2 or so. But that's it.
-
I honestly like just about every track. Declaration Day is cool. The Reckoning is in my top ten favorite IE tracks of all time. Attila smokes. Red Baron is a cool, under-rated tune. And I don't care what people say, but I dig When the Eagles Cry. I think Hollow Man is easily the low point of the record. Valley Forge is kind of ok. Waterloo is a step up. Overall, a strong release.
Is there a top 25/50 IE track thread? If not, I'd like to take a stab at one.
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I'd like to do one, but you can go first.
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The Hunter is probably my favourite IE track.
That is all.
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I was just discussing covering that with my band, as it fits our heavy/melodic sound. Great track.
Should I make a separate thread? Once I'm done, feel free to take over.
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Yes, please make a seperate thread.
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So, completely unexpectedly...there's a good chance I'll be attending the NY show!!!
My friend won tix/VIP passes through the fan-club and knows how much of a fan I am, so he offered to take me with him.
I have to clarify a few schedule things, as I had no anticipation for this, but if all goes well, I'll be there. Will be getting there the day before the show for some sight-seeing. Haven't been to NY for longer then an hour in...jeez, like 14 years (lived in Brooklyn as a kid and have family still there). Hope to meet up with some fans for a pre-show brew!
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So, completely unexpectedly...there's a good chance I'll be attending the NY show!!!
My friend won tix/VIP passes through the fan-club and knows how much of a fan I am, so he offered to take me with him.
I have to clarify a few schedule things, as I had no anticipation for this, but if all goes well, I'll be there. Will be getting there the day before the show for some sight-seeing. Haven't been to NY for longer then an hour in...jeez, like 14 years (lived in Brooklyn as a kid and have family still there). Hope to meet up with some fans for a pre-show brew!
See ya there! :metal
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New York show tonight with meet and greet! :2metal:
Taking the 6:03 train down there with my dad, we should be at the venue as soon as the doors open. And the doors open at 8:00? It's either gonna be a short show, or a late one...
Who else is gonna be there? I'll be in a Stone Temple Pilots shirt.
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I'm going with the Misses. Should be an awesome night, Nokia is fun especially if you're drinking.
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I'm going with the Misses. Should be an awesome night, Nokia is fun especially if you're drinking.
Age: 15
:\
I don't takes risks at concerts with drinking. I saw two twenty-year-olds get thrown out of MGM Grand At Foxwoods when I saw Alice In Chains, and they got thrown out before the opening act even went on.
Plus I'll be with my dad...
And by the way, they changed the name to Best Buy Theater.
-
Like I said in the chat thread, have fun and good luck making it through Sons of Liberty. :lol
-
Decent show. Only playing 4 shows in a year shows though, as everyone seemed to be off at one time or another. But still enjoyable none the less. Got a bunch of shit signed, free flag and shirt. They made us go back to the end of the line for a picture, so I said fuck it and just took a cab back to my motel.
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Decent show. Only playing 4 shows in a year shows though, as everyone seemed to be off at one time or another. But still enjoyable none the less. Got a bunch of shit signed, free flag and shirt. They made us go back to the end of the line for a picture, so I said fuck it and just took a cab back to my motel.
I must've seen you or you seen me, but didn't know it. I was wearing a Stone Temple Pilots shirt the first time around and the VIP shirt the second time around. Awesome show, I was three people away from the barrier. My dad told Jon that it was my sixteenth birthday (it is on Saturday) and that I'm a drummer, and redirected us to Smedley, who had his tech get a new stick for him to sign and give to me. :metal
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Decent show? They were incredible. Barlow was perfect and the band sounded tight and heavy. Song choices were great as well. Not one song from the last 2 albums even though I wanted to hear 10,000 Strong.
If you're interested the setlist was as followed.
1. 1776 intro
2. Burning Times
3. Declaration Day
4. Vengeance is Mine
5. Violate
6. Last December
7. Pure Evil
8. I Died for You
9. Travel in Stygian
10. Jack
11. The Hunter
12. Prophecy
13. Birth of the Wicked
14. The Coming Curse
15. A Question of Heaven
Encore
16. Colors
17. Iced Earth
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That's a damn good set. How did Barlow go with Declaration Day??
-
Yeah it was an awesome set. Too bad they didn't have time for the second encore which would've been "Watching Over Me", which I really wanted to hear. Song-wise it was awesome though, "Colors" and "Pure Evil" being two I really, really wanted to hear, and lots of stuff from Something Wicked This Way Comes, which is my favorite album of their's. :metal
Oh yeah, and why didn't they have that awesome epic sun-esque light that they had when they toured earlier in the year?
You can see it in this video, behind Smedley. It's really cool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nli8cwJ1Ndg
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I thought a perfect encore after all the classic songs would have been 10,000 days and I walk Alone. And He nailed Declaration Day...His voice is much better now then when he first came back and was playing ripper songs.
-
Is Jon a Tool fan? :neverusethis: I wish they'd keep A Question of Heaven and Travel in Stygian in the set.
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Sucks I couldn't go, oh well, I've seen them with Barlow and Ripper, I'm happy. I'll wait for a DVD and have sex with an arab while watching it.
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You forgot My Own Savior. I have the set list. Only song not played was Watching Over Me.
As for the band? Come on dude. I have video footage. They were sloppy as hell. I was front row center the entire time. Troy was cheating with the picking patterns by alternate picking instead of copying Jon's stuff. His leads started out fine, but got progressively sloppier. He didn't even learn certain leads (Colors is a good example). Even Jon was off at times. ALL of Matt's screams were way higher then necessary. The band became unlocked several times. That's what happens when you play 4 shows a year. There is no room for growing on the road to lock into one another and become the beast it needs to be. I saw them 2 years ago, same lineup, in the midst of a full on tour. They sounded ten times better. They were even choreographed. This, as fun and exciting as it was, was sloppy.
Part of the issue is re-using the same musicians probably led to people being tired. Sons of Liberty sounded better then IE from a technical stand point. Which is too bad, as I snored through most of Jon's rants. If they were just playing with less banter and the message was optional, I'd have been more into it. That being said, I dislike the entire project a lot less now. The live renditions were superior to the album tracks.
Jon was in high spirits. He was a god-damn nut! Must've took his crazy pills, as he was all hopped up. Even a the end, he was all smiles and laughs. Cracked a joke about making sure Freddie plays on the new record, to which he responded that he won't, but he'll put his picture in the booklet anyway :P
Turns out Freddy lives an hour from me. Gonna have to hook up with him and hang out at shows. Setting up a stable of local musicians to make guest appearances on my bands debut. Think he'd be a good choice.
Matt seemed tired and not in all that great of a mood at the meet and greet. Interesting, as he was the only member who didn't have to do 2 sets. Strangely, Jon looked surprised when my friend mentioned the National Anthem Nascar youtube clip of Matt singing. I just blurted out "you didn't know!?" and it got laugh. I would've thought that as bandmates and brothers in law (and patriotic nuts that that information would've been shared :lol
They didn't skimp out on the freebies though. Free shirt and flag. Didn't cost me a nickle, as the tix were won my friend through his fanclub membership.
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When I was at the beginning of the hallway with the table in it right outside the meet & greet room, I heard the whole room burst into laughter, so maybe that was you? And when I shook Smedley's hand, it felt like I was holding molding clay. :lol
I was wearing the VIP shirt yesterday, and everyone that read it (except for two people) read it as "Red Earth" or "Ked Earth"... :lolpalm:
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Dude, most likely. I was surprised it got such a response :lol
And same deal. Me and my buds stopped in CT on the way back home for lunch. We ended up at this little diner and got wrecked! We drank so much, they started pulling out specialty bottles of expensive stuff on the house! Great times...but yeah, we were all wearing our VIP shirts and not one person read them correctly. I think my favorite was Blood Earth...I didn't even know how they pulled that one off :lol
Must have been the blood red color under the logo that threw them off :P
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If you sign up for the Iced Earth newsletter and make an account on IcedEarth.com you get "10,000 Strong" and "Burning Times" for free from the upcoming Festivals Of The Wicked. Listening to "10,000 Strong" right now; very good.
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Festivals Of The Wicked.
WTF is this?
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It's the upcoming DVD. Should be released sometime in 2112.
-
Festivals Of The Wicked.
WTF is this?
https://lmgtfy.com/?q=Iced+Earth+-+Festivals+Of+The+Wicked
Sorry, had to do that :P
It's a DVD coming out early next year.
-
It's the upcoming DVD. Should be released sometime in 2112.
Lol nugget or an awesome typo.
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It's the upcoming DVD. Should be released sometime in 2112.
Mind = Blown
-
Festivals Of The Wicked.
WTF is this?
https://lmgtfy.com/?q=Iced+Earth+-+Festivals+Of+The+Wicked
Sorry, had to do that :P
It's a DVD coming out early next year.
Was that so hard? Yes.
I wish we got a Ripper DVD.
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It's the upcoming DVD. Should be released sometime in 2112.
Lol nugget or an awesome typo.
Who is the perfect creature that I would kill my entire family for in your avatar??
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I swear I have to do this in every fucking thread I post in.
DENISE MILANI.
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I swear I have to do this in every fucking thread I post in.
DENISE MILANI.
Hey, with an avatar like that you should be fully expecting that! :lol
Wow....just.....wow.
https://www.google.com.au/images?hl=en&q=denise%20milani&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1003&bih=539
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I know, I have all of those pictures on my computer. :D
Yes, I do have an epic screensaver and wallpaper.
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Giggidy. Anyway, no typo, just a joke since Jon's taking forever and a day to release this DVD. And as far as I know, there will be one Ripper concert on the DVD.
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The two free songs are with Tim "Ripper" Owens
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Oh hell yeah!!
Good to see Jon not acting like Ripper never existed in his band. *ahem Judas Priest ahem*
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I talked to Ripper. He is getting no compensation for all of this, so I can't say I'm too thrilled to support it.
That being said, the live clips are good. I will likely get a pirated copy or something haha
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What's your relation to him again? I forgot.
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There isn't any outside of me being a fan. A rather rabid one, but a fan none the less. He's very cool with keeping in touch with his fan-base.
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Oh, for some reason I thought you were personal friends with him or something. That's cool though. :tup
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Well, I'm awfully close with him for someone who lives 10 hours away haha. I will be seeing him for the third time this year later this month. He always puts me on his guest list and we hang out. I'm going from New Hampshire to Ohio to catch his unplugged show at his rock restaurant. He's putting me up in a hotel for free and we're gonna party. Maybe he'll even let me sing a duet with him. I don't know, maybe I downplay it. Maybe I am his friend lol
I am certainly a Ripper clone baby though :biggrin:
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I talked to Ripper. He is getting no compensation for all of this, so I can't say I'm too thrilled to support it.
That sucks ass.
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Well, I'm awfully close with him for someone who lives 10 hours away haha. I will be seeing him for the third time this year later this month. He always puts me on his guest list and we hang out. I'm going from New Hampshire to Ohio to catch his unplugged show at his rock restaurant. He's putting me up in a hotel for free and we're gonna party. Maybe he'll even let me sing a duet with him. I don't know, maybe I downplay it. Maybe I am his friend lol
I am certainly a Ripper clone baby though :biggrin:
How hard would I have to cradle your balls to get you to ask ripper to sing on my CD? Or to at least give me the oppurtunity to talk to him about it.
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I'm already hitting him up with offers myself :lol
Seriously, I'm trying to convince him to duet a song on my band's debut, as well as a series of other guest musicians.
It's a matter of money and management (meaning if they think it's a good career move or not). It's not difficult to reach him, either on facebook or myspace.
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I'm already hitting him up with offers myself :lol
Seriously, I'm trying to convince him to duet a song on my band's debut, as well as a series of other guest musicians.
It's a matter of money and management (meaning if they think it's a good career move or not). It's not difficult to reach him, either on facebook or myspace.
I tried on myspace. Said he never read it.
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Try facebook then. It's much easier there. I'm kind of in disbelief at this now. He's getting me a hotel room and then taking me out for lunch the next day. I guess we are friends ;D
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:eyebrows:
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Try facebook then. It's much easier there. I'm kind of in disbelief at this now. He's getting me a hotel room and then taking me out for lunch the next day. I guess we are friends ;D
Keep the condom.
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Oh please, you're just jealous :P
So long as I call "no homo", I should be ok...
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I want to hang out with Ripper. :(
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Charred Walls of the Damned is better than anything Iced Earth has done in recent history anyway.
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Charred Walls of the Damned is better than anything Iced Earth has done in recent history anyway.
Charred Walls was okay, but let me down to be honest. It just lacked something. Had some solid songs though. I'd easily take it over Something Wicked Part 2, but is nowhere near the league of Part 1.
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:lol
https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=148877
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Charred Walls suffered from a bad master. That seems to be Jason Suecof's issue with producing. Should've payed Sneap to mix/master it.
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What are the setlists for Festivals Of The Wicked?
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Wacken 2007:
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Burning Times
Declaration Day
Violate
Vengeance Is Mine
Ten Thousand Strong
The Hunter
Stormrider
A Charge To Keep
My Own Savior
Prophecy
Birth Of The Wicked
The Coming Curse
Iced Earth
Not sure on the other two shows.
EDIT: I know they opened with The Dark Saga and Vengeance is Mine at Rock Hard 2008 (Matt's first show back).
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Wacken 2007:
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Burning Times
Declaration Day
Violate
Vengeance Is Mine
Ten Thousand Strong
The Hunter
Stormrider
A Charge To Keep
My Own Savior
Prophecy
Birth Of The Wicked
The Coming Curse
Iced Earth
Not sure on the other two shows.
EDIT: I know they opened with The Dark Saga and Vengeance is Mine at Rock Hard 2008 (Matt's first show back).
Rock Hard 2008? Was that the chicago show?
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Why is Burning Times in every setlist. They have so many songs better than that. Must be a personal fave of Jon's I suppose...
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Why is Burning Times in every setlist. They have so many songs better than that. Must be a personal fave of Jon's I suppose...
It's not a great song. But to be honest, it's a great live song.
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It's the definitive live Iced Earth song. It always goes over well and it's easy for the performers to play. As far as I can tell, it's been played at every show since the release of Something Wicked This Way Comes.
As for the Rock Hard show...no, that performance was a Euro festival. I realized my mistake. The Chicago show was Matt's first show back.
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Graspop 2008:
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Dark Saga
Vengeance Is Mine
Burning Times
Declaration Day
Violate
Pure Evil
Ten Thousand Strong
Dracula
The Coming Curse
Melancholy (Holy Martyr)
My Own Savior
Iced Earth
I believe this show is also on there.
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As for the Rock Hard show...no, that performance was a Euro festival. I realized my mistake. The Chicago show was Matt's first show back.
Hell yea it was. Cause I was there.
And what else?
I was near a door while waiting outside, and heard the band doing soundcheck for Question of Heaven.
So I was pretty much the first fan to hear him sing with IE since he returned.
SUCK IT!
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East it out my butt. I party with Ripper, so HA! :biggrin:
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East it out my butt. I party with Ripper, so HA! :biggrin:
Rippers the guy you party with when the main you guy you party with decides he wants to try other things.
BOOYA!
(don't tell him that, please get me to meet with him!)
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:lol
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Matt Barlow retires!
https://www.bravewords.com/news/157267
ICED EARTH Vocalist Matt Barlow Retires From The Band, Releases Emotional Statement
Hot Flashes
Posted on Wednesday, March 02, 2011 at 15:41:49 EST
Long-time vocalist Matt Barlow has retired from ICED EARTH.
In his heartfelt statement, Barlow cites his commitment to his family and the need for Iced Earth to tour more as the reasons for his retirement; however, he has committed to perform with Iced Earth on all 2011 European festival dates, which will be his last with the band.
Matt Barlow’s official statement is as follows:
“Brothers and Sisters,
Let me begin by saying how much of an honor it has been to share my time in Iced Earth with Jon and the guys…and with all of you! Since my return to the band in 2007, it has truly been extraordinary. I have had the opportunity to travel the world and see old friends and meet new ones. Though we had originally thought that the Iced Earth touring schedule would be very limited, we were able to play our fair share of concerts.
During that time we were also able to have a live DVD produced (the forthcoming Festivals of the Wicked). However, due to the rapidly changing music industry, it has become increasingly clear to recording artists that the only way to keep a band viable and to truly reach its potential is through live performances. That means that a band must reach out to new regions of the globe and become pioneers for their own livelihood. Since 2007, Jon and I have always had the best intentions for the future of Iced Earth, and we still do. However, given the band’s projected touring schedule, Iced Earth’s future and mine must now take separate paths.
On my departure from Iced Earth in 2003, I made a commitment to my wife and to the idea that we would start, and raise, our family together. Two years later, my first child was born and two years after that, my second. My youngest son was born about a week before Jon asked me to return to Iced Earth. It was a very exciting and emotional time for all of us, but we were all clear on our intentions. It is apparent to us now that regardless of our belief at that time, time can change an intended outcome. In this instance, I hope that change will not be regarded as a bad thing, but rather as a necessary part of evolution.
Jon and the band must venture into new realms to continue to grow Iced Earth. I commend him for his ideals and wish nothing but to share in his vision. I know that this is not the last time Jon and I will work together, but it will be my last endeavor with Iced Earth. Iced Earth is a name and force of its own. It has been very good to me and has allowed me to live a dream that others would give most anything for. I have been truly blessed to share this experience with everyone. I will continue to support Jon and Iced Earth in every way. I will also continue to create and perform in my own capacity.
These next months will prove to be a very emotional time for me. I am extremely happy to be able to share the experience with Jon, Brent, Freddie, Troy and the Iced Earth family. I am proud to know them and honored that they consider me their friend. It is going to be phenomenal to share the love of this music during several summer festivals and I know that it will be a time we will never forget.
Please consider all that I have brought forth and all of Jon’s offerings before passing judgment on the future of Iced Earth. This band has always strived to give its listeners the very best and I know that Jon, as always, will continue to lead that charge.
“To Iced Earth and all of you…I wish you the very best!!!
Band founder and leader Jon Schaffer reacted to his friend’s decision with equal parts sadness and praise.
“I knew Matt wrestled with this for a long, long time,” said Schaffer. “It wasn’t an easy decision for him. But I love him dearly and I can’t fault his reasons.”
Schaffer continued: “Matt is one of the most sincere people I know, and one of the most talented. His departure deeply saddens me, but I hope all fans of Iced Earth will cut him some slack. I wish Matt well, respect him greatly, and I ask everyone else to do the same.”
With a new album in the works, and a world tour pending, Schaffer has already begun the search for a new vocalist.
“I have a few guys in mind,” said Schaffer. “And as you can imagine, it is a very important decision. One thing is for certain: we are not looking for a Matt Barlow ‘clone’ – we are looking for a front man that brings power and character of his own to the table. There’s only one Matt, and that era of the band’s history will always hold a special place in my heart.”
The band’s long-awaited six-hour, three-concert live DVD Festivals of the Wicked is scheduled for release this spring.
The band recently announced a new summer festival date: Dong Open Air in Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany, on July 15th.
With the Dong Open Air date confirmed, Iced Earth will play a total of six summer festivals, including: Wacken, Graspop, Rock am Härtsfeldsee, Ilosaarirock Festival in Joensuu, Finland on July 16th, and the Sweden Rock Festival on June 10th in Sölvesborg, Sweden.
More festival dates will be announced soon on the band’s official web site, MySpace, and Facebook pages.
Announcement of a new vocalist will be made through all social media outlets as soon as a decision is made.
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............. MOTHER FUCKER!!!!!!
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Sorry, man. You're the first guy I thought of when I read it.
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Surely this doesn't come as a surprise to everyone. Matt needs to go, his heart isn't in it and it has showed.
Jon now says they are not looking for a Barlow clone, yet he already found just the opposite with Tim and he did a terrific job, interesting to see what happens now. Something Wicked Pt 1 was one of their best albums and Pt 2 was easily one of, if not their worst album.
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Well I'm glad I got to see them on their last United States tour before he left, and got to meet him.
They'll probably announce the new singer before Dream Theater announces the new drummer. :lol
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Ripper was not a Barlow clone. They sound nothing alike. This actually was a surprise to me, because although Iced Earth is a revolving door band, I was not expecting Matt to be the one to quit, especially after only one album since his return. I do have faith in Jon at picking a good replacement....
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Ripper was not a Barlow clone. They sound nothing alike. This actually was a surprise to me, because although Iced Earth is a revolving door band, I was not expecting Matt to be the one to quit, especially after only one album since his return. I do have faith in Jon at picking a good replacement....
Sorry, if you were referring to my post I just reread and edited it. I meant to say that he is NOT a clone. That's why I find it funny, Jon already found what he is now looking for and kicked him to the curb.
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Ok. Well we know who the new vocalist wont be :lol although it would be twisted if Jon and Ripper settled their differences and he joined and they re-recorded Crucible of Man.
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Ok. Well we know who the new vocalist wont be :lol although it would be twisted if Jon and Ripper settled their differences and he joined and they re-recorded Crucible of Man.
Holy Shit. I think you are onto something!! :metal
Although, I think it's safe to say that Iced Earth will struggle from here on whatever they do. I mean, I'd be surprised if they bounce back and become somewhat successful again. I mean, another singer......I just don't see it working for them. Really, Tim coming in for another album may be an okay idea.
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Not surprising, but sad none the less. Best of luck to both guys. :)
Can't wait for the DVD, whenever it gets released.
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Not surprising, but sad none the less. Best of luck to both guys. :)
Can't wait for the DVD, whenever it gets released.
Yeah, really looking forward to the DVD too.
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Them getting back together with Barlow was a desperate move to begin with. Glad he's gone. Hope Ripper comes back.
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Ripper would never come back; it didn't end well between Jon and himself. But then again, stranger things have happened.
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Not surprised.
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They never should have gotten rid of Tim. :facepalm:
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Soon DT is going to announce that Barlow left Iced Earth to become their new drummer.
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Maybe ZP Theart will be the new singer since DragonForce got a new one? :neverusethis:
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When I heard that Barlow would be back in IE in 2007, I was very pleased, as the band didn't quite sound right without him. But after hearing the 2nd Something Wicked album, I realized it wasn't him. It didn't help that their initial performances with him live pretty much sucked. Although I've heard a bootleg since then that was somewhat better, it is clear that his heart really isn't in the band, and that they'd be better off going with someone who is into a full time touring schedule. Unfortunately, they seem to have burned their bridges with Tim Owens, so it's unlikely we'll see him return. Hell given the fact that musicians in IE have rotated all the time, I wouldn't be surprised to see Portnoy chuck the drums and become their new lead vocalist :)
In any case, I'm guessing this will be pretty much the last gasp for the band. After all, Shaffer's best riffs from the last decade were in the Demons and Wizards project anyway. I can't see how they really survive yet another lead singer change.
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It doesn't matter who they have singing anymore because Iced Earth won't be great again until Jon starts writing more songs like In Sacred Flames/Behold the Wicked Child.
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After meeting Matt in September, his dismissive attitude told me two things: mother-fucker was tired...and that he wasn't nearly "into" it as much as we were lead to believe. Dumping Tim was huge mistake. This pretty much proves how big of a nose-dive the band has taken.
That being said, I know Freddie the bassist and am attempting to get an audition :biggrin:
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After meeting Matt in September, his dismissive attitude told me two things: mother-fucker was tired...and that he wasn't nearly "into" it as much as we were lead to believe. Dumping Tim was huge mistake. This pretty much proves how big of a nose-dive the band has taken.
That being said, I know Freddie the bassist and am attempting to get an audition :biggrin:
You know Tim, right? Has he mention what he thinks about this yet? :lol
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His only response: "Good for Matt" :lol
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Tim is awesome. Iced Earth should have never let him go, but he's much better on his own.
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Myke, that would be totally awesome if you get it, good luck on getting an audition, man.
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Tim is awesome. Iced Earth should have never let him go, but he's much better on his own.
Totally agreed.
Myke, that would be totally awesome if you get it, good luck on getting an audition, man.
Thanks dude! I ain't getting my hopes up, but ya never know!
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When I heard that Barlow would be back in IE in 2007, I was very pleased, as the band didn't quite sound right without him. But after hearing the 2nd Something Wicked album, I realized it wasn't him. It didn't help that their initial performances with him live pretty much sucked. Although I've heard a bootleg since then that was somewhat better, it is clear that his heart really isn't in the band, and that they'd be better off going with someone who is into a full time touring schedule. Unfortunately, they seem to have burned their bridges with Tim Owens, so it's unlikely we'll see him return. Hell given the fact that musicians in IE have rotated all the time, I wouldn't be surprised to see Portnoy chuck the drums and become their new lead vocalist :)
In any case, I'm guessing this will be pretty much the last gasp for the band. After all, Shaffer's best riffs from the last decade were in the Demons and Wizards project anyway. I can't see how they really survive yet another lead singer change.
From a totally objective point of view, I think Tim is a much better singer then Matt. With that said, however, it always sucks when a band loses the singer who's voice has become synonymous with the sound of that particular band, so losing Matt in the first place was a total tragedy. In my opinion, hiring Ripper as a replacement was basically making the best out of a bad situation. Ripper is such a phenomenal talent, and Glorious Burden, despite some weak spots, gave him ample opportunity to shine. Seeing Iced Earth on that tour was my favorite memory of that band live. Ripper was on fire that night, and the band seemed refreshed with a new sense of purpose. For a brief while, I allowed myself to believe that the Ripper-lead IE could actually have bright new future ahead of them. Then came Framing Armageddon. While there were a few great songs on that album, much of it was totally unmemorable, and after about a week, I stopped listening to it entirely, and it occurred to me that the odds of them continuing with Ripper were pretty slim (Fuckin deja vu for the poor guy after what happened with his stint in Priest; a great first impression followed by a lackluster followup). I was probably the only metalhead I knew who wasn't wetting my pants when I heard Matt was returning, partially because I thought Ripper deserved better, but also because I was afraid that such a reunion would be forced by commercial considerations rather then a genuine renewal of commitment to the band. When I heard Crucible, my heart sank, and I knew that it was basically over for the band. All the signs are there: a revolving door of musicians; a half-assed reunion with a half-assed studio album; a side project that is taking up more and more of the band's musical mastermind's time, attention, passion and creativity. And now this. *Sigh* I'm sorry, I really am. Iced Earth is such a great band, and one of the last bastions of pure, unadulterated old school metal free of sub-genre tags (something that is all to rare in modern metal). I was hoping that they would continue rocking until they were too old to get up on stage. Sad to see a band of their caliber go out this way. :(
Oh well, had to end sometime I guess. Still have tons of great memories and music. Iced Earth FOREVER!!! :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
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Iced Earth haven't really been "pure metal free of genre tags" since Something Wicked.
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I think Jon will be ok and this wont be the end of Iced Earth. The band has survived this long, and CoM wasn't a total loss. Every Iced Earth album has something to offer, and as long as he stops with the whole political nonsense, he'll be ok. I hope to Carl Sagan that he doesn't pick that ex-turd from DragonFarce though.
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Well said Dark Master
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The thing that really baffled me is why they didn't fully take advantage of Ripper's vocal range when they did have him. The material from the first two albums was far more suited to his vocals than the Barlow material, and yet they only did a few of those songs live: Iced Earth, Pure Evil, Angel's Holocaust. I would loved to have seen Ripper tackle Travel in Stygian or Curse the Sky or even When the Night Comes Down. Instead, he does a lot of the Barlow material, and does a passable job, but rarely more than that (with the exception of perhaps The Coming Curse and Dracula, where the screams exceed what Barlow could have done).
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Iced Earth haven't really been "pure metal free of genre tags" since Something Wicked.
They are about as close to pure metal as you can get these days. I don't really consider Iced Earth to be power or thrash metal or anything else people attempt to classify them as. In this day and age, every band needs a sub-genre tag, apparently. :\ I have even heard Judas Priest classified as power or speed metal by younger metal fans! WTF?! Granted, certain Priest albums/songs contributed to the creation of those sub-genres, but by no means does that make Priest anything but traditional metal.
I think Jon will be ok and this wont be the end of Iced Earth. The band has survived this long, and CoM wasn't a total loss. Every Iced Earth album has something to offer, and as long as he stops with the whole political nonsense, he'll be ok. I hope to Carl Sagan that he doesn't pick that ex-turd from DragonFarce though.
Yeah, Jon will be fine. I guess since he basically is the band, he could just release whatever the hell he wanted to with whoever the hell he wanted to play with as Iced Earth. Weather the fans would accept it as Iced Earth is another thing entirely. Mustaine can get away with that sort of shenanigans in Megadeth because he is the singer as well as one of the guitarists; that won't fly with Iced Earth because Schaffer is not the singer and the Ripper/Barlow divide demonstrated just how much a change in vox can effect the sound of a band and the whole idea of what constitutes a "band".
And yeah, IE doesn't have any "bad" albums. Granted, the last two albums didn't have a lot of songs I will be dying to hear at the next IE concert I attend, but they did have a few memorable compositions. Glorious Burden had some stinkers on the first disc, but it had some awesome numbers, too, and the Gettysburg suite, to this day, remains my favorite thing IE has ever done, even if the GB album as a whole is far from their best. But pretty much everything from Burnt Offerings to Horror Show is gold. :metal
As for the singer position, I would much rather have Portnoy front IE then that pussy from Dragonforce
FOR EVERY WORD YOU SAY TO ME, IN EVERY WAY, YOU ARE A SINNER! HRRRRAAAAAHHHH!!! INVENTORY!!!!
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:lol
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The thing that really baffled me is why they didn't fully take advantage of Ripper's vocal range when they did have him. The material from the first two albums was far more suited to his vocals than the Barlow material, and yet they only did a few of those songs live: Iced Earth, Pure Evil, Angel's Holocaust. I would loved to have seen Ripper tackle Travel in Stygian or Curse the Sky or even When the Night Comes Down. Instead, he does a lot of the Barlow material, and does a passable job, but rarely more than that (with the exception of perhaps The Coming Curse and Dracula, where the screams exceed what Barlow could have done).
Well live, with such a revolving cast of musicians, its tough to get everyone in sync on such rhythmically based stuff that's all about keeping that staccato in check. So they tend to recycle the majority of a set-list each tour, which is sad. And they always tend to shoot for songs that were more anthemic and suited for a live atmosphere. That being said, on the albums he did, they definitely utilized his skills and range.
Also it's "When the Night Falls" :P
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WHEEEEEN THEEE NIIIIIIGHT COMES DOWN! WHEEEEN THEEE MOOOON IIIIS FILLED UP!
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Sorry about getting the songs mixed up. I must have been thinking of the Judas Priest song "Night Comes Down," which is BTW a truly underrated gem from their catalog.
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NO EXCUSE! So for the past forever (since I've been an Iced Earth fan, 2004) I've been looking for Dark Genesis, whether it be at Best Buy or Zia, my local CD store. I knew it's been out of print for a long time, but I'd look anyway with no luck. Finally I found a somwhat cheap copy on Ebay and the search was over. Fast forward over a year later to last night. I went to Zia to get some movies, and as I'm making my usual rounds through the metal section, what do I see? DARK FUCKING GENESIS!!! Needless to say I was a little frustated... Would it have been there had I not bought a copy on Ebay? Who knows, but surely I would have shit my pants though.
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I saw no need. I bought the individual re-released albums and then got a copy of the demo from a friend.
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I collect everything Iced Earth, so I have multiple copies of their albums. I did recently get rid of the Alive in Athens DVD which was hard, but Jon didn't endorse it, plus it was very sloppily put together. The only Century Media cash grab I have is The Blessed and The Damned. The song selection isn't too bad and I like the liner notes, even if there is a few typos.
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I collect everything Iced Earth, so I have multiple copies of their albums. I did recently get rid of the Alive in Athens DVD which was hard, but Jon didn't endorse it, plus it was very sloppily put together. The only Century Media cash grab I have is The Blessed and The Damned. The song selection isn't too bad and I like the liner notes, even if there is a few typos.
Really? I'm holding on to my AIA, but then again I don't know it just feels weird to get rid of, even if Jon didn't endorse it.
But I'm really looking forward to their new DVD. Any updates on that? Or still just sometime soon?
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Yeah no release date yet. According to the site, it's in the final stages of editing. And I debated for a long time whether to get rid of the AIA DVD, and finally I just said fuck it. I still have the Gettysburg DVD. That one is disappointing too, but it isn't completely useless. I just can't enjoy a concert when there is audio pasted on to totally different video a lot of the times. Plus, my favorite song of the whole show isn't even on there. So that DVD will be lumped with Slave To The Dark and SPV's Box of the Wicked. Of course, when I'm rich I'll buy all those just for the hell of it. :neverusethis:
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I never forked out and got Gettysburg DVD, even though I loved the trilogy. Maybe a live performance or something would have made it worth my while. It just seems like a waste, especially for the prices I've seen it.
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Well honestly, I never made it through the whole video. I love the Trilogy, but a half hour After Effects project is just boring. As cheesy as it might be, I'd rather the video be footage from the Gettysburg movie or something.
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I never forked out and got Gettysburg DVD, even though I loved the trilogy. Maybe a live performance or something would have made it worth my while. It just seems like a waste, especially for the prices I've seen it.
You didn't miss out. It really wasn't all that great.
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Yeah, thought so. I really don't know what Jon was thinking releasing that. I have never seen a copy under $35!!
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$35? I think I payed $17 or so when it came out.
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This is in store. Never bothered looking online. I think I remember seeing it in store once for $43. I picked it up and :lol
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Taken from www.icedearth.com:
"
ICED EARTH LEADER CHOOSES NEW VOCALIST, ANNOUNCES EUROPEAN LEG OF MASSIVE WORLD TOUR
In the wake of vocalist Matt Barlow’s retirement, dozens of demos and resumes flooded Iced Earth’s management team. But one name kept popping up – Into Eternity vocalist Stu Block, who has been named the new lead singer for Iced Earth.
According to Schaffer, Robert Kampf, CEO of Century Media, early on suggested Block, whose band Into Eternity was previously on the CM label. That reminded Schaffer of one night in September, 2008, when Into Eternity opened for Iced Earth.
“Iced Earth was backstage waiting to go on,” said Schaffer. “We heard one of Stu’s incredible wails. I remember turning to Matt and saying, ‘Damn, that dude has serious range.’”
So while Iced Earth’s management team sifted through the growing number of prospective vocalists, Schaffer got in touch with Block.
After several phone conversations with the then-prospective Iced Earth vocalist, Schaffer asked his manager to e-mail Block several key Iced Earth songs, with the vocals stripped. Block went into his studio and recorded himself singing, then sent the files back to the team.
The result landed Block an intense two days at Schaffer’s studio where the two musicians hit it off.
“I felt a lot of chemistry between us, we knocked out a couple of great original pieces of music in no time” said Schaffer. “He’s very good at coming up with catchy melodies, and will help with lyrical duties as well. There’s no doubt Stu has an amazing vocal range and a lot of energy, but he also has the touring experience, which is a big plus for our plans of performing in all corners of the world.”
In addition, Schaffer said Block has what Iced Earth needs in a front man: “stage presence that includes high energy, passion, and focused rage.”
“Stu is charismatic and understands the depth and varying emotions in Iced Earth’s music,” said Schaffer. “So he will embody not only the emotion of our songs, but he will be able to perform them in a dynamic way. I believe fans are in for some incredible records and live shows in the coming years.”
New Iced Earth vocalist Stu Block concurs: “Iced Earth fans are wonderful, wonderful people,” he said. “The music is so passionate. So they’re passionate, and very loyal to the band. I am, too. I’m a huge fan of Iced Earth myself. So I share that same passion, and I will show it on stage. I think the fans are really going to dig it.”
Block continues: “It’s a huge honor to be doing this, to be part of this team,” he said. “It’s a dream come true, for sure.”
Schaffer is totally stoked. “This is a new beginning,” he said. “It’s game-on time. Iced Earth is going to record and tour like it never has before. The band is really amped-up and ready to hit the ground running in November.”
And to prove it, Iced Earth has released the European leg of a world tour that will take the band to countries it has never previously played. All told, the 2011-2012 Iced Earth world tour will be the largest the band has undertaken since its inception.
"
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Good choice, the man has a psychotic voice. I was actually talking to Stu about singing on one of my CD's but eventually he vanished, oh well.
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I didn't even know Barlow had left (again). Stu's great, but Barlow is the only one that fits IE IMHO.
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I wonder if IE (who oddly enough have the same initials as Into Eternity) will start using screaming now that Stu's in the band.
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Interesting. I haven't really ever listened to Into Eternity, but a song I did hear by them a long time ago I didn't care for because of the vocals :lol Um, so did that band break up or something, and should I give them a chance? I guess I'm gonna have seeing as their singer is now fronting Iced fucking Earth. ... Very interesting.
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I wonder if IE (who oddly enough have the same initials as Into Eternity) will start using screaming now that Stu's in the band.
I hope not...
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Interesting. I haven't really ever listened to Into Eternity, but a song I did hear by them a long time ago I didn't care for because of the vocals :lol Um, so did that band break up or something, and should I give them a chance? I guess I'm gonna have seeing as their singer is now fronting Iced fucking Earth. ... Very interesting.
He has a very very different voice than Matt, but can screech higher than probably tim. But I don't know what song you've heard, since Into Eternity has had at least 2 different singers, but here's an example of his range, (like I said, very different than matt).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nQ4ZR-NI6A
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Well I can't view the link 'til Thursday night cause that's when I get internet, but as far as the song I heard, I just remember the guy singing in many different styles and the song changing up alot. Is Stu the old singer of Into Eternity?
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Well I can't view the link 'til Thursday night cause that's when I get internet, but as far as the song I heard, I just remember the guy singing in many different styles and the song changing up alot. Is Stu the old singer of Into Eternity?
No he's only been on the last 2 albums I think, unless they came out with another one.
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I wanted to give up on this band, but I'm actually interested again now. Sounds like Jon's got his sense of purpose back. Hopefully he'll actually stick to his guns this time around.
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Interesting. I haven't really ever listened to Into Eternity, but a song I did hear by them a long time ago I didn't care for because of the vocals :lol Um, so did that band break up or something, and should I give them a chance? I guess I'm gonna have seeing as their singer is now fronting Iced fucking Earth. ... Very interesting.
He has a very very different voice than Matt, but can screech higher than probably tim. But I don't know what song you've heard, since Into Eternity has had at least 2 different singers, but here's an example of his range, (like I said, very different than matt).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nQ4ZR-NI6A
After listening to that... I'm not getting my hopes up.
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Watched the video on my girlfriend's blackberry. I don't know if it's because this guy is now the vocalist of one my all time favorite bands and my brain is forcing a liking, but the growls and screams didn't bother me and those wails were awesome. Incoming serious KrotchRaut Influence? I think I'm gonna check this band out.
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Iced Earth-A modern day Rainbow.
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I knew it was Stu the second Barlow released that statement. After seeing them tour in '08, its an obvious fit.
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I knew it was Stu the second Barlow released that statement. After seeing them tour in '08, its an obvious fit.
It makes a lot of sense, I just hope they utilize Stu to his full extent.
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Can the guy do the really deep low vocals like in Dante's Inferno?
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Can the guy do the really deep low vocals like in Dante's Inferno?
I don't know. Tim couldn't, but I hope this guy can.
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I know Tim couldn't, but then again, they never really tried did they?
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I know Tim couldn't, but then again, they never really tried did they?
I am very eager to see how they perform together in the future. :)
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So with a FIFTH (!!!) vocalist, can we expect Days Of Purgatory 2?
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They'll spend the next 5 years re-recording all existing material.
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Never heard this guy but after listening to Timeless Winter, I'm impressed. This guy would be able to do material off the first two albums perfectly!
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Songs like "watching over me" aren't going to sound right with anyone other than Barlow I'd say, possibly more songs.
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Songs like "watching over me" aren't going to sound right with anyone other than Barlow I'd say, possibly more songs.
I agree. But with Stu, I'm sure they'll focus on the heavier songs, since that's what he does best. I also wouldn't be surprised if their new songs had screaming/growling on occasion.
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Hey guys, according to the online cd store I use, Festivals of teh Wicked has a June 27th release date!! Can't find any information around about this, but on this site it's available for pre order. :tup
https://www.cdwow.com.au/search?q=iced+earth&sort=release
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I believe that's the right date. Can't say I'm too excited about this. Having 3 nearly identical concerts seems rather pointless, but I'll probably still get it. I hope the documentary is good.
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I believe that's the right date. Can't say I'm too excited about this. Having 3 nearly identical concerts seems rather pointless, but I'll probably still get it. I hope the documentary is good.
Yes, I am mostly interested in the documentary as well.
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Everyone,
Jon just sent this to me and asked me to share it with all of you...
Hello gang!
Just a quick update for you from the road. We had a great weekend playing at Sweden Rock Friday and the Rock Hard festival in Germany on Saturday. The band’s having a lot of fun, and today we begin rehearsing the new songs for the forthcoming CD, titled “Dystopia.” We begin master tracking in Florida in 2 weeks and will be traveling between Europe and the US this summer to play festivals and finish the new album. I can honestly say that I haven’t had this many songs give me goose bumps since we recorded Something Wicked This Way Comes, way back in 1998, so this is also very exciting.
As you can imagine, it’s a very busy time for us. I think we’re all having emotional ups and downs as we’re coming to the end of an era with Matt’s retirement, and we’re also very excited about the future with Stu coming onboard, so it’s a little bit of a roller coaster ride for us. However, we are having a killer time, and Matt is performing at his absolute best and going out with pure class and style, which is always the way he rolls.
We also had a great time hanging out with the guys in Down last night at the Rock Hard festival. Freddie and my manager joined them onstage for a nice jam at the end of the show. It was brilliant and a lot of fun.
We’ll be keeping you posted on updates as things move along through the summer.
Best to you all!!
Jon
:coolio
EDIT: Just looked up what Dystopia means, and OH NO I HOPE THIS DOESN'T SOUND LIKE SONS OF LIBERTY!!!!!!
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Eh, that's a fairly uninspired title choice, but I'll certainly hold all reservation till I hear it. There is the high school kid part inside of me excited for the prospect of a new Iced Earth record.
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I'm waiting for Horror Show Pt.2
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I'm waiting for Horror Show Pt.2
That would be beautiful.
I'm very excited to hear how Stu sounds in Iced Earth, since he's great in Into Eternity. An amazing vocalist, he matched Labrie's skill when I saw them in 07.
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I'm waiting for Horror Show Pt.2
You and me both.
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Hey guys! I just came up on this thread. I'm fairly new to this forum and love how there is an Iced Earth thread in the general music discussion! :metal I've always loved this band and I am excited for the new singer. I also see Dark Saga not getting a lot of love here, what's the deal?? It's probably my favorite record from them. Maybe I'm just weird!! :rollin
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Welcome! Good to see another Iced Earth fan. Unfortunately this band isn't too popular around these parts. I think 95% of DTF hates power metal and the like. Fantasy can only be on TV, not in music... Anyway, The Dark Saga is pretty good, but it doesn't get too many spins from me. I remember when I bought a huge IE haul back in 04, I put TDS on and hated it. But A Question of Heaven is my favorite IE song (the live version) and basically the live versions of all TDS songs are so much better than studio. Can't wait for the new album!
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The Dark Saga is one of my favourite albums from them (along with Something Wicked This Way Comes). It has I Died For You, Violate, Vengeance Is Mine, A Question Of Heaven, and my favourite IE song - The Hunter.
:metal
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The Dark Saga is one of my favourite albums from them (along with Something Wicked This Way Comes). It has I Died For You, Violate, Vengeance Is Mine, A Question Of Heaven, and my favourite IE song - The Hunter.
:metal
Yes! It has a ton of great material on it!
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The Dark Saga was actually what drew me to Iced Earth. I was big into Spawn when I was younger. So then I saw Iced Earth did an album about Spawn. Had to have it. No question.
I also don't think I'd seen this thread until just earlier today. Glad I noticed it. Love Iced Earth. One of the better bands from my early days of metal.
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Dark Saga rules. It's probably the most concise release in the discography. I find myself listening to it more then any other record, really.
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That ending trilogy!! :hefdaddy
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That ending trilogy!! :hefdaddy
Eh, Suffering Scarred sounds too much like Black Sabbath and is boring. The latter two songs though are great.
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I think 95% of DTF hates power metal and the like.
But Dream Theater is about as close to power metal as it gets, without actually being power metal... ???
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I think 95% of DTF hates power metal and the like.
But Dream Theater is about as close to power metal as it gets, without actually being power metal... ???
How did you come to that conclusion?
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I think 95% of DTF hates power metal and the like.
But Dream Theater is about as close to power metal as it gets, without actually being power metal... ???
wat
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I think 95% of DTF hates power metal and the like.
But Dream Theater is about as close to power metal as it gets, without actually being power metal... ???
(https://www.lolwut.com/layout/lolwut.jpg)
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I think 95% of DTF hates power metal and the like.
But Dream Theater is about as close to power metal as it gets, without actually being power metal... ???
How did you come to that conclusion?
Well I'm not saying DT is power metal, I'm saying they are almost similar to the genre. The operatic vocals with emphasis on the higher register vocals, the some times use of fantasy lyrics, use of synths, many orchrestrated arrangements, occasional fast paced songs, etc.
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Hammerfall, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Gamma Ray, Primal Fear, Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Edguy are all true power metal. I wouldn't put DT in that category at all.
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Hammerfall, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Gamma Ray, Primal Fear, Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Edguy are all true power metal. I wouldn't put DT in that category at all.
I agree. As I said, I don't consider DT as being power metal at all, my only comment was that if I had to pick a genre of music that DT is most similar to, aside from Proggesive Rock/Metal, I'd say Power Metal would be the choice.
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Hammerfall, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Gamma Ray, Primal Fear, Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Edguy are all true power metal. I wouldn't put DT in that category at all.
I agree. As I said, I don't consider DT as being power metal at all, my only comment was that if I had to pick a genre of music that DT is most similar to, aside from Proggesive Rock/Metal, I'd say Power Metal would be the choice.
Nah, the only power metal song they really have is The Dark Eternal Night, and ever that is a stretch.
Anyway, HOLY SHIT! :metal
Last December
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jcsrEj91mQ
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Anyway, HOLY SHIT! :metal
Last December
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jcsrEj91mQ
Seriously, Matt Barlow has the second most powerful voice I've ever heard (Right behind Russel Allen) Also very unique as well, I don't know any vocalist who sounds like Barlow.
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Welcome! Good to see another Iced Earth fan. Unfortunately this band isn't too popular around these parts. I think 95% of DTF hates power metal and the like. Fantasy can only be on TV, not in music... Anyway, The Dark Saga is pretty good, but it doesn't get too many spins from me. I remember when I bought a huge IE haul back in 04, I put TDS on and hated it. But A Question of Heaven is my favorite IE song (the live version) and basically the live versions of all TDS songs are so much better than studio. Can't wait for the new album!
The live album?
-
Welcome! Good to see another Iced Earth fan. Unfortunately this band isn't too popular around these parts. I think 95% of DTF hates power metal and the like. Fantasy can only be on TV, not in music... Anyway, The Dark Saga is pretty good, but it doesn't get too many spins from me. I remember when I bought a huge IE haul back in 04, I put TDS on and hated it. But A Question of Heaven is my favorite IE song (the live version) and basically the live versions of all TDS songs are so much better than studio. Can't wait for the new album!
The live album?
No, he means the new studio album.
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Alive In Athens must be one of the best live albums ever.
EVER.
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A long time ago, I traded in all my Iced Earth CDs except for live in Athens. I still listen to it occasionally, as nothing more than grim reminder of how silly I used to be about certain kinds of music. Barlow coming back was the end for me.
But I hope this new guy brings some fire back to the band.
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Hammerfall, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Gamma Ray, Primal Fear, Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Edguy are all true power metal. I wouldn't put DT in that category at all.
I wouldn't put DT in that category either. Oh and all those bands rock! Love them all!! :metal
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https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270770655068&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:US:1123
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:letam: :2metal: :metal
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https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270770655068&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:US:1123
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:letam: :2metal: :metal
Nice. I've never ever seen that artwork.
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https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270770655068&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:US:1123
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:letam: :2metal: :metal
Nice. I've never ever seen that artwork.
It's the second attempt at the cover, which is only slightly better than the first, but still pretty bad. It's extremely rare though, and I'll have it soon! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
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:tup
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I picked up the Festivals of the Wicked Box Set yesterday. 2 DVD's, a CD and a fantastic poster flag, all for $33, amazing value. I haven't watched the DVD yet, I probably won't get time to sit and watch it until next weekend. Gonna give the album a spin tonight. I find it a little disappointing from the tracklist that the two Barlow concerts have the exact same setlist with one set having one extra song. I don't really understand that, but I'll watch it and wait and see. Very excited for the Wacken concert with Ripper, especially with the Something Wicked trilogy. I'm really interesting in the documentry too.
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Yeah, the identical sets thing is pretty lame, but I'll still get this.
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American power metallers ICED EARTH have entered the studio to begin recording their new album, "Dystopia", for a tentative late 2011 release via Century Media Records. The CD will mark the band's recording debut with singer Stu Block (INTO ETERNITY), who joined ICED EARTH in March following the departure of Matt Barlow. (Note: Barlow is performing with the band on all summer festival dates. Block will take over from there, starting with the European leg of ICED EARTH's world tour in November.)
Commented ICED EARTH guitarist/mainman Jon Schaffer: "All is well here as we are pushing forward with master tracking the new album, 'Dystopia'.
"We have finished drums and rhythm guitars and are right on schedule.
"I'll be heading to Europe tomorrow for a few festival dates and then right back to work in the studio on Monday.
"[Producer] Jim Morris and I are having a great time, as usual, and are very much looking forward to starting vocal tracks with 'Stucifer' next week!
"Stu Block has contributed a lot to the vocal parts on this record, with co-writing credits on 10 out of 12 songs, and I'm very happy with our chemistry and what we've accomplished together so far. And we're just getting started."
Songtitles set to appear on "Dystopia":
* Dystopia
* Anthem
* Days of Rage
* Soylent Green
* V
* Boiling Point
* Tragedy and Triumph
* Anguish of Youth
* Iron Will
ICED EARTH's long-awaited live DVD extravaganza, "Festivals Of The Wicked", boasts nearly six hours of material — three full headliner shows (over 40 live tracks!), a photo gallery shot by famed rock photographer Ross Halfin, plus a 90-minute documentary. It was released on June 27 in Europe and July 12 in the U.S.
Can't say I'm too thrilled with the song titles. Looks like Sons of Liberty Part 2.
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Agree Zook, hopefully it doesn't suck like Sons of Liberty did. Interesting to hear what they come up with. Oh and, Stucifer!? :facepalm:
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lol I kinda skimmed through the post and didn't even see that. I hope Jon didn't coin that cause that's way worse than Ripper.
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So I'm watching that Festivals of the Wicked DVD.
Good performances but holy crap is it boring. It's never too exciting to watch a band live on a DVD when the band pretty much just stands there and try to recreate the sound of the CD perfectly, it's like listening to a remixed copy of the CD and looking at a picture. And the documentary was awful, I think....I fell asleep for a while there. It was mostly John talking about how strong willed he is and the rest of the guys talking about how amazing John is.
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lol I kinda skimmed through the post and didn't even see that. I hope Jon didn't coin that cause that's way worse than Ripper.
Ripper is amazing compared to it. :lol
Haven't watched the DVD yet but I've listened to the Festivals album. I'm glad I got mine in a box set. I wouldn't pay $20 for this cd alone. Fade outs every 2-3 songs, 1 set with Barlow, then 1 with Ripper, then back to Barlow. Audio quality is okay, some songs seem to have a lot of background noise in them. Guitars are not in stereo either which is bullshit. Granted though, unlike AIA, it's completely live. Barlow you can hear is getting older and tired. he reaches some great highs, but he is out of tune in quite a few places. Ripper sings well, but even here you can hear that some sections he's pushing and almost struggling. Not a big fan of Troy, some solos are okay, but his phrasing is almost novice like and some notes and bends are off. I wish Tim Mills stayed with the band. His guitar on the re-recording of the Something Wicked Trilogy was amazing.
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So I'm watching that Festivals of the Wicked DVD.
Good performances but holy crap is it boring. It's never too exciting to watch a band live on a DVD when the band pretty much just stands there and try to recreate the sound of the CD perfectly, it's like listening to a remixed copy of the CD and looking at a picture. And the documentary was awful, I think....I fell asleep for a while there. It was mostly John talking about how strong willed he is and the rest of the guys talking about how amazing John is.
Damn, well that's a little disappointing. :lol at that last sentence. Is the visual quality of the concerts any good?
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So I'm watching that Festivals of the Wicked DVD.
Good performances but holy crap is it boring. It's never too exciting to watch a band live on a DVD when the band pretty much just stands there and try to recreate the sound of the CD perfectly, it's like listening to a remixed copy of the CD and looking at a picture. And the documentary was awful, I think....I fell asleep for a while there. It was mostly John talking about how strong willed he is and the rest of the guys talking about how amazing John is.
Damn, well that's a little disappointing. :lol at that last sentence. Is the visual quality of the concerts any good?
Oh yea they are both extremely well done from a quality stand point. It's just that the band has 0 energy on stage and it gets boring as hell to watch. Also I didn't get the CD but there's no real background noise on the DVD. There's also a few random timing mistakes, and Barlow (at least on one of the performances) is WAY ahead of everyone on 10,000 strong. He also really struggles with Owens songs, he does the high parts awesome, but the midrange stuff he struggles with, which is weird for Declaration Day since he originally recorded it.
Also worth noting that Troy Steele? Is the worse guitar player I have ever seen play with Iced Earth, I don't think he gets a single solo correct. But for the most part the music is awesome, and Barlow and Owens both sound mostly, sad it's pretty much identical to the CD, kind of takes the fun out of it.
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One more thing, lol sorry this is making it sound like I hate it which I do not. But the audience (maybe because I'm watching in Stereo?) is basically mute even when they're screaming. You can hear them cheer after the songs, but on TONS of songs Barlow has the audience sing parts, and you hear nothing from them so it just sounds odd.
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Yeah man, as I said, I'm not a fan of Troy either, he's a novice guitar player IMO. Also, don't bother with the cd, you're not missing anything.
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Unfortunately the weakest link (Troy) will never be the one to get fired because he's good friends with Jon.
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Well then. I'm not entirely sure I want this anymore :(
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Well then. I'm not entirely sure I want this anymore :(
If you haven't seen Iced Earth live, then get this. It's a great representation of Barlow and Owens, both of whom you'll likely never see with Iced Earth again.
EDIT: Not related to the DVD but has anyone else noticed that the acoustic version of When The Eagle Cries is basically an unofficial duet between Barlow and Owens?
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Well then. I'm not entirely sure I want this anymore :(
If you haven't seen Iced Earth live, then get this. It's a great representation of Barlow and Owens, both of whom you'll likely never see with Iced Earth again.
EDIT: Not related to the DVD but has anyone else noticed that the acoustic version of When The Eagle Cries is basically an unofficial duet between Barlow and Owens?
I thought that song was debunked of having Barlow's backing vocals still on it. I don't know, I've only listened to it about twice.
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The acoustic version? It's pretty obviously him, there's no real room for interpretation.....the man has a rather distinct voice. If he's on anything from the normal album he's buried....but the acoustic has him loud and clear.
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The acoustic version? It's pretty obviously him, there's no real room for interpretation.....the man has a rather distinct voice. If he's on anything from the normal album he's buried....but the acoustic has him loud and clear.
Looks like I have a mediocre Iced Earth song to listen to again.
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Well then. I'm not entirely sure I want this anymore :(
If you haven't seen Iced Earth live, then get this. It's a great representation of Barlow and Owens, both of whom you'll likely never see with Iced Earth again.
EDIT: Not related to the DVD but has anyone else noticed that the acoustic version of When The Eagle Cries is basically an unofficial duet between Barlow and Owens?
Never in person, no. But I've got the Alive in Athens DVD. And from videos and such of Owens, I never much liked his take on older Iced Earth material. I didn't like how he sounded on Overture of the Wicked, He sounded mediocre on The Glorious Burden, and every other instance of him trying to do vocals written for Barlow just didn't sound good. Likewise, Barlow trying to do songs of Framing Armageddon didn't sound great because they were written for Owens.
My opinion, of course. I'll probably pick it up eventually out of curiosity, honestly. But after reading about it, it's not nearly as high on the list.
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Well then. I'm not entirely sure I want this anymore :(
If you haven't seen Iced Earth live, then get this. It's a great representation of Barlow and Owens, both of whom you'll likely never see with Iced Earth again.
EDIT: Not related to the DVD but has anyone else noticed that the acoustic version of When The Eagle Cries is basically an unofficial duet between Barlow and Owens?
Never in person, no. But I've got the Alive in Athens DVD. And from videos and such of Owens, I never much liked his take on older Iced Earth material. I didn't like how he sounded on Overture of the Wicked, He sounded mediocre on The Glorious Burden, and every other instance of him trying to do vocals written for Barlow just didn't sound good. Likewise, Barlow trying to do songs of Framing Armageddon didn't sound great because they were written for Owens.
My opinion, of course. I'll probably pick it up eventually out of curiosity, honestly. But after reading about it, it's not nearly as high on the list.
Jon has stated that he doesn't write melodies based around a certain vocalist, only that he has a specific voice in his head. I'm sure it's not the only voice in his head though...
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Matt Barlow backing vocals are throughout the Glorious Burden album. He is credited so in the liner notes.
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Matt Barlow backing vocals are throughout the Glorious Burden album. He is credited so in the liner notes.
Thus true, but he only ever sounds faint and iffy whether it's him on WTEC and Attila I think.
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Matt Barlow backing vocals are throughout the Glorious Burden album. He is credited so in the liner notes.
Indeed, and he is semi-audible on the Gettysburg trilogy, but for the most part he is VERY buried.
However on the acoustic WTEC song he is very very audible and clear.
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So has Barlow retired out of music completely?
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I doubt we will hear form Barlow again in music form.
I'll have to revisit that acoustic version of WTEC. I think there's quite a few songs where you could hear him if I remember correctly, I haven't listened to it in a long time. I'm sure he's pretty audible on Hollow Man also.
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He stated he's retiring from Iced Earth but that you he will certainly stay in music to some degree.
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Was just at Brazil Under Ice Forums when I remembered I had a dream of Stu singing an old Iced Earth song, and it was terrible. I wish I could remember what song it was. He was singing something mellow into something harsher, but he sounded really emo...
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I recently tried Iced Earth. I'm so sorry, guys.
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I recently tried Iced Earth. I'm so sorry, guys.
Oh jeebus, what did you start with?
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The Crucible of Man
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The Crucible of Man
There's your problem. Go and get Dark Saga, Something Wicked, Burnt Offerings, Horro Show or Night of the Stormrider.
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The Crucible of Man
There's your problem. Go and get Dark Saga, Something Wicked, Burnt Offerings, Horro Show or Night of the Stormrider.
Agreed, and alhough Jon Greely isn't the best vocalist by any stretch, he does a decent job, and Night of The Stormrider has Schaffer at his absolute best. Though Something Wicked This Way Comes has their best "sound" in my opinion, and might be the best place to start as the album is more accessible. Burnt Offerings is Iced Earth's darkest gloomiest album and has their 16 minute masterpiece, Dante's Inferno. Dark Saga took me the longest to get into, but it's good for what it is, a concept album about Spawn, short and to the point. It contains my favorite IE song, A Question Of Heaven. The live version is better though. Horror Show hasn't aged the greatest for me, but I loved it for a while. It contains another favorite of mine, Dracula.
best
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A Question of Heaven just blows me away every time I listen to it. The emotion is just incredible. And Dante's Inferno, good lord what a song. The AIA version is just perfect, absolutely perfect.
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A Question of Heaven just blows me away every time I listen to it. The emotion is just incredible. And Dante's Inferno, good lord what a song. The AIA version is just perfect, absolutely perfect.
Would be perfect, but lacks the bells outro.
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A Question of Heaven just blows me away every time I listen to it. The emotion is just incredible. And Dante's Inferno, good lord what a song. The AIA version is just perfect, absolutely perfect.
Would be perfect, but lacks the bells outro.
I understand, but you know, I actually prefer the solid end they do on the live version compared to the bells. That final riff live is incredible and the prolonged finish really wraps up the epic nicely IMO.
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The Crucible of Man
There's your problem. Go and get Dark Saga, Something Wicked, Burnt Offerings, Horro Show or Night of the Stormrider.
There's one intro that's better than any: Alive in Athens.
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The Crucible of Man
There's your problem. Go and get Dark Saga, Something Wicked, Burnt Offerings, Horro Show or Night of the Stormrider.
There's one intro that's better than any: Alive in Athens.
Actually, this.
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Burnt Offerings is a good starting point. Has a lot of great songs.
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The Crucible of Man
There's your problem. Go and get Dark Saga, Something Wicked, Burnt Offerings, Horro Show or Night of the Stormrider.
There's one intro that's better than any: Alive in Athens.
Actually, this.
Yeah, I'd probably say that too. After AIA, get all the other ones I mentioned.
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Yeah, hell you could even say ANYTHING BUT Crucible of Man!
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Yeah, hell you could even say ANYTHING BUT Crucible of Man!
Yeah, pretty much, Crucible is easily IE's weakest.
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To me, Alive In Athens is the metal version of Frampton Comes Alive. Honestly, it's really the only thing you need from this band.
But I LOVE Gettysburg 1863.
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To me, Alive In Athens is the metal version of Frampton Comes Alive. Honestly, it's really the only thing you need from this band.
But I LOVE Gettysburg 1863.
I'm with you again mate, I loved Gettysburg. I always listened to the whole half an hour, a great piece of work. Tim is on fire too.
Also, I'm listening to Tim's version of the Something Wicked Trilogy. I think I like it more than Barlow's. I just wished it had the piano intro on the Coming Curse and the vocal choir ending.
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I'm listening to Something Wicked This Way Comes, for the first time in a while, and damn, I forgot how much I loved this album.
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The trilogy always gives me chills down my spine.
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Yeah I think I'm starting to like Ripper's version of the trilogy more than the original. At first I didn't and then I started thinking I liked them about the same. Oh and yes Gettysburg 1863 is fucking epic! :metal
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I'm listening to Gettysburg right now! :metal
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Yeah I think I'm starting to like Ripper's version of the trilogy more than the original. At first I didn't and then I started thinking I liked them about the same. Oh and yes Gettysburg 1863 is fucking epic! :metal
I've often preferred it, Ripper fanboyism aside. I like the lower tuning they used for it. I absolutely love the epic build up for the first half of Prophecy. Tim Mills' leads are awesome. But it is not without criticism. The second half of Prophecy is bizarre. That bass tone used for the drop outs is a bit of a head scratch, and Jon palm-muting the main riff too heavily bugs me, as the original riff as is was pretty perfect. Also the dropping of the piano intro to Coming Curse was a big no-no. But other then that, I do prefer it to the original.
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I listened to the "new" version of the trilogy once and that was enough for me.
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I'm not a fan of the reworked trilogy. It's lifeless and the palm muting of the riffs ruins the whole thing. I guess I'm the only one who prefers Larry's solos. I'll admit, the beginning of Prophecy is pretty cool but it plummits to shit afterwards.
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Yeah my dislike for it isn't Rippers fault. Jon is just nowhere near inspired enough. Which has been his issue for awhile.
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I do agree with the criticism of the plam muted riffs, mainly on the Prophecy. I'd go as far as saying that Tim Mills was the best lead guitarist that was in Iced Earth, maybe except for Ralph Santolla (even though they both weren't really pemanent members.)
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I love Iced Earth, but man this graphic always makes me chuckle:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/84ce3bd3f522d54c774378e58d938b7a.png)
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LOL. Looks so much more complicated than it should be.
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Listened to Owens' Prophecy again, and that damn palm muting kills all the momentum built up at the beginning... Ugh.
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(https://www.icedearth.com/system/files/cover/ie-dystopia.jpg)
Iced Earth
Although Dystopia, Iced Earth’s 10th studio offering, is not a concept album, founder Jon Schaffer admits there are unifying themes to several of the songs – and even an appearance by band mascot “Set Abominae.”
“I’ve always been fascinated by the darker side of life,” Schaffer said during a break from master tracking Iced Earth’s forthcoming album. “Movies like Metropolis, Brazil, and The Matrix resonate with me. The same for albums like 2112, The Wall, and of course Operation:Mindcrime. Their images of a soulless, repressive society stuck with me over the years. It must be the sci-fi fan in me.”
In much the same way Horror Show (Iced Earth’s tribute to classic characters from literature and movies) was born, Schaffer said his interest in dystopian themes in music and movies led him to try his hand at that genre as well – even paying homage on the new album to the movies Dark City, V For Vendetta, and Soylent Green. The end result is Iced Earth meets the nightmarish offspring of Brave New World and Blade Runner.
Of special interest to long-time fans are two songs on Dystopia (the title track and “Tragedy and Triumph”) that feature the return of the “Something Wicked” storyline and “Set Abominae” – who, when last seen in The Crucible of Man [2008], had taken his position as ruler of the world.
“The opening song is a step back timeline-wise from the ‘Come What May’ track,” said Schaffer. “‘Come What May’ [the last track on Crucible] sets the scenario that it’s up to us and the decisions we make that will determine the future of the human race. These two songs [on Dystopia] take place at a time when people are in highly controlled prison-like city states, and their eventual emancipation in the closer, ‘Tragedy and Triumph’.”
In an uncanny case of art imitating life, Schaffer said Set Abominae fit perfectly with the general theme of Dystopia.
“I remember it hit me like a ton of bricks in ’97, the whole Something Wicked story did,” Schaffer said. “I thought, ‘Man, this is going to be so cool.’ Many years later, we were on tour for Crucible and we were doing an interview over in Eastern Europe. A buddy of mine said, ‘You know, Jon, this whole Something Wicked thing could be true.’ I thought about it a moment and said, ‘Well, I don’t know about that. But there are some creepy parallels in contemporary life.’”
“So as I was thinking about all of the great movies, albums, and books with dystopian themes, I remembered that conversation and it occurred to me that the Something Wicked story could continue in a few tracks here very nicely,” Schaffer said.
Schaffer admits the recording of Dystopia has been especially challenging because of the band’s summer festival gigs requiring him to criss-cross the ocean numerous times.
Despite the challenges, Schaffer says working with new vocalist Stu Block is “a pleasure.”
“You just can’t ask for a better attitude,” said Schaffer. “Stu is so excited to be here. He brings a youthful exuberance to the band, which is a lot of fun. And he’s a real dude. He’s down to earth, and willing to try anything that Jim [Morris, co-producer, engineer] or I throw at him. He’s stepping into the shoes in a very natural way.”
Schaffer continues: “We’re opening up a part of his voice and a style of singing that he didn’t even really know he had. We’re exploring this whole new range. And we’re just getting started. I believe Stu will continue to grow – and has the potential to grow – into one of the greats, one of the guys that will go down in metal history. If he stays on this course, with the attitude that he has, his willingness to learn, and his passion, he’s destined for really great things. I firmly believe that.”
Song Titles on Dystopia:
Dystopia
Anthem
Days of Rage
Soylent Green
V
Boiling Point
Anguish of Youth
Iron Will
Dark City
End of Innocence
Equilibrium
Tragedy and Triumph
Dystopia is scheduled for release in Europe on October 17th, and in the U.S. on October 18th both via Century Media. Two bonus tracks are also being recording for inclusion on special editions of the album.
The release of Dystopia will be followed by the most extensive world tour Iced Earth has ever undertaken.
The European leg of the 2011-2012 World Dystopia Tour has been posted on the band’s official web site, and all official social-media sites. The tour begins October 30th in Bochum, Germany.
Iced Earth official web site: https://www.icedearth.com/
Iced Earth’s official MySpace page: https://www.myspace.com/icedearth
Sweet! I like the cover even if it's a little cliche for Iced Earth. Can't wait!
EDIT: Oh and lol End of Innocence
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Looks sweet! Sounds like it will already be better than Crucible! I'll get it. :metal
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Weirdly enough, I was on a Dystopian movie kick recently and watch all the films that inspired the album, so this is right up my alley at the moment. Hope we'll get a single soon.
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Pretty cool cover. Still not sure about the song titles, but can't wait for the album nevertheless.
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I like it! Still interested to hear what the band will sound like with the new singer/
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Stu Block is an insanely good singer. The only thing that could possibly hold him back is Johns lack of good song writing ability as of late.
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The new songs seem like more dark fantasy. Having said that it might well be one of the last metal albums I buy if at all.
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Jon said Stu gets songwriting credit on 10 of the 12 songs (I imagine lyrics and melody lines), so the album working or not working is just as much in his hands. I anticipate its release, but I have to keep the expectations to a minimum or else I'll be disappointed.
As for the cover, it's cool, but Set looks like he's been badly cropped off the Framing Armageddon album and placed here. The texture of the art doesn't even match the background.
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Hey guys i'm curious,and i'm pretty sure that this has been dicussed here before, but what are you guy's top 10 Iced Earth songs?
Mine:
1. Dracula
2. The coming curse
3. Dante's Inferno
4. Wolf
5. Watching Over Me
6. Birth Of The Wicked
7. A Question of heaven
8. Burning Times
9. I Died For You
10.Consequences
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Oh I suck at top tens or lists of anything for that matter. That's why I never participate in the "Top Whatever Threads". I'm not even sure I agree with my DT album rankings :lol
For right now, my top 3 would probably be:
1. A Question Of Heaven
2. Dante's Inferno
3. Dracula
Something to ponder. It's hard with Iced Earth because of the trilogies. Would I count them as one piece of music or individual songs?
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Jon said Stu gets songwriting credit on 10 of the 12 songs (I imagine lyrics and melody lines), so the album working or not working is just as much in his hands. I anticipate its release, but I have to keep the expectations to a minimum or else I'll be disappointed.
As for the cover, it's cool, but Set looks like he's been badly cropped off the Framing Armageddon album and placed here. The texture of the art doesn't even match the background.
Helping with vocals is indeed a big deal, but since ALL of the music is being written by John......I'd say he is more responsible.
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Top 10 you say?
1. The Hunter
2. Watching Over Me
3. I Died For You
4. Melancholy (Holy Martyr)
5. Declaration Day
6. The Reckoning
7. Wolf
8. Blessed Are You
9. Colors
10. Burnt Offerings
Something like that.
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The Crucible of Man
There's your problem. Go and get Dark Saga, Something Wicked, Burnt Offerings, Horro Show or Night of the Stormrider.
Agreed, and alhough Jon Greely isn't the best vocalist by any stretch, he does a decent job, and Night of The Stormrider has Schaffer at his absolute best. Though Something Wicked This Way Comes has their best "sound" in my opinion, and might be the best place to start as the album is more accessible. Burnt Offerings is Iced Earth's darkest gloomiest album and has their 16 minute masterpiece, Dante's Inferno. Dark Saga took me the longest to get into, but it's good for what it is, a concept album about Spawn, short and to the point. It contains my favorite IE song, A Question Of Heaven. The live version is better though. Horror Show hasn't aged the greatest for me, but I loved it for a while. It contains another favorite of mine, Dracula.
best
I listened to Night of the Stormrider and it was much better....still not really my thing. I'm kind of moving away from the whole metal + shredding + operatic vocal style nowadays.
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I just got the Something Wicked box set, and The Dark Saga LP/CD.
Pretty damn good band!
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Jon said Stu gets songwriting credit on 10 of the 12 songs (I imagine lyrics and melody lines), so the album working or not working is just as much in his hands. I anticipate its release, but I have to keep the expectations to a minimum or else I'll be disappointed.
As for the cover, it's cool, but Set looks like he's been badly cropped off the Framing Armageddon album and placed here. The texture of the art doesn't even match the background.
Helping with vocals is indeed a big deal, but since ALL of the music is being written by John......I'd say he is more responsible.
Melody lines are just as important as riffs are to me, so like I said, I hold him almost equally responsible. Words are words. But notes are music.
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The last show with Matt Barlow is streaming now for those interested:
https://www.ndr.de/unterhaltung/musik_konzerte/wacken/livestream/index.html
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Picked up Festivals of the Damned DVD last week, watching the Ripper show at Wacken now. I think this show alone is worth the money...can't wait to watch the Barlow shows. :metal
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There was a time when IE was one of my favorite bands, but they've pretty much been uninspired for the last 5-7 years or so, and they certainly haven't reached the level of perfection they had up until Live in Athens (which is what got me into the band).
The Something Wicked albums were passable enough, but nowhere near as epic as Schafer was promising. Framing Armageddon had a few good to great songs, but pretty much trailed off halfway through. On the other hand, Crucible of Man was a mess, and I don't know if that was because of yet another shift in singers, or because Schafer can't write good songs anymore.
It's a shame that since 2000, with rare exception, Schafer's best work was not in IE, but with Demons & Wizards. Let's hope that the new project restores at least some of the band's former glory.
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Although I enjoy Demons & Wizards, it's still hit and miss for me. Heaven Denies, Fiddler On The Green and Down Where I Am are my favorite D&W songs. Also, some of those D&W riffs go back to the Purgatory days.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrqW2Q8RWR0&feature=related
Heartwarming :heart Matt :metal
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Anyone seen Barlow's shaved head look?
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Anyone seen Barlow's shaved head look?
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UvYHep97Pd0/R26HPXgWl5I/AAAAAAAAAOE/d1lZlJsCdgU/s320/MB2.jpg)
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That pic is not long after he joined the force, if I recall. I remember seeing that for the first time, quite a shock,
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Forgot about that. I meant his Facebook look.
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You-AH, Have the RIGHT, to reMAIN-ah, SILEEEENT-AH!
Been listening to a lot of Iced Earth lately. Kinda rediscovered Days of Purgatory. I never really cared for the Stormrider tracks all that much. I thought they were done better live, but after listening again, they're pretty awesome... Except Travel In Stygian. For some reason the production on this song is terrible, and Jon removed some lead and acoustic parts for no reason. I don't like the way TiS was edited on the re-master, but it still sounds better than on here. Also, Iced Earth's tempo is incredibly slow, so I sped it up back to normal for my iPod. The drumming for Colors is really awesome too.
Winter Nights :metal I really miss Jon's thrash style. I hope with his new found inspiration, we'll hear some classic Schaffer on Dystopia.
I also have a new appreciation for Imhotep. I never really liked this song, but after listening to Horror Show the other day, it's not a bad song after all. And Something Wicked is my second favorite IE album.
I love this band. So many line up changes, so much drama and looneyness from Schaffer, but I love this band.
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I got into Iced Earth in 2002 or so, after Horror Show's release; my first purchase was Alive In Athens and I went out over the next two weeks and bought everything I could get my hands on. I loved this band, pretty much the perfect band when I was in the mood for straight up, all out, heavy metal. I remember borrowing money until I got paid to buy Dark Genesis when it came out, and the only disappointment I had there was the covers CD, which was strangely flat and lifeless, but screw it, by then I'd heard Schaffer hated Century Media and that was likely to be a contract filler on the way out.
Iced Earth gets a deal on SPV, but then, horror of horrors, Matt Barlow leaves. This was, however, instantly overcome by the announcement that Ripper Owens had joined the band. I had a lot of problems with Judas Priest during Ripper's tenure, but none of them were with him; I thought he was awesome. The day The Glorious Burden came out I bought it, raced home to play it...and only just liked it. I wasn't crazy in love with it like I had been with every other Iced Earth CD.
Since the release of that CD, though, I've grown to feel, where Iced Earth is concerned, that I'm Charlie Brown, and Jon Schaffer is Lucy, holding the football that is a promised, awesome time for Iced Earth, only at the last second the damn football gets pulled away. Not an accurate comparison to the situation, but how I feel. The Something Wicked albums ranged from average to flat out dreadful (the concept was awesome for the original trilogy, but not worth a double album.) The band's line up changes became, frankly, almost hilarious. (The two jobs in music with the least job security? Bassist and lead guitarist of Iced Earth.) Ripper was dumped unceremoniously for Barlow, who just didn't have his heart in it anymore.
Which brings us to now. With Stu Block on board, this is, for me, the last chance for the band. I'm running at that football, and I hope to god I get to kick it into orbit. Because I really, REALLY liked Iced Earth for a couple of years there. I'd like that band back.
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I got into Iced Earth in 2002 or so, after Horror Show's release; my first purchase was Alive In Athens and I went out over the next two weeks and bought everything I could get my hands on. I loved this band, pretty much the perfect band when I was in the mood for straight up, all out, heavy metal. I remember borrowing money until I got paid to buy Dark Genesis when it came out, and the only disappointment I had there was the covers CD, which was strangely flat and lifeless, but screw it, by then I'd heard Schaffer hated Century Media and that was likely to be a contract filler on the way out.
Iced Earth gets a deal on SPV, but then, horror of horrors, Matt Barlow leaves. This was, however, instantly overcome by the announcement that Ripper Owens had joined the band. I had a lot of problems with Judas Priest during Ripper's tenure, but none of them were with him; I thought he was awesome. The day The Glorious Burden came out I bought it, raced home to play it...and only just liked it. I wasn't crazy in love with it like I had been with every other Iced Earth CD.
Since the release of that CD, though, I've grown to feel, where Iced Earth is concerned, that I'm Charlie Brown, and Jon Schaffer is Lucy, holding the football that is a promised, awesome time for Iced Earth, only at the last second the damn football gets pulled away. Not an accurate comparison to the situation, but how I feel. The Something Wicked albums ranged from average to flat out dreadful (the concept was awesome for the original trilogy, but not worth a double album.) The band's line up changes became, frankly, almost hilarious. (The two jobs in music with the least job security? Bassist and lead guitarist of Iced Earth.) Ripper was dumped unceremoniously for Barlow, who just didn't have his heart in it anymore.
Which brings us to now. With Stu Block on board, this is, for me, the last chance for the band. I'm running at that football, and I hope to god I get to kick it into orbit. Because I really, REALLY liked Iced Earth for a couple of years there. I'd like that band back.
I pretty much feel the same way as you mate. This band had been at times one of the most awesome and epic bands I had ever heard in my life but one all the singer changes happened, I just didn't care much for the band anymore. It probably was because of the hype I had for the Something Wicked albums and they both failed for me. I also didn't like how Ripper was treated towards getting Barlow back to the band even though Barlow is the perfect singer for this band. Ripper was a good fit here as well but hopefully things change and Stu Block can be Barlow #2 or even better than that if that is even possible.
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https://www.emp-online.com/bin/shop.php?prog=shop&mid=&article=208353&funktion=PRODUCTINFO&bildrub=&product=Iced%20Earth:%20Dystopia&tc=EMPTY
:omg:
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https://www.emp-online.com/bin/shop.php?prog=shop&mid=&article=208353&funktion=PRODUCTINFO&bildrub=&product=Iced%20Earth:%20Dystopia&tc=EMPTY
:omg:
That looks seriously awesome. Hopefully the content is a good as that set.
Apparently includes;
•CD Digipack incl. 3 Bonus tracks
•heavy metal belt buckle
•fuel lighter
•wristband
•high quality printed patch
•beer coaster 3 button set
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The album has been released to to a handful of inside folks for download, including a close friend. He says he can't forward any of it to me, so if I go over his house anytime soon, I'll get to hear it. Otherwise, I just have to wait for it to leak. I just wanna hear the damn thing!
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The album has been released to to a handful of inside folks for download, including a close friend. He says he can't forward any of it to me, so if I go over his house anytime soon, I'll get to hear it. Otherwise, I just have to wait for it to leak. I just wanna hear the damn thing!
You're the guy who's good friends with Ripper right?
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yes
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yes
Does he like The Crucible of Man as much as Portnoy likes ADTOE?
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yes
Tell him to stay far away from Neil Patrick Harris if he knows what's good for him. :neverusethis:
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yes
Does he like The Crucible of Man as much as Portnoy likes ADTOE?
As far as I know, he hasn't bothered to listen to it. Although he did say that he thought Priest's Angel of Retribution was "neat"...and kind of laughed off Nostradamus :P
yes
Tell him to stay far away from Neil Patrick Harris if he knows what's good for him. :neverusethis:
I'm not even sure what that's in reference to :lol
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Lol I knew no one would understand it, but I said it anyway. :D I had a dream where I put NPH in charge of keeping Ripper out of trouble and when they returned, they were both high on shrooms.
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Lol I knew no one would understand it, but I said it anyway. :D I had a dream where I put NPH in charge of keeping Ripper out of trouble and when they returned, they were both high on shrooms.
Don't worry, I got it.
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Lol I knew no one would understand it, but I said it anyway. :D I had a dream where I put NPH in charge of keeping Ripper out of trouble and when they returned, they were both high on shrooms.
Don't worry, I got it.
A SPY!
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Lol I knew no one would understand it, but I said it anyway. :D I had a dream where I put NPH in charge of keeping Ripper out of trouble and when they returned, they were both high on shrooms.
Don't worry, I got it.
A SPY!
YOU BEEN INCEPTED FOOL!
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Lol I knew no one would understand it, but I said it anyway. :D I had a dream where I put NPH in charge of keeping Ripper out of trouble and when they returned, they were both high on shrooms.
Don't worry, I got it.
A SPY!
YOU BEEN INCEPTED FOOL!
(https://img.blorgblorgbl.org/images/screamingno.gif)
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I don't have time (at the moment) to go through all the thread... I could only take a look at the first couple of posts and of course voted...
and couldn't help but agree with this:
There is a difference between subjective and objective.
Ripper is a better singer = subjective.
Barlow is a better singer = objective.
lovely post :)
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Holy crap that post of mine is over 2 years old. Weird.
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It's just amazing.
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Here's the "epic" news I told you about...
Some bands release mere snippets of songs to preview their upcoming tours. Some release a single song. In typical balls-to-the-wall Iced Earth fashion, the legendary metal band has re-recorded the entire 17-minute fan-favorite epic “Dante’s Inferno” – and will give it away free on their official web site.
“If there’s one song fans have asked us to play live more than any other it’s ‘Dante’s Inferno,’” Iced Earth main man Jon Schaffer said. “The simple reason why we haven’t is because the original click track was erased, therefore requiring a keyboard player to do the parts live. That’s OK for a special event like when we recorded Alive in Athens, but to hire a keyboard player for a full tour, for one song, just isn’t financially feasible.”
This summer, during the recording of Dystopia, Iced Earth’s soon-to-be-released 10th studio album, the band entered the studio for the express purpose of remedying that situation – and emerged with a powerful rendition that’s (if possible) even more monumental than the original, which was the closing track on the band’s 1995 album Burnt Offerings.
Schaffer and new vocalist Stu Block talk about the recording of “Dante’s Inferno” in this exclusive video clip just posted to the band’s Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmaHmhstVZo.
“Dante’s Inferno” can be downloaded – free – from Iced Earth’s web site here: https://www.icedearth.com/dantesinferno.
“Dante’s Inferno” (which is based on Inferno, the first part of Dante’s poem The Divine Comedy) hasn’t been played live since 1999’s groundbreaking Alive in Athens album.
“We wanted to say ‘Thank You’ to all of our loyal fans who have waited so long to hear us play ‘Dante’ again,” said Schaffer. “So, we decided to give this to them, free. It’s because of our fans we’ve been able to make music all these years. This is a way to show how much we appreciate them.”
Schaffer promises “Dante’s Inferno” will be back in the band’s set lists for all upcoming shows on the 2011-2012 World Dystopia Tour.
The European leg of the 2011-2012 World Dystopia Tour has been posted on the band’s official web site, and all official social-media sites. The tour begins October 30th in Bochum, Germany.
Dystopia is scheduled for release in Europe on October 17th, and in the U.S. on October 18th, both via Century Media. Two bonus tracks have also been recorded for inclusion on special editions of the album.
The release of Dystopia will be followed by the most extensive world tour Iced Earth has ever undertaken.
_________
So, what do you think? Is it "epic" enough for you?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
About to listen!!!!
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Listening now. Waiting to hear how bad they re-wrote the lead due to their inept lead guitar player.
Still on the soft part, I like Barlow better on it, but Stu is cool so far.
K, it just got heavy. I knew his scream would come in handy, it totally rocks at that part.
Waiting for the verse.
Never heard Stu sing like this before, very strange, kicks are bit overly clicky too.
Yea, kicks are a bit overpowering. And I was right, they butchered all the lead stuff. Damn you random coke head looking guy.
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Listening now. Waiting to hear how bad they re-wrote the lead due to their inept lead guitar player.
Still on the soft part, I like Barlow better on it, but Stu is cool so far.
K, it just got heavy. I knew his scream would come in handy, it totally rocks at that part.
Waiting for the verse.
Never heard Stu sing like this before, very strange, kicks are bit overly clicky too.
Yea, kicks are a bit overpowering. And I was right, they butchered all the lead stuff. Damn you random coke head looking guy.
Just passed the 3rd Circle. It sounds great, but I still like the original better. I don't think anything can top the original for me, not even the live version.
EDIT:
HEY they took out the chants WTF?!
Don't like the changes in the drums for some parts.
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This also suffers from one of the same problems as the re-recordings of the wicked trilogy. The kick drums are so overly syncopated with the guitars that it loses any room to breath and sounds kind of dull and lifeless.
OH HELL NO! They got rid of the low choirish part? That's just unforgivable.
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I really don't like some of these drum arrangements.
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I really don't like some of these drum arrangements.
Yea I was thinking the same thing. And I'm a damn drummer, you'd think I'd prefer the more complicated stuff he's doing over the basic original, but the original had drive that this stuff lacks.
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Well at least they didn't get rid of the other chants during the 7th Hell.
Lucifer was alright and I liked the choir at the end.
Doesn't beat the original at all, but still not complete shit like those Something Wicked re-recordings.
I think 6.5/10 is fair.
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Ok just finished.
Well...........it had a few cool moments, like his screaming Lucifer and so forth. But over all? :tdwn
Drums are lame, vocals are generally WAY over enunciated, the guitars are flat, keyboards are far too in the background, lead guitar is horribly lame and they took out some awesome parts for no reason.
Also, did the ending sound slower to anybody else?
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Ok just finished.
Well...........it had a few cool moments, like his screaming Lucifer and so forth. But over all? :tdwn
Drums are lame, vocals are generally WAY over enunciated, the guitars are flat, keyboards are far too in the background, lead guitar is horribly lame and they took out some awesome parts for no reason.
So you're saying this would have fit right in on Days Of Purgatory? :neverusethis:
I agree with you though. We need a thumbs sideways emoticon.
And yes, definitely slower ending.
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Listening now...enjoying. As said, very interesting to hear Stu use chest voice, since he has, like, never done so before lol.
And up next...Dystopia! I got permission to download it (sans 2 songs). Expect a review after a few spins ;)
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Listening now...enjoying. As said, very interesting to hear Stu use chest voice, since he has, like, never done so before lol.
And up next...Dystopia! I got permission to download it (sans 2 songs). Expect a review after a few spins ;)
>:(
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I hope the new stuff sounds better than that recording of Dantes Inferno.
I also hope Stu doesn't decide to use as much diction as he did on that re-recording, it was a bit overkill.
Allllllso, why has the drumming turned into lifeless doubling? Seriously, at almost all times he just doubles the guitars with his kick drums, and if done in moderation it's awesome, but when it's like every riff, then it lacks any form of dynamics and sounds boring.
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Because Jon loves the machine gun sound.
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Yeah, not so much over accenting of words so far. The mix and everything is better, too.
This is a bit more refrained then what I was expecting. More melodic. It sounds as though Jon coached Stu to simply sound more like Barlow, and that's a disappointment, as something as distinct as chest voice should be natural. That's Why I loved Ripper in the band, as he made no effort to try to sound like anyone else. He just did his thing. But it's not bad by any means. Its just clear this guy doesn't have the experience singing in this style to have formed a really unique sound in this register. I'm sure the world tour will do him some good. It's certainly a walk in the park compared to what he was doing with Into Eternity. I'm sure he's breathing a sigh of relief. Being in his mid 30's, I doubt the extreme vox would've lasted him much longer.
This is very much an Iced Earth record. Not a bad thing. I was hoping for a little more variation and perhaps a few bits of something wildly new to excite listeners. Only half-way through though. More info later.
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And up next...Dystopia! I got permission to download it (sans 2 songs). Expect a review after a few spins ;)
I know you know Tim Owens but how did you get access to that?
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So does it sound more or less like Crucible?
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I am quite surprised by Stu's voice. I like it.
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No, not at all, really. Sounds like Something Wicked this Way Comes, actually. At least to me.
As for how I have access...I know all the behind the scenes folk. Ten of the tracks have been rewarded to a handful of folks - essentially the street team types on Facebook. My buddy is one and he got permission to give it to me from the guy who runs the page, as he knows me (was trying to get my band to open for IE before I gave up music due to illness).
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Sorry to hear that. You have a great voice.
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Thanks man. I've come to terms with it and am looking forward to exploring other avenues. Its next to impossible to "break" these days anyway, so perhaps its for the best.
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Actually it's quite easy to break. You just have to come up with the most absurd shit imaginable. The more weird, soulless, and uninspired the better. Anyway, I'm listening to DI 2011 in the car and it's even more disappointing somehow. Like Adami said, the drums are awful and even moreso annoying. Jon Schaffer is capable of way better than this. This seems like a rush job the same way The Goo Goo Dolls' Name remake was. DAMNIT SCHAFFER!
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Actually it's quite easy to break. You just have to come up with the most absurd shit imaginable. The more weird, soulless, and uninspired the better.
Why hasn't Krotchraut broken then? :neverusethis:
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Clearly we put too much effort into it :lol
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Oh, I've been meaning to tell you for months but never got around to it. I met someone not from DTF that already knew about Krotchraut. I was pretty shocked! :lol
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Whoa really? That's crazy. I've done a lot of spamming on various forums and such, but didn't think it did anything. How did KR come into conversation? We really need to get another song out.
I don't know why I keep listening to Dante's Inferno 2011. It seems to piss me off every time I hear it...
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WTF why does Jon always do this. Okay, going to be a sport and listen anyway. Starting now.
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Hm, OK, I'm like half-way through it.
Some parts are pretty good, while other parts are not. Basically, I liked the original clean parts all better. The harsh parts were pretty much better in their originals, too. The whispered "Luciferrrrrs" were a lot worse, too. Oh, god, they ruined my favorite part of the song. They took the awesomeness and atmosphere of the original and turned it into melodrama. The big ending didn't feel nearly as big this time around as it did originally.
Anyway, Stu sounds like he has potential regardless. Will be interested to hear Dystopia still. But this was completely unnecessary.
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Whoa really? That's crazy. I've done a lot of spamming on various forums and such, but didn't think it did anything. How did KR come into conversation? We really need to get another song out.
Funny band names. :lol
I've downloaded it but I'll get around to it later. I already had a couple other albums planned for the evening and don't care enough to interrupt.
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I honestly don't see as many of the complaints. My only thing was Stu's over-doing on a few words. That's it really.
As for the album...my number one gripe after 3 or 4 listens: not enough screaming! This guy can go nuts and they don't utilize it nearly enough. I see now why people claimed my band's EP was sorely missing it even though I was capable - if you've got it, use it! Not just that though, but this is a band built on a lot of screamed parts in the past, so it almost feels they went away from that a bit. But as a plus, it makes it more commercial. This record is all hooks, and quite good ones at that. A little light on twin leads and solos as well. This is a meat and potatoes release. It feels almost naked at times compared to the last 3 albums. I don't say that discouragingly - if IE were capable of making a stripped down album, this is it I guess :lol.
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WTF why does Jon always do this. Okay, going to be a sport and listen anyway. Starting now.
John Schaffer is the George Lucas of music.
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I listened to it one more time, and this time I decided that, indeed, the song is ruined.
WTF why does Jon always do this. Okay, going to be a sport and listen anyway. Starting now.
John Schaffer is the George Lucas of music.
Indeed.
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That's not entirely accurate. When Jon remakes his stuff, he usually takes shit out that doesn't need to be taken out, whereas when Lucas remakes his shit, he keeps adding random stuff that doesn't need to be there.
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Both actions are equally stupid.
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Downloading Dante now, eager to hear it.
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Not a bad remake. Stu does an admirable job. The exclusion of the choirs is criminal. Also the lead guitar pisses me off, man this guy is easily the worst guitarist they've ever had. He could have at least tried to replicate some of the solo, but I guess Larry's lines were too difficult. Nothing will beat the AIA version, but this is decent.
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Not a bad remake. Stu does an admirable job. The exclusion of the choirs is criminal. Also the lead guitar pisses me off, man this guy is easily the worst guitarist they've ever had. He could have at least tried to replicate some of the solo, but I guess Larry's lines were too difficult. Nothing will beat the AIA version, but this is decent.
Randal's.
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Not a bad remake. Stu does an admirable job. The exclusion of the choirs is criminal. Also the lead guitar pisses me off, man this guy is easily the worst guitarist they've ever had. He could have at least tried to replicate some of the solo, but I guess Larry's lines were too difficult. Nothing will beat the AIA version, but this is decent.
Randal's.
Fuck, of course. I have the AIA version on the brain too much. Still even Larry did a fucking good job live on this, Troy is gonna butcher the fuck out of this live.
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A remake of Dante's Inferno? Oh damn. Downloading now....
(edit): Oh my god, that guitar solo was TERRIBLE. This is what happens when you have Jon Schaffer thinking he can play everything but the solos-the lead guitarist just drops in a solo and has absolutely no feel for the song. Stu's doing okay, but he needs to do more of the insane screaming stuff like when the song gets heavy, not trying to sound like Barlow.
(edit again): Okay, I like it better than I did the remake of the Something Wicked trilogy-which isn't saying much since I didn't like that at all-but it's not a patch on the original at all. I don't understand why Schaffer would take a singer with the range of Stu Block and spend so much time trying to make him sound like Matt Barlow so often. The drums sound just too clicky and the lead guitar is horrible. I'd say if I was gonna grade it, it's a C+. Ugh. Losing faith the new CD will be any good...
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And what sucks the most is that Troy is a good friend of Jon's so he's probably not going anywhere for a while.
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Stu's doing okay, but he needs to do more of the insane screaming stuff like when the song gets heavy, not trying to sound like Barlow.
Prepare to hate the new album then, since that's mostly what it is. He does a fine job, but it's obvious Jon just coached him to sound exactly like Barlow, who I realized that Jon coached to in turn sound like...himself! Ever notice how identical they sounded? I've realized that That's all Jon wants: for everyone to sound and play like him :P
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I can live with it if the SONGS are good, I just don't understand why you'd take a singer with virtually unlimited range like Stu Block and force him to sound like someone else. I'll still give the new CD a chance, though. I've stuck with Iced Earth this long after all.
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Supposedly Stu is responsible for a lot of the lyrics and melodies, so perhaps he gave Jon "what he wanted to hear" for now to make a good impression and perhaps will expand on things with time.
His chest voice reminds me of Matt Heafy from Trivium; that whole Hetfield meets Chuck Billy thing.
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Damn it Schaffer! Damn it, damn it, damn it. That was really disappointing. The drums sounded like shit, the lead guitar was lacking in awesomeness and sounded jumbled, even Schaffer's chugging riffs sounded lame, and I expected more from Stu. Man... it just had to be my favorite Iced Earth song. I am disappoint.
And around 13:59 it sounds like he says "ass potatas" like "ass potatoes." :|
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That whole section is out of wack.
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Stu Block has always been one of my favorite singers, and he did a damn good job on Dante's Inferno. I can't say he topped Barlow, but it's definitely nice to hear someone with a great voice cover a great song.
Bring on the new album, I can't wait. :metal
I agree with others though, instrumentally the song sounds very poor. Which is the same complaint I had for when they did a re-make of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" on that EP before FA.
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IMO, I think the Something Wicked Trilogy kills this. Mainly because Tim did his own thing and the guitar solos from Tim were amazing, unlike the shit that we just heard on Dante.
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It's sad that the worst things about this song are the people who have been playing it for years.
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Petition to get Jon to fire Troy through E-Mail?
Who's with me?
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Petition to get Jon to fire Troy through E-Mail?
Who's with me?
Where do I sign?
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Petition to get Jon to fire Troy through E-Mail?
Who's with me?
:lol
Poor guy. He's so nice, too. His work on the new album is decent, too.
I've just been so dissatisfied with his live performance. I think Jon just gave up looking for a great player and settled on a guy he can get along with. I really liked Larry. I wish he had come back.
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I liked Larry too, but Jon said NO GUITAR HEROES BITCH. Also, according to Jon, Randy got burnt out, and that's why he left/got fired, but it's been so long. Jon should give him a call, but only after he has joined another band...
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Right, and recorded an entire new album and is ready to go tour :lol
Everything about Barlow coming back was all wrong. Literally, everyone got fucked. Really selfish and unwise move on Jon's part.
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I still can't believe how Ripper got fucked over like that.
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I still can't believe how Ripper got fucked over like that.
It's the 21st century, a text is the class move. At least he didn't make it a facebook post.
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I still can't believe how Ripper got fucked over like that.
It's the 21st century, a text is the class move. At least he didn't make it a facebook post.
He did it by text message? :lol I didn't even know that part!!
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I still can't believe how Ripper got fucked over like that.
It's the 21st century, a text is the class move. At least he didn't make it a facebook post.
He did it by text message? :lol I didn't even know that part!!
I might be wrong, it's been a while since I read about it, but if it wasn't a text then it was an e-mail or something similar.
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"I completed the [HEAVEN AND HELL] tour [with ICED EARTH] and was getting ready to work on [ICED EARTH's forthcoming album 'Something Wicked Part II']. I was actually supposed to be in my car and leaving that night [from Tim's home in Ohio] and decided, since I didn't hear from Jon [Schaffer, ICED EARTH mainman], I would wait until the morning to leave to go his house [in Indiana] and work on it. And the time I was supposed to be already gone, I just happened to go on my computer to see if Jon e-mailed me about what time he wants me there tomorrow is when I got the e-mail saying I wasn't in the band. And that was at 5:30. 5:40 — it was like 5:42 or 5:43 — I got my first e-mail from somebody, and then my first call came in at 5:45, saying, 'Man, I just heard.' [Laughs] My oldest daughter said to me, 'Man, what [would have happened] if you weren't home? That would have really sucked.' So the whole thing, really, was not handled in the way that I think it should have been. It's an unfortunate situation and an unfortunate ending.
"I had a nice ending with PRIEST — they made sure that, financially, I was handled for the next while to make sure that I got on my feet. Things were handled right and in a professional way. And I think the worst thing [about getting fired from ICED EARTH] was, [which] bummed me out, it was [two weeks] before Christmas. Now, I agree with the decision — I needed to go. I mean, I've gotta be honest.
Bloody hell!! :facepalm:
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Holy shit, man lol.
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And in addition to Tim, Jon's actions also fucked over Pyramaze when he stole Matt from them right after recording an album (which was superior to that year's Crucible of Man). Luckily, they snagged Urban Breed, who kicks ass, but the band has been a mess since.
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(https://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/Zook85/icedearth2011_loltroy.jpg)
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Jon's a loser. A decade ago he was pretty much on the top of the metal world, and one bad decision from him after another guaranteed the Iced Earth got driven into the ground. Granted, fans weren't exactly heartwarming towards Ripper, they would have warmed up to him over time if Jon would have stuck to his guns (something he never does, but always claims he does). Now, 10 years later, Jon's just a perpetual source of face-palming. Compare that to Blind Guardian, a band which has had ups and downs but always stayed true to themselves.
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HOW DARE Y- ... Yeah, you're kinda right there...
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Is "Something Wicked This Way Comes" generally considered to be this band's best album?
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Is "Something Wicked This Way Comes" generally considered to be this band's best album?
I'd say best sounding and most accessible, but I think most would say Night Of The Stormrider is their best, including myself.
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Burnt Offerings is my favorite, Something Wicken is kind of their Black Album.
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I think my favorite would be Horror Show. Something Wicked is a very good album though.
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I tend to go between Rider, Horror and Framing.
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I tend to go between Rider, Horror and Framing.
You're just saying Framing because Ripper is your friend. :p
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I can totally see Framing being a favorite of somebody's. I think it's great, definitely in the upper half of their albums.
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1 - Horror Show
2 - Framming Armageddon
3 - The Crucible of Man
4 - The rest of the albums are all even for me, they have a lot of hits and misses.
What's funny is, the albums I have listed as #4 have most of the best Iced Earth songs to date, it's just that there's so much filler in the albums, which is why I don't rank them higher, since the first three are much more consistent.
For me, IE has always been one of those band where I found myself not into a lot of their songs, but the songs that I do like, I fucking love. IE has some of the best songs in metal history. They may not be the most consistent band, but they are still in my top 5-7 favorite bands because the songs that they do have that are good, are true classics.
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I tend to go between Rider, Horror and Framing.
You're just saying Framing because Ripper is your friend. :p
Nah, its just a super strong release. Having the best singer in metal on it doesn't hurt though :P
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Despite a few worthless throw away "songs", Framing is a great album and I very much prefer it to either Crucible or that one about lots of wars.
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Framing is definitely top 5 IMO, maybe even top 3. Really great album.
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For me, IE has always been one of those band where I found myself not into a lot of their songs, but the songs that I do like, I fucking love. IE has some of the best songs in metal history. They may not be the most consistent band, but they are still in my top 5-7 favorite bands because the songs that they do have that are good, are true classics.
There is no filler on Night Of The Sotrmrider. NONE.
I tend to go between Rider, Horror and Framing.
You're just saying Framing because Ripper is your friend. :p
Nah, its just a super strong release. Having the best singer in metal on it doesn't hurt though :P
Now I wouldn't say that... Nah he's awesome.
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For me, IE has always been one of those band where I found myself not into a lot of their songs, but the songs that I do like, I fucking love. IE has some of the best songs in metal history. They may not be the most consistent band, but they are still in my top 5-7 favorite bands because the songs that they do have that are good, are true classics.
There is no filler on Night Of The Sotrmrider. NONE.
I tend to go between Rider, Horror and Framing.
You're just saying Framing because Ripper is your friend. :p
Nah, its just a super strong release. Having the best singer in metal on it doesn't hurt though :P
Now I wouldn't say that... Nah he's awesome.
Check your pm's. You sparked my interest earlier!
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Burnt Offerings, then Horror Show.
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Burnt Offerings is indeed awesome, but I read a review once that kind of killed its awesomeness for me. That being that all the songs follow the same formula (ZOMG) and that all the songs have a slow part in the middle. The album is still up towards the top for me.
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Despite a few worthless throw away "songs", Framing is a great album and I very much prefer it to either Crucible or that one about lots of wars.
You mean that album that begins with the national anthem blared followed by a song about the founders, and then ends with an epic about how awesome General Lee was?
Jon was tea-party before tea-party existed.
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No, PC, you got it all wrong. Ya do it again, and I'll stab you in the face with a soldering iron.
I'm pretty sure Gettysburg acknowledged the faults of General Lee, and didn't praise them.
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I'm pretty sure Gettysburg acknowledged the faults of General Lee, and didn't praise them.
This.
All this blood is on my hands
The thousands dead due to my plan
I am responsible, all of it is my fault
I thought us invincible
Is this gods will, after all?
I look across this blood soaked land
All this blood is on my hands
God forgive me, please forgive me
It's all my fault, the blood is on my hands
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It sounds more like a good guy who made a mistake.
Anywho, yea bad album. And I am probably the only person who finds the Gettysburg Trilogy to be mostly boring as all hell.
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It sounds more like a good guy who made a mistake.
Well that's what it's supposed to be. It shows that he's a good guy who fucked up, which from what I recall, is pretty much the case in history. I don't recall reading anything saying he was a bad guy, he was merely someone defending the south. Hell, he was even opposed to slavery, he had other reasons for fighting.
The point is, it wasn't like Schaffer made lyrics glorifying Lee, he made sure to point out that he made a pretty damn huge mistake, and that his actions costs many lives. His lyrics seemed pretty objective to me.
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Yeah, in Schaffer's epic Lee's biggest fault is his plan led good southern boys to their deaths.
Not, you know, fighting for the side that enslaved people because of the color of their skin.
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Yeah, the whole "being proud of the Confederacy while claiming freedom is the #1 best thing ever" is one of the things that most confuses me about American politics.
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Since we've talked about favorites, I would have to say for me it's a pretty close fight between Stormrider and Burnt Offerings, with Something Wicked and Horror Show fighting it out just underneath. But you know what? A better singer and the debut would be right up there with the top two, there's some sick riffs and great ideas on Iced Earth...but the vocals murder it dead.
And count me amongst those less than impressed with the Gettysburg trilogy. I thought it was hilarious that Schaffer went on and on about how he was a Civil War expert, and yet Gettysburg was pretty much a book report version of the movie of the same name from the 90s. :lol
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Since we've talked about favorites, I would have to say for me it's a pretty close fight between Stormrider and Burnt Offerings, with Something Wicked and Horror Show fighting it out just underneath. But you know what? A better singer and the debut would be right up there with the top two, there's some sick riffs and great ideas on Iced Earth...but the vocals murder it dead.
And count me amongst those less than impressed with the Gettysburg trilogy. I thought it was hilarious that Schaffer went on and on about how he was a Civil War expert, and yet Gettysburg was pretty much a book report version of the movie of the same name from the 90s. :lol
I agree about Iced Earth.
You may be right (I watched that movie after hearing the song) but so what? LEAVE SCHAFFER ALONE!
No, he's earned it.
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Since we've talked about favorites, I would have to say for me it's a pretty close fight between Stormrider and Burnt Offerings, with Something Wicked and Horror Show fighting it out just underneath. But you know what? A better singer and the debut would be right up there with the top two, there's some sick riffs and great ideas on Iced Earth...but the vocals murder it dead.
And count me amongst those less than impressed with the Gettysburg trilogy. I thought it was hilarious that Schaffer went on and on about how he was a Civil War expert, and yet Gettysburg was pretty much a book report version of the movie of the same name from the 90s. :lol
I agree about Iced Earth.
You may be right (I watched that movie after hearing the song) but so what? LEAVE SCHAFFER ALONE!
No, he's earned it.
My dad watched that movie every time it was on TV, which was apparently EVERY DAMN WEEKEND for about a year. So the fact that Schaffer wrote about the same events that were the big plot hooks for that movie stuck out like a sore thumb for me :biggrin:
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I think it's cool though, and Gettysburg is one of my favorites from Iced Earth. The only dull moment is probably the "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" theme in The Devil To Pay.
When watching the movie, I was waiting for the rebel sharpshootah to take Reynold's LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFE.
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Ya'll crazy. The Gettysburg trilogy is easily in Iced Earth's top 10 best songs.
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<--- Ripper agrees
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I'm also a huge fan of Gettysburg, one of IE's best pieces of work.
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My problem with Gettysburg does largely stem from the fact that, after Schaffer's endless interviews about being such a Civil War expert, that it was pretty much a soundtrack to the movie. Musically, I can't really put my finger on what doesn't work, other than the fact that the orchestrations, to me at least, don't sound like an orchestra-Michael Romeo's orchestral keyboard parts for Symphony X sound better than the orchestra here. Maybe it's time for a revisit.
I will also admit that, the failings of the Something Wicked albums to me beside, Iced Earth is better when they're tackling fantastic or horror related themes than they are at the real world. I was listening to Horror Show last night and loving the hell out of it until Ghost of Freedom showed up and brought me out of the album with a dull thud. Jon's approach to real life issues, to me, comes off as either heavy handed or cheesy...which WORKS for horror or fantasy themes, but not the real world. YMMV of course.
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Well, if you hadn't noticed, nearly all Iced Earth material is soundtrack to either movies or comic books :lol
That's part of the appeal for me.
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Jon used a real orchestra for Gettysburg. Romeo uses midi files, but they always sound awesome and real enough. I'm sure Jon knows tons about history, and although it seems that the trilogy is indeed a ''soundtrack'' to the Jeff Daniels/Martin Sheen movie, I don't think that discredits his knowledge. Besides, he used to own that Spirit of '76 Collectibles store so it's not like he's just pretending to be knowledgeable about the past.
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All that being said-this thread has gotten me to dig up and start listening to Iced Earth again. Strangely, given how I discredited it, Framing Armageddon is a LOT better than I remembered it being. Going to spin Crucible later and see if the same magic trick occurs. :biggrin:
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Crucible is certainly a good album, but suffers the same fate as most sequels, in that its simply inferior. Doesn't make it bad - just not as good.
He certainly took some artistic license with details, but watch the Gettysburg DVD. Its by far one of the most boring, nerd-proof examples of how knowledgeable on the historical events Jon is. :P
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I may have expressed it badly, but I'm not doubting Schaffer's knowledge of the era-I've seen the Gettysburg DVD, actually-but that I found it funny that for all that knowledge, he wrote a song that hit on the same major plot points as a movie my dad watched about two dozen times. :biggrin: I was actually hoping for something that hit on aspects of the battle that may not get all the air time, so the disappointment might be my own fault. Hell, given the results of my re-listen today of Framing, I might wind up loving Gettysburg to death. :lol
I just ordered the Festivals of the Wicked DVD...suddenly Iced Earth has taken me over again!
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I take it back: Dystopia reminds me most of Dark Saga. I was initially a little on the fence with the record, but I've listened to it a hundred times the last week. It's real easy to get through. No fat. Just straight up riffing and hooks. Lots of E F G to E D C chord progressions our sir Schaffer is so fond of. I enjoy it quite a bit.
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Sounds like Dark Saga? I can live with that...I don't think they'll ever sound like the band that did the first three albums again, but Dark Saga's good enough for me.
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I think one of my issues with Crucible is the lyrics. Musically it's not amazing, but it's not half bad for a slower album. But lyrically the entire album up till Come What May can be summed up with "I will devour, I will divide". Seriously, there's nothing else said in the album till the last song.
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I didn't mind the repetitious lyrics in the Something Wicked storyline, as any good book or graphic novel benefits from implanting certain key phrases in your mind over time. But overall, Framing was certainly stronger. I was really impressed with it, to be honest. Jon seems to be able to tell that part of the story like he Frank Herbert or something :P
It's Crucible that comes off a poor retelling of the sequels to The Omen. Large gaps on story in Set's uprising also increases a feeling of disconnect, where as in part one, I was fairly hooked.
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I didn't mind the repetitious lyrics in the Something Wicked storyline, as any good book or graphic novel benefits from implanting certain key phrases in your mind over time. But overall, Framing was certainly stronger. I was really impressed with it, to be honest. Jon seems to be able to tell that part of the story like he Frank Herbert or something :P
It's Crucible that comes off a poor retelling of the sequels to The Omen. Large gaps on story in Set's uprising also increases a feeling of disconnect, where as in part one, I was fairly hooked.
You don't think there's a difference between implanting certain key phrases and an entire album simply being 1 very basic concept?
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Well...no :lol
Not the way you worded it at least. If the implication is that Jon was lazy with the lyrics, then I'd disagree. I certainly felt there was genuine design involved.
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Well...no :lol
Not the way you worded it at least. If the implication is that Jon was lazy with the lyrics, then I'd disagree. I certainly felt there was genuine design involved.
Oh not lazy, just poorly planned. Framing told a really cool story of alien invasion and its consequences. When it came down to the Sets return, I guess Jon realized that there probably wasn't as much to that part of the story as he may have thought. It's hard to stretch out 1 phrase over a whole album.
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Perhaps. Also, don't forget, Barlow wrote a portion of the lyrics. 3 or 4 songs if I'm not mistaken.
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Did you forget that everything is jons fault no matter what?
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Oh shit, you're right. I almost forgot :facepalm:
Picked up the guitar and started playing along to some songs. Here are the keys:
Dystopia - E (half-step down)
Anthem - E (half-step down)
Boiling Point - E (half-step down)
Anguish of Youth - E (half-step down)
V - E (half-step down)
Dark City - A (standard)
Equilibrium - E (standard)
Days of Rage - E (half-step down)
End of Innocence - B (standard tuned baritone guitar)
Tragedy and Triumph - D (half-step down)
Might work on some tabs soon. Lemme know if you guys want the lyrics. I can figure them out for the most part easily.
Also updated the wiki page with song lengths.
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Lyrics would be cool. I am really starting to look forward to this album, despite my concerns about Stu Block singing like Barlow. Just hope the riffing is solid, that's what usually makes or breaks an Iced Earth album for me.
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Damn, looks like the album's pretty short.
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Yeah, just over 43 minutes not counting the limited edition tracks. But after the last two albums, I'm more in the more for a more concise, direct experience. Less sometimes IS more after all.
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Damn, looks like the album's pretty short.
Yeah, it flies by. Probably why I've listened to it so much.
-
Are the 2 minute songs like Stand Alone or are they some type of interlude? Also, The Dark Saga was around 40 minutes too so I guess it isn't so bad.
-
Does the new album sound anything at all like Sons of Liberty?
-
Are the 2 minute songs like Stand Alone or are they some type of interlude? Also, The Dark Saga was around 40 minutes too so I guess it isn't so bad.
No interludes. All songs with lyrics. Stand Alone is a good example. The concise running time and meat and potatoes song-writing is what reminds me of Dark Saga.
Does the new album sound anything at all like Sons of Liberty?
No. Far superior production. He slips in a few of his stances but in a very general way. It is about totalitarianism and monomaniacal societies, which could be perceived as political, but its under the guise of film and literary references, so it isn't too on the nose or in your face.
-
40 - 45 minutes is a perfect length for an album IMO. I like the track lengths too.
-
Inspired by the talk of the band in this thread, I decided to listen to as much Iced Earth as I owned, with a few exceptions, in order to see if I've unfairly judged the output of the band for the last ten or so years. The exceptions were: the Into The Realm demo, Days of Purgatory, Alive In Athens (because, come on, that's NEVER going to be bad) and Tribute to the Gods. The first three albums were the Dark Genesis remixes. Here we go:
Iced Earth-the single best example of one element (the vocals) killing an otherwise excellent album. Some of Schaffer's best riffs ever are just overwhelmed by awful vocals.
Night of the Stormrider-still, in my opinion, Iced Earth's most consistent release. Much better vocals and amazing songs. Tied as my favorite IE album with...
Burnt Offerings-this masterpiece. It's easy to think of this album as "Dante's Inferno and several other songs" but that's not the case at all. I love the mood of almost pure evil this album exudes.
Dark Saga-one of the albums that I had grown to, if not dislike, then give a pass when I was in the mood for Iced Earth. On replay, it's a lot better than I recalled, blending the earlier, thrashy IE with the more conventional metal sounds the band would explore in the future. And "A Question of Heaven" remains a top 10 Iced Earth track for me.
Something Wicked This Way Comes-I like to think of this as the perfect studio album to introduce someone to Iced Earth to. (Alive In Athens is the best introduction to the band there is, but if you have to go with a single disc, Something Wicked is it.) It's got thrashier numbers, great straight up metal, and the Something Wicked trilogy. Btw, Matt Barlow on the Coming Curse-a top five metal vocalist performance EVER.
Horror Show-I have a soft spot for this one because it was my first Iced Earth album and Steve DiGiorgio is one of my favorite bassists. Horror Show manages to balance the more straight ahead early IE with the more symphonic direction Schaffer took the band in, though Ghost of Freedom still brings me out of the concept with a dull thud.
The Glorious Burden-I really, really hoped I was being unfair to this album in hindsight, seeing as it marked the point where the band's line up changes started to hit the point of comedic value. Sadly, I wasn't. Despite a superheroic vocal performance by Tim Owens, this one is still merely OK. I will admit that Gettysburg improved on re-listen, but I still blame the mix for the orchestra seeming so thin.
Overture of the Wicked EP-Ugh. I remember when I got this, I thought to myself "man, Ripper's gonna slay on The Coming Curse." And he didn't. Wholly unnecessary remake of a classic.
Framing Armageddon-holy shit did I lowball this album. While I still don't think there was two albums worth of material in the Set story, the first album at least is pretty damn killer. The Clouding is a top ten Iced Earth track, easily.
Crucible of Man-unfortunately, I can't say I lowballed this album in my initial impression. The fact that The Coming Curse tells the story of most of this album better than this one speaks volumes. Come What May, however, almost saves the album singlehandedly, and its vaulted into my Iced Earth top ten.
Dante's Inferno Remake-you know what? This is starting to grow on me. The guitar solo is still dreadful, feeling like it was mailed in from another universe, and I miss the chants, but Stu Block nailed it. It's moved up to a B- for me.
tl;dr: I still really like Iced Earth it seems. I just hope Dystopia isn't another case of Lucy and the football for me. :lol
-
Horror Show, not story.
Also, one of the things I really hated about the Dante redo, was the drums. They were awful.
-
I had story on the brain thinking about the Something Wicked albums apparently. :lol
-
I just bought Something Wicked This Way Comes on iTunes....they have the genre as "Pop".
:|
-
Good news! You guys can (sort of) hear the new album's title track in this webisode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtpHqOV7z68&feature=player_embedded
-
Saw that a little while ago. Sounds pretty good.
Sleep time.
-
What you could hear sounds great. And hey, a tour of Morrisound Studios to boot. Man, if I tried to count how many albums I own that were recorded there the number would be absurdly high. :biggrin:
-
I've been listening to this band a lot lately, and i finally got around to listening to Night Of The Stormrider.
Great album :metal (dunno if i like it as much as Something Wicked and Horror Show though)
-
I picked up Alive in Athens on a lark in 2000 or so, not knowing anything about the band, and it changed my life, much like Live After Death changed it in the 1980's. LAD was one of the reasons I got into heavy metal in the first place, and AiA is one of the reasons I had returned to metal after almost a decade of mediocrity, even from my favorite metal bands. I then picked up the various IE CD's, either separately, or as part of their boxed set, and I really grew to appreciate this band. So, here are a few quick thoughts about some of their albums. I'll skip the first two albums because I've never really been able to get into either of the early vocalists (although Curse the Sky is a truly underrated gem in the IE catalog, no matter who is singing it).
Burnt Offerings: A very good album, although at times it seems to be complex for complexity's sake. Yet it produced Dante's Inferno and Last December, two true classics.
Dark Saga: Marked the shift in the band's sound away from the complex and towards more straightforward songwriting. Perhaps the most consistent album from start to finish, although with the exception of A Question of Heaven, nothing truly glorious here.
Days of Purgatory: A very good collection of remixes and updates to their older material, with Matt on vocals, that showed that he really was the band's heart in their prime.
Something Wicked: As was mentioned, a pretty good starting point with a mix of all their styles over the years.
Horror Show: A true mixed bag and the beginning of the downward trend for this band. While there is some truly amazing work (Damien, Dracula), a lot of it just leaves me cold.
Glorious Burden: A new vocalist, but many of the same problems remain. The Gettysburg trilogy was very good, but it was not really the classic that I had hoped it would be, with the exception of High Water Mark. Declaration Day was a fine opener. The rest is pretty weak, especially When the Eagle Cries.
Framing Armageddon: I listened to this recently and my opinion now is pretty much the same as it was then: is this all there is? Jon had been bragging for almost a decade about how awesome the Something Wicked storyline was going to be, and how great the albums would be, and he puts out pretty much the same type of material as he has the recent albums: some good stuff here and there (Ten Thousand Strong, and A Charge to Keep), but otherwise pretty forgettable.
Crucible of Man: I thought the return of Matt would give the band a shot in the arm--it didn't, and this winds up being even weaker than Framing Armageddon. It wasn't as bad as I remembered it and there are some flashes of their former glory (Harbringer of Fate), but again, the overall material left me flat.
Now, yet another singer is on board, and given that he can devote his full attention to the band (unlike Matt), perhaps they can move forward. If nothing else, this may be Jon's last chance to prove that IE can still put out quality music. If this one bombs, he might as well call it a day and start a new project, one that won't have the same high expectations as IE. Or see if Hani wants to chuck aside Blind Guardian and make the Demons and Wizard's project a full time band. That project has produced far superior material than anything IE has done since the original Something Wicked album in 99.
-
John Greely isn't that bad. Give Night Of The Stormrider another shot. It's amazing.
So I'm listening to Anthem right now. Stu Barlow sounds pretty good. Not a bad song. The fade out is too quick though. Days Of Rage.. Very Disciples Of The Lie, and the chorus is kinda... Shit. But it's not too bad I guess.
GOTTA DO AS I SAY
NOT AS I DO
DAYS OF RAGE
DAYS OF RAGE
DAYS OF RAGE
:neverusethis:
Actually, Days Of Rage is pretty forgettable.
I'd like it more if Stu wasn't just emulating Matt's voice. Hope the rest of the album is better.
-
Just got to hear those two songs too, my thoughts:
Anthem: Nice chorus. Guitar solo actually doesn't suck-I mean, yes, it's not world beating or anything, but it isn't as out of left field as that one from Dante's Inferno. Solid mid tempo number. I guess if Stu's going to have to impersonate Barlow, at least he does it well.
Days of Rage: I'm thinking it's utter filler. On the one hand, it's nice to hear Iced Earth do a speedy, stripped back, straight up metal song after two albums of heavily orchestrated music. On the other hand, it's really not that memorable. Anthem's chorus is still with me, but Days of Rage has just fluttered right out of my head.
Overall, though, I like the more stripped back, straight ahead approach. Just hope more of the album is the quality of Anthem :D
-
Bump.
I got the Festivals of the Wicked DVD, which is decent enough despite the fact that so many of the songs are repeated from set to set, and the two Barlow sets differ by one additional song. Haven't watched the documentary yet, but since someone earlier in this thread said it was pretty much 60 minutes of Jon Schaffer Is Awesome, I probably won't. A thing that amused me about the editing on the DVD, especially on the Wacken set, was how every guitar solo went. "Hey it's a guitar solo...camera's on Jon. Camera angle change...Jon again. Another change...it's Brent. Back to Jon. Over to Troy just as he butchers the last three seconds of the solo." :rollin
Decent enough DVD but not exactly what I'd call essential. Guess it's worth it since I haven't seen Iced Earth live yet and will (in theory at least) never see them with Tim or Matt singing.
And...oh boy, check out this interview:
https://www.radiometal.com/en/article/iced-earth-jon-schaffer-prophet-of-a-dystopia,44124
I'll terrify everyone: Schaffer is working on more Sons of Liberty songs. :(
-
Even though I prefer Barlow, the Ripper set on the DVD was way better because the band seemed like they actually had energy, with Barlow everyone just seemed to be going through the motions..........slowly.
And yea Schaffer is a joke these days. America is a police state with martial law, no freedom or liberty and such? Hey Jon, tour the middle east for a few weeks, then get back to me on how opressed American's are.
-
Agreed. You could really tell Barlow's heart wasn't in it anymore from his performance, while Wacken at least the band had life to them. And Jon's gone so far around the bend politically that even Michelle Bachman would tell him to ease up. :lol I can live with it if Dystopia is decent though.
-
I don't really care about Jon's political stuff; I'm just glad he's decent enough to keep it separate from IE.
-
I don't really care about Jon's political stuff; I'm just glad he's decent enough to keep it separate from IE.
It's the only thing that's keeping me interested at all in Iced Earth.
-
I don't really care about Jon's political stuff; I'm just glad he's decent enough to keep it separate from IE.
Haven't read the lyrics to Dystopia yet, but it seems the album won't exactly be void of his politics.
-
Speaking of Barlow:
WHAT'S UP GUYS? JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I WAS THINKING OF YOU. I HAVE BEEN GATHERING MY POWERS IN THE LAST MONTHS IN PREPARATION FOR ANOTHER METAL ASSAULT. THINGS ARE COMING ALONG NICELY...I WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED. ON A SOMBER NOTE, TOMORROW IS THE FUNERAL FOR SGT. JOSEPH SZCZERBA, NCCP. PLEASE THINK OF HIS FAMILY, AND REMEMBER THIS HERO, WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR HIS COMMUNITY.
-
40 - 45 minutes is a perfect length for an album IMO.
Agreed.
-
New video about the making of the album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ViYoZBTIO2o
I really think there's nothing Stu Block can't do. He's a machine.
-
Despite the Dante's Inferno remake being weird, I'm still kinda excited about this.
-
Yeah, me too. I'm really looking forward to it now. :metal
-
I actually talked to Stu a few years back about singing on my CD.
He eventually vanished. :( I was so excited too.
-
I've heard he only sings for people with boobs.
-
I've heard he only sings for people with boobs.
But Jon..............ohhhhhhh.
-
Finally got around to tabbing out the opener:
Dystopia - half-step down
========
transcription: Myke Havoc
intro rhythm:
|------------------------------|
|------------------------------|
|-9------7------10------9------|
|-9-[4x]-7-[4x]-10-[4x]-9-[4x]-|
|-7------5-------8------7------|
|------------------------------|
intro lead 1:
|----------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------|
|-9-~-9-11-12-11-~----11-12-14-~-11-12-14-12-~-|
|------------------12--------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------|
intro harmony 1:
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|-12-~-12-14-16-14-~----14-16-17-~-14-16-17-16-~-|
|--------------------15--------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
intro harmony 2:
|-12-~-12-14-15-14-~----14-15-17-~-14-15-17-15-~-|
|--------------------15--------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
intro lead 2:
|-------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------|
|----------14-------------------------|
|-14-16-17----17-16-17-16-14----14-16-|
|----------------------------17-------|
|-------------------------------------|
pm--------------------------------->
intro lead 2 cont'd:
|-------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------|
|----------14-------16-14----14-------|
|-14-16-17----17-16-------17----17-16-|
|-------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------|
pm--------------------------------->
riff 1:
|---------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|
|-9----9----7----7----7-7-10----10----9----9----9-9-|
|-777777777755555555555555-88888-8888877777777777777|
|---------------------------------------------------|
**** **** **** **** * * **** **** **** **** * *
riff 1 harmony:
|---------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|
|-5----5----4----4----4-4--7-----7----5----5----5-5-|
|-777777777755555555555555-88888-8888877777777777777|
|---------------------------------------------------|
**** **** **** **** * * **** **** **** **** * *
main riff:
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|------------------------5-------|------------------------8-7-5---|
|-2-----7-5-7-8------7-5---8-7-5-|-2-----7-5-7-8------7-5-------8-|
|-0-000---------0000-------------|-0-000---------0000-------------|
pm------> pm-----> pm--------> pm----->
main riff accents:[do not hold chords]
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|-2-------------2-2--------------|-2-------------2-2--------------|
|-2-------------2-2--------------|-2-------------2-2--------------|
|-0-------------000--------------|-0-------------000--------------|
* *** * ***
bridge:
|----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-7-----------------------------10-|-9---------------------------------------------------|
|-7-----------------------------10-|-9---------------------------------------------------|
|-5------------------------------8-|-7---------------------------------------------------|
|-5------------------------------8-|-7---------------------------------------------------|
bridge lead:[on repeat, play bar 2 twice instead]
|----------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|----------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|-7-9-7----[3]-10-9-7-----(repeat--|-9-10-9----[3]-12-10-9----|-9-10-9----[3]-12-10-9----|
|-------10-[x]--------10----all)---|--------10-[x]---------12-|--------10-[x]---------10-|
|----------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|----------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
chorus gtr 1:
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|-5--5--5--------4--4--4--------2--2--2--------4--4--4---------|
|-777777777777777555555555555555333333333333333555555555555555-|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
** ** pm-----> ** ** pm-----> ** ** pm-----> ** ** pm----->
chorus gtr 2:
|--------7-0------------5-------------3--------------5---------|
|------------0------------5-0-----------3-0------------5-0-----|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|-5-hold>>>>-----4-hold>>>>----2-hold>>>>-----4-hold>>>>-------|
|-7-hold>>>>-----5-hold>>>>----3-hold>>>>-----5-hold>>>>-------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
<songflow>
intro rhythm [2x]
intro rhythm +lead 1
intro rhythm +lead 1 +harmony 1 [2x]
intro rhythm +lead 1 +harmony 1+2
intro rhythm +lead 1 +harmony 1+2 +lead 2 [2x]
E (all leads play first note and hold)
riff 1 [2x]
riff 1 +harmony [2x]
main riff +accents
main riff [4x]
bridge [2x]
main riff [4x]
bridge [2x]
chorus gtr 1+2 [2x]
chorus gtr 2 (both play) [2x]
riff 1 w/solo [2x]
main riff +accents
main riff [4x]
bridge [2x]
chorus gtr 1+2 [4x]
chorus gtr 2 (both play) [2x]
main riff +accents
E
-
Anyone hear that new Iced Earth song on youtube? I don't want to link to it, just in case... but anyway, it sounds very good! Out of 10, I'd say it's 8.5+ It's a very fun song.
edit: It isn't Anthem, it doesn't have the name listed. It just says "Dystopia (New Song 2011)"
edit 2: Okay, the song is "Dystopia"
-
Yes, its the song I just tabbed :biggrin:
I have the entire album minus the bonus tracks. Legally obtained.
-
After hearing Dystopia and Anthem, I must say i am fucking pumped
-
Dystopia is OK, but the production isn't that great at all. I hope it's just the youtube quality or something.
-
Keep your expectations modest. Those two songs are the flagship ones, as both had videos shot for them, and both are in my opinion the album highlights. Not saying it's bad by any means, but those are really the strongest tracks on it.
Dystopia is OK, but the production isn't that great at all. I hope it's just the youtube quality or something.
This is the same quality of what I have. I actually quite like how it sounds. Everything has a fair amount of room to breathe yet it sounds massive. Meaty tones with balance.
-
Keep your expectations modest. Those two songs are the flagship ones, as both had videos shot for them, and both are in my opinion the album highlights. Not saying it's bad by any means, but those are really the strongest tracks on it.
Damn... that's pretty underwhelming. :-[
-
Just listened to Anthem and the title track. it's amazing how much Jon has made Stu sound like Matt, very similar IMO. I'm liking what he's doing though, he sounds great, excellent singer. Two great songs though, and even though I'm listening to youtube, I really like the production. And I'm surprised Troy's guitar work was actually quite decent, surprising.
-
Yeah, as I said, its clear Jon wants his singers to sounds a certain way (that being exactly like him :P). The only one not to was Ripper, likely being why he's my favorite.
And yes, Troy's work isn't bad. Nothing really mind-blowing, but then again, leads haven't really been focal in ten years since Larry left.
-
Here's the tab for Boiling Point:
Boiling Point - half-step down
=============
transcription: Myke Havoc
plannineproductions@hotmail.com
main riff:
|------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|-0-0-0-12-0-0-13-0-0-10-12-13-|0-0-0-12-0-0-15-0-0-10-12-13-|
pm----------------> pm---------------->
main riff cont'd:
|------------------------------|----------------------|
|------------------------------|----------------------|
|------------------------------|----------------------|
|------------------------------|----------------------|
|------------------------------|------5-----------3---|
|-0-0-0-12-0-0-13-0-0-10-12-13-|3-3-3---3-3-1-1-1-1---|
pm----------------> pm-------------->
verse riff:
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|-2-2--------[3x]----------3-|
|-2-2----------------------3-|
|-0-0-000000------3333331111-|
pm---> pm------>
chorus:
|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
|-2---------5---------7---------3---------|-2---------5---------7---------3-~-|
|-2---------5---------7---------3---------|-2---------5---------7---------3-~-|
|-0---3333103---5555305---5555301---333310|-0---3333103---5555305---5555301-~-|
pm---> pm---> pm---> pm---> pm---> pm---> pm--->
<songflow>
main riff [4x]
verse [4x]
chorus
verse [4x]
chorus
main riff [2x]
verse [4x]
chorus
main riff [4x]
E
-
Yeah, as I said, its clear Jon wants his singers to sounds a certain way (that being exactly like him :P). The only one not to was Ripper, likely being why he's my favorite.
And yes, Troy's work isn't bad. Nothing really mind-blowing, but then again, leads haven't really been focal in ten years since Larry left.
I personally really didn't like Ripper. His voice really didn't seem to feel right
-
I will go on record as saying Ripper's voice with Schaffer's guitar tone were possibly the single greatest sound to my ear. The most aggressive riffing with the most wicked vocals was just a perfect match for me.
-
Reverse that statement with Barlow and that's me. Not a fan of Ripper.
-
I think Matt is definitely the voice of IE, but I can't help but to love Ripper in the band more.
-
I can't believe I'm saying this, but after listening to Barlow's and Stu's approach at "Dante's Inferno" back and forth, I have to admit I like Stu's version more. Now maybe this could be due to the fact that his vocals are higher in the mix than Barlow's is, but even with that aside, the way he just belts out every word is just mind blowing. I get more of a sense of diversity in his vocals than I do with Barlow, in just simple things in the way he pronounces every word, and how he adds a certain twist to them in the way Barlow doesn't do.
As fantastic as Barlow's vocals are in the song, I feel at that point in his career he wasn't at his vocal peak, where as Stu sings the song now at a time where he's perfect. Barlow's approach at the song seems much more straight forward, where as Stu really throws in all kinds of twists and turns. I just really feel so much passion and energy in Stu's voice, it's incredible. Maybe this could be due to me hearing the original song so many times, so I could be a little bias with my thoughts, I'll have to give it some time.
I'm definitely anticipating how Stu will approach some of Barlow's best works like "The Coming Curse" "Dracula" "Damian" and others off Horror Show and SWTWC in a live setting. I'm sure once their tour kicks in, we'll be hearing tons of them.
-
I must say i agree with you on Dante, the song just fits Stu more
-
Samples!
https://www.amazon.com/Dystopia-digital-booklet/dp/B005PMNMZ8/ref=tmm_msc_title_0
.... I don't know about this one yet. Maybe I just don't really care for the subject matter.
-
damn, these sound awesome
-
Another one:
Anguish of Youth - half-step down
================
transcription: Myke Havoc
plannineproductions@hotmail.com
verse:(acoustic)
|------------------------------|------------------------------|
|------------------------------|------------------------------|
|------------------------------|------------------------------|
|-5---5---5---5---5---5---[2x]-|-4---4---4---4---4---4---[2x]-|
|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7------|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5------|
|------------------------------|------------------------------|
verse cont'd:
|------------------------------|------------------------------|
|------------------------------|------------------------------|
|------------------------------|------------------------------|
|-2---2---2---2---2---2---[2x]-|-2---2---2---2---2---2---[2x]-|
|-3---3---3---3---3---3--------|-2---2---2---2---2---2--------|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------|
chorus:
|------------|------------|------------|-------------------|
|------------|------------|------------|-------------------|
|------------|------------|------------|-------------------|
|-5-4-5-[2x]-|-4-2-4-[2x]-|-2---2-[2x]-|-2-2-2--------[2x]-|
|-7-5-7------|-5-3-5------|-3-2-3------|-2-0-2-------------|
|------------|------------|---0--------|-0-0-0---0000------|
* * * * * * * * ****
arpeggios:
|---------|------------|------------|----------|
|-8-------|-10---------|-13---------|-12-------|
|---9-----|----11------|----12------|----12----|
|-----9---|-------12---|-------14---|-------14-|
|---------|------------|------------|----------|
|---------|------------|------------|----------|
solo 1 rhythm:
|-------------------|--------------------|-------------------|------------------|
|-------------------|--------------------|-------------------|------------------|
|-9-7-9-------------|-9-11-7-------------|-5-4-5-------------|------------------|
|-9-7-9--------[2x]-|-9-11-7--------[2x]-|-5-4-5--------[2x]-|-2-2-2-------[2x]-|
|-7-5-7-------------|-7-9--5-------------|-3-2-3-------------|-2-0-2------------|
|---------0000------|----------0000------|---------0000------|-0-0-0---0000-----|
* * **** * * **** * * **** * * ****
lead 1:
|-----------7-----------------------------------------7--------|
|---7-8-------10-8-7---10-8-7-------7-8----10-8-7-------10-8---|
|-9---------------------------9---9---------------9----------9-|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
|harmony: |
+------7---10-8-7------8-7-------------7---8-7--------10-8-7---+
|-8-10------------10-------10-8---8-10---------10-8----------8-|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
lead 2:
|---------------7---------------------------------------------------------7-----------|
|--7-8-7-8-[2x]--10-8-7--7--------7---7-10-8-7---------7-8-7-8-10-8-7-------10-8------|
|-9--------------------9-----7-9----9---------9-7-9--9---------------9-7-9------9-7-9-|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
|harmony: |
+-----7--7-----10-8-7-------------------8-7--------------7--7--8-7--------10-8-7------+
|-8-10-10--[2x]------10-8-10-7-8-10-8-10---10-8-7-8--8-10-10------10-8-7-8------8-7-8-|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
<songflow>
verse [3x]
chorus [2x]
verse +arpeggios [2x]
chorus [2x]
solo 1
verse +arpeggios [2x]
chorus +lead 1
chorus +lead 2
chorus +lead 2 w/solo
fade out
-
Ugh, Now Iced Earth have covered The Mob Rules...
-
I must say i agree with you on Dante, the song just fits Stu more
No. Not even a little.
-
Ugh, Now Iced Earth have covered The Mob Rules...
I hadn't heard that. I look forward to hearing it.
Here's another one. Took all of 5 minutes:
Days of Rage - half-step down
============
transcription: Myke Havoc
plannineproductions@hotmail.com
verse:
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-2---------------------3-3-3-[3x]-2-------------------6-7-6---------|
|-2---------------------3-3-3------2-------7-8-----7-8-------8-9-5-7-|
|-0-000-000-000-000-000-1-1-1------0-0-0-0-----0-0-------------------|
*** *** *** *** *** * * * * * ^ ^ various ^ ^
pinched notes
alt verse:
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-(2)---------------------3-3-3-[3x]-2-------------------6-7-6---------|
|-(2)---------------------3-3-3------2-------7-8-----7-8-------8-9-5-7-|
|-(0)-000-000-000-000-000-1-1-1------0-0-0-0-----0-0-------------------|
*** *** *** *** *** * * * * * ^ ^ various ^ ^
*chord in parens not played first time pinched notes
chorus:
|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|
|-2---2---2---2---2---2-|
|-2---2---2---2---2---2-|
|-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0-0-|
* * * * * * * * * *
<songflow>
verse
alt verse
alt verse (w/out last note)
chorus [4x]
verse
alt verse (w/out last note)
chorus [4x]
slide
E F G E G F [4x]
verse
alt verse (w/out last note)
chorus [12x]
-
...and another:
V - half-step down
=
transcription: Myke Havoc
plannineproductions@hotmail.com
intro:
|-------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------[2x]-|-------------------------|
|-2-----2-----2-----2-3-2-|-3-----2-----2-----2-3-2------|-3-----2-----2-----7-8-7-|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
verse:
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-8-----2-----2-----2-3-2-|-3-----2-----2-----7-8-7-|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|
* * * * * * * * * * * *
chorus:
|--------------------------|-------------------------|
|--------------------------|-------------------------|
|--------------------------|-------------------------|
|--------5------4----------|-------------------------|
|-7-7777---7777---7777-7-\-|-3-333-7-3-3-5-555-9-5-5-|
+--------------------------|-------------------------+
| **** **** **** * *** * * * * *** * * * |
|harmony: |
+--------------------------|-------------------------+
|--------------------------|-------------------------|
|--------4-----------------|-------------------------|
|-5-5555---5555-7-5555-5-\-|-------5-----------7-----|
|--------------------------|-3-333---3-3-5-555---5-5-|
|--------------------------|-------------------------|
**** **** **** * *** * * * * *** * * *
alt verse:
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-2-----2-----2-----2-3-2-|-3-----2-----2-----7-8-7-|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|
* * * * * * * * * * * *
chorus:
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------7-----7-----7-----7-\-5-----5-----4---------|
|-2-----2-----2-----2-/-5-----5-----5-----5-/-7-----7-----7-----7-\-5-----5-----5---------|
|-2-----2-----2-----2-/-5-----5-----5-----5-/-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-\-3-3-3-3-3-3-2---------|
+-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-/-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-/---------------------------------------5-3-2-+
| * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
|lead: |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-9---~------11----~---12----11----------------14----12----11--------12----11-------------|
|---------------------------------12---~------------------------14--------------12---~----|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
|harmony: |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|------------10----~---12----10----------------13----12----10--------12----10-------------|
|-12--~---------------------------11---~------------------------12--------------11---~----|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
outro:
|-------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------|
|-------12-\------10\9-9-------12-\---------|
|-------12-\------10\9-9-------12-\-2-2-2-2-|
|-------10-\-------8\7-7-------10-\-2-2-2-2-|
|-0-000------0-000-------0-000------0-0-0-0-|
* *** * *** * *** * * *
solo rhythm:
|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|
|---------------7-----5----4---------|
|-2-----5-/-\---7-----5----5---------|
|-2-----5-/-\---5-----3----2---------|
|-0---2-3-/-\------------------5-3-2-|
<songflow>
intro
verse [6x]
bridge [4x]
alt verse
verse [3x]
chorus [2x]
outro [2x]
solo [2x]
bridge [4x]
alt verse
verse [3x]
chorus [4x]
outro [8x]
hold last chord
-
Are you transcribing the album for iced earth or just for fun?
-
For fun, really. I do this with a lot of artists.
Speaking of which, another ;D:
Anthem - half-step down
======
transciption: Myke Havoc
plannineproductions@hotmail.com
intro 1:(acoustic electric, strummed)
|-----7---7---5--------7---7---3-|-----7---7---5---------0-------|
|-----8---7---5--------8---7---3-|-----8---7---5-------------0-1-|
|-----9---9---7--------9---9---5-|-----9---9---7-------0---------|
|-----9---9---7--------9---9---5-|-----9---9---7-----2-----------|
|--------------------------------|-----------------3-------------|
|-0---------------0--------------|-0-----------------------------|
intro 2:(acoustic electric, fingered/plucked)
|-----8---7------------8---7-----|-----8---7---------------------|
|------------10---------------10-|------------10-----------------|
|-----9---9---9--------9---9---9-|-----9---9---9-------7-------5-|
|--------------------------------|-------------------7-------5---|
|--------------------------------|-----------------5-----3-------|
|-0---------------0--------------|-0-----------------------------|
chorus:
|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
|-2-2-2--2--2---2---2--2--7--[3x]-|-5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5----3--|
|-2-2-2--2--2---2---2--2--7-\-----|-3-3-3--3-3-3--3-3-3----3--|
+-0-0-0--0--0-0-0-0-0--0--5-\-----|----------------------0-1--+
| * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
|lead:(notes in parens are harmony) |
+---------------------------------|---------------------------|
|-----(10)------------------------|---------------------------|
|-----------(12)----(11)----------|-(9)--------(9)----(9)h(10)|
|------10-----9--------------[3x]-|---------------------------|
|--------------------12-----------|--10---------10-----10h-12-|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
verse:
|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|
|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|
|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|
|-2----2----2------------[2x]-|-4---4--4----2---2--2-----------|
|-2----2----2----3-2-0--------|-5-5-5--5----3-3-3--3---3-2-0---|
|-0-00-0-00-0-00-------3------|------------------------------3-|
** ** ** * * * * * * * * * *
solo rhythm:
|----------------------------|-------------------------------|
|----------------------------|-------------------------------|
|---------------------5------|---------------------7---5-----|
|---------------------5------|---------------------7---5-----|
|-2------2------4\5---3------|-2------2------4\5---5---3-----|
|-0-000-00---00-2\3---3------|-0-000-00---00-2\3---5---3-----|
* *** ** ** * *** ** **
bridge:
|----------------------------|--------------------------------|
|----------------------------|--------------------------------|
|----------------------------|----------------------2-----4---|
|-5---x5x4---x4x5---x5x2---x2|x5---x5x4---x4x2---x2x2-----4---|
|-7---x7x5---x5x7---x7x3---x3|x7---x7x5---x5x3---x3x0-----2---|
|----------------------------|--------------------------------|
outro:
|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------7\5--|
|-2-2-2--2--2---2---2--2--2--[3x]-|-7-7-7--7-7-7--7-7-7--7\5--|
|-2-2-2--2--2---2---2--2--2-\-----|-5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5\3--|
+-0-0-0--0--0-0-0-0-0--0--0-\-----|---------------------------+
| * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
|lead:(notes in parens are harmony) |
+---------------------------------|---------------------------|
|-----(12)----(10)----(8)---------|-(7)------(7)------(7)h(8)-|
|------12------11------9----------|--7--------7--------7-h-9--|
|----------------------------[3x]-|---------------------------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
<songflow>
intro 1 [2x]
intro 2 [2x]
electric guitars slide in
chorus [2x]
verse [2x]
chorus [2x]
verse [2x]
chorus [2x]
solo [2x]
bridge
chorus [2x]
outro [2x]
chorus till fade
-
Schaffer should call a plumber.
-
I'm not really liking this album too much. :\
-
Things that I like about it:
1. It's pretty much the most straightforward, direct album Iced Earth has done since Dark Saga. Every song isn't buried in orchestrations and choirs.
2. Given all the flak Troy gets, the guitar solos are not that bad. They don't feel like they were bolted on from another galaxy like the one in the Dante remake.
3. Still not sure Stu Block should spend so much time imitating Matt Barlow, but overall I like his performance.
4. Dark City is pretty much the best impersonation of Iron Maiden I've heard this side of White Wizzard.
5. Some nicely memorable choruses.
Things I don't like about it:
1. Drums are mixed WAY too high. The double bass drum patterns nearly overwhelm the rhythm guitar parts.
2. Some occasionally bad lyrics, but that's part and parcel of bands doing what I like to call "book report" music-or in this case, "movie report"
3. I guess I could give Schaffer credit for moving away from the usual sort of riffing he does, but it'd be nice if the replacements were memorable.
I like it well enough-if I was gonna grade it, it'd get a solid B-but to go back to the Lucy and the football thing, this time I got to kick the football, but the hold wasn't exactly perfect and the ball bounced off the uprights. I like it better than Crucible, but that's kind of not saying much.
-
I'm not really liking this album too much. :\
I warned you :P
Things that I like about it:
1. It's pretty much the most straightforward, direct album Iced Earth has done since Dark Saga. Every song isn't buried in orchestrations and choirs.
2. Given all the flak Troy gets, the guitar solos are not that bad. They don't feel like they were bolted on from another galaxy like the one in the Dante remake.
3. Still not sure Stu Block should spend so much time imitating Matt Barlow, but overall I like his performance.
4. Dark City is pretty much the best impersonation of Iron Maiden I've heard this side of White Wizzard.
5. Some nicely memorable choruses.
Things I don't like about it:
1. Drums are mixed WAY too high. The double bass drum patterns nearly overwhelm the rhythm guitar parts.
2. Some occasionally bad lyrics, but that's part and parcel of bands doing what I like to call "book report" music-or in this case, "movie report"
3. I guess I could give Schaffer credit for moving away from the usual sort of riffing he does, but it'd be nice if the replacements were memorable.
I like it well enough-if I was gonna grade it, it'd get a solid B-but to go back to the Lucy and the football thing, this time I got to kick the football, but the hold wasn't exactly perfect and the ball bounced off the uprights. I like it better than Crucible, but that's kind of not saying much.
I think that's a fair assessment and probably how I would rate it.
-
I gotta say, I'm really enjoying the new album. Stu is a very worthy replacement (imo) and there is only one song I've found myself skipping (Days Of Rage)
My favorites are
5. Equilibrium
4. Dark City
3. Anguish Of Youth
2. Boiling Point
1. Dystopia
-
My thoughts, song by song:
Dystopia - Great song. I like the Ripper voice Stu does in the pre-chorus.
Anthem - This songs isn't bad, but I don't like Stu's Barlow voice. It's kind of annoying.
Boiling Point - The lyrics are a kinda.. Eh? I'll just quote someone from Brazil Under Ice:
Its one thing to sound pissed off when singing a metal song, its another to sing about BEING pissed off, LOL!
The song isn't bad though, just kinda comes and goes.
Anguish of Youth - This song isn't bad either. I wish Stu sang like this on Anthem. This album might be a grower, but fuck all these fade outs. Yes, I can hear the future.
V - OK, another good song, but I don't think it's something I'd keep coming back to.
Dark City - I'm really missing the trademark galloping riffs. Anyway, this song isn't really doing much for me, though it has a cool outro, which does sound very much like Iron Maiden.
Equilibrium - This song would be better if it didn't have the same structured verse melodies as Anthem, only faster. This song doesn't do much for me either.
Days Of Rage - This song is pretty lame and a rip off of Disciples Of The Lie. The chorus is shit.
End Of Innocence - OK song. Nothing more. Didn't have any impact on me, but I can say that about the whole album.
Soylent Green - This song is pretty good. Should be part of the official album. Days of Rage should be the bonus track. Although the ending is lazy.
Iron Will - I really like this song. Nice melodies. Shouldn't be a bonus track either. Only problem is the guitar solo sounds a bit too much like the one from Valley Forge.
Tragedy And Triumph - Oh hey Dystopia. Is my copy broken? Oh wait, the melodies are different. Anyway, this song sounds like something from another band, but I still like it. Fuck the fade out. Lazy Schaffer. LAZY! Good song though. Oh ha ha, funny thing at end. Ha ha.
Anthem (String Mix) - I didn't really notice a difference.
Overall, I give this album a 6/10. That's average, and exactly what this album is. Stu's really only annoying on Anthem, but besides his Ripper screams, his singing didn't do wonders for me. He wasn't bad by any means, he just wasn't OMG AMAZING like some are saying. And just for the record, I love Matt Barlow's voice, I just don't like imitators. I can barley make it through Winterfell's album nowadays because the vocals are so annoying.
-
It hadn't dawned on me till now that I haven't heard the bonus tracks! Gonna give them a listen now.
-
Digging Soylent Green.
Where is this supposed Sabbath cover? Is that going to end up on one of the editions or will that be a b-side to a single or something?
-
I think it may be an Itunes exclusive.
-
Man, I really don't want to hear Troy butcher an Iommi classic.
-
I only had time to listen to the first two tracks last night, but I liked what I've heard so far.
I had never heard this new singer before, I thought he kind of sounded like a cross between Ripper and Barlow.
-
I know I'm getting to this thread late, but I'm happy to see Ripper get 20% of the vote (I thought it'd be lower). Barlow was great and a great fit, but I think Ripper has a superior voice and he definitely won me over. I still listen to Gettysburg and loooove the way he sounds, particularly during this section:
The Rebel Cannon Break The Silence
150 Guns Make Up Their Cannonade
They Must Destroy The Union Center
Before The Infantry Can Launch Their Grand Assault
Wish I could sing like that!
-
I know I'm getting to this thread late, but I'm happy to see Ripper get 20% of the vote (I thought it'd be lower). Barlow was great and a great fit, but I think Ripper has a superior voice and he definitely won me over. I still listen to Gettysburg and loooove the way he sounds, particularly during this section:
The Rebel Cannon Break The Silence
150 Guns Make Up Their Cannonade
They Must Destroy The Union Center
Before The Infantry Can Launch Their Grand Assault
Wish I could sing like that!
If I had things my way, Ripper would be ahead by a landslide. I wonder if we reset the survey what the results would be.
-
I really liked Ripper. What's he doing these days?
-
I really liked Ripper. What's he doing these days?
According to Wikipedia: "In early 2011 Ripper also joined forces with Dio Disciples, which features latest Dio members, first ever tour in US will take place in September 2011."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Owens
-
I really liked Ripper. What's he doing these days?
Everything. He is an active member of Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Richard Christy's Charred Walls of the Damned, Hail (all-star revolving lineup playing covers), Beyond Fear, Dio Disciples (him with the Dio band playing all eras of RJD material) as well as his own all-star solo band.
-
Doing the song by song thing here:
Dystopia: great song. If the entire album featured Stu Block putting this much variety into his performance, I'd have no complaints.
Anthem: I don't really mind that this song fades out. However-as much as I like the chorus, a quarter of the song is that chorus into the fade-out. Ugh. And yes, Stu's Barlow voice is the most grating here.
Boiling Point-Stu gets a bit more versatile here, but this is pretty much how Iced Earth is going to do a fast, thrashier number from now on, isn't it?
Anguish of Youth-I really get a Something Wicked This Way Comes Vibe off this one. One of those catchy chorus numbers like Melancholy. Maybe this can replace that in the setlist? (I live in hope.) Is this the song with the mandatory Jim Morris solo for this album?
V-nice little mid-tempo number. I prefer the range that Stu uses here to the one that he tries in Anthem. Really should stick to this for the band.
Dark City-omg it's Iron Maiden. In a good way. My favorite song on the album.
Days of Rage-Days of Filler. As said earlier in this thread, this should be one of the bonus tracks instead of what actually IS listed as them.
End of Innocence-from what I've heard, this was written by Stu Block about his mother's death. Which makes it a shame that it's kind of a generic Iced Earh ballad.
Soylent Green-given how short this album is without the bonus tracks, why isn't this and Iron Will actually ON the album? Like it, although the lyrics are occasionally risible in that way you only get when you're doing book report music.
Iron Will-I really like this song. Catchy chorus, nice drive to it, songs like a perfect concert song. I'd rate this album higher if this was an official track in place of both two minute numbers.
Tragedy and Triumph-I see what you did there with the intro, Schaffer. I need to say that while I have no problems with this song and Dystopia and how they're part of the Something Wicked story...this needs to be it. Imagine if Iron Maiden had done first three songs, then two albums, THEN two more songs, about Eddie. Yeah we'd be laughing. Let this story go, Jon.
The second version of Anthem-how is that different from the first?
It's funny, though-I sound like I'm hammering this album and it's awful, but yet overall I enjoy it. On first listen I enjoy it more than any Iced Earth CD since Horror Show (I only just came around to liking Framing Armageddon, oh, a few pages back in this thread.) It's a little on the safe side, kind of coming close to being Generic Iced Earth, but it's solid, and I really think if Jon would start fully utilizing Stu Block, he could make a masterpiece. 7/10 would be my number score.
-
The second version of Anthem is pretty glaringly obvious :P
It has keys and orchestral arrangements in the background. I immediately noticed the difference. Not sure I prefer it.
They stated they're already writing new stuff, so hopefully they'll bang out another album within 18 months. With a new singer, perhaps its a good thing to do a safe record to ease them in with the fanbase. I'm certainly hoping that they'll branch off into some different and more exciting territory next go around, and let Stu show more of his range as well as take a step back from the Barlow clone thing. But agreed, with all the criticism, it is still certainly a strong release and I too would rate it a 7 out of 10.
-
To be fair, I only listened to the other version of Anthem once and I was doing other stuff, so it could have had a tuba solo and I would have missed it. :lol
-
To be fair, I only listened to the other version of Anthem once and I was doing other stuff, so it could have had a tuba solo and I would have missed it. :lol
:P
Just tabbed out Soylent Green:
Soylent Green - half-step down
=============
transcription: Myke Havoc
plannineproductions@hotmail.com
intro/outro:
|---------------------------|---------------------------|
|---------------------------|---------------------------|
|---------------------------|---------------------------|
|----5--7--9--10--9--7--577-|----7--9--7--10--9--7--799-|
|-777-77-77-77--77-77-77----|-666-66-66-66--66-66-66----|
|---------------------------|---------------------------|
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
intro/outro cont'd:
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|-------------4------------|
|----4--5--4--7--5--4--455-|----5--7--5-----7--5--54--|
|-555-55-55-55-55-55-55----|-444-44-44-44-44-44-44--5-|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
verse: bridge:
|------------------|------------------| |---------------|--------------|---------------|
|------------------|------------------| |---------------|--------------|---------------|
|------------------|--------------5-4-| |---2-----------|--------------|---2-----------|
|-2------------4-5-|-2------------5-5-| |---2---5---4---|-2------------|---2---5---4---|
|-2-------[3x]-5-5-|-2-------[3x]-3-2-| |---0---5---5---|-2-------[4x]-|---0---5---5---|
|-0-00000------2-3-|-0-00000----------| |-------3---2---|-0-00000------|-------3---2---|
***** ***** *****
chorus:
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-5-\------------------5-\------------------4-\------------------4-\------------------|
|-7-\------------------6-\------------------5-\------------------4-\------------------|
+-----0-0000-0-0-0-0-0-----0-0000-0-0-0-0-0-----0-0000-0-0-0-0-0-----0-0000-0-0-0-0-0-+
| * **** * * * * * * **** * * * * * * **** * * * * * * **** * * * * * |
| |
+------3-00-5-00-7-00-------3-00-5-00-7-00-------3-00-5-00-3-00-------2-00-3-00-2-00--|
|-5-00-----------------4-00-----------------3-00-----------------2-00-----------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
pm------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
end:
|--------------------|------------------|
|--------------------|------------------|
|--------------------|------------------|
|-2------------4-5-5-|-2----------------|
|-2-------[3x]-5-5-5-|-2----------------|
|-0-00000------2-3-3-|-0----------------|
*****
<songflow>
intro [3x]
verse [2x]
bridge
verse [2x]
bridge
chorus [4x]
verse [2x]
bridge
verse [2x]
bridge
chorus [4x]
outro [4x]
end
Not bad for a song I heard for the first time 12 hours ago.
-
I really liked Ripper. What's he doing these days?
Everything. He is an active member of Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Richard Christy's Charred Walls of the Damned, Hail (all-star revolving lineup playing covers), Beyond Fear, Dio Disciples (him with the Dio band playing all eras of RJD material) as well as his own all-star solo band.
Beyond Fear is recording another album? Cool.
I'll have to remember to pick up the new Charred Walls album when I get the new Iced Earth album. It just sucks I have to wait until the next time I visit my girlfriend who lives nearly an hour away to go to a music store because other than Best Buy my options are absolutely nothing locally. Lost 3 record stores in the last 18 months :(
-
Got a promo copy today. Listening now.
-
It's OK. Passable.
The songs are a bit more energetic, if derivative as fuck. The lyric are either mediocre - if it's some sort of concept album (and it sounds like it is) - or terrible, if they're meant to be "OH NOES OBAMA WILL PUT CHIPS IN YOUR BRAIN," which I sort of feel like it's hinting at.
-
I really liked Ripper. What's he doing these days?
Everything. He is an active member of Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Richard Christy's Charred Walls of the Damned, Hail (all-star revolving lineup playing covers), Beyond Fear, Dio Disciples (him with the Dio band playing all eras of RJD material) as well as his own all-star solo band.
Beyond Fear is recording another album? Cool.
I'll have to remember to pick up the new Charred Walls album when I get the new Iced Earth album. It just sucks I have to wait until the next time I visit my girlfriend who lives nearly an hour away to go to a music store because other than Best Buy my options are absolutely nothing locally. Lost 3 record stores in the last 18 months :(
Yeah, Ripper has been working on that for a while, although I think it went on the backburner once he joined Charred Walls. I'm also looking forward to the new Charred Walls album. The first was absolutely killer IMO.
I've also lost I think 3 brilliant record stores in like 2 years, depressing stuff.
-
Damn. I forgot all about CWotD, even though I was really interested in it at the time. I'll have to get it when I have a budget for music again. Is it good?
-
The first Charred Walls was pretty good, definately better than my expectations. I'm also a bigger fan of Ripper than most people seem to be. Nobody does vocal trills like Ripper.
-
Poll has been updated and reset.
-
Matt Barlow is kind of my favorite vocalist at the moment so...yeah
-
Poll has been updated and reset.
I like the new comedy option :tup
-
Since a few other people did I thought I'd give a rundown on what i thought of each song.
Dystpoia - Quickly became one of my favorite IE songs when I heard it when it leaked a few weeks ago
Anthem - Nice ballad song, no complaints here, though it probably would have done better had it come later on in the album
Boiling Point - Another one of my favorites. Love Block's vocals on this one, and the chorus is awesome.
Anguish of Youth - My second favorite behind Dystopia actually, probably my new favorite IE "ballad"
V - Nice "march" type song, not one of my top 5 but comes very close and I always enjoy it.
Dark City - Another of my top 5 and damn do I love it, Block's vocals really shine here and the outro great.
Equilibrium - Even though the verses are similar to Anthem I must say I enjoyed this song more than Anthem, and this is definitely one of my favorites from the album
Days Of Rage - Even though it is filler and sounds a lot like Disciples Of The Lie, I actually kinda like this song, it's short, and doesn't go on too long, so it really isn't painful.
End Of Innocence - For the first time I think Iced Earth has written an emotional song that doesn't have any lyrics that make me go "ugh..." (Ghost Of Freedom, When the Eagle Cries, and as much as i love it Watching Over Me is a bit guilty of this)
Soylent Green - I'm gonna echo the "shouldn't have been a bonus track" statement. Though not one of my top favorites, still one I think i'll find myself enjoying in the future
Iron Will - Once again, shouldn't have been a bonus track, but regardless still a VERY good song, and one of the more uplifting songs i've heard by IE
Tragedy and Triumph - This is the one song I can't seem to get into really, not a bad song by any means, but the re-use of the Dystopia intro is kinda lazy imo. But since it's the last song on the album I'll likely sit through it when giving the album a run-through, but likely wont ever go out of my way to listen to it
Overall i'd give this album an 8 or a 9 out of 10, I can see this joining Something Wicked and Horror Show as one of my favorites (yeah, i like the power metal side of IE more than the thrash side of albums such as Burnt Offerings and NOTSR)
Really looking forward to the future
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I really liked Ripper. What's he doing these days?
Everything. He is an active member of Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Richard Christy's Charred Walls of the Damned, Hail (all-star revolving lineup playing covers), Beyond Fear, Dio Disciples (him with the Dio band playing all eras of RJD material) as well as his own all-star solo band.
Beyond Fear is recording another album? Cool.
I'll have to remember to pick up the new Charred Walls album when I get the new Iced Earth album. It just sucks I have to wait until the next time I visit my girlfriend who lives nearly an hour away to go to a music store because other than Best Buy my options are absolutely nothing locally. Lost 3 record stores in the last 18 months :(
Yeah, Ripper has been working on that for a while, although I think it went on the backburner once he joined Charred Walls. I'm also looking forward to the new Charred Walls album. The first was absolutely killer IMO.
I've also lost I think 3 brilliant record stores in like 2 years, depressing stuff.
The truth of it is money. They started recording it, but without label support, they had no completion funds, so until that happens, it will be TBA.
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That's fucking bullshit. The first album was so damn good!! :metal
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I thought Beyond Fear was terrible. Then again, I really haven't liked anything Ripper has done outside of Iced Earth and a few cover songs.
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I think the vocal talents of Ripper are unmatched; amazing heavy metal voice and one of the best ever. The first Beyond Fear and CWOTD discs kick major ass. Looking forward to the new CWOTD more then the new IE.
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I thought Beyond Fear was terrible. Then again, I really haven't liked anything Ripper has done outside of Iced Earth and a few cover songs.
That's fucking bullshit. The first album was so damn good!! :metal
It took me a few years to come around. But when I put it on about a year ago, it sounded so fresh and new. The production and performances are solid. It was as if it was ahead of its time. I have much more of an appreciation for it now.
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The lyrics are really bad though. REALLY bad. I like Scream Machine though, as silly as those lyrics are as well.
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Yes, admittedly, even as a Ripper purist, I cannot deny his lack of compelling lyrical content. But I chalk that up mostly to not being able to write a damn song of his own until he was nearly 40. I'm sure over time, he'll hone his craft like any musician.
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Beyond Fear is a good solid heavy metal cd, nothing less. I love it for that.
Ripper's lyrics are pretty ordinary. I do like his attempt on Red Baron, although it does fall short.
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RED BARRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON! BLUE MAX!
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Fucking killer song though! :metal
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Red Baron is a great song, albeit there's is a large repetitious portion of riffs that could be excised. For "book report" lyrics, it's certainly as good as anything Schaffer has ever written.
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https://www.guitarworld.com/video-lesson-iced-earth-dystopia#comment-28842
Gotta update my tab!
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Ripper either wrote or co- wrote "What's my name?" from the Demolition JP disc. I thought that was a great song and should have made the final cut.
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He wrote the lyrics for that one song. And wrote about half of the lyrics on Heart of a Killer. But still, his chops were more or less dormant from 1995-2007. Between Priest and Iced Earth, he has one lyrical credit a piece.
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I'll buy the album today.... I'm so excited....
Dystopia hit me like a rock btw..... another guy to worship... Love you Stu :heart
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I'll buy the album today.... I'm so excited....
Dystopia hit me like a rock btw..... another CANADIAN to worship... Love you Stu :heart
fix'd it myself.
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Ripper either wrote or co- wrote "What's my name?" from the Demolition JP disc. I thought that was a great song and should have made the final cut.
Not a great song IMO, but I guess it could replace Cyberface.
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I'm enjoying Dystopia a lot more now that I've given it more listens. Even still, I feel like Schaffer has really lost his touch. I thought Framing Armageddon and Crucible were ok (well, maybe not so much Crucible), and even though Dystopia is a pretty good album, it's been so long since Schaffer has written an album that was truly magical.
Their albums in the 90s (and Horrow Show) had so many songs that were unique and really had their own identity. I just don't get that same feeling with his most recent stuff, like he sticks to one formula and doesn't really stray too far. I mean its not like IE has really changed their sound much at all in the past 20 years, but still I just don't feel like the past few albums have had much of a distinctive, fresh, or unique sound. It's like Schaffer is almost just going through the motions and playing it safe.
I mean, there really is only so much you can do with a million galloping triplets, but Iced Earth has been a favorite band of mine for many years now, and it sucks to see the decline in quality of material. I still like the newer stuff, but it just doesn't stand up to the IE of the 90s.
For instance, today I was thinking of songs they won't play live because Stu may not be able to sing them. One of the first songs that popped in my head was Dracula....he's very talented so I'm fairly confident he could sing it live. But the next thought I had was "Man, that song is really fucking cool and has such a unique feel to it. There isn't really anything on Dystopia that has that stands out like Dracula does."
Maybe the revolving door of vocalists has affected Schaffer's song writing....hopefully Stu will be with the band for a while so we can really see what the band is capable of with him in it.
Of course this is all completely subjective, so I'm sure a lot of you will feel differently. At this point I'm just rambling like an idiot so I'm just gonna press the post button lol
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I'd certainly say that Framing Armageddon is magical.
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I wouldnt, but thats mainly because Matt Barlow is one of my all time favorite vocalists and I really don't like Ripper too much.
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I like Dystopia. Nothing special, but miles better than Crucibe. Stu Block sounds like the child of Tim and Matt with a little bit of unique-ness in the mix. If he continues with this style i'll just call him Matt Owens...
Anywhooo, the songs are pretty good. I just wish Jon would try to be a little bit more creative in the riff-department. The Em-D-C-(B) or Em-D-G progressions are getting really old. Dystopia (the song) starts with the most clichč metal-rythm and chord progression ever, i mean come on! The rest of the song is good though..
The title track, V (rising up from the fireeeee!) and Soylent Green are favorites.
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Just got my digi cd and t-shirt in the mail from CMDistro!!!! :metal
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Just got my digi cd and t-shirt in the mail from CMDistro!!!! :metal
What are the bonus tracks on disc 2?
EDIT: Is there a disc 2?
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The digi is one disc with Soylent Green, Iron Will and the string mix of Anthem as bonus tracks.
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The digi is one disc with Soylent Green, Iron Will and the string mix of Anthem as bonus tracks.
I thought there were supposed to be some additional bonus tracks on a DVD or some shit. Does it come with the box set? I remember reading something about that.
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(https://i.imgur.com/7rDjd.jpg)
The copy of Horror Show I ordered in the mail (last copy i had was one I borrowed from a friend)
Pretty excited and I can't wait for the copy of Dystopia I pre-ordered to get here. :metal
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I have that one. I also have two other versions. That particular one has an audio error at the end of Im-Ho-Tep.
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Hmm i didn't hear it when i listened to it (then again I might not have been paying attention)
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The digi is one disc with Soylent Green, Iron Will and the string mix of Anthem as bonus tracks.
I thought there were supposed to be some additional bonus tracks on a DVD or some shit. Does it come with the box set? I remember reading something about that.
My digi version that I have has the tracks that Myke mentioned. THere is no DVD according to CMDistro.
https://www.cmdistro.com/Item/Iced_Earth_-_Dystopia_-Ltd_Dlx_Box_Set-/39375
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Wolf, whats the verdict on the new Iced Earth?
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Wolf, whats the verdict on the new Iced Earth?
Mate, I opened it late last night when I got home from work so I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. I'll post my thoughts as soon as I give it a spin.
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If Troy isn't looking somewhere other than the camera in the band pic, I'll be pissed.
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If Troy isn't looking somewhere other than the camera in the band pic, I'll be pissed.
:rollin
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My thoughts after my first listen;
First, the t-shirt I got from CMDistro is pretty awesome, nice print on the font.
Second, the packinging is nice, it has a cool fold out poster and a fancy sticker, which is cool. The booklet has very thick pages with fantastic artwork all the way through, with a painting relating to each song. No band pics at all though.
I guess the first word that comes to mind when listening to Dystopia is safe. Things are pretty samey throughout with not much variety and no real stand out songs IMO. Keep in mind it's only my first listen, but this is just Iced Earth by numbers. There's no Dante, Coming Curse, Stygian, Question of Heaven or even Clouding or Framing Armageddon. I will say already that this is much better than the terrible Crucible.
I am a big fan of Stu's voice. I like his work in End of Innocence, another ballad on the album like that would have helped here. I for one like what he is doing in Anthem and the vocal layering is really great. Some songs like the title track shows his diversity, but overall, Jon has held him back. He could have done so much more here. His Barlow impression is amazing and fits the music well, but I do wish he would let him sing like Stu, not Matt. It worked with Ripper and it would have worked here. Stu sounds so confined in what he's been told and allowed to sing.
Also another intersting note is that Stu has writing credits on lyrics on all songs bar Days of Rage and Anguish of Youth, and Troy shares music writing credits on V and Soylent Green. Speaking of Troy, I am pleasantly surprised at his work here. It's still sloppy and too random, but the solos he adds to the songs is quite acceptable.
Schaffer proves that he is the king of the recycled riff. Many moments on the album remind the listener of past IE songs and moments, even sections repeating themselves a couple of times through the album.
A special mention to Iron Will, this sucker should not have been a bonus track. Sure it's Valley Forge 2 but it's certainly top 3 on the album, great melodies.
Overall, these are just my first impressions and I've obviously missed a shit load, but this is decent and I look forward to digging into it and see how much more I can get out of it.
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Tim 'Ripper' Owens Joins Brand New 'Supergroup' Tred
According to Blabbermouth.net, powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (Dio Disciples, Yngwie Malmsteen, Beyond Fear, Judas Priest, Iced Earth) has been named the lead singer of Tred, the new band featuring bassist Rudy Sarzo (Blue Öyster Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio), drummer A.J. Pero (Twisted Sister) and guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob, Sonic Stomp). An album's worth of material is currently being recorded for a 2012 release. European and U.S. tour dates are also planned.
Tred's musical direction is described as "go-for-the-throat, straight-ahead rock."
Commented Orlando: "15 tracks so far are in pre-production."
"A.J., Rudy and myself are real excited about launching this new lineup and it will definetely have tons of energy, great playing and some kick-a-s hard rock!"
"It will be an honor to be part of this new band, as it is an honor to be part of Adrenaline Mob as well! Should be an exciting 2012!"
Tred is:
Tim "Ripper" Owens (Dio Disciples, Yngwie Malmsteen, Beyond Fear, Judas Priest, Iced Earth) - Lead Vocals
Rudy Sarzo (Blue Öyster Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio) - Bass
A.J. Pero (Twisted Sister) - Drums
Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob, Sonic Stomp) - Guitar
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/tim_ripper_owens_joins_brand_new_supergroup_tred.html (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/tim_ripper_owens_joins_brand_new_supergroup_tred.html)
I figured I would post it in this thread since we were talking about what Ripper is doing nowadays.
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Adrenaline Mob 2: The Shriekquel
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Worst guitarist ever!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPXmTSm7fuA
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If you think that's bad, listen to their Trooper cover. Troy can not replicate a solo for shit and always takes the easy way out by just making one note longer where several would be.
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Where is this cover? When did they do it? I've never heard of it.
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Where is this cover? When did they do it? I've never heard of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdfQrNsXAL0
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Where is this cover? When did they do it? I've never heard of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdfQrNsXAL0
Wow, quite simply a terrible cover all round. Boring, lifeless, Stu sounds just bored and average, and Troy couldn't even attempt the fucking solo, disgusting.
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I liked the cover and nice idea. The solo is no worse to me than many of Maiden's versions.
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Using the baritone guitars was a mistake. Never play a cover more then a half-step lower then the original song. It becomes unrecognizable and loses all life and passion in it.
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Jon needs to switch back to whatever he used on Something Wicked This Way Comes. Once he switch guitars at Alive In Athens, all albums after (Horror Show to an extent) sounded thin and not the beefy sound that previous albums had. I wish Mark Prator was Iced Earth's drummer too. I'm sick of Smedley and Schaffer's machine gun bullshit. It's what ruined the Something Wicked Trilogy remake, along with Schaffer's palm muting extravaganza.
ARGH!
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Jon has used the same guitars on every album (various Gibson models). Whatever complaint you have with sound is likely due to the mixing choices.
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He said he switch to a different guitar for Alive In Athens and he's used it since. Or maybe I miss heard/read him...
I'MRIGHTYOU'REWRONG!!!!!!
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Only 5 songs through this album, and I am really liking it a LOT. Stu sounds great. Hearing that he was Into Eternity's vocalist scared me off. Not into any growls, but I have to say, he sounds remarkably like Barlow.
Can't wait to dig in more.
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Yeah I dig this album too.
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He said he switch to a different guitar for Alive In Athens and he's used it since. Or maybe I miss heard/read him...
I'MRIGHTYOU'REWRONG!!!!!!
From the press release 4 years ago:
Well, recently a dream of mine came true. I’m now officially a Gibson Guitars endorsed artist.
This is the only guitar that I’ve used on every Iced Earth studio album and I’ve been an absolute Gibson addict for years. As many of you know, I’ve played 99% of every guitar part ever played on an Iced Earth recording. With the exception of a few guitar solos, I’ve recorded every rhythm, lead, clean and acoustic guitar part that you’ve ever heard from the band. All of those parts, with a very few exceptions, have been with a varying axe from the arsenal of my prized Gibson Guitars. It's because for my style there isn't a guitar out there that comes close in terms of tone, tightness and shear power. If you're a serious player, I highly recommend that you experience the power and focus of a Gibson Les Paul, Explorer, SG, etc. They all rule and they all can handle the speed and precision of brutal metal riffing, where most others fail to handle it. I've been saying it for years, even when I wasn't endorsed, there is no better, not even close.
I don't like to be snobby...but when it comes to Iced Earth, I consider myself a bit of an expert :P
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I must have dreamt it then...
I'LL GET YOU GADGET!
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I mean the only thing I can think of is you referring to the BC Rich Warlock's he used to play live. That was just for the endorsement. Those things are pretty terrible. And If I'm not mistaken he overdubbed just about everything from Alive in Athens with his usual Gibson arsenal, so the only time you've have heard him actually play one is on cruddy bootlegs or seeing them live from 92-99.
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Me not knoweth.
Anyway, if Iced Earth were to release an "Essential Best of Collection", what would your track list look like?
Here's my 3 disc set:
Disc 1:
1. Enter The Realm (Days Of Purgatory) - 0:54
2. Colors (Days Of Purgatory) - 5:04
3. When The Night Falls (Remaster) - 8:44
4. Desert Rain (Remaster) - 6:55
5. Pure Evil (Remaster) - 6:34
6. Travel In Stygian (Live) - 9:12
7. Burnt Offerings (Remaster) - 7:22
8. Diary (Remaster) - 6:14
9. Dante's Inferno (Remaster) - 16:26
10. Slave To The Dark (Live) - 3:52
11. A Question Of Heaven (Live) - 8:10
79:27
Disc 2:
1. Winter Nights (Days Of Purgatory) - 3:56
2. Something Wicked - Prophecy - 6:19
3. Something Wicked - Birth Of The Wicked - 4:16
4. Something Wicked - The Coming Curse - 9:33
5. Damien - 9:11
6. Dracula - 5:53
7. The Phantom Opera Ghost - 8:41
8. Gettysburg (1863) - The Devil To Pay - 12:13
9. Gettysburg (1863) - Hold At All Costs - 7:05
10. Gettysburg (1863) - High Water Mark - 12:35
79:47
Disc 3:
1. Something Wicked Part 1 - 4:36
2. Ten Thousand Strong - 3:56
3. The Clouding - 9:18
4. The Domino Decree - 6:36
5. Behold The Wicked Child - 5:37
6. Sacrificial Kingdoms - 3:57
7. Come What May - 7:23
8. Dystopia - 5:49
9. Dark City - 5:42
10. Iron Will - 4:15
11. Tragedy And Triumph - 6:48
64:04
The Stormrider Trilogy (Live) - 15:17
There's enough room to squeeze The Stormrider Trilogy (Live) on here, but the tracks would need to be mixed up. How would you guys have them ordered?
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I'd buy yours :tup
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I'd buy yours :tup
This :biggrin:
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Tim 'Ripper' Owens Joins Brand New 'Supergroup' Tred
According to Blabbermouth.net, powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (Dio Disciples, Yngwie Malmsteen, Beyond Fear, Judas Priest, Iced Earth) has been named the lead singer of Tred, the new band featuring bassist Rudy Sarzo (Blue Öyster Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio), drummer A.J. Pero (Twisted Sister) and guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob, Sonic Stomp). An album's worth of material is currently being recorded for a 2012 release. European and U.S. tour dates are also planned.
Tred's musical direction is described as "go-for-the-throat, straight-ahead rock."
Commented Orlando: "15 tracks so far are in pre-production."
"A.J., Rudy and myself are real excited about launching this new lineup and it will definetely have tons of energy, great playing and some kick-a-s hard rock!"
"It will be an honor to be part of this new band, as it is an honor to be part of Adrenaline Mob as well! Should be an exciting 2012!"
Tred is:
Tim "Ripper" Owens (Dio Disciples, Yngwie Malmsteen, Beyond Fear, Judas Priest, Iced Earth) - Lead Vocals
Rudy Sarzo (Blue Öyster Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio) - Bass
A.J. Pero (Twisted Sister) - Drums
Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob, Sonic Stomp) - Guitar
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/tim_ripper_owens_joins_brand_new_supergroup_tred.html (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/tim_ripper_owens_joins_brand_new_supergroup_tred.html)
I figured I would post it in this thread since we were talking about what Ripper is doing nowadays.
Eeek.
You gotta wonder, just how much of a "full time" band Adrenaline Mob is. On one hand, you've got MP saying it's a full-time band. On the other, you've got AMOB's primary songwriter, Mike Orlando, joining a new band before the AMOB full-length is even out.
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Bumped for edited postage. ^^
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Pardon my ignorance, but what is considered the Stormrider trilogy? Are you referring to Angels Holocaust/Stormrider/The Path I Choose?
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why does no one ever include the first song of The Suffering trilogy? they don't even play it live!
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Cuz its boring and a poor knock-off of the song Black Sabbath.
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Pardon my ignorance, but what is considered the Stormrider trilogy? Are you referring to Angels Holocaust/Stormrider/The Path I Choose?
Yes. I know it's not a trilogy, but that's the only thing I can think of to call it.
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Someone on the Symphony X forum is calling Iced Earth emo. What is that I don't even
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Cuz its boring and a poor knock-off of the song Black Sabbath.
has Schaffer said so? i don't give a shit if you don't like it, but if he's said they don't play it with the other two songs from the trilogy for that reason, it seems pretty dumb to me — i'm sure he plays a bunch of songs he doesn't care for so much. and besides, he's fond of re-writing and re-recording material endlessly, so you'd figure he would have fixed whatever he doesn't like by now.
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I never said I didn't like it. Not a favorite of mine, but its passable. No real way to save it, though. The song is boring. Rerecording it wouldn't help the slow tempo, lack of any real rise or fall in the structure and the overall drudging feel. And Jon is not the type to play something he doesn't feel like. He picks the set-lists. I'm sure if he was sick of a song, he'd drop it. Throwing a wrench in your set like that would sink the mood of a live show in half a second. Gotta keep the energy and spirits high, both of which the latter two songs in the trilogy possess.
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They played the whole trilogy in Gothenburg 2002. Only problem was Jon's mic didn't work the whole night. I think the song is boring too.
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My official review:
"That Iced Earth's newest album Dystopia is nearly identical to its predecessors does not necessarily condemn it to mediocrity. The band's leader (and sole fixture), rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer, has been cutting songs from the same cloth for a long time, but has managed to produce a number of very enjoyable albums despite this.
Although it's equal parts remarkable and disappointing that Dystopia, Iced Earth's third consecutive album with a new lead singer, is interchangeable with the other two albums, there are things to be enjoyed here. To those who've heard them, Iced Earth presents the same familiar elements as other thrash/power metal groups: thundering double bass drums, palm-muted riffs, and an overwrought vocal delivery.
New vocalist Stu Block (formerly of Canadian group Into Eternity) gamely gives it his all, although his voice, often sounding like a mix between his two precursors', doesn't exactly bring anything new to the overall sound. Block at least sounds like he's having fun; while his approach isn't exactly nuanced, it nevertheless livens up the otherwise tepid material he's provided with. The lyrics are rather middling; Dystopia is a concept album, and one whose subject is as self-evident as it is unoriginal.
The most dispiriting aspect of this album is that it all feels so rote; it reeks of something assembled, with each incorporated element checked off a list of metal clichés. Even though they are executed competently, it doesn't offset how uninspired the effort is."
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No u.
Just kidding, I kind of agree.
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Dystopia is a concept album, and one whose subject is as self-evident as it is unoriginal.
err, it isn't, though. agreed with your statements (several songs are by-the-numbers and nothing pushes the progressive aspects that drew me into their music in the first place), though i find it's still managed to create some classics ("Dystopia," "Anthem," "Days of Rage," etc.).
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it's still managed to create some classics ("Dystopia," "Anthem," "Days of Rage," etc.).
WAT
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I actually think that's a fair review. While, like any album, it has grown on me over the last several weeks, I don't feel that in the long run I will hold it as high as other releases from the catalog.
And in my opinion, using the phrase "concept album" isn't correct. Thematic, sure. But there is no cohesive story-telling going on. It's in line with say Horror Show (horror) and Glorious Burden (wars) as opposed to Framing Armageddon, Crucible of Man, Night of the Stormrider or Dark Saga which all have a central characters we follow. Then there are of course the loose albums including the debut, Burnt Offerings and Something Wicked This Way Comes.
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You know, even with Gene Adam's horribleness, the debut is pretty frickin' awesome.
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I prefer just about every one of the tracks on Days of Purgatory. My only complaint is some missing stuff (especially the opening to When the Night Falls. That kicks ass).
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I prefer just about every one of the tracks on Days of Purgatory. My only complaint is some missing stuff (especially the opening to When the Night Falls. That kicks ass).
Well that's an easy fix in Audacity. And yeah, all the debut stuff is better on DoP.
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I already tried fucking with multiple tracks to make a my ultimate mix, but the tempos and keys are always slightly off with the early records, due to the use of tape. They had to heat them up when they remixed and re-recorded parts and the speeds and such are varied. The later releases have all been digitally kept intact and therefore are note perfect for mixing and matching (like how fans have made a mix of Charge to Keep with both Tim and Matt's vocals).
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it's still managed to create some classics ("Dystopia," "Anthem," "Days of Rage," etc.).
WAT
DAYS
OF
RAGE!!!!!
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I already tried fucking with multiple tracks to make a my ultimate mix, but the tempos and keys are always slightly off with the early records, due to the use of tape. They had to heat them up when they remixed and re-recorded parts and the speeds and such are varied. The later releases have all been digitally kept intact and therefore are note perfect for mixing and matching (like how fans have made a mix of Charge to Keep with both Tim and Matt's vocals).
I just meant if you wanted to have the intro of When The Night Falls on the Barlow version, just copy and paste it on. Works just fine. I also increased the tempo of the DoP Iced Earth to the correct tempo because it was ridiculously slow for some reason, and it sounds pretty good.
it's still managed to create some classics ("Dystopia," "Anthem," "Days of Rage," etc.).
WAT
DAYS
OF
RAGE!!!!!
Oh.
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I already tried fucking with multiple tracks to make a my ultimate mix, but the tempos and keys are always slightly off with the early records, due to the use of tape. They had to heat them up when they remixed and re-recorded parts and the speeds and such are varied. The later releases have all been digitally kept intact and therefore are note perfect for mixing and matching (like how fans have made a mix of Charge to Keep with both Tim and Matt's vocals).
I just meant if you wanted to have the intro of When The Night Falls on the Barlow version, just copy and paste it on. Works just fine. I also increased the tempo of the DoP Iced Earth to the correct tempo because it was ridiculously slow for some reason, and it sounds pretty good.
I don't have the patience. Just send me your copies :P
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Lazy ass. Well I suppose I could....
WOOSH
Did you hear something?
WOOOOOOSH
:bosk1:
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Dystopia sold 6,100 copies in the US its first week. I guessed 6,000 even. I rule ;D
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Damn, Dedicated To Chaos sold more.
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Damn, Dedicated To Chaos sold more.
So Queensryche is selling in the range of an underground metal band that's never been on a major label then?
:lol
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After listening to Dystopia, I have come to the conclusion that it's a decent enough album, but it lacks the true magic of IE's best works. There isn't a real classic on the album, although the title track, Anthem and Anguish of Youth come close. It's pretty much more of the same that we've seen from IE since Something Wicked, without a true epic to define the album (Damien, Gettysburg). I'm sure much of it will translate well live, but it's certainly nothing that's going to make a new fan stand up and take notice.
About the only real hope for the future is the new vocalist, who as was noted pretty much combines Barlow and Ripper's style. I'd say he has Barlow's low range and emotion, with Ripper's power, bit and high range. That's a pretty good combination, if only Jon could write some true classics to fit the voice.
But it's sad to say, I'd say Jons best days are well well behind him. In fact, his best writing in the last decade or so hasn't even been for IE, but for the Demons and Wizards project. Perhaps the switch of vocalists has really thrown him, and the promise of the Something Wicked albums never really came to fruition--they're more or less good, but not the blowaway classics that we had hoped they would be.
But still, I'm looking forward to seeing the band live to see how the new material comes across, and how the new vocalist does. Let's hope that Jon is a much better judge of setlists than he has been in the past, b/c the GB tour really didn't allow Ripper to stretch himself with the classic IE material, and the Crucible tour was just a complete fucking disaster, at least on the show that I was at where Matt just plain sucked, especially with the Ripper material (although I was told that Barlow was ill for much of the tour). Let's hope we get a better mix of the very old IE, the Barlow IE and the Ripper IE, plus the new material. I think Stu Block might do an awesome job of all of it, and I can't wait to find out.
-
very nice review :tup
I do agree with your thoughts about Stu... I have a feeling that he won't fall short of our expectations....
-
the promise of the Something Wicked albums never really came to fruition--they're more or less good, but not the blowaway classics that we had hoped they would be.
Just shows the diversity of opinion, as I feel Framing Armageddon has more "classics" on it then almost any other album.
-
How's this arrangement:
Disc 1:
1. Enter The Realm
2. Colors
3. Behold The Wicked Child
4. When The Night Falls
5. Dark City
6. Pure Evil
7. The Domino Decree
8. Tragedy And Triumph
9. Slave To The Dark (Live)
10. A Question Of Heaven (Live)
11. Dante's Inferno
Disc 2:
1. Burnt Offerings
2. Ten Thousand Strong
3. Damien
4. Winter Nights
5. Dystopia
6. The Stormrider Trilogy (Live)
7. Sacrificial Kingdoms
8. The Phantom Opera Ghost
9. Something Wicked - Prophecy
10. Something Wicked - Birth Of The Wicked
11. Something Wicked - The Coming Curse
Disc 3:
1. Something Wicked Part 1
2. Diary
3. The Clouding
4. Dracula
5. Travel In Stygian (Live)
6. Iron Will
7. Come What May
8. Gettysburg (1863) - The Devil To Pay
9. Gettysburg (1863) - Hold At All Costs
10. Gettysburg (1863) - High Water Mark
Also, should Iced Earth be included in a best of?
-
Seeing as its the only song that's been played at every show, I'd say so.
-
*Darth Vader voice*
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
-
the promise of the Something Wicked albums never really came to fruition--they're more or less good, but not the blowaway classics that we had hoped they would be.
Just shows the diversity of opinion, as I feel Framing Armageddon has more "classics" on it then almost any other album.
There are some really good songs on there: A Charge to Keep, Ten Thousand Strong, possibly Clouding, but I felt that both albums didn't quite gel. Perhaps if they had tightened the song and story structure a bit, cut out some of the filler, they could have had one pretty awesome album instead of two mediocre ones. But then again, when bands decided to release material over 2 CDs rather than focusing them into one, that is often the end result. (e.g. Load/Reload, Use Your Illusion 1/2).
-
Anthem :omg:
is killing me...... Stu :heart
-
Also, should Iced Earth be included in a best of?
Mega-hell-yes.
-
Dystopia music video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpquKifLscc&feature=related
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Thank you!
-
Also, should Iced Earth be included in a best of?
Mega-hell-yes.
OK, here's my "Essential Iced Earth":
Disc 1:
1. Enter The Realm
2. Colors
3. Behold The Wicked Child
4. When The Night Falls
5. Dark City
6. Winter Nights
7. Pure Evil
8. The Domino Decree
9. Tragedy And Triumph
10. Slave To The Dark (Live)
11. A Question Of Heaven (Live)
12. Dante's Inferno
78:17
Disc 2:
1. Burnt Offerings
2. Damien
3. The Stormrider Trilogy (Live)
4. Dystopia
5. Sacrificial Kingdoms
6. Travel In Stygian (Live)
7. The Phantom Opera Ghost
8. Something Wicked - Prophecy
9. Something Wicked - Birth Of The Wicked
10. Something Wicked - The Coming Curse
79:41
Disc 3:
1. Something Wicked Part 1
2. Dracula
3. Ten Thousand Strong
4. Diary
5. Iron Will
6. The Clouding
7. Come What May
8. Gettysburg (1863) - The Devil To Pay
9. Gettysburg (1863) - Hold At All Costs
10. Gettysburg (1863) - High Water Mark
11. Iced Earth (Live)
79:32
-
First concert setlist from Bochum, Germany, Oct 30.
1. Dystopia
2. Burning Times
3. Angels Holocaust
4. Slave to the Dark
5. V
6. Stand Alone
7. When the Night Falls
8. Damien
9. Dark City
10. Pure Evil
11. Anguish of Youth
12. My Own Savior
13. Anthem
14. Declaration Day
15. Days of Rage
16. Tragedy and Triumph
17. Dante's Inferno :metal
Encore:
18. Iced Earth
Found some great videos too!
When the night falls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV5qv2UyBAk
Dark City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uweGrp_kw4A
Good too see some suprises! Angels Holocaust, When The Night Fall, Damien and Dantes Inferno (allthough not really a suprise..) :metal
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Pretty good, although too much new stuff. :facepalm: at Days of Rage. Probably be better live though. Good to see Dante too.
-
Ripper rocks :metal He just reteweeted my tweet:
Ripper is plain awesome! It doesn't necessarily mean that it's disrespectful to him that we love Stu... \m/
What a graceful attitude!
-
Where's the Twitter page?
-
I cannot post a print-screen now as I am at the office... but you can take a look at my account: Senem5 or his account @TimRipperOwens.
-
Iced Earth just announced a co-headlining tour with Symphony X! Oh look, no Arizona date... FUCK YOU JON!
-
I hope that will be the case here in December!
-
No, you can't have him, he's mine! :neverusethis:
-
I cannot post a print-screen now as I am at the office... but you can take a look at my account: Senem5 or his account @TimRipperOwens.
You're being followed. Wow, that sounded creepy.
Good.
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Pretty good, although too much new stuff. :facepalm: at Days of Rage. Probably be better live though. Good to see Dante too.
A band should always play half their new album. Otherwise, why release it? If the material is strong enough, then it will fit in well. If its weak, then they shouldn't have released it in the first place.
Iced Earth just announced a co-headlining tour with Symphony X! Oh look, no Arizona date... FUCK YOU JON!
I was gonna tell you guys a few weeks back about this tour, but I was just as quickly told to keep my mouth shut as soon as I heard. Is there a chance they'll fit in a AZ date on one of the off days? Plus this is just one leg. Give'em time and they'll hit everyone. Also, take into consideration that if your area has shitty promoters, bands have no obligation to make a stop. New Hampshire and Massachusetts are suffering from this more and more. Bunch of fucking thieves.
-
Did Ripper get wind of this or are you friends with Schaffer and Romeo too?
-
No, you can't have him, he's mine! :neverusethis:
No mine... we'll ask him :p
I cannot post a print-screen now as I am at the office... but you can take a look at my account: Senem5 or his account @TimRipperOwens.
You're being followed. Wow, that sounded creepy.
Good.
it was creepy.... one of the :omg: moments.... I'm gonna start to stalk you too... oops I mean follow you :p damnautomindcorrect!
Did Ripper get wind of this or are you friends with Schaffer and Romeo too?
One of the metal magazines replied to one of my tweets.. and he included Ripper too... I replied back without taking hm out... and in the morning I found this on my gmail:
..... TimRipperOwens retweeted to 5380 followers....
It was LaBrie first, then Stu .. then Zydar... now Ripper... I have a great circle of friends.... :D
-
/reads about the tour.
/sees the DC date and gets excited
/sees that Symphony X isn't on the DC date.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
-
Here's the press release:
ICED EARTH, SYMPHONY X ANNOUNCE
NORTH AMERICAN 2012 CO-HEADLINER TOUR
What do you get when you mix equal parts Dystopia and Iconoclast?
One of the most eagerly anticipated metal tours of 2012.
"I'm excited to tour with SYMPHONY X," ICED EARTH founder Jon Schaffer said. "They're phenomenal musicians and very cool guys. This co-headliner tour will be a great experience for the fans. It is also way overdue for us to play a proper tour of North America. Get ready!"
SYMPHONY X guitarist Michael Romeo echoes Schaffer’s enthusiasm.
“We are very excited about the upcoming North American Tour with Iced Earth,” Romeo said. “We first met Jon & the guys a few years back and they were really cool. When the idea of a Co-Headline tour surfaced, we thought it would be awesome. The fans can expect a night of great music from both bands. We look forward to seeing you all real soon!”
The three-month, 30+-date, co-headliner tour begins January 31st in Hartford, Connecticut, and concludes March 10th in Clifton Park, New York.
At that point, ICED EARTH will continue another week – without SYMPHONY X – for five more dates.
Pre-sale tickets go on sale exclusively on Oct 31st via these websites:
https://tixx1.artistarena.com/icedearth/
https://www.enterthevault.com/
VIP tickets for ICED EARTH are available through the Artist Arena link.
Schaffer formed ICED EARTH in Tampa, Florida, in 1984. Since then, he has released 10 studio albums, the newest being the highly-acclaimed Dystopia (October, 2011) – which debuted at #67 on the Billboard Top 200 chart – one live album, two compilations, three boxed sets, and several DVDs. Thanks to massive worldwide sales -- and rabidly loyal fans – ICED EARTH has earned a seat in the pantheon of America's most successful heavy metal bands.
Visit ICED EARTH online:
www.IcedEarth.com
www.Facebook.com/OfficialIcedEarth
https://www.youtube.com/officialicedearth
With their innovative mixture of heavy metal and progressive rock, New Jersey juggernauts SYMPHONY X continue to be a favored staple among fans of prog metal around the world. Iconoclast, the band’s eighth studio album, debuted at #76 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in the U.S. and at #105 on the Canadian Soundscan Top 200 chart in June.
Visit SYMPHONY X online:
www.SymphonyX.com
www.Facebook.com/SymphonyX
www.twitter.com/SymphonyX
Support for ICED EARTH and SYMPHONY X will be provided by the powerhouse quintet WARBRINGER.
** BELOW DATES = ICED EARTH / SYMPHONY X / WARBRINGER **
Tue/Jan-31 -
HARTFORD CT
WEBSTER THEATER
Wed/Feb-01 -
PHILADELPHIA PA
TROCADERO
Thu/Feb-02 -
OFF
Fri/Feb-03 -
SAYREVILLE NJ
STARLAND BALLROOM
Sat/Feb-04 -
QUEBEC CITY QC
ALBERT ROUSSEAU
Sun/Feb-05 -
MONTREAL QC
METROPOLIS
Mon/Feb-06 -
TORONTO ON
PHOENIX
Tue/Feb-07 -
OFF
Wed/Feb-08 -
OFF
Thu/Feb-09 -
WINNIPEG MB
GARRICK
Fri/Feb-10 -
SASKATOON SK
LOUIS PUB
Sat/Feb-11 -
EDMONTON AB
STARLITE ROOM
Sun/Feb-12 -
CALGARY AB
FLAMES CENTRAL
Mon/Feb-13 -
OFF
Tue/Feb-14 -
VANCOUVER BC
COMMODORE BALLROOM
Wed/Feb-15 -
SEATTLE WA
SHOWBOX MARKET
Thu/Feb-16 -
PORTLAND OR
HAWTHORNE
Fri/Feb-17 -
SAN FRANCISCO CA
REGENCY
Sat/Feb-18 -
LOS ANGELES CA
CLUB NOKIA
Sun/Feb-19 -
OFF
Mon/Feb-20 -
LAS VEGAS NV
HOUSE OF BLUES
Tue/Feb-21 -
ANAHEIM CA
GROVE
Wed/Feb-22 -
SAN DIEGO CA
HOUSE OF BLUES
Thu/Feb-23 -
OFF
Fri/Feb-24 -
SALT LAKE CITY UT
THE COMPLEX
Sat/Feb-25 -
DENVER CO
SUMMIT
Sun/Feb-26 -
KANSAS CITY MO
MIDLAND THEATER
Mon/Feb-27 -
DALLAS TX
TREES
Tue/Feb-28 -
AUSTIN TX
EMOS EAST
Wed/Feb-29 -
HOUSTON TX
HOUSE OF BLUES
Thu/Mar-01 -
OFF
Fri/Mar-02 -
FT LAUDERDALE FL
REVOLUTION
Sat/Mar-03 -
LAKE BUENA VISTA FL
HOUSE OF BLUES
Sun/Mar-04 -
OFF
Mon/Mar-05 -
RALEIGH NC
LINCOLN THEATER
Tue/Mar-06 -
CHARLOTTE NC
THE FILLMORE CHARLOTTE
Wed/Mar-07 -
COLUMBUS OH
NEWPORT MUSIC HALL
Thu/Mar-08 -
OFF
Fri/Mar-09 -
WORCESTER MA
THE PALLADIUM
Sat/Mar-10 -
NEW YORK NY
BEST BUY THEATER
Sun/Mar-11 -
CLIFTON PARK NY
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Mon/Mar-12 -
OFF
** BELOW DATES = ICED EARTH / WARBRINGER **
Tue/Mar-13 -
WASHINGTON DC
9:30 CLUB
Wed/Mar-14 -
BUFFALO NY
TOWN BALLROOM
Thu/Mar-15 -
PITTSBURGH PA
ALTAR BAR
Fri/Mar-16 -
PONTIAC MI
CROFOOT BALLROOM
Sat/Mar-17 -
JOLIET IL
MOJOES
How do co-headlining tours work? Someone still has to go on first right? Makes no sense.
-
They will probably switch the headlining spot each night
-
Hopefully the Raleigh date falls during spring break for VT since it falls on a Monday.
-
Like I said in the SX thread, I don't really care about either band a much as I used to but this is actually a really cool bill.
-
Did Ripper get wind of this or are you friends with Schaffer and Romeo too?
No, I know more then just Ripper :P
The Iced Earth street teamers find out stuff way in advance. I find out when they do.
How do co-headlining tours work? Someone still has to go on first right? Makes no sense.
Both artists have the same length in set, which is usually 75 minutes for a co-headline.
They will probably switch the headlining spot each night
This usually doesn't happen anymore. It was popular 30+ years ago to rotate, but most tours have a static lineup, even for co-headline stuff. I'm willing to bet Iced Earth goes on first. I'm making that prediction now.
To be honest, bands like Nevermore and Soilwork were willing to settle for the "support" slot title opening for SymphX. This makes me think there's an ego thing going on from Mr. Schaffer...but that's just speculation.
The same thing with the co-headline Saxon tour in Europe, and I was told that was a nightmare with all the cancellations and such. Seems like IE doesn't like to settle for support, unless of course its opening for say Heaven & Hell (a gig Ripper got them by the way, a few months before being fired :P).
Just saying.
-
Going to try to go to the Raleigh show, it's about the same distance from where I live to DC. This bill's too good to miss.
-
Hmm..Iced Earth are coming to Australia in April. They are only going to Melbourne and Sydney, and I'm in Australia. :(
If work is quiet I might consider going down to see them.
-
Hope you can do it... I'm seeing them in December... :metal
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They added a date in Atlanta, but still no Phoenix... POOGAS.
-
I got my tickets for February.....I wonder who will go on first?
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Stu seems to be getting better with the live material, but what makes me happiest is that Troy has really upped his game this tour. In all the videos I've seen so far, he's nailed the solos.
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Stu seems to be getting better with the live material, but what makes me happiest is that Troy has really upped his game this tour. In all the videos I've seen so far, he's nailed the solos.
I'll have to look these videos up then, because Troy botching the solos was one of the things that really stood out on the Festivals of the Wicked DVD. He'd get so close to playing them perfect and then get to the last bits and go off into orbit somewhere. :lol
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just 5 more days.... then I'm gonna see them live.... waiting's getting tougher each day... my life in turmoil.....
-
Iced Earth finally has a forum: https://www.icedearth.com/forum/
-
Sweet, the Raleigh show is during Spring Break, which means I don't have to worry about interfering with my teaching obligations, and I can stay at my dad's.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6EbIOTdCx4w/TiEYoso_YVI/AAAAAAAAAdw/DuPZ9z03k4E/s1600/fuckyeah.jpg)
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registered... thank you!
-
So does anyone know what's up with the tour? Like, are they playing a two hour set each? Or are they playing for one hour each? Anyone know??
-
I saw a 2,5 hours set :metal which totally rocked....
-
I saw a 2,5 hours set :metal which totally rocked....
EACH?!
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Well, from what you're asking, I gather you assumed it would be two sets? It wasn't, it was a one continuous show.
-
Mike LePond of Symphony X told me on Facebook that each band gets 75 minutes, and they swap closing the night.
-
new video - Anthem (https://www.revolvermag.com/news/iced-earth-premiere-new-video-anthem.html)
I can't breathe... I haven't even watched yet!
-
guys you also have to see this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9W74WGj-DI&feature=autoshare) if you haven't already... friggin' mental.....
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new video - Anthem (https://www.revolvermag.com/news/iced-earth-premiere-new-video-anthem.html)
I can't breathe... I haven't even watched yet!
Nice, perhaps my favourite track on the new album. Thanks!
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It's a powerful song indeed!
-
I don't like it...
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an interview with Jon Schaffer about politics & the album (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=168953&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)
-
an interview with Jon Schaffer about politics & the album (https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=168953&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)
No thanks. :lol
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I know :lol
-
OH MY SHIT GUYS
LIKE THIS PAGE https://www.facebook.com/BrazilUnderIce
SPREAD THE WORD! ONCE THIS PAGE REACHES A THOUSAND LIKES WE'LL GET TO HEAR THE DEMO OF THE GLORIOUS BURDEN WITH MATT BARLOW!!! I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH IT MIGHT SUCK, I WANT TO HEAR IT!!!!
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I don't have facebook. :(
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DTF IS my Facebook! :metal
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I don't have facebook. :(
Make one!
DTF IS my Facebook! :metal
You too, butthole.
-
"Liked"
I would love to hear that.
-
I can't see that happening but will like it anyway!
-
Matt sang just one song on this demo, the other ones are instrumental tracks with drum machine
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
-
Seeing Iced Earth/Symphony X Saturday! :metal
-
Just found this on John Greely's youtube channel. Apparently it's really him. Here's his response to why he parted ways with Iced Earth:
False acusations were used instead of payments for my performance is the reason for the B.S. on the web and just plain stupidity none of it was true I just wanted my fair share of anything we earned..for the record I was never paid a dime for anything I did still to this day
Hmmm
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In other news, bass player Freddie Vidales has announced he will leave the band after the Chinese shows this April. Due to the bands massive touring commitments there was immediate need for a replacement and Luke Appleton (of Fury UK, with whom ICED EARTH toured in Europe last winter) has stepped up to the plate and will be joining the tour in time for the show in India.
GOD DAMNIT!
-
What on earth!!?
-
Wow.. I really thought this lineup would be going for a while. But, it's Iced Earth we're talking about, so im not sure why i was shocked to hear this :lol
Sad though. Freddie seems really cool! I remember seeing them in Oslo a few years back, and Freddie gave me eye-contact all night, and gave me high-fives at the end of the show. They played a split-gig with Saxon, so i think he thought it was cool that i was like one of ten people in the crowd who knew all the words to their songs :P
-
:rollin
-
Iced Earth lost a member?
I ate lunch today.
-
Iced Earth has a line up change?
Oh good, I was thinking things had gotten entirely too stable with them lately :lol
-
Silence, you fools!
-
I won't pile on. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
I'm going to contact Vegas to see if we can't get lines on who will be the next person dismissed from Iced Earth and when it will happen.
-
Freddie Vidales
Hello all,
As you have probably heard by now, I am no longer a member of Iced Earth. After four years of touring the world and living out my dreams, I have decided to leave the band. My reasons shall remain personal and are relevant only to those involved. I will however say that it had nothing to do with the commitment to a busy touring schedule or any financial reasons. Unless you hear the reasons from me, they are simply just speculation. I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone who has supported me along the way. For those of you that are interested, you will definitely hear from me again.
And now please welcome Luke Appleton with open arms. He is an awesome bass player and a great guy. We had lots of fun touring together with Fury UK, and I was very happy to hear that he will be taking over. I wish him and my fellow brothers in Iced Earth only the best for the future.
Should we just blame Schaffer? :neverusethis:
-
Yes!
-
LMAO about the latest lineup change. But I guess they went more than a few months without someone getting replaced so they were about due.
BTW, I caught them in early march in Atlanta, and they were really on top of their game. The show was a bit shorter than I'd hoped considering they were by themselves (no Symphony X) and played only 90 minutes or so. However, the performances were dead on, and Stu really distinguished himself in a way I hadn't seen since Matt was originally in the band. Ripper was pretty solid in the Glorious Burden tour, but didn't really capture the emotion of some of the songs as well. Matt was just plain horrible in his return (although I heard that was mostly due to his having a cold the night I saw them in Cleveland in 2008). Stu was a great combination of the both, really hitting the high notes, and yet sounding pretty sinister when he could. While Dystopia was a decent enough album, it hadn't quite hit the classic sounds of some of their earlier efforts, the newer stuff really smoked. They also broke out a number of classic older tracks that hadn't been played in at least a decade, and it was great to hear Stu's take on some of them.
All in all, a very fun evening that made me think that IE just might really be back after a pair of mediocre albums and shows for the much-advertised Set Abomine concept album. Let's hope things click well enough so that the lineup can remain relatively stable and they could up the quality on the studio albums.
BTW, I'd also like to see another effort with the Demons & Wizards side project. Schaffer and Hani really have major chemistry and both albums were awesome. Let's see some more.
-
Hello brothers and sisters!
It is my honor to share some great news with you. Iced Earth will be supporting VOLBEAT on a North American tour starting on June 18, 2012. The bill is rounded off by HELLYEAH!
Tour Dates
I’m completely stoked, VOLBEAT is one of my all-time favorite bands, and Michael and the boys are great people. There is a lot of mutual respect and admiration, and I think we are in for a hell of a good time! This will be a package that won’t soon be forgotten, I’m sure of that.
I want to thank VOLBEAT for the invitation, and I look forward to many years of laying down the metal as both bands continue to grow and reach new audiences around the world.
We will see you on the road soon!
Forever the rebel,
Jon Schaffer
:therearenowords:
-
Who the fuck are Volbeat?
-
They're a cool band. I'd go to this if they were in Vegas a month earlier.
-
I know I was quite shocked too.... Jon is losing it :-\
-
That's an unusual bill, to say the least. :o
-
Michael (Volbeat) approached Jon some years ago as a die-hard fan and for some reason Jon started to endorse this band.. He was wearing Volbeat tees at the gigs and stuff.... When I asked Jon his fave band, he said Volbeat... I mean these are all fine.. and not that Volbeat are bad or anything... they are quite decent... BUT.... Iced Earth opening for them... WTF man??? serioulsy!!!
-
After I gave my site a face-lift, I had to re-deliver the links to the bands/artists I interviewed.... I sent Brent his today and thought there might be people who'd be interested in watching the video (https://www.ladyobscure.com/portfolio/brent-smedley-interview/)....
-
Matt Barlow is coming back... not to Iced Earth but to the music scene.... it tells a lot about the problems in the band.. doesn't it?
https://www.facebook.com/redoppressor
https://www.facebook.com/artizanmetal
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Well......he's doing a special guest appearance, I'm not sure that says a whole lot.
However in the last interview with Ripper I read he said that he and Barlow are actually friends and are talking about doing an album together.
Picture "Tim Owens and Matt Barlow present their new debut album entitled "Suck it Schaffer". The album is due out soon. Critics say the album is so hot that it could melt the earth if it were ever frozen over"
-
Yeah but Matt has no quarrel with Jon. Iced Earth just isn't a good source of income for him. That's why he can only really do stuff like with Pyramaze and now this guest whatever with Artizan, whoever the hell they are. I'd actually like to hear what the two could come up with. Maybe it'll branch ou to an Ayreon type thing.
Also, Ripper said he isn't mad at Jon anymore, and he started incorporating IE tune(s) into his set.
-
Yeah but Matt has no quarrel with Jon. Iced Earth just isn't a good source of income for him. That's why he can only really do stuff like with Pyramaze and now this guest whatever with Artizan, whoever the hell they are. I'd actually like to hear what the two could come up with. Maybe it'll branch ou to an Ayreon type thing.
Also, Ripper said he isn't mad at Jon anymore, and he started incorporating IE tune(s) into his set.
Which IE tune did he incorporate?
And come on, a "Suck it Schaffer" CD would be amazing.
-
"Tim Owens and Matt Barlow present their new debut album entitled "Suck it Schaffer". The album is due out soon. Critics say the album is so hot that it could melt the earth if it were ever frozen over"
:rollin :rollin
-
Yeah but Matt has no quarrel with Jon. Iced Earth just isn't a good source of income for him. That's why he can only really do stuff like with Pyramaze and now this guest whatever with Artizan, whoever the hell they are. I'd actually like to hear what the two could come up with. Maybe it'll branch ou to an Ayreon type thing.
Also, Ripper said he isn't mad at Jon anymore, and he started incorporating IE tune(s) into his set.
Which IE tune did he incorporate?
And come on, a "Suck it Schaffer" CD would be amazing.
When The Eagles Cries.
Also, I think a "Sons Of Liberty is bad and you should feel bad" is a better title.
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Yeah but Matt has no quarrel with Jon. Iced Earth just isn't a good source of income for him. That's why he can only really do stuff like with Pyramaze and now this guest whatever with Artizan, whoever the hell they are. I'd actually like to hear what the two could come up with. Maybe it'll branch ou to an Ayreon type thing.
Also, Ripper said he isn't mad at Jon anymore, and he started incorporating IE tune(s) into his set.
Which IE tune did he incorporate?
And come on, a "Suck it Schaffer" CD would be amazing.
When The Eagles Cries.
Also, I think a "Sons Of Liberty is bad and you should feel bad" is a better title.
That's the epic closing song dude. Did you not read the Track Listing?
"Suck it Schaffer"
1. Iced Earth? More like Gay Earth.
2. The Eb shuffle.
3. Something Wicked this Way Cums on your Face.
4. Union 4 life.
5. 10 bucks if you can name Iced Earth's current Bassist.
6. Carrying the Weight of Jon on our Shoulders.
7. Vote Democrat.
8. Sons of Liberty is Bad and You Should Feel Bad.
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Holy crap :lol
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:lol
This should be a DTF multi-contributional effort.
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:lol
This should be a DTF multi-contributional effort.
You and I seem to have it handled.
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Good point. I'll start practicing my Ripper impression and thinking of lyrics.
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Good point. I'll start practicing my Ripper impression and thinking of lyrics.
I'll start doing triplets on Eb.
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Don't forget to unnecessarily palm mute everything to make should the riffs pack absolutely no punch.
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Don't forget to unnecessarily palm mute everything to make should the riffs pack absolutely no punch.
Check, also make sure the double bass hits every single note I play on guitar.
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Don't forget to unnecessarily palm mute everything to make should the riffs pack absolutely no punch.
Check, also make sure the double bass hits every single note I play on guitar.
Right! Also, we need to make sure the bass is as low in the mix as possible, and what can be heard lacks any creativity whatsoever. In fact, let's just not have a bass player.
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However in the last interview with Ripper I read he said that he and Barlow are actually friends and are talking about doing an album together.
Link?
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However in the last interview with Ripper I read he said that he and Barlow are actually friends and are talking about doing an album together.
Link?
www.imalazybastardjustgoogleitorsomething.com (https://www.imalazybastardjustgoogleitorsomething.com)
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Listening to the first two Crimson Glory albums, it's very obvious that Jon Schaffer is/was a fan.
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indeed! he's a Volbeat fan now :D
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indeed! he's a Volbeat fan now :D
Oh joy...
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indeed! he's a Volbeat fan now :D
Oh joy...
:lol
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indeed! he's a Volbeat fan now :D
and who can blame him ???
Am a huge Volbeat myself and I dont think its weird that IE opens for them. Volbeat's popularity is on rise :metal
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lol
Has anoyone seen the new stage clothes (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151061573173828&set=o.103269996401302&type=3&theater) for Iced earth??
lol... no comment... :-X
the new bass player looks pretty sweet though :p
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:|
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lol
Has anoyone seen the new stage clothes (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151061573173828&set=o.103269996401302&type=3&theater) for Iced earth??
lol... no comment... :-X
the new bass player looks pretty sweet though :p
:rollin
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seriously :lol
Troy is the man.... he didn't bother....
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...........................................................
...............................................................................................
:|
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That's Metal!
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I'm actually surprised Troy is looking at the camera and not zoned out staring into space.
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exactly.... still.. he looks kinda annoyed... at least he didn't play along....
I mean look at others' faces.... they all look like :censored
damn.. what were they thinking???
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Ever since Stu joined the band, Jon has been acting more like a teenager. I don't have a problem with it, but it is kinda silly that he acts that way. I guess Stu brought out the kid in him or something..... Or he's having a mid-life crisis.
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I'm hoping for something a lot more for the next studio album. I haven't revisited Dystopia at all and I don't have an urge to either. IE haven't impressed me since Framing Armageddon.
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I fuckin love the album.... I've no problem with their music.... but this image thing is getting ridiculous ....
Ever since Stu joined the band, Jon has been acting more like a teenager. I don't have a problem with it, but it is kinda silly that he acts that way. I guess Stu brought out the kid in him or something..... Or he's having a mid-life crisis.
I'm afraid it's the latter.... the band is getting younger and younger.... chicks are most probably going for others.... and blah blah blah....
damn.... I think I'll stop following their FB page and just listen to the tunes...
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Don't get me wrong, I liked Dystopia quite a lot, but it didn't quite have the lasting power for me.
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yeah I see hun..... It's been a while since I gave the last spin too.... but I really enjoyed it when I did thousand times....
but I hear you anyway....
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Dystopia is mostly forgettable. I'm still waiting to find a used copy of the special edition at Zia. The bonus tracks are better than some of the regular tracks, but even those don't have lasting power. It has a lot to do with Stu doing the Barlow impression. He just shouldn't. It's unnecessary. Barlow wasn't trying to do a Adam or Greely impression with older tracks, and Ripper was himself as well.
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sometimes I wonder whether it's his choice or Joe's dictating him to.... to keep the fans "happy"....
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sometimes I wonder whether it's his choice or Joe's dictating him to.... to keep the fans "happy"....
Is that what Joe Pesci's been up to? Making all the decisions in Iced Earth? Well I'm not happy, Joe!
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Dystopia is mostly forgettable. I'm still waiting to find a used copy of the special edition at Zia. The bonus tracks are better than some of the regular tracks, but even those don't have lasting power. It has a lot to do with Stu doing the Barlow impression. He just shouldn't. It's unnecessary. Barlow wasn't trying to do a Adam or Greely impression with older tracks, and Ripper was himself as well.
Good points. I think that's the thing, there was nothing really memorable. Some great stuff indeed but nothing lasting. I wish Stu sang normally too. I think if he was allowed to bring his Into Eternity vocal style to Iced Earth, it would have been a lot more exciting and interesting.
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Dystopia is mostly forgettable. I'm still waiting to find a used copy of the special edition at Zia. The bonus tracks are better than some of the regular tracks, but even those don't have lasting power. It has a lot to do with Stu doing the Barlow impression. He just shouldn't. It's unnecessary. Barlow wasn't trying to do a Adam or Greely impression with older tracks, and Ripper was himself as well.
Good points. I think that's the thing, there was nothing really memorable. Some great stuff indeed but nothing lasting. I wish Stu sang normally too. I think if he was allowed to bring his Into Eternity vocal style to Iced Earth, it would have been a lot more exciting and interesting.
Well Jon will never allow growls, but his clean voice was great. If he sang Anguish of Youth (?) and End Of Innocence like Surrounded By Night, the songs would be 10 times better. Probably still forgettable though.
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that'd be plain awesome.
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Rather than starting a Matt Barlow thread, I'll post this teaser here:
"Greetings all! Just wanted to give you guys a little insight into what's been going on lately. Well, though we are still in the early stages of progress, we are really excited about what we are hearing thus far. We hope that you have patience with us as we continue with this creative process and search for a record label that will help us bring our music to you all in the best way. Thanks for all your support....more to come!"
https://youtu.be/MOFcbfBg_30
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Cool!!! So Freddie joined Matt, huh?... I might have speculated a lil too much then... this is way better than the scenario I had in mind... very cool...
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More To Come...
Sounds like the cliffhanger to a band Pr0n. :lol :lol :lol
But in all seriousness. I wanna hear this NOW!
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seriously :lol
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNNUSheLAT8
:lol
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNNUSheLAT8
:lol
:rollin
:lol @ the news reporter too.
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OMG Zook :lol
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:lol
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Ever since Stu joined the band, Jon has been acting more like a teenager. I don't have a problem with it, but it is kinda silly that he acts that way. I guess Stu brought out the kid in him or something..... Or he's having a mid-life crisis.
In what way has he been acting like a teenager?
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Calm down, Andy. It's not like I called him a satanist or anything.
In a good way: more lively, happy
In a bad way: flipping off the camera, forced swearing.
It's nothing serious, I'm just not used to it.
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Jon Schaffer's been having a mid-life crisis since about 2002 or so. :lol
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Dracula with Stu:
https://youtu.be/K-v5MqaWuAs
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Dracula with Stu:
https://youtu.be/K-v5MqaWuAs
God damn that song is hard to sing since you essentially never have a chance to catch your breath while you're singing.
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While Ripper and Stu have more range, I prefer Barlow's tone/delivery...
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While Ripper and Stu have more range, I prefer Barlow's tone/delivery...
Ripper and Stu have amazing metal voices. But Barlow carries WAY more emotion that the other two can't touch.
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Dracula with Stu:
https://youtu.be/K-v5MqaWuAs
Hey that was recorded at the gig they did near me last week. Couldn't go because I had a prior commitment before I found about the show, though. :(
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Wow, what the fuck is up with that audience? Totally dead.
I've decided that I honestly don't like Stu's vocals in regard to this band. After sitting on the record for a year (which I tabbed out for guitar websites) and plenty of videos to watch online, I just don't like his pseudo-Barlow voice. It's painfully false. You can listen to Matt talk and you know that that is just how he sounds when he sings. But for Stu, it's completely inappropriate. Ripper made no attempt to sound like Matt. He sang the songs in his own voice, and that is exactly what Stu should be doing. Until he radically alters his performance or (inevitably) gets fired, I can't really see myself caring about the band.
As of now, it's a really strange mish-mash on stage. The new bassist and Stu are so scrawny looking. I'm just not intimidated anymore. Remember when Iced Earth was sort of scary? When you wouldn't fuck with them? The fact that I could likely beat at least two band-members at arm-wrestling (and if you could see how scrawny I myself am, you'd giggle) just emasculates the image to me.
I'm waiting for Matt to put out his new project's release and then see Jon once again hound him to come back to the band.
Everything seems to be silly cycles with Iced Earth.
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Totally agree about Stu's voice, and it's a damn shame cause he is an INCREDIBLE singer. It's pretty obvious that Jon knew he could dictate everything to Stu who would just do as he's told. I was super excited when Stu joined Iced Earth cause I love his work in Into Eternity......don't really dig their music, but his voice is amazing in it. But when I heard Dantes Inferno and then Dystopia I was sad that they showed NO creativity with him at all, even though his highs are authentic still and incredible.
I really respected that Ripper just sang like himself and didn't let Jon change that.
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My brother and I were just talking about this. Totally agree. Iced Earth's first official DVD is going to be so disappointing.
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My brother and I were just talking about this. Totally agree. Iced Earth's first official DVD is going to be so disappointing.
You mean their 2nd official DVD? Their first wasn't terrible, Rippers show had a ton more energy and life than Barlow's 2 performances.
Still no clue why they released 3 shows with nearly identical setlists.
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My brother and I were just talking about this. Totally agree. Iced Earth's first official DVD is going to be so disappointing.
You mean their 2nd official DVD? Their first wasn't terrible, Rippers show had a ton more energy and life than Barlow's 2 performances.
Still no clue why they released 3 shows with nearly identical setlists.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that one somehow. I just saw it the other day too. I guess that shows how much I care about it. The 3 almost identical setlists are pure bullshit. Lol Jon Schaffer.
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The three nearly identical setlists are bad, but the completely lifeless sterile performances are even worse.
Rippers show seemed to have some energy, but both of Barlow's shows looked like a bunch of guys going through the motions because they hated being there. I can just imagine everyone's thoughts as follows
Barlow - Oh god I can't to quit again soon, I can't stand this
Bassist - Oh god I hope Jon doesn't fire me
Jon - Totally gonna fire that bassist
Guitarist - For some reason Jon will never fire me, so I don't have to care....F this performance.
Drummer - SYNCOPATION YAY!
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:lol Well the bassist (Freddie) left on his own accord so that's not quite the same. Troy has gotten A LOT better since Stu came aboard. Smedley at least plays the old songs how they should be played.
It'll be quite hilarious if Barlow's new project is better than Iced Earth's newest output, just as Pyramaze's Immortal was miles better than The Crucible Of Man.
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Smedley at least plays the old songs how they should be played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_gw1OkNzvU
uh huh
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Smedley at least plays the old songs how they should be played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_gw1OkNzvU
uh huh
To be fair, it was re-recorded that way as well.
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What's is he played so much better on Alive in Athens. He was great on that CD.
But I obviously blame Jon for Brent making his feet into a 3rd guitar player.
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What's is he played so much better on Alive in Athens. He was great on that CD.
But I obviously blame Jon for Brent making his feet into a 3rd guitar player.
That's because Jon hadn't discovered Brent's machine gun feet yet. And yeah, some songs he did play a tad differently on AiA (Pure Evil) but it sounded good and fit the song. If they started playing Pure Evil with machine gun feet, I'd be very upset.
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I mean I have to give Brent credit, doing what he does is actually rather difficult it seems, but it sounds terrible when it's 24/7.
I think Jon has actually become a WAY less mature song writer as of recent.
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I think it's just a case of him completely running out of ideas. Just compare Night Of The Stormrider to Dystopia. It's like a completely different band.
Well actually it kind of is, but you know what I mean.
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Interesting interview with Randy Shawver:
Jim Maiden from Rock Overdose had the chance to speak with the legendary ex-guitar player and composer of Iced Earth,Randall Shawver and discuss many important things about the past,the present and the future of this great musician and of Iced Earth too.
Such an honor Mr.Randy . . .
Rock Overdose.gr:Hello from Greece Randy and welcome to Rock Overdose! I'm Jim and i am delighted to be able to have this interview with you.
How are you Randy and what are you dealing with,that period of time?
Randy Shawver:Hi Jim. I am also happy to speak with you.I am doing well.I worked for Microsoft and Dell, and am now working at gfi software as a security analyst.
Rock Overdose.gr: How is Randy's life after his reign in Iced Earth?What a fan of you have to know about your hobbies and interests?
Randy Shawver:I always play guitar as a hobby.I like to go to the beach ,swimming ,sailing, etc.I played with a vocalist named Tank after leaving Iced Earth in a band called Yuhrott.You can download the songs here:https://archive.org/details/iuma-yuhrott
After Yuhrott I realized I needed a break from music to get neck surgery.This was completed in 2003.This is when I started computer security work and have been doing it ever since.I really have no desire to play music professionally at the moment.
Rock Overdose.gr: Randy,let's go back to the past.You were part of Iced Earth since their beginning with Enter The Realm demo.
Can you please give us some information about the vibe in the band and your emotions back when you started?
Randy Shawver: The vibe in the beginning was great.We hung out a lot and partied, wrote music , and rehearsed.I considered myself a band member at the time.Me and Jon wrote about 35 songs, then decided to break up the songs into about 15 of the best songs we could compose.5 of these were on the demo.Some of the others made it onto the first record.
Rock Overdose.gr: Then we have the legendary first album in 1991,the first European tour with Blind Guardian and after a short period of time you released Night Of The Stormrider in 1992.Can you recall some things from this era that you would like to share with us?
Did you had set any target as a band and what was the chemistry in the band back in these days?
Randy Shawver: The chemistry was good but there was never a feeling that anybody was of permanent value to the band.Thus began the open door policy and members changing on every record.There was never a band feeling like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest members would have shared.
Rock Overdose.gr: What was the feedback of these albums and how much the first two albums helped the band to reach further audiences,specially with the replacement of Gene Adam with John Greely?Could you also compare these two albums?
Randy Shawver: The first record was fun to make and I really like the musicianship on that record.The production was horrible since we had a small budget.NOTS was better in that the music was complex like the first record but had a better production.We had a great time touring with Blind Guardian after those two records.
Rock Overdose.gr: Three years after Night Of The Stormrider,Iced Earth came back with the bands most atmospheric,darkest and according to many fans their best album!This was Burnt Offerings and for one more time we have changes in the drums and vocals with Rodney Beasley and Matthew Barlow replacing their former mates.
Would you like Randy,to describe the vibe in the band these days,the difficulties that Iced Earth had to overcome and in which way the new members helped the band?
Randy Shawver: New members had become expected by this record as nobody except Jon was making any real money.We were angry at waiting three years for Century Media to renegotiate our contract and it came out in the music. I know Jon hates this record but I think it is the most intense , emotionally charged record Iced Earth has ever released.You can feel the anger and rage on this record.
Rock Overdose.gr: In 1996,one year after the Burnt Offerings album,the band came back immediately with The Dark Saga album which was the band's official breakthrough,the album that reached it's name to the edge of the world! Unfortunately,this was your last album with Iced Earth.
Could you please Randy share with the fans your recalls/memories from these days?
Randy Shawver:I realized when we did this record that I was finished with Iced Earth. The music took a far too simplistic approach which is not good when you are trying to contribute songwriting.My style has always been darker and more technical than what this album offered.The band went from guitar oriented music to Vocal oriented music. And I hated the ballads.
Rock Overdose.gr: During the Dark Saga tour you visited Greece for the first time,do you remeber anything from these shows in Thessaloniki and Athens?What was your experience during your time in Greece?
Randy Shawver: I love Greece.We had a blast there going to the parthenon and other places. After the last show I stayed behind with the fans and we drank Ouzo outside.The band sent someone back to find me though later.
Rock Overdose.gr: Randy you know that i have great respect for you and i don't wat to make you feel uncomfortable,so i will also take-No-as an answer for the next question.Could you say just a few words about the reason that you didn't carried on with Iced Earth?Did you ever thought in the past,the future of this band without yourself until the Dark Saga album?
Randy Shawver: I did not lose my passion for music as Jon has stated in interviews. I lost my passion for working just as hard as anyone else in the band and recieving less recognition and money for my efforts.I could likely say the same for Matt.You get tired of working for next to nothing after so many years and need to find something that will pay off after putting in years of hard work and dedication.I actually thought about leaving before Burnt Offerings but I was still under contract to Century Media. I would have rather made three records in that three year period instead of waiting to renegotiate our contract.But Jon wasnt making much money at the time so he wanted to hold out. It would be funny to see his bandmates hold out on tour for more money now.It sucks when the shoe is on the other foot.
Rock Overdose.gr: Some people are confused with the line-up that the Dark Saga album was recorded.In the back cover of the album we see a picture with you,Jon,Matthew,Keith Menser as a bass player and no drummer at all but actually...it was little different.Can you explain the situation?Which was the real line up that recorded this masterpiece and where is the photoshooting place that we see in the back cover?
Randy Shawver: We shot the photos at a phosphate mine where my father once worked.Keith did not play on the record but was hired for the tour.He did not have much time to prepare. So when we realized he was not ready we hired James as he already knew the material. I believe Mark Prater played drums.I do not remember who played bass.
Rock Overdose.gr: Randy i listen to Iced Earth since 1994 and i consider you an integral part of the legend of this band.I recognize you as a great composer too.
Randy Shawver: Thank you. I appreciate that.Although Jon would state that he played everything but leads on the records , he actually played the rythym guitars and a few simple leads. I played the acoustic parts that I wrote that he could not learn, along with all the leads, and the guitar harmonies as Jon could not play harmonies.He also had a hard time learning some of my riffs.It is better for one guitarist to play the heavy rythyms ,especially when stacking tracks but he likes to underestimate the contributions of others.You can hear the difference between new and old Iced Earth.Whats missing is my contributions.
Rock Overdose.gr:Except from Jon,you were the most active member of the band and you wrote with him only great music and many of the bands best and timeless songs!You were like the right hand of Jon and no other guitar player that took your place couldn't replace you with success.No other guitarist that came after you,contributed so much to this band,they were all great guitar players but just...players!In the songwiting process they offered almost nothing!
Randy Shawver:Thank you for the compliment. It is great to hear from someone who actually acknowledges those contributions.
Rock Overdose.gr: This is not only my opinion but most of the fans opinion also,fans who do not just listen to this band but those who are interested and hungry for everything that has to do with the planet that is called Iced Earth!
So the question Randy is...will we hear music news from you in the future?
Randy Shawver:At the moment I doubt it.I write music all the time and have literally hundreds of songs ranging from Metal to classical pieces.I may eventually get back into music.It usually takes 10 years to get the itch again and I stopped playing seriously around 2003 so who knows.
Rock Overdose.gr: Awesome news Randy!Back in 2002,we saw Dark Genesis box set including the first three albums of Iced Earth plus the Enter The Realm demo,plus a cd with covers.
As far as you know,who is responsible for the idea of replacing the original album covers with the new comic ones?Many fans reacted badly when they saw these covers and in my opinion these covers have to be considered at least ridiculous!
Specially the Burnt Offerings cover that replaced Gustave Dore's masterpiece art images of the Divine Comedy is at least a blasphemy!You just can't compare the original art images with the new ones!
What is your opinion about these covers?
Randy Shawver: I think when something is released and people get used to it , changes should be minimal.But it was likely an attempt to use up another record option with the record company.When I buy Iron Maiden number of the Beast I want to see the original artwork and hear the original musicians not other people playing cover tunes or new artwork.
Rock Overdose.gr: Are you in touch with the old and the new members of Iced Earth and with whom?
Randy Shawver: I have spoken with Greely , Dave Abell and a few others.I spoke with Blind Guardian in Orlando a few years back.Everybody has moved on to different areas of the country.I moved to Texas for 5 years but am now back in Florida.
Rock Overdose.gr: Randy i don't have anything else to ask you.For me it was really an honor and this interview couldn't have happened without you.I wish you all the best for you and your family and may all your dreams come true!The end is yours,send a message to the Greek fans and close this interview as you like.
Randy Shawver: It is an honor to speak with you and to tell the Greek fans that I love you all and appreciate your support in the past.We may visit Greece soon.I would be happy to meet the fans who I have met there in the past.
Thank you ,
Randall Shawver
https://www.rockoverdose.gr/news_details.php?id=14273
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Nothing really surprising there. Randy sounds like a cool guy. Was a great player on those IE records.
A friend of mine recently visited me and saw my Iced Earth banner and started talking about how Schaffer came into the illegal bar that she tends a while back and got drunk off scotch and was having a political debate with her. I cringed at the thought of that. I can honestly say my overall enthusiasm for anything Schaffer related is at an all time low. I can't really mention Iced Earth in the same breath as other classic metal bands like I once would.
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I actually revisited Burnt Offerings a bit ago. What an amazing album. The (remaster and remix) has amazing production for Iced Earth and everyone just seems SO amazingly tight. The songs just ooze emotion, which can't be said about anything IE has done in well over a decade now. The music is interesting, aggressive and not insanely predictable. The lyrics are personal and emotional and not just about how much the government sucks.
I really miss THAT Iced Earth.
Also, he and Randal came up with some awesome clean parts back in those days. It seems since SWTWC, every clean riff has essentially been the same thing.
Also, the leads and solos were way cooler. I miss those.
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After reading your post I decided to give Burnt Offerings its first spin in at least a year. Completely forgot how much I used to enjoy that album. There is 10x more passion, uniqueness and emotion in that album then in both Crucible and Dystopia. Can you even imagine something like The Pierced Spirit on one of the recent albums?
It's a shame that there is almost no chance Shaffer will ever find that magic again...those 90s albums really are special.
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Nothing really surprising there. Randy sounds like a cool guy. Was a great player on those IE records.
A friend of mine recently visited me and saw my Iced Earth banner and started talking about how Schaffer came into the illegal bar that she tends a while back and got drunk off scotch and was having a political debate with her. I cringed at the thought of that. I can honestly say my overall enthusiasm for anything Schaffer related is at an all time low. I can't really mention Iced Earth in the same breath as other classic metal bands like I once would.
Illegal bar?
Also, is that better or worse than him trying to cash-in on his "fame" to sleep with her?
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As in an unlicensed bar. What's sad is that he had an attractive girl serving him and the only thing he could discuss was politics. Granted, she herself does a fair amount of libertarian counter-protest work (she asked Rick Santorum if he would abort a gay baby earlier in the year and successfully got a Chick-fil-a to sponsor a gay-pride parade last week) but I highly doubt she would have mixed words with a guy she knew nothing about unless he started rambling about it first. She was unaware of his pseudo-celebrity status. She just noted that he was rather unpleasant to be around and wax any sort of conversation with.
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Guys, Jon Schaffer is married with kid(s).
Anyway, I'm sure someone has done this since 1997, but I was bored so I'm doing it too.
Iced Earth Revisited: The Days Of Purgatory Edition:
1. Iced Earth (Tempo slighty increased)
2. Cast In Stone
3. Colors
4. Nightmares
5. Life And Death
6. Solitude
7. The Funeral
8. When The Night Falls (With or without Original Intro)
:metal :metal :metal
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^ right, i had forgotten "Cast in Stone" is a rewrite of "Written on the Walls." never understood why they dropped the melody from the beginning, though. and speaking of melodic beginnings — whose cockeyed idea was it to drop the intro of "When the Night Falls?!" it's one of the best things about it! i had to make a splice of the original intro + Barlow vocal version to have what i'd call the fairly obvious best version (though i seem to disagree with Schaffer on this in several instances).
(addendum: Schaffer was right about the original intro of "Burnt Offerings," though. it was a seemingly rare moment of brilliance to build a new beginning using the end of "Dante's Inferno.")
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Agreed on the WTNF's intro. I hadn't heard the original version until a few years ago and it was shocking to hear such a cool musical cue that had been dropped for whatever reason.
I'm well aware that Jon is married with a young daughter. Doesn't mean he can't be mildly flirtatious with a female bartender. Most guys do it, and it rarely crosses any moralistic line. What you don't do is talk the ear off of a complete stranger about your nut-job conspiracy theorist garbage. I couldn't imagine having to be on tour with him. I'd likely hang myself in the tour-bus bathroom within a week.
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full Bloodstock performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrmBDgT5xQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrmBDgT5xQ)
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full Bloodstock performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrmBDgT5xQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrmBDgT5xQ)
Sound quality is rather disappointing, but thanks dude! Good to hear a mediocre recording of Stu, even if he is lost in the mix (at least on the first song, which is all I'm up to so far).
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Man. This band just doesn't seem as lethal to me as they once did when I was in high school. It's depressing.
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Man. This band just doesn't seem as lethal to me as they once did when I was in high school. It's depressing.
That's cause you're living in a jackal city state, a prison.
Nothing more.
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I will say that Stu brings a humor to the band that was largely absent before, which I as a person can enjoy, but I'm not sure it benefits the band much. I guess Jon is lightening up at his age, but it just feels weird. I don't know.
Stu sounds pretty good actually. I get a sense that the road has allowed him to work out stuff. He's still got a ways to go, but certain stuff sounds more natural coming out of him now, which was my major issue previously.
I had only seen the clip of Anthem the other day, which is certainly rough. If the guy would take a sec and sip a hot beverage, he could have gotten rid of that chunky throat.
-
They need a new drummer.
Also for the love god let Stu sing naturally. Him forcing a Barlow impression (which is undoubtedly the command of Jon) is really bad live.
-
They need a new drummer.
This was my first thought when watching that video. So dull.
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They need a new drummer.
This was my first thought when watching that video. So dull.
What that man can do with his feet is nothing short of incredible. But he is BORING as hell. And has added nothing in the slightest bit of interest since he joined the band.
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Well we all know that if Deadly Smedley even so much as hints at creativity, he'll be getting an e-mail.
-
They need a new drummer.
This was my first thought when watching that video. So dull.
What that man can do with his feet is nothing short of incredible. But he is BORING as hell. And has added nothing in the slightest bit of interest since he joined the band.
he's basically stolen everything from Nicko McBrain, even the facial expressions while he does tom rolls!
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Well we all know that if Deadly Smedley even so much as hints at creativity, he'll be getting an text message.
Fixed.
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Well we all know that if Deadly Smedley even so much as hints at creativity, he'll be getting an text message.
Fixed.
Ah yes, I forgot. Email is so 2007.
-
Wasn't Owens dumped via text?
-
Nope. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88317&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blabbermouth+(Blabbermouth.net's+Daily+Headlines)
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Nope. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88317&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blabbermouth+(Blabbermouth.net's+Daily+Headlines)
Well I'm re-writing history. Now he was dumped by text.
-
I don't think Jon knows how to text.
-
I don't think Jon knows how to text.
That's because texting cost his people the civil war.
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(https://truenometalico.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/jonschaffer.jpg)
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Setlist from the DVD shoot in Cyprus:
Dystopia
Burning Times
Angels Holocaust
Slave to the Dark
V
When the Night Falls
I Died for You
Motivation of Man
Setian Massacre
Stormrider
Pure Evil
Wolf
Dark City
End of Innocence
Dracula
Ten Thousand Strong
End of Innocence
Anthem
Declaration Day
Days of Rage
Melancholy (Holy Martyr)
Encore:
Invasion
Boiling Point
Damien
Watching Over Me
Dante's Inferno
Iced Earth
Encore 2:
The Hunter
source: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/iced-earth/2012/kourion-ancient-theatre-limassol-cyprus-3dc0d47.html (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/iced-earth/2012/kourion-ancient-theatre-limassol-cyprus-3dc0d47.html)
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Longest encore ever :lol
-
Longest encore ever :lol
Nah, when I saw Metallica their encores were almost as long as the main set, with Kirk's solo spot coming in one of them. This is a close second though :lol
-
They played End of Innocence twice??
-
They played End of Innocence twice??
Maybe they didn't want it to end?
-
Encores are silly. I've never understood the point.
-
Encores are silly. I've never understood the point.
I remember the first time I saw Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They left the stage for the encore as per usual, and the audience didn't realize they were coming back so they all got up to leave. One of the guitarists had to run back on to stage and tell them not to leave.
-
Encores are silly. I've never understood the point.
Because, originally, an encore only happened because the crowd response was so overwhelming, the band would continue past the normal end of the show. At some point in time, though, the encore stopped being a result of a special performance and became mandatory.
-
They played End of Innocence twice??
Maybe they didn't want it to end?
if it was a DVD filming, they probably thought they could do a better performance than the first. happens often (see the Devin Townsend - By a Thread set!).
-
They played End of Innocence twice??
Maybe they didn't want it to end?
if it was a DVD filming, they probably thought they could do a better performance than the first. happens often (see the Devin Townsend - By a Thread set!).
That or some sort of technical screw up happened that wrecked the performance.
-
Must've been a bad blunder, like the filming fucked up, because any sound issue would just be fixed with over-dubs.
-
I'm glad there are bootlegs from the show this time around. Now we'll know how much post production madness really goes on.
-
There was a technical fuck-up during the first End Of Innocence if my sources are correct. Also, judging from what I've seen of the vids, the singing won't require post-production madness, although Stu is still doing too much of Barlow for my liking. And no, not a hardcore disappointed Barlow fan, I just really dig Stu and would like to hear more of his own mid-range :smiley:
-
Yeah, putting out a new live disc this early into the new singers tenure before he has had adequate time to be broken in and get comfortable with finding his own unique interpretations of material seems like a poor idea. But then again, who knows how long Stu will last in the band. And Jon doesn't always seem like the type to think business decisions through thoroughly.
-
i thought stu was great live, whereas i dont like his vocals on dystopia as much. this was a great setlist, at least the songs i know from the show i saw anyway, so ill totally get this. As far as the barlow-esqe vocal debate, i dont really mind, but if he were able to d a unique high range more so than his mid range, id be ok if he stopped imitating barlow. otherwise it works for me.
-
There was a technical fuck-up during the first End Of Innocence if my sources are correct. Also, judging from what I've seen of the vids, the singing won't require post-production madness, although Stu is still doing too much of Barlow for my liking. And no, not a hardcore disappointed Barlow fan, I just really dig Stu and would like to hear more of his own mid-range :smiley:
What about Troy? I guarantee there will be touch ups from him. He's been doing pretty good from the other recent bootlegs I've seen, but he fucked up a few times for the DVD shoot.
-
i thought stu was great live, whereas i dont like his vocals on dystopia as much. this was a great setlist, at least the songs i know from the show i saw anyway, so ill totally get this. As far as the barlow-esqe vocal debate, i dont really mind, but if he were able to d a unique high range more so than his mid range, id be ok if he stopped imitating barlow. otherwise it works for me.
i understand the "why are you getting Stu to do his best Barlow ripoff?" concerns, but i honestly prefer the way he can be so extremely faithful to the old material, yet clearly displays a few of his own sensibilities (and probably will continue to — the new "Dante's Inferno" already has some cool additions). he's a much, much, much better fit to the sound of IE than Ripper was, despite his obvious talent... and he can sing the Ripper material well too!
-
When I sing along to Iced Earth, I match my voice to Barlow's, but Stu seems to over do it, especially on the ballads.
-
This is the best version of Dracula, from Graspop:
https://youtu.be/O4UOrMBT46k?t=27m50s
-
If you make a "Face" while singing, then you're doing a put-on. Barlow doesn't sound awkward when doing his thing because that is simply how he sounds. Same with Ripper. And I for one far prefer Ripper, since he sang all the songs HIS way. Brian Johnson doesn't try to sound like Bon Scott. Dio didn't try to sound like Ozzy. John Bush didn't try to sound like Joey Belladonna. Bruce Dickinson didn't try to sound like Paul Di'Anno. And to reference Ripper again, contrary to popular belief, he was hardly a "Halford-clone". The list goes on and on. Forcing yourself to sound like someone sounds fake and lame. Just sing the proper notes in your own style.
-
It's hard not to sing in the same style. I love singing along to Into The Storm, and I emulate Hansi.
I don't think I make any faces...
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I was referring to Stu. I couldn't care less about what you do in the privacy of your home or car :P
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Well screw you, buddy! :angel:
-
I don't like fighting Zook. Lets make up :heart
-
Your place or mine? :eyebrows:
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Oh Jon, you so silly:
Listening to the new album I get a feeling that Stu tries to sing like Matt sometimes, going for the same kind of sound and vibe. Did you guys just decide he should do that or is his middle range just naturally similar to Matt's?
It's actually the song writing. I wrote when Matt was in the band too. The song writing dictates what the voice is gonna do, you know? It's not the other way around, which is what a lot of people that obviously don't write songs don't understand that. I hear that a lot, "Did you write that song for this guy's voice?" No, that's not how it works. You write the songs and then you have the singer that can do what the song requires. That's it. So no, I mean his middle range voice is just like that and it's also something that I think is gonna expand, you know? But he's got so many different tones to his voice that I think we're just sort of scratching the surface 'cause he's really starting to get into it and think about it. I mean I produced Matt, me and Jim Morris, but I spent all the demo time which is what we do early on in the process, it's me working with the singer. So I have the same influence on all the guys that I had with the exception of Tim on "Glorious Burden" because he came in after that album was already recorded, so that's a completely different scenario. But yeah it's the writing and the production man. That's where the sound comes from. And you have the musicians that can deliver the sound.
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I'm pretty certain Jon has never heard a single Into Eternity song in his life. He talks like he is developing Stu and grooming him from a novice singer. No Jon, his middle range isn't like that, you told him to sound like Matt, don't you fucking lie.
-
I wish they'd scratch the surface a little more. Stu's got a lot more in him than Dystopia shows, and this comes from a person who likes Dystopia.
He's a darling as well:
(https://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_mab33ghVRP1qbqjqvo1_400.gif) :D
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LOL, I was embarrassed for him when I first saw that.
-
Never seen that, anyone know a youtube link for that?
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Never seen that, anyone know a youtube link for that?
I actually made it but now when I think of it I can't remember the video.
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Never seen that, anyone know a youtube link for that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrmBDgT5xQ
3:14
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:lol Thanks brother!
-
Never seen that, anyone know a youtube link for that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrmBDgT5xQ
3:14
Is it sad that I was able to tell not only the song they were playing but also the specific part of the song just by looking at the original gif with no knowledge of that show you just posted?
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Never seen that, anyone know a youtube link for that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrmBDgT5xQ
3:14
Is it sad that I was able to tell not only the song they were playing but also the specific part of the song just by looking at the original gif with no knowledge of that show you just posted?
No, I'd say it's pretty damn impressive.
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Never seen that, anyone know a youtube link for that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrmBDgT5xQ
3:14
Is it sad that I was able to tell not only the song they were playing but also the specific part of the song just by looking at the original gif with no knowledge of that show you just posted?
Lol. Same here. Probably because Jon made the same gesture at the part when I saw them earlier this year.
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Never seen that, anyone know a youtube link for that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNrmBDgT5xQ
3:14
Is it sad that I was able to tell not only the song they were playing but also the specific part of the song just by looking at the original gif with no knowledge of that show you just posted?
Lol. Same here. Probably because Jon made the same gesture at the part when I saw them earlier this year.
Ah. I haven't seem them live since Barlows first official return show.
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I'd say that makes me a good gif maker :D
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Having seen Stu live with Into Eternity as well as owning a couple of their albums with him on them, the notion that how he sings now is his middle range voice is flat out, pure bullshit. I was initially excited when Stu joined Iced Earth because of his versatility-I didn't expect the band to use his death metal growls, of course, but I figured everything else was open season. Then Dystopia came out and Stu was doing Barlow, but I figured, okay, first album with the band, they're just getting to know what each other can do, the next one will be better. Quotes like this from Schaffer, though, pretty much say that you're going to get Stu forcing himself to sound like Jon wants for the duration. What a fucking waste.
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Artwork for the new DVD, due out in April:
(https://icedearth.com/images/IEDVD2012ArtversionFINAL-SENDsmall.jpeg)
Having seen Stu live with Into Eternity as well as owning a couple of their albums with him on them, the notion that how he sings now is his middle range voice is flat out, pure bullshit. I was initially excited when Stu joined Iced Earth because of his versatility-I didn't expect the band to use his death metal growls, of course, but I figured everything else was open season. Then Dystopia came out and Stu was doing Barlow, but I figured, okay, first album with the band, they're just getting to know what each other can do, the next one will be better. Quotes like this from Schaffer, though, pretty much say that you're going to get Stu forcing himself to sound like Jon wants for the duration. What a fucking waste.
I completely agree, and unfortunately, I'm not all that thrilled about the DVD mainly because of Stu's voice...
-
After the disappointment of most of Festivals of the Wicked-I liked the Ripper set-I'm really hoping for a killer DVD from Iced Earth. But I just can't get excited about a singer as talented as Stu Block being forced to sound like something he isn't. Once again, Charlie Brown is running at the football, hoping Lucy doesn't fuck with him again and pull it away.
-
After the disappointment of most of Festivals of the Wicked-I liked the Ripper set-I'm really hoping for a killer DVD from Iced Earth. But I just can't get excited about a singer as talented as Stu Block being forced to sound like something he isn't. Once again, Charlie Brown is running at the football, hoping Lucy doesn't fuck with him again and pull it away.
Dude, Lucy has never let Charlie Brown kick the football :lol
:(
-
To be honest, I couldn't really care about this DVD. Sad considering I was such a huge fan of these guys. :(
-
It's official. Stu Block has ruined Prophecy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6BCoEjNMsQ
-
It's official. Stu Block has ruined Prophecy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6BCoEjNMsQ
:(
-
Serious question: why do any of you guys still bother with this band?
Also, Stu sounds really bad. Why is he being forced to sing in that phoney deep voice? Oh yeah 'cause Jon Schaffer lol.
-
I don't both with this band anymore. I became much too apathetic to pay attention a long time ago.
-
Serious question: why do any of you guys still bother with this band?
Also, Stu sounds really bad. Why is he being forced to sing in that phoney deep voice? Oh yeah 'cause Jon Schaffer lol.
I'm holding out hope for days of old, but really, Dystopia was the only real disappointment from this band for me. I like both Ripper albums and Crucible of Man is pretty cool, although I don't play it much. I still love the old stuff immensely.
Also, "phoney deep voice" is a perfect description. Jon has lost his mind, but he has made some great music in the past.
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Serious question: why do any of you guys still bother with this band?
Also, Stu sounds really bad. Why is he being forced to sing in that phoney deep voice? Oh yeah 'cause Jon Schaffer lol.
That is why I make the Charlie Brown and the football comparison. I keep wanting Iced Earth to be the band I fell in love with over a decade ago, and I keep kicking at that football, only for Schaffer to pull it away. My patience is about out, though.
-
Serious question: why do any of you guys still bother with this band?
Also, Stu sounds really bad. Why is he being forced to sing in that phoney deep voice? Oh yeah 'cause Jon Schaffer lol.
That is why I make the Charlie Brown and the football comparison. I keep wanting Iced Earth to be the band I fell in love with over a decade ago, and I keep kicking at that football, only for Schaffer to pull it away. My patience is about out, though.
Exactly this. But whenever I'm near the breaking point, I listen to A Question of Heaven again and fall back into the comfiness of denial.
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It's official. Stu Block has ruined Prophecy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6BCoEjNMsQ
I am even less excited for the DVD now. His vocals here are very underwhelming. Why must he sing like this, why is Jon telling him to do this. Even Ripper sounded good on this cause he did his own thing. He gave the songs new flavour but stayed true to the originals. Stu just sounds like an average karaoke singer here.
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I finally watched the video. Listening to Stu try to hit "high" notes in his Barlow voice is embarassing. That's OBVIOUSLY not his natural middle range, Schaffer, stop forcing it. Gets a little better when the song picks up, but the first part is fucking horrible. Not bothering with the DVD now.
-
We could tell Stu what's up on Facebook, but it might hurt his feelings.
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Something I made years ago. Thought I'd share. :zook2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib1XM36fiSc
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Iced Earth > Dystopia
Gene Adam may sound absurdingly ridiculous, but as a whole the debut is miles better than Dystopia.
-
Iced Earth > Dystopia
Gene Adam may sound absurdingly ridiculous, but as a whole the debut is miles better than Dystopia.
I'm pretty sure your debut is miles better than Dystopia.
-
Iced Earth > Dystopia
Gene Adam may sound absurdingly ridiculous, but as a whole the debut is miles better than Dystopia.
I'm pretty sure your debut is miles better than Dystopia.
Well I, :blush
I've given Gene Adam shit for years. He's been the butt of every IE joke (when not Schaffer), but after listening to the debut again recently, I must say he's really not that bad. I mean, he's terrible, but he doesn't detract from the music, or bring the album down. He fits. I never thought he was so bad that I couldn't listen to the album, but I appreciate him a lot more now, and Iced Earth is definitely among their best.
-
Yeah, it has some great songs, with When the Night Falls being my favourite. Though the AiA version is far superior to the studio version.
-
Iced Earth has a lot of live tracks that are better than the studio versions, but I have to disagree on that one. I prefer the studio cut.
-
Anyone else think the Stu version of Dante is better than the original?
Good. No one should.
-
:lol
I just listened to it last night for the first time since it was released and it was so horrible. The only part I liked was the orchestral part of the outro.
-
:lol
I just listened to it last night for the first time since it was released and it was so horrible. The only part I liked was the orchestral part of the outro.
Actually, the "ABANDON ALL HOPE!" part is cool too since Stu growls it. But the rest is just pure awful.
-
yeah, I guess I like that part too.
PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE AWFUL!
phoned. it. in. didn't give a shit.
-
phoned. it. in. didn't give a shit.
....what did Jon Schaffer say about the new album?
Did I get it right Trebek?
-
Joking aside, He did say recently that his new years resolution is to make the heaviest/best whatever Iced Earth album to date. He might do that, but unfortunately Stu Block will ruin it.
-
Joking aside, He did say recently that his new years resolution is to make the heaviest/best whatever Iced Earth album to date. He might do that, but unfortunately Stu Block will ruin it.
Didn't he say that about Dystopia?
I mean despite Stu's awful performance on Dystopia, it was still boring as hell musically. It's not like a different singer would have it made it great. It would have gone from awful, to not good but listenable at best.
I really wish that IF he manages to write a good record, that he just lets Stu sing it in his own voice.
-
I don't see that happening (letting Stu sing like Stu), and I think Stu actually likes singing that way.
-
R.I.P Iced Earth.
-
R.I.P Iced Earth.
Enter the brutal KrotchRaut :neverusethis:
-
Not as good as the band I'm going to form in a few minutes.
Rotting Crotch.
-
Check out the name of Adami's new band... WOW, the words and idea looks awfully familiar!! Surely it must be an intentional 'nugget' for the fans… It couldn't possibly be blatant band name plagiarism, now could it…?? I just have to laugh…
-
Check out the name of Adami's new band... WOW, the words and idea looks awfully familiar!! Surely it must be an intentional 'nugget' for the fans… It couldn't possibly be blatant band name plagiarism, now could it…?? I just have to laugh…
Well when I quit KrotchRaut and then you fired me after I quit and made me say horrible things about you on Twitter, I obviously had to fo........wait, which one of us is Portnoy in this again?
-
Actually, I think you're supposed to be Geoff Tate.
-
Actually, I think you're supposed to be Geoff Tate.
Crap.
Yea, nothing else to say.
-
Check out the name of Adami's new band... WOW, the words and idea looks awfully familiar!! Surely it must be an intentional 'nugget' for the fans… It couldn't possibly be blatant band name plagiarism, now could it…?? I just have to laugh…
Well when I quit KrotchRaut and then you fired me after I quit and made me say horrible things about you on Twitter, I obviously had to fo........wait, which one of us is Portnoy in this again?
:lol :lol :lol
-
I have absolutely no problems with Something Wicked This Way Comes. Every song is great, and the heavy, soft song arrangement doesn't bother me, but I've seen people say that it doesn't flow well for them. What if the track order looked like this?
1. Burning Times
2. Stand Alone
3. Disciples of the Lie
4. Melancholy
5. Consequences
6. My Own Savior
7. 1776
8. Blessed Are You
9. Prophecy
10. Birth of the Wicked
11. The Coming Curse
-
Fuck no. Reaping Stone is one of my favourites.
-
What about replacing Blessed Are You with Reaping Stone. Playing it in my head, it sounds good as a closer before the trilogy. I was also going to leaving off BAY and have 1776 close the album before the trilogy too.
I've done this before a couple years ago, and had 1776 open the album. Don't know why I'm doing this though. The album sounds fine to me :lol The alto order I made does sound cool too though.
-
Something Wicked is just fine the way it is. It's pretty much the only Iced Earth album I can stomach.
-
What's wrong with the greatest thrash album ever, Night of the Stormrider?
Speaking of...
-
I have absolutely no problems with Something Wicked This Way Comes. Every song is great, and the heavy, soft song arrangement doesn't bother me, but I've seen people say that it doesn't flow well for them. What if the track order looked like this?
1. Burning Times
2. Stand Alone
3. Disciples of the Lie
4. Melancholy
5. Consequences
6. My Own Savior
7. 1776
8. Blessed Are You
9. Prophecy
10. Birth of the Wicked
11. The Coming Curse
i am one of those people :P except i'd rather 'stack' the beginning a bit more:
Burning Times
Stand Alone
My Own Savior
Disciples of the Lie
Melancholy
Consequences
Watching Over Me (you left this off?!)
Reaping Stone (though i dislike it too, just don't see a reason to drop it)
1776
Blessed Are You
Prophecy
Birth of the Wicked
The Coming Curse
dunno why you'd drop Blessed Are You, either. i think it's one of the best songs on the record.
-
I have absolutely no problems with Something Wicked This Way Comes. Every song is great, and the heavy, soft song arrangement doesn't bother me, but I've seen people say that it doesn't flow well for them. What if the track order looked like this?
1. Burning Times
2. Stand Alone
3. Disciples of the Lie
4. Melancholy
5. Consequences
6. My Own Savior
7. 1776
8. Blessed Are You
9. Prophecy
10. Birth of the Wicked
11. The Coming Curse
i am one of those people :P except i'd rather 'stack' the beginning a bit more:
Burning Times
Stand Alone
My Own Savior
Disciples of the Lie
Melancholy
Consequences
Watching Over Me (you left this off?!)
Reaping Stone (though i dislike it too, just don't see a reason to drop it)
1776
Blessed Are You
Prophecy
Birth of the Wicked
The Coming Curse
dunno why you'd drop Blessed Are You, either. i think it's one of the best songs on the record.
Watching Over Me is great, but not essential to an album edit. I did put BAY back in my edit. As for Reaping Stone, I like the song, but it's a little too Black Sabbathy. I guess if I were to put it back in, it would go after MOS. As for your list, you have a big chunk of heavy and then a big chunk of soft, and that's a little more wonky than the original track order :P EDIT: Taking WOM off would actually make your order pretty damn good. Again, I like WOM, but leaving it off would suit the album better for the alto track order.
MOS could work near the top though.
-
I always found the flow and the song order really interesting. I've always liked it how it is to be honest.
-
Yeah there's nothing wrong with it. It was just a fun bordom activity.
So it's been two years. Is anyone interested in me continuing my IE survivor? I stopped at Burnt Offerings when my internet was shut off, so should I continue where I left off or should I start over? There wasn't a lot of participation last time though.
-
I'd be onboard until Horror Show. Don't really know the albums following that enough to vote and no reviews I have ever read or heard have ever given me a reason to change that, I'm afraid.
-
I'd be onboard until Horror Show. Don't really know the albums following that enough to vote and no reviews I have ever read or heard have ever given me a reason to change that, I'm afraid.
The Glorious Burden - Replacing Matt Barlow is certainly a difficult task, but Ripper handled what he was given like he'd been singing for IE for years. Sure the lyrics sound like he's reading a history book set to music, but the songs are mostly solid. Hollow Man and the Ripper penned Red Barron/Blue Max are the duds of the album. Especially Hollow Man. The Gettysburg Trilogy is a masterpiece *waits for Adami to say it's mediocre* and Schaffer still sounds inspired. Stand out tracks include Declaration Day, The Reckoning, Greenface, Attila, Waterloo (UK version of the album) and Gettysburg
Framing Armageddon - Ripper is amazing on this album. Brent Smedley sounds a bit robotic unlike Richard Christy, and overall this album is pretty good. I was really excited for Ripper being in the band once I heard this album. He delivers an epic performance and most of the songs are awesome with no duds, but some uninteresting tunes. By duds, I mean shit like Hollow Man. Stand out tracks are Something Wicked Part 1, Setian Massacre, Ten Thousand Strong, The Clouding, The Domino Decree, Framing Arageddon, When Stars Collide
The Crucible Of Man - This album can be summed up in one quote: "The destruction of mankind shouldn't be in mid-tempo". The album isn't bad, but there is so much missed potential, that it's just disappointing. It sounds rushed, and some songs just end with repetitive rhythm parts instead of expanding the song to make it even more awesome like The Revealing. That song is all kinds of bad ass, but it's not complete. Jon didn't know what to do with it I guess. Throughout the whole album, Set Abominae says how much he's going to destroy mankind, but when we get to the epic closer, Come What May, which is an amazing song by the way, it appears Set has changed his mind or something, and he's just going to let man destroy themselves. Also, although Matt sounds great, I really wish Ripper could have sang on this one, just for continuity's sake. Stand out tracks: In Sacred Flames/Behold The Wicked Child, A Gift Or A Curse, I Walk Alone, Sacrificial Kingdoms, Come What May
Dystopia - LOL
Ok, so this album isn't entirely bad, but Jon definitely phoned it in, and Stu's Barlow impression is cringeworthy at times, although not as bad as what he's doing live. The songs are just so uninspired, and everyone sounds asleep at the wheel. The title track is decent, Dark City as well. The two bonus tracks Soylent Green and Iron Will are better that the actually album songs, and Tragedy and Triumph is decent too. Days or Rage is a bad Disciples of the Lie knock off, and the lyrics are just bad. Same with Boiling Point.
I'd say at least check out the good songs I listed. There's definitely some great post-Barlow Iced Earth songs to be heard.
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Alright, thanks for the overview. I just found The Glorious Burden on Spotify, so I'll give it a listen, I guess.
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Like Scorp I've neglected IE after Horrow Show. I've never been a Ripper fan- it may just be he's sung on albums I didn't rate (JP & Yngwie I'm looking at you). I heard each of the post HS albums but never really persevered with the. I'll go back and have a listen.
And I really like Dystopia. Oh well.
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I'd be up for the survivor, every fucking album.
Damn Zook, I loved both Red Barron and Hollow Man.
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Red Baron isn't awful, it's just kinda stupid.
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Red Baron isn't awful, it's just kinda stupid.
It proves Ripper isn't the best lyric writer around. But that middle section is incredible. I like what Ralph Santolla did on that album too, some really cool little solos that worked well with IE's sound.
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Ripper should never, ever write lyrics. Beyond Fear was horrible for the same reason. Ralph wasn't bad, but Randy and Larry were the best lead players IE had.
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Ok so would the 5 Iced Earth fans want me to start over with the survivor or start where I left off at Burnt Offerings?
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Ok so would the 5 Iced Earth fans want me to start over with the survivor or start where I left off at Burnt Offerings?
I wouldn't know enough about the first two albums to participate.
But from Burnt Offerings onward I'm in!
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Ok so would the 5 Iced Earth fans want me to start over with the survivor or start where I left off at Burnt Offerings?
I wouldn't know enough about the first two albums to participate.
But from Burnt Offerings onward I'm in!
Go listen to 'em fool! Night Of The Stormrider is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
And Iced Earth is great for the music. Gene Adam is hilarious, but doesn't detract.
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I've heard most of the good songs from Stormrider when Barlow performed them. Either live or on the re-recordings.
However I just really don't have a strong desire to listen to the original of either album enough times to know the songs that well.
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Deadpool would.
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Deadpool would.
Dirty pool old man. Dirty pool.
.....also, Deadpool wouldn't unless you paid him. :loser:
Or unless he thought it was get him a huge amount of attention.
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He could review the album relating it somehow to politics which would get Schaffer's attention and they could argue about bullshit government conspiracy theories on like Bill O' Reilly or something.
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He could review the album relating it somehow to politics which would get Schaffer's attention and they could argue about bullshit government conspiracy theories on like Bill O' Reilly or something.
Clearly you don't know Deadpool.
He wouldn't argue about politics, he'd stick a sword into Schaffers throat for not loving Bea Arthur enough.
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Clearly YOU don't know Jon Schaffer enough. He would block the sword with his guitar and play triplets until Deadpool ran away from boredom.
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Clearly YOU don't know Jon Schaffer enough. He would block the sword with his guitar and play triplets until Deadpool ran away from boredom.
Deadpool would only run away as a ruse. As Schaffer is gloating about his victory he would turn around and face his certain death at the hands of Wade Wilson.
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Until Matt Barlow pops out of retirement to record ONE MORE ALBUM and saves Schaffer and arrests Mr. Wilson.
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Until Matt Barlow pops out of retirement to record ONE MORE ALBUM and saves Schaffer and arrests Mr. Wilson.
.........we can do this all day dude. Deadpool would win, sorry.
ANYWAY.
Start your survivor however you want. I'll join in for Burnt Offerings.
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Deadpool can't win because... because...
Because he's not real.
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Deadpool can't win because... because...
Because he's not real.
He's real to me. :'(
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Yeah, start it.
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OK, it's been almost 3 years so gonna start over with WHAT DO I SEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
See you soon Adam-I.
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Demons & Wizards' Terror Train is still a terrible song.
Anyway, NOTS Round 4 is up.
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I never got how two guys who are cornerstones of power metal could write a song like “terror train” and release it to the world as a single when there’s an album full of much better songs that could be released instead.
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Yeah, what was wrong with the title track? That song is all kinds of bad ass, and could have worked well as a single. Beneath the Waves would've been great as well along with Down Where I Am. Instead we got one of the worst sets of lyrics ever written to tell everyone not to buy the album.
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The video for Terror Train was pretty funny too. :lol
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I remember very bad CGI.
Anyway, it's a 3 way tie right now for NOTS Round 6. How 'bout some votes, people!
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Gene Adam
New Port Richey, FL
Aug 8, 2009
cindy jackson wrote:
Gene if you see this contat me on Myspace. Im really proud of you. I always told you that you have IT in you!
Cindy, if that's really you, I am glad to know that you're okay.
I am currently writing and playing Christian music, as my life has been totally transformed by an encounter with Jesus Christ ... as hard to believe as that may be, it is true! I am married and have 2 awesome children. God Bless!~Gene
... So apparently Gene Adam found god and is living in my old hometown of New Port Richey Florida...
THE FUCK?!
Holy shit it's Gene Adam:
https://youtu.be/MT4OpdDPbKY
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I fucking love "Terror Train." It's awesome as hell.
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I fucking love "Terror Train." It's awesome as hell.
You, the guy that constantly shits on TV shows for bad dialog and writing likes a song with horrible lyrics and generic Schaffer song writing?
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Crimson King is overall a pretty good album, I should get it out and have a listen.
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I fucking love "Terror Train." It's awesome as hell.
You, the guy that constantly shits on TV shows for bad dialog and writing likes a song with horrible lyrics and generic Schaffer song writing?
Yup.
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I fucking love "Terror Train." It's awesome as hell.
You, the guy that constantly shits on TV shows for bad dialog and writing likes a song with horrible lyrics and generic Schaffer song writing?
Yup.
(https://i.qkme.me/3rdwyu.jpg)
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Burnt Offerings round 3 tiebreaker is up. HOW BOUT SOME MORE PARTICIPATION SO WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER FUCKING TIEBREAKER EH?!
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So yeah there's another tie... Would anyone like to break it??
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live DVD trailer, looks pretty awesome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VQap1ui0C8&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VQap1ui0C8&feature=youtu.be)
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I'm sure it LOOKS awesome, but Stu has surely ruined the sound of it...
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Hmm...Stu does sound pretty weak.
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Do you guys foresee Stu sticking around in the band? It would be tough for Jon to do another switch I think.
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I don't think it's tough for Jon to switch at all. He's done it his whole career. It might be tough finding someone... Oh wait, who am I kidding, he has Stu Block, Iced Earth's worst vocalist since Gene Adam.
Disclaimer: I think Stu Block is an amazing vocalist, but the way he's singing in Iced Earth sounds downright silly.
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I thought Dystopia was good when it came out, much better than Crucible, but it just didn't last with me, I'm not really a fan of Stu in IE either. Into Eternity is a different story, he sounds awesome but he is just not cutting it for me in IE.
IMO, Jon shot himself in the foot when he fired Tim.
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I thought Dystopia was good when it came out, much better than Crucible, but it just didn't last with me, I'm not really a fan of Stu in IE either. Into Eternity is a different story, he sounds awesome but he is just not cutting it for me in IE.
IMO, Jon shot himself in the foot when he fired Tim.
I agree. Framing Armageddon was great and I was really looking forward to Part 2 with him, and although I wasn't entirely disappointed in Matt's return, it does suck that we'll never have the continuity for Parts 1 & 2.
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Yeah, it was shaping up to be a great concept, and well, part 2 was okay but I think the whole situation left a bitter taste in my mouth that made me not enjoy part 2 like I should have. I should go back and give it another try.
The inconsistency between the two records is annoying as hell too. I mean, Tim singing part 1 and re-recording Matt's songs, then Matt recording part 2 and re-recording Tim's songs, I mean, WTF is that, I'm sure that has never been done before in the history of any artist. (Could be wrong though)
I don't think I am going to enjoy this DVD anywhere near as much as Festivals. Might even wait a while after release and get it at a good price.
I just feel Iced Earth are basically redundant now in the metal world. I mean, in my eyes they are really. They were such a force 10-15 years ago and had such a good barrage of material, now they just seem redundant to me.
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Woah, when did all the Stu Block hate start? I think he is fantastic. the lows and mids of Barlow with the highs of Ripper. that's what Iced earth needs. and having seen iced earth back in June, they were all dead on the money with Stu.
This puzzles the hell out of me.
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Woah, when did all the Stu Block hate start? I think he is fantastic. the lows and mids of Barlow with the highs of Ripper. that's what Iced earth needs. and having seen iced earth back in June, they were all dead on the money with Stu.
This puzzles the hell out of me.
i don't agree with it either, but i see the basis for the "do something original!" argument. IE could do with some new elements; the last record isn't exactly progressing their sound forward. Stu could easily influence this positively if that were the creative situation in the band.
also popping in to say i got over the whole vocalist thing (idk why that would even be much of an issue with this band...) and officially worship Night of the Stormrider as i should. also applies to the self-titled album and other non-Barlow/non-Ripper recordings. it's pretty brilliant music no matter which voice is on it, and John Greely was basically the prototype for the style Barlow perfected later anyway.
(pretty sure it's because i got into the Paul Di'Anno Iron Maiden albums, too.)
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Woah, when did all the Stu Block hate start? I think he is fantastic. the lows and mids of Barlow with the highs of Ripper. that's what Iced earth needs. and having seen iced earth back in June, they were all dead on the money with Stu.
This puzzles the hell out of me.
He'd sound great if his Barlow wasn't completely forced. He's not a baratone, and when singing in the style of Barlow he sounds silly. His Ripper and his highs are great although they aren't as fierce as Barlow or Ripper.
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Yeah, what Zook said, listen to Into Eternity and you will hear what a truly great singer he is. I just don't understand this thing with forcing him to sound like Barlow, I mean Ripper worked out fine and he was just completely being himself.
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It would be hilarious to hear Ripper try to sing like that, but not on an actual album!
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Perhaps Ripper refused, that's why Jon eventually sought after Matt again then gave him the boot. :lol
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BUT BUT RIPPER'S VOICE IS WHAT JON HEARS WHEN HE WRITES LYRICS!!!!!!!!!111
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:rollin
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Just dropping in to say Night of the Stormrider & The Dark Saga are my favorite Iced Earth albums. :metal
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Stormrider is just a monster all the way through, a really underrated metal album if you ask me.
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You inspired me to listen to Stormrider again, and I'm almost done. Fucking great album, and IMO, the vocals are amazing.
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:metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
................... SPLATCH AN ANGELS HOLOCAUST
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Dystopia from the DVD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFBDjXsu7hk&feature=player_embedded (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFBDjXsu7hk&feature=player_embedded)
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That doesn't even sound live. At least with Alive in Athens, you can tell it's a live album, touched up or not.
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So this just might be me being dead tired but the only thing I can hear there is Stu and the drums. Where's the bass and the guitar crunch.
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Jon forgot that a live album needs to sound live and not polished like a studio album with no crowd at all.
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Jon forgot that a live album needs to sound live and not polished like a studio album with no crowd at all.
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/forumavatars/avatar_191_1357061683.jpg)
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Exactly.
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I'll watch this when I get home tonight. Not excited by your comments though guys, but that's pretty much what I expected.
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Jon forgot that a live album needs to sound live and not polished like a studio album with no crowd at all.
Maybe he's been learning from Dream Theater.
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Dystopia from the DVD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFBDjXsu7hk&feature=player_embedded (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFBDjXsu7hk&feature=player_embedded)
Wow, this sucks balls. I love this band, but this is shit.
First off, Stu sounds weak as piss, this whole performance while pitch wise is fine, is thin, weak and really just doesn't work for me.
Second, the whole thing is pretty much overdubbed, it sounds thin, compressed, no audience, adn teh guitars have no grunt.
Third, of course the guitar solo is over dubbed, Troy is one of the worst guitarists I've ever heard.
Fourth, 3:45, the cymbals are not in the mix at all, this section just looks overdubbed from the cymbal hits.
I think I'll stick to my Festivals DVD, Matt and Ripper would both sit down have a beer and laugh their asses of at this.
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The little bit I heard sounded like it was just the studio version with some fireworks added on. And yeah, that definitely wasn't Stu from that night. I hope Alive In Athens didn't get the same treatment, because although there are claims of overdubs out the wahzoo, it still sounds live and awesome to me.
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Alive in Athens is one of the best things I've ever heard. I've heard those claims about the overdubs, but at least it was live, and sounded live, this is just another level, disappointing.
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The little bit I heard sounded like it was just the studio version with some fireworks added on. And yeah, that definitely wasn't Stu from that night. I hope Alive In Athens didn't get the same treatment, because although there are claims of overdubs out the wahzoo, it still sounds live and awesome to me.
It's pretty easy to tell what's overdubbed and what's not by watching the Alive in Athens DVD. Plenty of the guitar solos were overdubbed, and it appears like some of Barlow's vocals (although less than one might suspect).
EDIT: Schaffer complained bitterly about the editing of the DVD when it came out. I assume that's what he was really talking about.
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The little bit I heard sounded like it was just the studio version with some fireworks added on. And yeah, that definitely wasn't Stu from that night. I hope Alive In Athens didn't get the same treatment, because although there are claims of overdubs out the wahzoo, it still sounds live and awesome to me.
It's pretty easy to tell what's overdubbed and what's not by watching the Alive in Athens DVD. Plenty of the guitar solos were overdubbed, and it appears like some of Barlow's vocals (although less than one might suspect).
The DVD isn't really a good reference to that since Century Media just slapped on the audio from the CD to footage from both nights. I don't think Larry did much overdubbing either since a few of his solos weren't so good.
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That's what some people claim, but there are two problems with that reasoning:
1. it would be transparently obvious if one night's audio was put on another's video
2. if I remember correctly, only 5-6 songs were repeated over the two nights
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I'd say it's pretty obvious on Stormrider. Or do you think Jon faked talking to the crowd?
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Hmm, I'm looking things up and I'm getting conflicting info. Some say there were different setlists on both nights, while others say they were the same.
Anyways, I turned up some raw footage from one of the Athens shows. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWNCqd-nLyY) Couple obvious mistakes.
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That video sounded like a studio version of Dystopia if that album had been recorded in 1986 and the CD never re-done for loudness. :rollin
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The little bit I heard sounded like it was just the studio version with some fireworks added on. And yeah, that definitely wasn't Stu from that night. I hope Alive In Athens didn't get the same treatment, because although there are claims of overdubs out the wahzoo, it still sounds live and awesome to me.
It's pretty easy to tell what's overdubbed and what's not by watching the Alive in Athens DVD. Plenty of the guitar solos were overdubbed, and it appears like some of Barlow's vocals (although less than one might suspect).
The DVD isn't really a good reference to that since Century Media just slapped on the audio from the CD to footage from both nights. I don't think Larry did much overdubbing either since a few of his solos weren't so good.
Yeah I tend to agree with this, the DVD isn't a good reference.
I also think Larry's rhythm is actually Jon's just panned on the other speaker. It was well known that Larry played his parts with just chords at times and had trouble with the rhythm parts. I think you can see that in the DVD too.
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... Well he still sounds good on the CDs... *cries*
-
indeed, i'd say every song on Alive in Athens is overdubbed to hell. the two setlists culled to make it are both on setlist.fm and it shows very little overlap, as mentioned, and even the overlapped songs weren't played the same (i.e. "Dark Saga" -> "Last Laugh" was only played that way in one of the gigs) and i think most of the songs weren't played to a click (except maybe "Dante's Inferno") so there wouldn't be consistent timing across the different performances of those same songs to use as, for instance, the second rhythm guitar. thus, i'm quite sure Jon re-did at least one side of the rhythm guitars, if not all of them, on the entire thing. most of the solos and transitions to/from clean guitar also sound too perfect to be from the original tapes.
the difference between Athens and this upcoming release, obviously, is that Athens wasn't overdone. Jim Morris knew how to mix all the ingredients to keep the live feel and mix the crowd without sounding like it was a studio record layering in a fake crowd, like those classic Metallica songs from Kill 'Em All that were re-recorded for Jump in the Fire and had fake audience sounds plastered in between. (i'm sure the Athens crowd is quite enhanced, though!)
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The main reason the overdubbing in Alive in Athens doesn't bother me is that it sounds great. The album fucking rocks, period.
The other reason is that I know Iced Earth can sound just as good live. Have y'all listened to the radio bootleg of the Gothenburg show on the Horror Show tour? The band sounded just as good (minus mix problems with Schaffer's mic) there.
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I put on the AIA DVD last night while drifting off to sleep. I only watched a few songs, but it is fucking awesome. The visual and audio matchup was pretty good, I'm pretty sure it's mostly live, although I'm pretty sure Jon re-recorded Larry's rhythm for him. Everything else, I don't see how there would be much over dubbing.
But anyway, it's fucking awesome. Man, this band use to be so fresh and bass ass with so much power, energy and natural spark on stage. It's sad what they have become in this Dystopia live clip. Stu simply is not the man for this job, and Troy needs to sell his guitars and never play again.
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I was impressed with Troy at the start of the Dystopia tour. He actually practiced his parts for once. That being said, I hope he's the next to get fired. Then Stu.
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Come to think of it, I didn't mind some of his parts on the album too, he still had the same sloppy style, but there were some interesting things going on.
Yeah, come on Jon, it's about time someone got fired.
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So I just fell comfortably asleep at my keyboard but I woke up while Into Eternity was playing. The reason why this is important is because, every time I listen to Into Eternity, I remind myself of how amazing a vocalist Stu actually is. He's had some really cool moments on Dystopia, on the Dante's Inferno remake, and I've seen some really cool live clips of him nailing songs back in the earlier days of the Dystopia tour, but he's not as consistent as he should be, and not even the best he's done in Iced Earth can contend with one single song off Into Eternity's The Scattering Of Ashes. He's a great hybrid vocalist and it would be a shame if he stayed in a band which doesn't only not favor his stronger sides when clean-singing (listen to The Incurable Tragedy II and tell me it doesn't give you goosebumps), but also doesn't let him use growls, fry screams, and all other harsher vocal techniques he's mastered.
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This is all Pyramaze's fault!
-
This is all Pyramaze's fault!
Why? Because of Barlow? :lol
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Yeah, if they wouldn't have been embarrassed about Lance King's kid opening their set, Lance wouldn't have been offended and quit, and Matt wouldn't have joined and Jon wouldn't have heard about it to which he would call Matt asking him if he was "missing it" therefore sparking his return which in turn led to Ripper's firing, Barlow's fluke of a return, and Stu's joining.
So yep, this is all Pyramaz's fault.
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Fair enough bro.
-
Of course, we wouldn't have Immortal, but SACRIFICES, SPIDER-MAN!
-
Meh, I preferred Bone Carver anyway.
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=187538
ICED EARTH guitarist/mainman Jon Schaffer — who celebrated his 45th birthday yesterday (Friday, March 15) — has posted the following message on the band's Facebook page:
"Hello friends!
"I want to thank you very much for the happy birthday wishes! Myself and the band are blessed to have fans like you guys.
"As you can see in the photo [below], Stu [Block, ICED EARTH singer] and I are about to chow on a very funny cake that friends and family made for me.
"We are in South America working on the songs for the next ICED EARTH studio album and hanging out with some very dear friends.
"The metal is most certainly flowing! You're going to love this next one!!!
"Best to you all, and thanks again!"
(https://www.blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/iced45cake.jpg)
(https://www.voodoohash.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/dedce405_Mother20of20God.jpg)
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I seem to be in a minority in liking Stu's vocals on Dystopia. I certainly don't get this negativity- I'm unlikely to ever see them live so his live performance doesn't concern me. I certainly don't want those harsh vocals appearing on an Iced Earth album.
The dvd clip is poor though. Watered down and lifeless- awful production. The idea should be to not produce a live album/dvd.
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I thought the vocals on Dystopia were good too.
-
The vocals on Dystopia aren't awful, but knowing what Stu actually sounds like, it's hard to really appreciate them, especially knowing of Matt Barlow's existence. I do like a few songs on Dystopia, but overall, It's just a really bad, uninspired mess. Jon is capable of so much more. Now that Stu will be a part of the writing process, maybe he'll bring something good to the table. That's if Jon lets anyone else help write the music.
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Yeah, IMO, Stu does sound okay on the album, but the restrictions Jon put on him with his voice is very annoying compared to all the things he can do. He is just getting wasted at the moment. Let's see what the next one brings.
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I just listened to the Something Wicked Trilogy with Tim and I could possibly enjoy this more than the original. Tim just slays on this, and really he was suck a good fit in Iced Earth. One of those situations where even though the singer is different, it still just works. I'll say it again, firing Ripper was the worst move Jon has ever made.
I like the darker atmosphere of this and the more evil essence Tim puts in. Not a huge fan of the extra heavy palm muting, and I miss the intro and outro of The Coming Curse, but that's minor. Love the stuff they did with Prophecy too. And how good are these guitar solos, man how good is Tim Mills, by far the best solos ever put down on an IE cd.
Listening to Framing Armaggedon now, and this is slowly becoming my fav IE record, it's perfect. And Troy's solos are actually quite okay. I wish Tim played on the cd, but they are okay. To be honest, I still have to check the songs Matt re-recorded from this album, I don't think I have ever heard them.
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The heavy palm muting kills it for me, and Larry's solos were better. I did like the beginning of Prophecy though. As for the re-records with Matt, don't get too excited. Ripper's versions sound way better.
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Yeah, I don't know, I like Larry a lot and he was an integral part of their sound around that time, but IE never really had a player like Tim, I love his style, I would love to hear more from him.
Yeah, I might check those Matt versions out after I've finished with FA. Up to SW Pt 2.
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Actually I lie, I own the I Walk Among You single, so A Charge to Keep would be the only one I haven't heard since it was itunes only.
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Wow, Matt's version of A Charge to Keep really sucks ass.
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Yeah, IMO, Stu does sound okay on the album, but the restrictions Jon put on him with his voice is very annoying compared to all the things he can do.
Yeah, it's just pretty hard to get excited over vocs on Anguish Of Youth or End Of Innocence when you listen to Nothing, Out, Surrounded By Night, The Incurable Tragedy II, or Time Immemorial, to name a few.
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"Ok Stucifer, for this song, I want you to really bring out the emotion"
"Alright, not a problem"
"I mean like really bring it out.... like Matt did in Ghost of Freedom"
"...ooook, that's easy enou-"
"Like, sound just like Matt did in that song"
"Well that's not really in my rang-"
"Strain your voice to ridiculously goofy levels, I don't care, just SOUND LIKE MATT"
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I was watching the Wacken show with Tim last night from the Festivals DVD, amazing stuff. :metal
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Here's Damien from the new live album:
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=187650
Just scroll down. It's embedded with soundcloud.
Whoever mixed this (one of the Morris' obviously) was asleep that day. The song sounds slower, and Stu sounds like a drunken karaoke singer.
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Holy crap.....Damien is....
Well.....
I guess I'm not missing out on too much here.
I didn't even bother with Dystopia because of the ridiculous lineup changes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those purists that say, "This band only has 1 original member so it's crap!" But after the whole, "Tim is who I always wanted!!!" followed by "Tim wasn't into it so we got Matt back" followed by "Matt didn't want to do this full time even though that wasn't our agreement when he came back but why be consistent with my thoughts now?"
I will probably get Dystopia at some point because I have all of the other releases but this lineup isn't sitting right with me. I also think it's funny that Stu has a bunch of writing credits which was a huge beef with other vocalists and Jon would always say its because the other people weren't writers when I think its obvious he just wanted total control. Now, with knowledge of all the criticism and presumably fan base he wanted to make sure Stu seemed like a full fledged member/writer.
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Well it is Jon Schaffer.
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/forumavatars/avatar_191_1357061683.jpg)
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Here's Damien from the new live album:
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=187650
Just scroll down. It's embedded with soundcloud.
Whoever mixed this (one of the Morris' obviously) was asleep that day. The song sounds slower, and Stu sounds like a drunken karaoke singer.
The more I hear Stu on these songs, the more I dislike him in Iced Earth. He's trying too hard to sound like Mat on the chorus (yes, what a surprise) and the highs are just weak and thin, I don't understand why he sounds like this, he's such a powerful vocalist.
And the mix is weak and lacks balls of any kind.
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He sounds absolutely fine to me. I really don't get the hate at all. There is nothing wrong with this vocal performance.
Just sayin'.
And there's some crowd noise in ther... Schaffer must have been asleep at that point.
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He sounds absolutely fine to me. I really don't get the hate at all. There is nothing wrong with this vocal performance.
Just sayin'.
And there's some crowd noise in ther... Schaffer must have been asleep at that point.
I agree there's nothing majorly wrong but that's just not how he normally sounds at all.
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Technically the vocal performance is fine. But for me, it just lacks balls and it's just not Stu at all.
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That's exactly the problem. He sounds so bad to some of us because it's not his natural voice, and it just makes him sound goofy. I can't imagine Ripper doing a Barlow impression. Maybe Jon tried for it but it was even worse :lol
EDIT: But for me, it just lacks balls
This too.
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Exactly, he sounds goofy, and really sounds like a try hard. Watching more of the Wacken performance last night, I'm still amazed at how good Ripper fitted with the bands sound, and especially on the old material, he just made it work really well. Him trying to sound like Barlow would have been a train wreck, and I don't understand why Ripper was Ripper but Stu has to be like Barlow.
I just laugh back at the whole Ripper era. Jon was all like "Ripper is the voice I've been hearing all along with Iced Earth music." "Holy fuck." I thought. Then they released the Reckoning, and it was like "Shit, this isn't Barlow but it pretty fucking good." The two album Ripper did were really good and for the band to come back after losing Barlow like that was incredible and props to Tim.
Then Jon comes out with "I've spoken to the fans and they all want Barlow back." Really Jon, I never recieved your phone call. I would have gladly told you otherwise. Since that point Iced Earth has become redundant IMO, and that move has blown up in Jon's face, and Stu isn't putting this band back at where they were in 2004/2005.
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He said that? I thought the whole thing was that Ripper wasn't fully committed or whatever. Ripper's mind was on his solo projects and not fully with Iced Earth and his stage presence screamed that so it was time for him to go anyway. Jon would do something stupid like read a few comments on the interwebs and base his decision on that.
I missed Barlow too, but after Framing Armageddon, I didn't care if he came back anymore.
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Here's a statement from Jon;
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=86574
Hello, dear friends!
"Once again the winds of change are upon us, and this time I can say that I am very happy about the result.
"While out on the European tour I had several in-depth discussions with many loyal ICED EARTH fans. A common theme of these discussions was how much Matt is missed. I agreed with the fans that things were not the same and that it was a very special period in ICED EARTH's history.
"When I heard several months ago that Matt [Barlow] was going to be doing a project in music again, I was thinking about contacting him and seeing what his intentions were. I didn't act on this because I was so focused on the writing of the new epic, and frankly, it just didn't seem realistic.
"Well, after getting out on the road and speaking with many of you directly, I decided to call Matt and see how he was doing and if he was interested in working together again. I am proud to say that he is coming back to ICED EARTH and we will be getting back to work in the studio very soon.
"Matt will be singing on Part 2 of the 'Something Wicked' concept CD and we will be looking forward to getting out on tour and delivering a series of ICED EARTH shows that will rival any in the history of the band. And there will be a proper DVD filmed from this period, something we’ve all been waiting for.
"I want you all to know that it was you who made this a reality. I have missed Matt's presence onstage and in my personal life in a big way over the past few years, so I appreciate your honesty in our discussions. It did help me realize the decision to move forward with pursuing this. The fans have spoken and we have delivered!
"You true fans know that I'm a straight shooter, I say what I mean and mean what I say. And though I value your opinions greatly, you must believe that this is a decision that comes completely from the heart and is not motivated by anything other than what feels the best for ICED EARTH. This is the way that things have always been dealt with, for better or for worse, but always honestly and from the heart.
"Tim Owens is a great and talented singer and I wish the best for him and his future on a personal and professional level.
"There will be more news soon as to further developments and plans. This will push back the release of Part 2 a bit. Not because we couldn't be ready to record in time, but because of a new addition to Matt's family in early 2008!
"I am very happy to announce that ICED EARTH is truly BACK!"
Iced Earth died a little for me the day this statement come up. Ripper got fucked over big time, and as I said, you didn't speak to me Jon???
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...... That DVD is awesome though. :neverusethis:
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Tim's response;
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=87052
First off I would like to wish Jon Schaffer and the guys in ICED EARTH much success.
"Yes, this [Owens' dismissal from ICED EARTH] all was just horrible timing, and I don't think it was handled in the best way, coming two weeks before Christmas! But it is the best for me and ICED EARTH.
"I really need to move on and do other things. I really want to get BEYOND FEAR out there and I'm working on some other projects as well.
"Things happen for a reason, and yes, the winds of change are upon us and that is what I needed!
"The one thing I ask is to just leave it all alone.
"I would like from this moment on to leave ICED EARTH in the past and move forward, so I will no longer discuss IE!
"Like I said, I wish Jon and his family and the guys in IE the best of luck and a merry Christmas... Now let's move on and talk about the future!
"Thank you and keep it heavy."
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...... That DVD is awesome though. :neverusethis:
Yes, and much better than the shit they are about to release.
Hopefully Jon calls me regarding Stu and I can tell him Ripper is missed. ;D
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I was joking since the DVD he promised wasn't really what Festivals was. He said proper filmed DVD, and these were just a few shows with the same set list filmed for TV.
I guess four years is long enough to not discuss Iced Earth since he's going to be performing a 2 hour set with IE material in it.
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I was joking
I don't care. It still will be better than this new pile of shit. :facepalm:
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I can't argue that.
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I can't argue that.
No you can't. I'm sure Jon will though.
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"This is the most killerest best sounding live record we've ever done. "Stu has more energy than anyone ever had ever. He is the bestest killerest wickest thing to ever happen to Iced Earth."
1 year later
"The winds of change are upon us yet again"
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:lol
Really, that's so scary because that could actually be a real possibility of happening.
(https://www.faceculture.com/images/artists/599.jpg)
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Best jon pic ever.
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I also found this one which is pretty good too;
(https://www.metalnewsonline.com/hearevil/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/icedearth1.jpg)
Dammit? The link must be broken.
You'll have to click here to see it
https://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=jon+schaffer&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=587&tbm=isch&tbnid=3zmJqBwY3M-XRM:&imgrefurl=https://hearevil.com/happy-metal-birthdays-march-15&docid=SB8GLsT4kC8b5M&imgurl=https://hearevil.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/icedearth1.jpg&w=233&h=325&ei=4w5JUZmHCtC0iQfcxYHwCg&zoom=1&ved=0CFsQrQMwAw
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Wow, he's totally wasted in that pic.
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The funny thing is, it's the fourth pic that comes up on google images when you type in 'jon schaffer.' :lol
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Exactly, he sounds goofy, and really sounds like a try hard. Watching more of the Wacken performance last night, I'm still amazed at how good Ripper fitted with the bands sound, and especially on the old material, he just made it work really well. Him trying to sound like Barlow would have been a train wreck, and I don't understand why Ripper was Ripper but Stu has to be like Barlow.
I just laugh back at the whole Ripper era. Jon was all like "Ripper is the voice I've been hearing all along with Iced Earth music." "Holy fuck." I thought. Then they released the Reckoning, and it was like "Shit, this isn't Barlow but it pretty fucking good." The two album Ripper did were really good and for the band to come back after losing Barlow like that was incredible and props to Tim.
Then Jon comes out with "I've spoken to the fans and they all want Barlow back." Really Jon, I never recieved your phone call. I would have gladly told you otherwise. Since that point Iced Earth has become redundant IMO, and that move has blown up in Jon's face, and Stu isn't putting this band back at where they were in 2004/2005.
I agree Ripper was a pretty damn good fit but I didn't like the Something Wicked albums at all. That is why the fan interest was lessening, IMO...not because of Ripper.
Ripper never had very good stage presence and right from the start Ripper wasn't too impressed with Jon Schaeffer's attitude. Right off the bat, Jon was being defensive of being the only consistent band member and that he had written all the music and lyrics. He kept saying that Ripper wasn't a songwriter. Well, Glorious Burden was recorded with Ripper coming in at the last minute so he only had time to write lyrics for one song. Jon offered him the other Barlow songs but Ripper said that was too much in too short of a time. Then Something Wicked came and that was all Schaeffer's thing so again, Ripper didn't have anything to add and Jon used the excuse that Ripper isn't a writer.
Pretty shitty. Barlow came back and I bought the album they did but it really didn't do anything for me and I thought...."Holy crap, I might be done with IE"
Then Barlow left and I was like, "Well....yeah, thats all I needed was one last reason to not give a crap."
For the record I actually like Sons of Liberty for the MUSIC....the lyrics were dumb and paranoid but I could look past it because I really dug the music.
Then again, I got it as a free download and when he released the second one I was like, "Meh....don't wanna spend the cash to support a weird conspiracy theory"
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I guess he didn't have faith in Ripper to write any good lyrics for Something Wicked although I don't blame him. That's probably it considering Matt wrote half the lyrics on Crucible.
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Exactly, he sounds goofy, and really sounds like a try hard. Watching more of the Wacken performance last night, I'm still amazed at how good Ripper fitted with the bands sound, and especially on the old material, he just made it work really well. Him trying to sound like Barlow would have been a train wreck, and I don't understand why Ripper was Ripper but Stu has to be like Barlow.
I just laugh back at the whole Ripper era. Jon was all like "Ripper is the voice I've been hearing all along with Iced Earth music." "Holy fuck." I thought. Then they released the Reckoning, and it was like "Shit, this isn't Barlow but it pretty fucking good." The two album Ripper did were really good and for the band to come back after losing Barlow like that was incredible and props to Tim.
Then Jon comes out with "I've spoken to the fans and they all want Barlow back." Really Jon, I never recieved your phone call. I would have gladly told you otherwise. Since that point Iced Earth has become redundant IMO, and that move has blown up in Jon's face, and Stu isn't putting this band back at where they were in 2004/2005.
I agree Ripper was a pretty damn good fit but I didn't like the Something Wicked albums at all. That is why the fan interest was lessening, IMO...not because of Ripper.
Ripper never had very good stage presence and right from the start Ripper wasn't too impressed with Jon Schaeffer's attitude. Right off the bat, Jon was being defensive of being the only consistent band member and that he had written all the music and lyrics. He kept saying that Ripper wasn't a songwriter. Well, Glorious Burden was recorded with Ripper coming in at the last minute so he only had time to write lyrics for one song. Jon offered him the other Barlow songs but Ripper said that was too much in too short of a time. Then Something Wicked came and that was all Schaeffer's thing so again, Ripper didn't have anything to add and Jon used the excuse that Ripper isn't a writer.
Pretty shitty. Barlow came back and I bought the album they did but it really didn't do anything for me and I thought...."Holy crap, I might be done with IE"
Then Barlow left and I was like, "Well....yeah, thats all I needed was one last reason to not give a crap."
For the record I actually like Sons of Liberty for the MUSIC....the lyrics were dumb and paranoid but I could look past it because I really dug the music.
Then again, I got it as a free download and when he released the second one I was like, "Meh....don't wanna spend the cash to support a weird conspiracy theory"
I agree with most of this dude, you made a lot of good points.
But really, FA could possibly be my fav Iced Earth record, and COM, is by far their weakest for me, I just find nothing redeeming about it at all. But I don't think Ripper could have saved it.
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Weaker than Dystopia? Come What May is better than the entirety of Dystopia.
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But really, FA could possibly be my fav Iced Earth record, and COM, is by far their weakest for me, I just find nothing redeeming about it at all. But I don't think Ripper could have saved it.
I will need to go back to and listen to both those albums. I do love the song A Charge to Keep. It really reminds me of Glorious Burden (which is when I was at my height of love for Iced Earth due to being a history teacher and that I love Ripper and was bummed he was out of Priest)
By the way, I only started reading this thread in the last few days and haven't gone through all the pages but have you guys discussed Sons of Liberty? What about Unearthed (which Gene Adam and some other members of the original Iced Earth lineup were in)?
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Sons of Liberty is horrible and Unearthed from what I remember was pretty bad too. End of discussion :neverusethis:
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Framing Armageddon Round 1 is online!
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Sons of Liberty is horrible and Unearthed from what I remember was pretty bad too. End of discussion :neverusethis:
The Unearthed album was not very good but I liked the two demos they released.
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I was unaware they made it that far as to release an album, but now Gene as all Christified so we wont be hearing any metal from him anymore.
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I was unaware they made it that far as to release an album, but now Gene as all Christified so we wont be hearing any metal from him anymore.
Yes he left before they recorded the album. I think the guitarist took over the vocals and it is pretty much death metal style.
BTW, I was the one asshole that voted for Gene as the best vocalist. I don't honestly think that, though I do like his style.
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Weaker than Dystopia? Come What May is better than the entirety of Dystopia.
Yeah, I really can't get into it at all.
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I was listening to TGB the other day - and it's a decent album, not great- and Ripper just sounds like a generic metal singer to me... then he unleashes those high pitched screamy bits and he becomes awesome.
I've never rated Ripper really, but that's more to do with the material I've heard him on than any fault of his vocal ability.
I've never heard Stu in his previous job so can't comment on him not sounding like himself. He is certainly trying to do a Matt voice in IE but it's fine as far as I'm concerned.
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Although I have zero interest in Iced Earth anymore, it still appears that Schaffer knows how to put together a live album. On paper, that's a great live album, even with the more recent tracks.
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By the way, I only started reading this thread in the last few days and haven't gone through all the pages but have you guys discussed Sons of Liberty? What about Unearthed (which Gene Adam and some other members of the original Iced Earth lineup were in)?
Somewhere in this thread there is a post talking about some Iced Earth dates where Sons of Liberty were the opener, and since that meant that the opener was Iced Earth minus Matt Barlow, did that mean the changeover would consist of Matt just walking out on stage.
To me that sums up the silliness of Sons of Liberty perfectly. :lol
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By the way, I only started reading this thread in the last few days and haven't gone through all the pages but have you guys discussed Sons of Liberty? What about Unearthed (which Gene Adam and some other members of the original Iced Earth lineup were in)?
Somewhere in this thread there is a post talking about some Iced Earth dates where Sons of Liberty were the opener, and since that meant that the opener was Iced Earth minus Matt Barlow, did that mean the changeover would consist of Matt just walking out on stage.
To me that sums up the silliness of Sons of Liberty perfectly. :lol
Have you seen any videos on youtube? It was disastrous. Jon didn't play guitar so he had nothing to do on stage. Between songs he would rant about the government and just ramble. He had a huge "Don't Tread on Me" flag and so he had something to do he just waved it around like he was in the color guard.
I still dig the music though.
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You know, I figured he would have played guitar. That makes it even crazier. :lol
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SLAVERY!
I once thought Schaffer would make a great thrash metal vocalist. Then I heard Sons of Liberty.
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I was stupid enough to pay money for the SOL CD, and I don't think I have ever made it through the whole thing once.
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I almost bought a used copy just for the hell of it. I'm glad I decided against it.
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Zook, if you find a cheap copy or download it for free, give it a listen. It sounds a little bit like a less melodic Iced Earth. I can't believe NO ONE likes it. I'll be honest, I'm pretty left wing but even I like it.
Now I'm going to shit on everything I just said because I will give you the examples that make this band a joke.
Listen to Jon work the crowd. He actually sounds kinda nervous. I bet hes thinking, "God I should really just say, 'ARE YA HAVING A GOOOOOOD TIIIIME TONIIIGHT?!?!?!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_1G8Yq7L9k
You ready for the color guard? I think the marching band at the high school I went to did a similar routine with the flags.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4waJOEvdF_8
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Actually, there was more going on in Don't Tread on Me than anything on Dystopia. Still, (and I have sampled the album a couple years ago) the lyrics are terrible, and Jon just doesn't cut it as a singer. And besides the above song, the other ones were meh musically.
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The only half-decent thing about Sons of Liberty is that Schaffer was wise enough to keep most of his batshit ideology from seeping into Iced Earth. I mean, it's definitely there, but at least he didn't put the Iced Earth brand on those songs.
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Fuck it gets worse. Click and go down for a stream of I Died For You.
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=187940
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What's worse than that is the comments saying how great he sounds.
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What's worse than that is the comments saying how great he sounds.
Yeah I did read those. What did you seriously think of that? I thought it was a trainwreck really. Don't know what he was doing in the verses and the choruses and especially the highs were really weak.
Much worse than Damien.
I wonder how Tim sounded on I Died for You, considering they played it with him.
EDIT: Can't find a version with Tim, they mustn't have played it with him.
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I'll say one positive thing - Dream Theater could learn a lot from Iced Earth when it comes to reminding the world you'll have a DVD out shortly.
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...
:justjen
for a live performance it sounds ok to me. Guess we're gonna have to agree to disagree ;D
The band don't sound powerful at all. The vocals are fine to me.
I guess one of us will be picking this up.
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The thing is, I'll still spend my money on this, despite how much I bitch about it.
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Not me. My Iced Earth collection is strictly CDs. And I didn't think Stu was half bad in the verses, but the choruses were back to goofytown. It sounds like he's doing a purposly shitty Barlow to make fun of him. Yeah, his highs might be great in Into Eternity, but not in Iced Earth.
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Ugh, yeah that does sound goofy
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Not me. My Iced Earth collection is strictly CDs. And I didn't think Stu was half bad in the verses, but the choruses were back to goofytown. It sounds like he's doing a purposly shitty Barlow to make fun of him. Yeah, his highs might be great in Into Eternity, but not in Iced Earth.
I have most stuff but I haven't got the Gettysburg DVD. What the fuck was the point of that DVD? :facepalm:
Yeah, he sounds goofy as fuck. I personally didn't like the verses either.
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I think Jon hasn't got a direction anymore.. he seems to be going with the flow... and tries to control everything... he is like micro-manager rather than a leader... so.... :-\
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Don't forget to vote in the survivor.
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*runs*
edit: couldn't find the latest poll... all seem to have closed... :huh:
is there a round 7 yet?
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I'm still deciding what to do. There's a three way tie. Restart? Can I restart a closed poll?
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:caffeine:
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Round 8 is up. If the voting for this album is this scarce, Are we going to have any voters for the last two?
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The next one will be hard for me but I will definitely be voting, pretty familiar with Dystopia too.
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Round 8 is up. If the voting for this album is this scarce, Are we going to have any voters for the last two?
sorry, I had to bow out a long time ago
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BREAK THE TIE, FOOLS!
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=36490.0
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Already votedah!!!
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Not me. My Iced Earth collection is strictly CDs. And I didn't think Stu was half bad in the verses, but the choruses were back to goofytown. It sounds like he's doing a purposly shitty Barlow to make fun of him. Yeah, his highs might be great in Into Eternity, but not in Iced Earth.
I have most stuff but I haven't got the Gettysburg DVD. What the fuck was the point of that DVD? :facepalm:
Yeah, he sounds goofy as fuck. I personally didn't like the verses either.
I don't know what I was expecting but I sure was disappointed when I got the DVD and it was just a bunch of projected images over the music playing.
The tour of Gettysburg was pretty bad also. Cheap ass mics and the tour guide kept saying, "Think about that."
Well, Jon did and now he thinks it was all a conspiracy to tax the citizens more (probably)
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No matter how cheesy it may have been, I would have preferred an actual music video with reenactments going along with the music. Someone on YouTube took scenes from the movie Gettysburg and did this, but they don't always line up.
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I just bought the Melancholy EP and Tribute to the Gods online in mp3 format since I never really cared to own the cd's. Man, I have only listened to Melancholy but their cover versions are shit. What the hell is Tribute gonna be like.
EDIT: The Ripper isn't too bad, but not excellent.
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Tribute was pretty much Jon saying "we owe Century Media one more album, so fuck it, let's half ass a bunch of covers and then go to a label that is worth me working for because, fuck Century Media!"
Funny how that turned out... :rollin
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Wow, can't wait to listen to it then. :lol
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I got it when I bought the Dark Genesis box set to get the early IE albums, so I just treated it as a bonus disc, but I can't imagine how someone who bought it separately reacted. When Cradle of Filth does a better version of Hallowed Be Thy Name than Iced Earth, you know you have issues.
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You're crazy, Wolfking. The Melancholy covers are awesome. The Tribute to the Gods covers are shit.
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You're crazy, Wolfking. The Melancholy covers are awesome. The Tribute to the Gods covers are shit.
As I said, The Ripper was okay, but the other two were crap. I don't know what the hell Matt was trying to do in Electric Funeral.
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I assume it was sing like a bad ass.
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I assume it was sing like a bad ass.
It didn't work.
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I've heard all the originals and I think Iced Earth's versions of the Melancholy covers are all superior. The Ripper is kind of even I guess.
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I've heard all the originals and I think Iced Earth's versions of the Melancholy covers are all superior. The Ripper is kind of even I guess.
(https://www.culture-games.com/wp-content/uploads/post/wtf-am-i-reading.jpg)
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Usually when someone hears the cover first, they always think it's better than the original. IE's Electric Funeral is more metal and has more power than the original. I also think that Fozzy's cover of Where Eagles Dare is superior.
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I can understand if the covers were the first version you hear. I need to check that Fozzy cover.
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After listening to a couple of tracks from Tribute, they are, well, average. Technically, they are performed fine, but they are just a bit stiff and Jon should have spent some time to find some more appropriate guitar tones. And Matt simply is not a cover singer. He's okay on some of these but his vocals are so unique they just sound wrong on covers IMO.
I must say that Black Sabbath and Hallowed are pretty terrible.
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My step dad thought I was listening to Kiss when he first heard me playing Iced Earth.
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My step dad thought I was listening to Kiss when he first heard me playing Iced Earth.
My wife thought I was talking about Iced Mocha when she heard me talking about Iced Earth.
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Stormrider's out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmGXw3pg1j0&feature=player_embedded
I still don't like the mix much, but I can't tell why.
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Stormrider's out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmGXw3pg1j0&feature=player_embedded
I still don't like the mix much, but I can't tell why.
There's no bass to it, I think that's the problem. And the guitars sound too "perfect" and pretty sounding. It lacks power.
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Yeah, again it just sounds so thin and weak, not heavy at all.
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Everything sounds so sterile. You could operate safely on someone with this mix.
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You what this live DVD doesn't sound?
LIVE
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I lol'ed at Jon moving to the middle of the stage for the song. I don't know why, it just made me laugh.
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You what this live DVD doesn't sound?
LIVE
Well live shows generally sound like shit when recorded.. so I think it has the potential to sound LIVE.
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I'm actually re-considering buying this. Depends on the price I guess, if it's overpriced I might even wait until it becomes cheaper, it's sad, I really do not care about this release whatsoever.
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I'm actually re-considering buying this. Depends on the price I guess, if it's overpriced I might even wait until it becomes cheaper, it's sad, I really do not care about this release whatsoever.
Even the Bluray + DVD + CD pack from CMDistro was priced fairly, I thought. $22.
https://www.cmdistro.com/Item/Iced_Earth_-_Live_In_Ancient_Kourion_-ltd._BluRay+DVD+2CD-_-COMING_SOON-/44895
Though there's shipping involved I'm sure.
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You what this live DVD doesn't sound?
LIVE
Well live shows generally sound like shit when recorded.. so I think it has the potential to sound LIVE.
Have you heard the 2002 Gothenburg radio bootleg? Minus Schaffer's mic being really low in the mix, it sounds fantastic.
Example. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSg_LzGXeA8)
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I'm not touching this DVD with a ten foot pole. It sounds like a studio CD at half volume with no bottom end whatsoever. Unless the mix is an artifact of being put on youtube, this doesn't sound the slightest bit live at all.
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I'm actually re-considering buying this. Depends on the price I guess, if it's overpriced I might even wait until it becomes cheaper, it's sad, I really do not care about this release whatsoever.
Even the Bluray + DVD + CD pack from CMDistro was priced fairly, I thought. $22.
https://www.cmdistro.com/Item/Iced_Earth_-_Live_In_Ancient_Kourion_-ltd._BluRay+DVD+2CD-_-COMING_SOON-/44895
Though there's shipping involved I'm sure.
Yeah that's not bad, but CMDistro kill me with shipping where I am.
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Fuck this live album blows. The production is muddied yet polished to the point where it sounds like a studio album, and the songs sound slowed down and just boring. Live Iced Earth songs should NOT sound boring. Also, if you're only going insert the crowd in mellow sections, just keep them out. Fuck this is terrible.
"Fire him, that's all you have to do."
"Fire Stu?"
"He's a risk. And fire Troy as well."
.... WHY ARE YOU SINGING IN YOUR CRAPPY BARLOW VOICE AND YOUR OWN VOICE ON DRACULA?? PICK ONE YOU FOOL!
He's even forcing Barlow on Ten Thousand Strong.... WHY?! WHY?!
(https://i52.tinypic.com/ds1fd.png)
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Whatever good faith IE built with Dystopia-and fuck knows that wasn't much-has been utterly destroyed by this disaster of a "live" release. That's it, Jon, I'm done. At long last, I don't care if Charlie Brown kicks the fucking football or not. Because he's going to sound like Matt Barlow doing it.
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Great rant. I haven't heard it yet but this is pretty much what I would have thought.
He's even forcing Barlow on Ten Thousand Strong.... WHY?! WHY?!
This is funny, can't wait to hear that, Barlow was fucking terrible on this.
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At least Barlow wasn't trying to sound like Ripper. That would have been funny. I just don't understand. Stu could easily sing all Iced Earth's songs in his own voice, and he even does on Ten Thousand Strong, but then he randomly starts doing Tough Barlow within and it just sounds awful. WTF? Same with Dracula. he mixes up the voices in the pre-chorus and is sounds fucking ridiculous. Stu Block is indeed the final nail in the coffin for Iced Earth.
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Ouch!
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I'm giving this band one last chance with their new album. If Stu still sounds stupid as shit and Jon just writes another Loltopia, then I'm done. I still have the older albums, and I'm still deciding whether I should even keep Loltopia. I think The Crucible of Man is a good album to end their career. Hopefully Ashes of Ares turns out to be good. Freddie is an awesome bassist, and well, Matt Fucking Barlow.
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Yeah, we'll see, hopefully Jon will learn sooner or later. Again, just proves my point that the worst decision Jon ever made was fire Tim.
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Let's start a couple petitions.
1. Get Tim back in Iced Earth.
2. Fire Troy.
Remember, Jon listens to the people.
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I just don't get it. You have an amazing vocalist in Stu Block-I saw Into Eternity open for Nevermore and Opeth and his live cleans were fucking AMAZING-and you force him to sound like this? How delusional has Schaffer gotten? I really wish Stu would leave after saying "you know what, fuck this, this isn't my voice and I'm not interested in sounding like your old singer anymore." But I get the sense that he's HAPPY to be in Iced Earth.
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Yeah, I'd love to know what Stu thinks of his own performances.
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"They're the killerest."
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Let's start a couple petitions.
1. Get Tim back in Iced Earth.
2. Fire Troy.
Remember, Jon listens to the people.
Yes, but he didn't ask me.
I'm all for both of these though, Troy is possibly the worst guitarist in the world. I feel confident in saying I could replace Troy right now without knowing all the songs and still pull off a better performance.
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"They're the killerest."
:lol
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You how Stu sounds live? Like he's singing with food in his mouth. He's like Scott Stapp all over again.
I'd rather listen to Gene Adam screech for an hour than hear Stu do his Barlow voice.
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I'm giving this band one last chance with their new album. If Stu still sounds stupid as shit and Jon just writes another Loltopia, then I'm done. I still have the older albums, and I'm still deciding whether I should even keep Loltopia. I think The Crucible of Man is a good album to end their career. Hopefully Ashes of Ares turns out to be good. Freddie is an awesome bassist, and well, Matt Fucking Barlow.
Speaking of Ashes of Ares, they announced last week that they'd signed onto Nuclear Blast Records and were going to release their debut album late summer/early fall. Jim Morris is producing.
I should also note that Freddie's not only the bassist, he's the guitarist for AoA too. He actually took a lesson or two recently from Ralph Santolla (lol also formerly of Iced Earth) to further improve his skills and bought a seven string guitar. Should be very interesting to see what Freddie whips up musically. He may just be an even better guitarist than he is a bassist. :metal
As far as Stu goes... I completely agree that his Barlow voice doesn't work. However, I actually talked to the guy a number of times on Facebook before Dystopia came out and he was nothing but a total gent to me, and even answered various questions I asked him about the album and just other stuff in general. Then when I saw the band live last year in Raleigh, he recognized me from Facebook when I met the band. So it's weird for me. I think the guy is a total class act, and I know he really loves Iced Earth. I just wish Jon would let him sing the songs in his own natural range. It's especially unnecessary for the Night of the Stormrider material. Those songs would sound KILLER if Stu sang 'em the way he sings Ten Thousand Strong and Independence Day.
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I think the guy is a total class act, and I know he really loves Iced Earth. I just wish Jon would let him sing the songs in his own natural range.
Yup.
He's a bit of an airhead too but it's kind of cute I guess.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO21sYoST2c
Man, he even sounds shit on his own songs, and fuck how slow is this. Troy actually played alright here though.
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https://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/i_2/iced-earth-live-in.htm
While the band was never aiming for long or very technical solos, Troy Seele when he is not following Schaffer in the rhythm madness is doing a terrific job playing the old solos with his own style while respecting the craftsmanship of Shawver and Tarnowsky and delivering his own with great passion
The production of the record is raw, probably being processed as little as possible but it could fit a bit of additional dynamics
The band is doing some minor mistakes but nothing that one would spot on the first listening - except maybe some small troubles in Stu's voice. Keep in mind though that their songs are demanding; not only because of their vocal range but because of continuous parts where the singer doesn't have time to breathe (check "Dracula" which is an extremely demanding song).
Wow, just wow. Is it just me or did Tim pretty much own Dracula live and sounded amazing through the whole thing?
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I listened to Dracula and it sounded pretty good except for the Barlow-voice thing. My problem isn't that Stu struggles with the songs sometimes, that is a regular thing, and he knows how to get out of it; my problem is just that he doesn't sound like himself most of the time. But yeah I'm essentially just repeating that every time I step into the thread so I'll just shush now and wait for the new Into Eternity album :lol
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Just watching a boot now of Dracula from Stu and it sounds pretty horrid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZutHeXRqkU
Yet Tim sings it like Tim and it sounds unreal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5siZU4pAPY
Barlow is awesome here too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNE5fJ2hPPw
So that review defending Stu on that song doesn't wash with me.
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There are parts of Stu's vocals that I like. But he just seems all over the place and inconsistent. I definitely won't get this live release.
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I was wondering if anyone here was interested in doing a Top 25 Iced Earth Songs thread? Thoughts?
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There are parts of Stu's vocals that I like. But he just seems all over the place and inconsistent. I definitely won't get this live release.
Yeah, exactly, he definitely is just all ovefr the place, good description.
I was wondering if anyone here was interested in doing a Top 25 Iced Earth Songs thread? Thoughts?
Sounds like a hoot.
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Sounds like a hoot.
Can't tell if sarcasm.
I was wondering if anyone here was interested in doing a Top 25 Iced Earth Songs thread? Thoughts?
Yeah, I'd be all for it, but I'm doing the survivor right now.
And Stu is a great guy, but he just doesn't work in Iced Earth.
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Can't tell if sarcasm. Yeah, I'd be all for it, but I'm doing the survivor right now.
And Stu is a great guy, but he just doesn't work in Iced Earth.
Eh, I think Stu could work wonderfully in Iced Earth. I remember listening to a lot of Into Eternity songs after he was first announced as the new singer, and I could hear a lot of potential in him. Like I said, he'd kill on the Stormrider material if he just sang it like he sings the Ripper material. I'm guessing Jon developed a mentality that any singer in the band had to sound like Matt after the negative backlash Ripper got from a lot of fans.
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Although a great vocalist, Stu lacks the power and ferocity that Ripper and Barlow had.
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I could see how that could come across sarcastic but I was serious. :lol
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I was wondering if anyone here was interested in doing a Top 25 Iced Earth Songs thread? Thoughts?
I think I did one a while back.
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Can't tell if sarcasm. Yeah, I'd be all for it, but I'm doing the survivor right now.
And Stu is a great guy, but he just doesn't work in Iced Earth.
Eh, I think Stu could work wonderfully in Iced Earth. I remember listening to a lot of Into Eternity songs after he was first announced as the new singer, and I could hear a lot of potential in him. Like I said, he'd kill on the Stormrider material if he just sang it like he sings the Ripper material. I'm guessing Jon developed a mentality that any singer in the band had to sound like Matt after the negative backlash Ripper got from a lot of fans.
Yup.
I watched the DVD yesterday at a friend's house and once we skip the whole "Stu sings like Matt" issue, which honestly I've just gotten used to, I find plenty of positives in his performance; I love his falsetto, and his stamina (he was only visibly tired during Anthem and Declaration Day), and when his natural middle range breaks through (like in When The Night Falls, or some parts of Wolf, Damien, Dante and similar), my face goes all ":3" because I just adore his voice in Into Eternity. I also fairly like him as a frontman, he's got the "BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF METAL WE STAND UNITED"-thing nailed down, but also the "this whole imagery is kind of goofy, let's be a little silly, okay"-thing nailed down.
It's just that there is only one Matt Barlow and his name is not Stu Block.
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https://www.bravewords.com/hardwares/1002366
Even though mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer and drummer Brent Smedley are the only returnees, there must have been sort of a déjŕ vu moment, in recording another live album/DVD in the Aegean region (temperatures in Cyprus topping 100). Listening to the audio portion, on headphones (guitars recorded on separate channels), there are moments where one forgets Matt Barlow is no longer in the band. Singer Stu Block stamps his own brand on the massive length set (24 songs on two CDs, complete with pre-recorded intros), covering all aspects of Schaffer’s vision, and the vocal gymnastics, from bellow to sustained high pitch within seconds, is something of a marvel. In addition to the expected hits (‘Angels Holocaust’, ‘Stormrider’), there’s the long forgotten (especially on these shores) and rarely aired: entirety of ‘Dante’s Inferno’ and the tumultuous half-decade of the Barlow-Owens-Barlow carousel, surrounding the Something Wicked concept albums. Six selections from Dystopia are also included. Even though it’s almost fifteen years since Alive In Athens, about half that content is reprises here and from the five studio albums since, only ‘Declaration Day’ comes off The Glorious Burden, an album still viewed with askance overseas. While a few Barlow classics, either penned during his tenure, or songs identified with him, like ‘Travel In Stygian’, ‘Last December’ and ‘Vengeance Is Mine’ are absent, the show was already 2 ˝ hours long and all are available on the earlier live package.
It easy to see/hear why Schaffer picked this locale, apart from the rustic historical setting, the fans go ape from word one, even singing the guitar melodies during instrumental bits. Of course that’s not the only place on the globe where that happens, but the exclusivity virtually guaranteed an over-the-top response. With a trip around the kit, staccato riffs and explosion of pyro, a rousing ‘Dystopia’ opens the chaos. Tolling bells and audience sing-alongs greet ‘Burning Times’, but by the aforementioned ‘Angels’s Holocaust’ the crowd’s unamplified voice rivals the band’s sound level. Block does an admirable job with crowd direction and minimal between song banter. No need to waste long wind-ups on non-native English speaking throng. ‘When The Night Falls’ shows a more emotive side, even morseo than ‘I Died For You’, which follows. Block screams are piercing and powerful, particularly on ‘V’, ‘Dracula’ and ‘Days Of Rage’. The pre-recorded chanting (‘Invasion’) and invading noisescape (‘Motivation Of Man’) that precede ‘Setian Massacre’ on disc, are reprised here, as are the backing tapes in the 18:03 ‘Dante’s Inferno’. With a trio of Dystopia material, ‘Damien’ and the massive ‘Inferno’ amongst the ten proper tunes on the second disc (also the encore introduction and 87 second, acoustic ‘In Sacred Flames’), definitely the weaker sister of the two, but ‘Melancholy’, ‘Watching Over Me’ and the concluding pair are some of the most recognizable ICED EARTH material. Although they typically end with their signature tune, Schaffer reappears afterwards, talks to the crowd (“Two and a half hours isn’t enough for you?”), before offering ‘The Hunter’, as a second (unscripted?) encore. Maybe this one should have been a triple disc too! Now it seems time for a tour with The Dark Saga in its entirety.
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I don't think I've ever seen Brave Words, at least on the website, give an album lower than a 6 in a decade. :lol
Slight exaggeration, but they rarely seem to post negative reviews online.
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That review is too kind.
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That review is too kind.
It sure is.
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The Crucible of Man Survivor now up.
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I checked out some fan-taped videos of "I died for you" on youtube from the same evening they recorded the dvd, and compared it to the released CD-version.
Not allways that noticable, but alot of the vocals are defenitely overdubbed.. Probably some of Troys guitar as well.
Shocker! :eek :coolio
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Well Stu probably wouldn't have to overdub his vocals if he sang in his own voice.
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Been listening to the live-CD on Spotify for a couple of days now.
My thoughts:
- On some songs Stu sounds very good. Dante´s Inferno, Wolf, Ten Thousand Strong and some other songs comes to mind.
The growling on the phrase "Open wide the gates" on Dante´s Inferno was awesome, and so unexpected.
The playing is in general very good, and the mix isn´t bugging me so much after a couple of listens.
- Brent Smedley is a beast. Sure, he plays a bit stiff, like a machine.. especially on the tracks when they use background-tracks (Dante´s Inferno, Burning Times etc..). However, he is tight as hell (and the only person that isn´t obviously overdubbed.. i´ll come back to this later).
However, there are a lot of negative things to point out, especially on the DVD.
- I don´t mind a couple of overdubs here and there on a live-album, just to make a finishing touch on the product. However, on this release it´s so obvious there are overdubs all over the place, it isn´t funny!
Example: When Troy is playing rhythm-parts, it´s obvious that they have just deleted Troys parts and doubled Schaffer´s guitar tracks. Wolf is a very good example of this. You can clearly see that Troy is just strumming power-chords on some occasions, while you are hearing the chugging rhythm. The stereo-rhythm track is in general so tight it wouldn ´t be humanly possible that the audio would be coming from two different guitar-players.
I would guess that 50% (or more) of the vocals are overdubbed as well. On the DVD, you can clearly hear that Stu is phrasing some lines differently than the video shows. This happens a lot. Some of the time, it seems that the audio and video aren´t completely synced, something that probably is because most of the band (except the drums) are overdubbed.
- Someone else pointed out the worst thing about the audio on the DVD and CD: THIS DOESEN´T SOUND LIKE A LIVE-RECORDING! The crowd-noises are mostly non-excitant, and the band sounds like they´re playing in the studio (and they probably are...). It´s painful to watch Stu engaging the crowd on instrumental-passages. You can see the crowd roaring, fists in the air - in general, the crowd going nuts. BUT YOU CAN´T HEAR THEM!! WTF?? :tdwn
- As i stated earlier, Stu sounds OK on a lot of songs. However, he is definitely overdubbed all over the place, and in general he sounds constipated. Really! He sounds like he´s got the largest turd stuck up his colon.. His falsetto, growling and the occasional "normal" mid-range-vocal saves some parts, but in general it sounds like crap..
Yeah, that´s my reflection after watching the DVD.
Conclusion: The CD has its moments, while the DVD sucks.. :sadpanda:
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Example: When Troy is playing rhythm-parts, it´s obvious that they have just deleted Troys parts and doubled Schaffer´s guitar tracks. Wolf is a very good example of this. You can clearly see that Troy is just strumming power-chords on some occasions, while you are hearing the chugging rhythm. The stereo-rhythm track is in general so tight it wouldn ´t be humanly possible that the audio would be coming from two different guitar-players.
I'm not sure that any lead player that has been in Iced Earth has been able to double Schaffer's ryhthm. Larry is a prime example on AIA. Jon's rhythms are very difficult to keep up with. I'm an okay guitarist, but have trouble with some of the triplet stuff.
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So I guess it's safe to assume Alive in Athens got the same treatment. At least that one sounds live and, well, good.
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So I guess it's safe to assume Alive in Athens got the same treatment. At least that one sounds live and, well, good.
I always thought so. Both rhythms channels were way too tight to be two guitarists. I have always thought it's Jon just tracked the other channel in the studio, or in some cases the rhythms are just split across both.
Plus you can see on Athens that Larry is doing the same thing that aurorablind said Troy was doing.
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I don't know, I never fully watched the AiA DVD because of how shittily put together it was.
As long as it sounds authentic, which it does, I'll just keep pretending it is. Besides, having The Suffering removed from the DVD makes me think it may have been the worst of the overdubs, and those songs are so amazing live, I don't want it to be true, so pretend I must.
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(https://learnwordlist.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/gre-prep-not.jpg)
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Quiet you!
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BREAKING NEWS!
From the IE-Facebook page:
Horns Up brothers and sisters!
I just wanted to write to you on behalf of myself, and the band, to say thank you for the amazing growth that has been taking place on the Official Iced Earth Facebook Page. We have reached 300,000 likes in a very short time and there appears to be no end in sight.
Since we have this special occasion, I thought I might share some exclusive news with you guys, right here, straight from the source:
... The new ICED EARTH studio album is expected to have an October 2013 release date. It will be titled “PLAGUES OF BABYLON” and we are very excited about how killer things are sounding this early in the writing/demo process. Below are some of the song titles that will appear on the album.
1.) Plagues of Babylon
2.) Democide
3.) Among The Living Dead
4.) The Resistance
5.) If I Could See You
6.) Peacemaker
7.) Cthulhu
8.) Parasite
I expect this album will be something very special!
Stay tuned to this page for breaking news about ICED EARTH’s mega-packed schedule and coming tour dates. You will hear it here first!
Thanks again for your continued support of the band! We love you guys!
Take care,
Jon Schaffer
:metal
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:omg: :metal I really enjoyed Dystopia. Absolutely cannot wait for this.
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I wish I could get excited about this. It sounds cool, but Stu Block. And not Stu Block, but Stu Block.
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^^^^^^^^ Pretty much.
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BREAKING NEWS!
From the IE-Facebook page:
Horns Up brothers and sisters!
I just wanted to write to you on behalf of myself, and the band, to say thank you for the amazing growth that has been taking place on the Official Iced Earth Facebook Page. We have reached 300,000 likes in a very short time and there appears to be no end in sight.
Since we have this special occasion, I thought I might share some exclusive news with you guys, right here, straight from the source:
... The new ICED EARTH studio album is expected to have an October 2013 release date. It will be titled “PLAGUES OF BABYLON” and we are very excited about how killer things are sounding this early in the writing/demo process. Below are some of the song titles that will appear on the album.
1.) Plagues of Babylon
2.) Democide
3.) Among The Living Dead
4.) The Resistance
5.) If I Could See You
6.) Peacemaker
7.) Cthulhu
8.) Parasite
I expect this album will be something very special!
Stay tuned to this page for breaking news about ICED EARTH’s mega-packed schedule and coming tour dates. You will hear it here first!
Thanks again for your continued support of the band! We love you guys!
Take care,
Jon Schaffer
:metal
Hope Stu sings in his more natural range. :metal
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Don't count on it bro.
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.t
Don't count on it bro.
I know, but I still wanna hope for the best.
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Plagues of Babylon? Well, I'm pumped. IE is one of my favorite bands, and I absolutely adore Stu's vocals, so I'm a happy camper right now. Bring on October!
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The concept sounds really cool. Maybe a concept album or themed album like Horror Show, but it's just Stu Block. He doesn't sound too bad on Dystopia, but his live performances are terrible. Maybe since he's part of the writing process this time around, this album might be more inspired and he might actually use more of his normal voice, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Even though Schaffer loves drastic changes within his band, I doubt Stu would ever drop the Barlow altogether, but one can only hope.
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The concept sounds really cool. Maybe a concept album or themed album like Horror Show, but it's just Stu Block. He doesn't sound too bad on Dystopia, but his live performances are terrible. Maybe since he's part of the writing process this time around, this album might be more inspired and he might actually use more of his normal voice, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Even though Schaffer loves drastic changes within his band, I doubt Stu would ever drop the Barlow altogether, but one can only hope.
He actually did a good bit of song-writing on Dystopia too, though it was only lyrics and vocal melodies. However, I do expect his contributions to the process to be larger this time around. He'd stated right when Dystopia came out that he was planning on taking guitar lessons to be able to contribute even more to future efforts.
I'm just hoping he gets to sing more like himself. He does have a natural deeper end to his voice, as demonstrated on "Sandstorm", so I'm hoping that he goes for that instead of sounding like Matt. :metal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dqhpCsCa00
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Picked up the DVD. I couldn't get a CD/DVD edition, but I don't care, I'm never going to listen to this anyway, the DVD was enough of my hard earned money spent.
Alright, I've flicked through a few songs and here are my thoughts on some tracks;
Dystopia - Straight up, the opening number from Dystopia leaves me disappointed. The whole song sounds overdubbed and the lack of crowd noise pisses me off. Way too polished and clean cut, and Stu sounds weak here IMO.
I Died For You - Stu sounds awful here, the Matt Barlow voice is in full swing. Too slow and Troy of course fucks up the melodies. Man, this guy sucks.
Invasion/MOM/SM - This is actually not too bad. It's not Ripper strong, but Stu sounds okay here and the performances are quite enjouyable. His screams are decent too, this is more like it.
Pure Evil - Again, Stu performs this quite well and the band are strong, things are looking up.
Anthem - Fucking Matt Barlow voice!!!!
Wolf - Oh dear, things went terribly wrong here. Overdubbed, terrible vocals and Troy I don't think is even playing.
Dracula - Not great, but not too bad.
Ten Thousand Strong - Screams aren't long enough and as bosk said, he goes back to that horrible voice.
Dante's Inferno - There were actually a couple of lines later on that I liked what Stu did, other than that, it's too slow, Jon changed some of the rhythms too much and by this point, Troy should have his guitar taken off of him, totally riuns the atmosphere in the solo section.
Overall, this isn't as bad as I thought., the FA, and the Stormrider stuff shows a bit of promise of Stu's natural voice. But really, it just seems he can never find that place where his voice fits in. He needs to sing everything more like these songs. He seems scared of the songs and really doubts himself I feel. Also, Troy really needs to be fired, some songs he makes it through but others are just embarrasing. Gonna watch more tonight.
Also, the crowd do get heard a bit more throughout the concert on some songs, and some songs do seem more live than others. Too polished, and really is nothing compared to AIA or Festivals.
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I can understand the "sing like Matt" thing on the old stuff, and to some extent to keep a similar vibe on the new stuff- so why not choose a singer who sings like that? Seems odd.
And for a band of the stature of IE to have a guitarist who isn't good enough to play the band's songs is a joke, especially as he's not the guy they "made it" with so it's not like it's a loyalty thing.
Strange decisions.
Still, I don't mind Stu's voice. I've not heard him in his old band and I certainly don't want him to start growling over IE stuff. Not seen the dvd though.
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Maybe Jon feels sorry for Troy or something.
Or maybe Jon knows he's never going to find a capable guitarist that's going to kiss his ass.
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I posted this on John Greely's facbook earlier today:
Hey John, thanks for the add. I'm glad I found you on here because I have something very important to ask you. It's crucial. It's been a mystery for over 20 years and I hope to solve it once and for all... But I need your help. I've been a fan of Iced Earth for 9 years and my first exposure to Night of the Stormrider was with Alive in Athens, so when I bought NOTS, it was a little weird hearing someone else tearing it up on vocals, but I wasn't used to line up changes with the music I was listening to at the time, especially vocalists. So as I was listening to the Thrash masterpiece, Angels Holocaust gets more intense, you're ripping the song a new one, and then "SPLATCH an angels holocaust" .... Wait, what? I look in the lyrics book to which it reads "fear the angels holocaust". I play back the song again and hear the same word. What the hell is splatch? I start thinking of possible words that sound similar that mean the same thing as fear, but I was stumped... As was the rest of the fan base. I've asked Matt Barlow, I've tried asking Stu Block, but he never got back to me, and of course Jon Schaffer is technologically illiterate so he doesn't even have a Facebook or other way of contacting him. BUT ALAS! I've found you, the man, John Greely, and if you haven't stop reading this a while ago, I hope you can put an end to the great Iced Earth mystery that is: "splatch". I also discovered yesterday that this wasn't an accident when recording because you say it live too! Help us Obi John KeGreely, you're our only hope. And thank you if you read that wall of bullshit I just typed that could have been cut to two sentences.. \m/ \m/
And his response:
Its splattered so now you know...as will everyone now I guess....hahahaha
The great Iced Earth mystery has been solved! Although I guess it was kind of obvious in a way. If there was a real word that sounded like "splatch", it would be Splattered. It makes you wonder why Jon didn't go into a rage when Greely changed the word.
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Cool that he got back to you.
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Annnnnnnnnnnnd Brent Smedley is out. One of the ninja turtles is taking his place.
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Annnnnnnnnnnnd Brent Smedley is out. One of the ninja turtles is taking his place.
Maybe MP needs a gig? :rollin
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Great news. His drumming has been soooo dull lately.
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Annnnnnnnnnnnd Brent Smedley is out.
Also, the Sun also rose today.
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lol
Anyone know anything about this Raphael guy?
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Well, he definitely knows how to play..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q6J__FC3NU
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Annnnnnnnnnnnd Brent Smedley is out. One of the ninja turtles is taking his place.
What happened this time?
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Well, he definitely knows how to play..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q6J__FC3NU
Yes, but Stu also knows how to sing, yet that hasn't helped the situation.
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Annnnnnnnnnnnd Brent Smedley is out. One of the ninja turtles is taking his place.
What happened this time?
Brent says there's some really big problems happening in his family right now and he felt he couldn't dedicate himself to the schedule Iced Earth was aiming for.
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lol
Anyone know anything about this Raphael guy?
Does it matter? He'll be gone in a few months.
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Now they just need to get rid of Troy
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Annnnnnnnnnnnd Brent Smedley is out. One of the ninja turtles is taking his place.
What happened this time?
Brent says there's some really big problems happening in his family right now and he felt he couldn't dedicate himself to the schedule Iced Earth was aiming for.
Fair enough.
Now they just need to get rid of Troy
Exactly, I didn't have a problem with Brent, Troy and Stu are the ones that need to go.
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But if Stu goes Schaffer will only get another singer and make him sing like Matt. Stu isn't the problem; Schaffer's attitude is.
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But if Stu goes Schaffer will only get another singer and make him sing like Matt. Stu isn't the problem; Schaffer's attitude is.
^ that. And Stu deserves the extra exposure.
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But if Stu goes Schaffer will only get another singer and make him sing like Matt. Stu isn't the problem; Schaffer's attitude is.
Unless he finds someone like Ripper. One can only hope.
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But if Stu goes Schaffer will only get another singer and make him sing like Matt. Stu isn't the problem; Schaffer's attitude is.
Unless he finds someone like Ripper. One can only hope.
If he were looking for a singer that he wanted to sing naturally, we wouldn't be in this problem to begin with. If Stu is fired or quits, Schaffer is just going to go look for another singer that either sounds like Matt or he can get to imitate him.
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But if Stu goes Schaffer will only get another singer and make him sing like Matt. Stu isn't the problem; Schaffer's attitude is.
^ that. And Stu deserves the extra exposure.
this....
and just heard Brent's departure.... :/
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Brent hung on longer than I thought he would, actually.
And I agree; doesn't matter who the singer is, unless they have a spine and find a way to both stand up to Schaffer and stay in the band, they're going to sound like Barlow. What the band needs is Stu using all of his range, because he's easily the most gifted singer Iced Earth has ever had (yes, I think what he can REALLY do is better than Ripper) but he's being forced into this silly sound of his. People going on about how awful Stu is need to clarify that he's awful at being Matt Barlow, because having seen him with Into Eternity, I know he's an amazing singer.
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Schaffer hates growls so Stu using all of his range with Iced Earth just isn't going to happen. Although it's weird, he was so impressed with Stu when Into Eternity opened for them, but Stu is barely doing anything in Iced Earth that orignaly impressed Jon. Anguish of Youth and End of Innocence are the closest to his natural range, and even there he's awkwardly deepening his voice a bit. Compare those to Surrounded by Night. Maybe Jon thinks Stu doesn't sound tough enough. But then why hire him at all? "Hmm, he has unbelievable range, but he sounds a little weak. The fans want Matt so I'll tell Stucifer to sound like him. Then we'll be the KILLERESTESTESTESTEST!!!!!!!!!!!"
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Just listened to the Into Eternity track Surrounded By Night and loved it. Great vocals. Listened to the rest of the album and despite the growls enjoyed that too. Used sparingly as a contrast I can cope with it- I wouldn't want to hear much of it in Iced Earth though.
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Surrounded By Night, The Incurable Tragedy II, Pain Through Breathing, Out... sheesh his vocals are just insane.
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Yeah, I just listened to Ashes the other day, it's amazing how good he is here and how shit he is in IE.
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I listened to Scattering of Ashes and yeah, Stu's a completely different singer in Into Eternity. While admittedly most of his performance is on the higher end there, so we don't really know from that what the lower end of his range would be-I'm willing to bet it's not "sound like a forced Matt Barlow." Also forgot how fucking good that album was, too. :metal
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Giving Dystopia another listen. Only on Anthem, but I think if Stu sang like he does on the title track all the time even on older songs, I wouldn't mind too much. Unfortunately he sings like he does on Anthem all the time, and that will not do for me.
Stu, please chew your food and swallow before singing. Thanks.
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Okay, we get it, you don't like Stu's Barlow voice. :lol
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Okay, we get it, you don't like Stu's Barlow voice. :lol
Not true! I'd just rather listen to Gene Adam [insert something outrageous here].
Anyone want to buy this for me? Whoever does gets a signed KrotchRaut CD!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ICED-EARTH-Night-Of-The-Stormrider-RARE-91-PROG-THRASH-1st-Press-EXEX-/111075083391
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I'd rather listen to Gene Adam too in Iced Earth, and yes, I'm serious.
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YEAHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Still better than Stu Barfaux.
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:metal
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clip from Ashes of Ares' first show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aepnGxf2vak&feature=player_embedded (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aepnGxf2vak&feature=player_embedded)
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Done been removed, son.
Was it that 19 second clip?
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Done been removed, son.
Was it that 19 second clip?
Nope, it was a 4 or 5 minute fan-shot video. Can't find any other links unfortunately.
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That sucks. Matt was asking if there was any video, so it wasn't him who complained or did whatever to get the video taken down.
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Anyone wanna break the tie?
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=37137.0
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Sorry buddy. Didn't know what was tied, but... yeah. :lol :lol
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God damnit!
You know what? Fine. Anthem is slightly better than Boiling Point, I suppose.
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Hopefully this won't taken down.
Ashes of Ares live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jru2UnEVYhw&feature=player_embedded (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jru2UnEVYhw&feature=player_embedded)
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Yeah, I saw that last night. Not sure what to think yet.
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I'm digging it, and I also liked the other video when I heard it a few days ago before it was taken down. I'll be able to give a more solid opinion once the actual album is released.
I have to give the band credit for playing an entire setlist's worth of new material that hadn't been released yet, and not playing any songs from Nevermore or Iced Earth's catalogue. Pretty bold move on their part. :metal
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You know, I think I used the same vocal melody of that Ashs of Ares song for an unfinished KrotchRaut song...
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DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=190465
"There's a lot happening in ICED EARTH world at the moment. We are just a few short weeks away from getting together in Germany to rehearse the new songs for the upcoming album, 'Plagues Of Babylon'. We have a few weeks of rehearsal, then we start tracking the new album in between a string of festivals in Europe, and one in India, which we are all excited about, since it'll be our first time there.
"Tracking will be done at a studio in Germany to try to keep the jetlag at a minimum. The numerous trips across the Atlantic during the 'Dystopia' recording were a bit brutal, so we are doing it smarter this time. If we stay on target, you will have the new album in October! It's a tight schedule, but we are intent on making it happen. I am very happy with the work so far, and it's only going to get better when we are all together cranking it out."
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No Morrisound this time around? I wonder if Jim/Tom is going with them to Germany. Or do they just mix at Morrisound. I can't remember.
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No idea. Don't really care either at this point to be honest with you.
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The conflagration... I mean consolation has begun!
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Don't forget to vote. It's a 3 way tie right now.
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=37292.0
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Now it's the battle of the number 2s right? I just want to make sure I'm not skipping a step.
Consolation = 3
Semi finals = 2
Finals = 1
And then we vote from the three winners?
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A Question of Heaven with Stulow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_4nlKBzPig
ehh, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, but it would be much better in his natural voice. His Barlow impression is hurting his range.
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FIVE WAY TIE! VOTE!
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=37684.0
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Ashes of Ares studio teaser. Sounding pretty cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6Iecq5Tw1g
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The more Ashes of Ares puts out, the more tenuous Stu Block's position in Iced Earth becomes. :lol
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Pyramaze Part 2?
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Pyramaze Part 2?
Kinda hope not. AoA seems to be shaping up to be pretty great, and I think it's probably in both Matt and Jon's best interests to keep things as they are now.
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Well Matt quit because he couldn't do the extensive touring due to his day job, so for him to rejoin wouldn't make sense anyway.
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Of course Matt won't go back, but I still see Schaffer sitting in a studio kind of quivering every time anything from AoA is posted. :lol
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https://www.bravewords.com/news/206516
KP: I had the chance to talk with Stu (Block/vocals) before your last live appearances in Athens. He seemed to be a really nice and down to earth guy. How is working with him and what is the element you think he has bring to Iced Earth?
Schaffer: "It's great working with Stu. He's a lot of fun to hang out with, he is always very positive, hard worker, always ready to go and giving 100% all the time. He brings a lot of cool things in the table. He brings the ability for me to have a writing partner who can attribute with some very cool vocal melodies. I guess the most important thing is our friendship. The chemistry from an artistic stand point of view is obviously very important, but when this caring over to a more personal thing and being friends and having this chemistry in a personal level...that is that makes it more special. We have a great time, Stu makes me laugh. We hit it up great and he fits with Iced Earth great. I'm very glad we found him."
KP: And what do you think are the main differences between him and Matt (Barlow) and Tim (Owens)?
Schaffer: "All these three guys are very different personalities, with their own strengths and weaknesses. You can't really compare. I guess the thing with Stu is that he can do so much different things with his voice... And the other guys can as well, don't get me wrong... Matt and Tim can make great things with their voices. What I mean is that Stu can go from that death metal kind of shit to the Rob Halford kind of highs and everything in between and it's very cool. He is developing his middle range and that's the area of his voice I've being really working on and pushing him in the songwriting process. That's kind the part of his voice that he never worked with and nobody pushed him to use before the Dystopia album and he is really excited about it too, because he is discovering all the things that he can do and he is just getting better all the time."
:facepalm: I was hoping he would get fired.
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Well then I guess you aren't going to like this:
(https://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/Zook85/1005613_532657390129225_829514106_n.jpg)
As someone said on Facebook, Tim needs to lay off the beer.
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HOLY FUCK!!
Tim, my god, he's obviously eating too many burgers and beers at his own resteraunt. You can hardly recognize him.
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Wait a minute, that's Ripper?
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Yeah... if he gets any bigger, it's going to effect his singing, if it hasn't already.
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It's hard to believe it's the same guy from the Judas Priest days;
(https://louisville.metromix.com/content_image/full/2574048/518/370)
(https://www.jayfan.com/uploadimg/201106/19/15420614.jpeg)
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Yeah... if he gets any bigger, it's going to effect his singing, if it hasn't already.
I haven't heard any performances from him over the last couple of years. It would be interesting to see how is going now, especially in this state. Anyone know who he's playing with at Graspop? I'm guessing it's one of his cover bands.
-
He was with his new band, Rockstar, but I can't find any footage.
-
Here's Iced Earth at Graspop if anyone cares:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kid6vwvE8aI
Skip to 30:08 for some hilarity.
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:lol He's clearly not impressed.
Also :wtf: is with Stu looking like a caveman?
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:lol He's clearly not impressed.
Also :wtf: is with Stu looking like a caveman?
He's obviously going to be the remake Michael Myers for Halloween.
Bloody hell did Stu sound fucking silly at the end of AQoH.
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I didn't even listen to any of it.
I mean, I'm happy for Stu, that he's in a bigger band, probably making a lot more money, but I think he was much better with Into Eternity.
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I'll check the vid when I get home, at work and youtube runs like shit.
I didn't even listen to any of it.
I mean, I'm happy for Stu, that he's in a bigger band, probably making a lot more money, but I think he was much better with Into Eternity.
There's really no comparison IMO.
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Yea. My distaste for Iced Earth these days is mostly directed at Jon. The whole Barlow clone thing has to be his idea; Stu is a good singer and seems to be a cool guy. Unfortunately this band has just become a parody, it's unfortunate really. Even when Barlow came back they weren't very good IMO.
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Jesus Christ.. I only heard a couple of songs from Graspop, and the new drummer = :facepalm:
And i just have to say.....a question of heaven..... they actually tried to do it with Stu = epic fail!
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Here's Iced Earth at Graspop if anyone cares:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kid6vwvE8aI
Skip to 30:08 for some hilarity.
He obviously wasn't keen on hear Stu butcher it.
Man, Stu is so out of tune on the quiet bits. Fuck he sounded so weak at the end too.
Their new drummer sucks too.
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I couldn't tell if the drummer was bad or if he was just mixed horribly. He did sound weird though.
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He's bad. They posted a video on facebook of them playing Question of Heaven before this and he kept fucking up there too. The slow intro was really close to completely falling apart.
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Yeah. Looked up some other shows on youtube, and he is like the Troy Seele of drumming..
Brent was a really dull drummer the last period he had with the band, but he was incredibly tight and consistent. Even tough the performance was lifeless at times, at least he made the band TIGHT.
This guy (i forgot his name) needs to sit down with a metronome. The tempo varies wildly during a song, and signature fills are missing from certain songs (like the intro of Pure Evil and Dark Saga).
God John.. What happened? I mean.. Brent was replaced by Richard Christy the last time - an amazing drummer! During the Glorious Burden era they changed pretty much the entire band; the lead guitarist was awesome, the drummer was awesome, the bassist was awesome and the new singer was awesome.
I guess people know pretty well by now that getting a job in IE is a pretty shaky commitment..
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Maybe simply no one wants to join the band anymore.
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Ashes of Ares just released their first complete song, 'Dead Man's Plight'! :metal Seems to me Schaffer should have had Freddie on guitar while he was in the band. The whole band sounds great! :tup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbftEsV-DxE
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Matt sounds great there! Looking forward to it :metal
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Matt sounds really good on that track!
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Ashes of Ares just released their first complete song, 'Dead Man's Plight'! :metal Seems to me Schaffer should have had Freddie on guitar while he was in the band. The whole band sounds great! :tup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbftEsV-DxE
Am I the only one that found this incredibly stale and boring?
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I'm kind of on the fence about it; Matt sounds great and it's not bad by any means, but it doesn't do much besides that.
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So Jon announced today that the tracking of Plagues Of Babylon is completed and mixing starts next week.
Cool. I am looking forward to this.
Also Brent Smedley is leaving AGAIN.
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He left a while ago, actually. Kind of shocked he lasted that long, to be honest.
And I find myself unable to care anymore about Iced Earth. That fucking godawful live album and Schaffer insisting on wasting the talents of Stu Block have finally wiped out my interest in this band.
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So Jon announced today that the tracking of Plagues Of Babylon is completed and mixing starts next week.
Cool. I am looking forward to this.
Also Brent Smedley is leaving AGAIN.
He done left, son.
I'm going to give this a shot, but I'm fully aware of what I'll be getting myself into, so I have very low expectations.
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Yeah, I'll definitely pick it up. We'll see how we go, but I have pretty low expectations too.
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So Jon announced today that the tracking of Plagues Of Babylon is completed and mixing starts next week.
Cool. I am looking forward to this.
Also Brent Smedley is leaving AGAIN.
He done left, son.
I've always maintained that Alive In Athens is the Frampton Comes Alive of Heavy Metal.
Brent Smedley was incredible on it.
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true dat yo.
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Stu Block's mother passed away sometime over the past two days. :(
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That sucks.
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Yeah, that's shit.
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Ashes of Ares streaming here:
https://www.terrorizer.com/news/streams/ashes-of-ares-stream-new-album-with-terrorizer/
I know it's a stream, but what's up with the mix?
Freddie is a better lead guitarist than Troy LOL
But then, so is Ardy Emgee of KrotchRaut.
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Ashes of Ares streaming here:
https://www.terrorizer.com/news/streams/ashes-of-ares-stream-new-album-with-terrorizer/
I know it's a stream, but what's up with the mix?
Freddie is a better lead guitarist than Troy LOL
But then, so is Ardy Emgee of KrotchRaut.
I like what I'm hearing so far. The mix does sound a bit weird, but hopefully the final product will sound better. If not, I'd recommend they pick a different producer next time around. However, as I said before, I like what I'm hearing so far, song-wise. :metal
EDIT: Also, over halfway through the album right now, and I think it's safe to say that Freddie's also probably a better rhythm guitarist than Jon is nowadays too. :lol Then again, musical variety does go a good way in that regard.
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Very good album. Matt still sounds awesome and the music is really solid.
My favorite tracks so far are Dead Man's Plight, The Answer and The One-Eyed King.
I need to give this more spins before I get a concrete opinion but right now I'm leaning towards a 4/5.
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EDIT: Also, over halfway through the album right now, and I think it's safe to say that Freddie's also probably a better rhythm guitarist than Jon is nowadays too. :lol Then again, musical variety does go a good way in that regard.
I agree. Schaffer's hard to match in the galloping department, but as far as metal riffs, he's been stale for far too long.
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Very good album. Matt still sounds awesome and the music is really solid.
I need to give this more spins before I get a concrete opinion but right now I'm leaning towards a 4/5.
totally agreed, this thing is killer. i'm glad the only sucky part is the production, although that really is unfortunate — could have been a serious IE-killer if they had matched the sound quality of a typical contemporary IE album.
the main problem, from some experience, seems to be the rhythm guitar sound. i get the impression that they only had SM57s on some amps either poorly placed (mic position, i mean) or without taking enough time to dial in the right rhythm sound. it's also entirely possible they used less-than-amazing amps altogether, or amps inappropriate for metal. regardless of specifics, i'd call that the main problem. the rest sounds pretty great!
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To me, the guitars sound demo-ish. It's strange that they don't have better production. You'd think that with members of Nevermore and Iced Earth, they'd have the funds to have a nice crisp sound. Self produced nobodies like Lorenguard have way better production values (and have an amazing debut album, go check it out :D).
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The guitar sound is, right now, about the only blemish on the album. Iced Earth had better guitar sound back in the 90s than this. Agree with the notion that Freddie's a better lead guitarist than Troy and the riffs here are better than anything Schaffer's written in a decade or so. Barlow's gold as always and Van Williams' drumming is pretty solid, though he is capable of a lot more. Good album, I'd go 8/10 on first listen.
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To me, the guitars sound demo-ish. It's strange that they don't have better production. You'd think that with members of Nevermore and Iced Earth, they'd have the funds to have a nice crisp sound. Self produced nobodies like Lorenguard have way better production values (and have an amazing debut album, go check it out :D).
I read in one of the recent interviews Matt did that the band had to partially pay for the album's production out of their own wallets. I'm guessing Nuclear Blast will give them more money to work with on the next album if this one does relatively well.
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Freddie told me that Troy taught him everything he knows. :|
Anyway, I edited the spoken word part out of Damien just for shits and giggles.
https://soundcloud.com/krotchraut/damien-edit
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He left a while ago, actually. Kind of shocked he lasted that long, to be honest.
And I find myself unable to care anymore about Iced Earth. That fucking godawful live album and Schaffer insisting on wasting the talents of Stu Block have finally wiped out my interest in this band.
Well Brent's departure had nothing to do with his competence.. performance or talent.... nothing music related...
So Jon announced today that the tracking of Plagues Of Babylon is completed and mixing starts next week.
Cool. I am looking forward to this.
Also Brent Smedley is leaving AGAIN.
He done left, son.
I've always maintained that Alive In Athens is the Frampton Comes Alive of Heavy Metal.
Brent Smedley was incredible on it.
This....
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earth-plagues-of-babylon-cover-artwork-track-listing-revealed/
North American metallers ICED EARTH will release their new album, "Plagues Of Babylon", for a January 2014 via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created and illustrated by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS, GWAR).
Says ICED EARTH vocalist/guitarist Jon Schaffer: "This is a seriously heavy album with a seriously brutal album cover. I'm sure it will go down as a classic in the epic ICED EARTH catalog."
"Plagues Of Babylon" track listing:
01. Plagues Of Babylon
02. Democide
03. The Culling
04. Among The Living Dead
05. Resistance
06. The End?
07. If I Could See You
08. Cthulhu
09. Peacemaker
10. Parasite
11. Spirit Of The Times
12. Highwayman
(https://assets.blabbermouth.net.s3.amazonaws.com/media/icedearthplaguescdcover_600.jpg)
Awesome cover.
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Looks like Iced Earth meets Cannibal Corpse album cover
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:mehlin
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Might be good. I'll wait until I hear it.
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Might be good. I'll wait until I hear it.
Isn't that the... only way?
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No, I could decide right now that it's horrible. :P
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Yeah but who does that? :lol
:|
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I'll check it out, but I feel like I already know what it's going to sound like. So I'm not very enthusiastic about it.
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I just received my copy of Ashes of Ares. Man, this shit sucks big time. No decent melodies, crap production and these are some of the worst guitar solos I have ever heard. (Besides the song with Loomis, which is still nothing special cause the song is so bland.) When was this Freddie asshole even in Iced Earth anyway?
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I just received my copy of Ashes of Ares. Man, this shit sucks big time. No decent melodies, crap production and these are some of the worst guitar solos I have ever heard. (Besides the song with Loomis, which is still nothing special cause the song is so bland.) When was this Freddie asshole even in Iced Earth anyway?
That totally wasn't the opinion I was expecting from you. I'll give you that the melodies aren't that strong, but for someone who was taught to play guitar by Troy Seele, he absolutely slays his abilities. I thought the guitar playing and especially the solos were great. Production was kinda bad, but Matt sounds amazing.
Freddie was the bassist in Iced Earth by the way.
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If the music sounds like the cover, they may well be using Stu Block properly...
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I just received my copy of Ashes of Ares. Man, this shit sucks big time. No decent melodies, crap production and these are some of the worst guitar solos I have ever heard. (Besides the song with Loomis, which is still nothing special cause the song is so bland.) When was this Freddie asshole even in Iced Earth anyway?
That totally wasn't the opinion I was expecting from you. I'll give you that the melodies aren't that strong, but for someone who was taught to play guitar by Troy Seele, he absolutely slays his abilities. I thought the guitar playing and especially the solos were great. Production was kinda bad, but Matt sounds amazing.
Freddie was the bassist in Iced Earth by the way.
Yeah, I just found the whole thing bland and unoriginal. I will try it again though. The solos just didn't work for me, and really, you can hear he was taught by Troy.
If the music sounds like the cover, they may well be using Stu Block properly...
This is a very valid comment. Let's hope so.
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The band just posted a lyric video for the title track, Plagues of Babylon. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I like it! :metal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yLBNRyGvG8
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Still doing the Barlow voice. Sigh.
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Here we go. Wish me luck...
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Song's kinda boring so far.
-
I'm about to listen. I'm nervous.
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I am so fucking disappointed. That was just bland, and I HATE Stu Block!!! :censored
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Hate Jon Schaffer. Stu Block is amazing.
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I actually hate both of them at the moment.
Yes, Stu is amazing, but in IE, he is fucking awful.
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True, but I doubt he really has any say in what he does in IE. If he tries to do his own thing, Jon will probably fire him through an email.
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Yeah, I don't know if I even want to finish the song. The beginning is just an even more boring version of the beginning of Dystopia, and the chorus is meh as well. Obviously this song is about the Setians causing the plagues, but at this point I just don't care anymore. Jon forgot how to write thrash, or even just interesting Heavy Metal.
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Yeah, it's rubbish. I have no interest in listening to that song a second time. I don't even know if I will buy a copy of this album.
-
I finished the song.
:yawn:
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I finished it too, but I kept checking how long was left every minute or so. So disappointed.
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I'm done with Iced Earth. Song was just plain dreadful. Schaffer's lost it.
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I just wasn't that interested to listen to the song in the first place. Intro was too long and I turned it off about half way through
-
I will not be doing a Survivor for this album.
lol
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Boring
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I have opportunity to see IE in January but it depends on new album. I don't find Plagues Of Babylon that bad but it's far worse than their old albums. I liked few song on Dystopia, hoping there'll be good songs on the new album.
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Can we all agree that anything on Ashes of Ares is better than Plagues of Babylon? Wolfking?
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Ii quite liked the title track tbh. It wasn't great and it has no power whatsoever, like the live album. Weedy guitars and no bass. Intro goes no too long and is nowhere near interesting enough. Hmm. Maybe I didn't like it ?
Oh, and just listened to Crucible Of Man which was alot better than this song too. Yes, not good enough.
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They're drinking the Kool-aid over at Samsara's Queensryche forum. Everyone likes this new song, and there is general praise for Dystopia. Am I missing something? I mean, I listened to PoB again just to see if I was, and although it wasn't the most awful thing I ever heard, it was still like a poor man's Dystopia song.
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Can we all agree that anything on Ashes of Ares is better than Plagues of Babylon? Wolfking?
Yeah, I could probably agree with that.
They're drinking the Kool-aid over at Samsara's Queensryche forum. Everyone likes this new song, and there is general praise for Dystopia. Am I missing something? I mean, I listened to PoB again just to see if I was, and although it wasn't the most awful thing I ever heard, it was still like a poor man's Dystopia song.
Yeah I don't know either. Just look at the youtube comments for the song, mostly positve. WTF?
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LGefU3Efmjs
We could possibly have the worst IE in our hands in January. This is possibly one of the most unoriginal songs I've heard from Jon. Stu of course, sounds like shit too.
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Strange...
After hearing these two new songs, i think we might have in January the strongest IE since Something Wicked This Way Comes. From Horror Show to Dystopia, the only song i honestly can say i like is Come What May.
Just my thoughts however.
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^ Yeah, I actually kinda liked this performance and the other new song that came out a few weeks ago.
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This sounded ok, but nothing that gets me excited for the release at all
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I really like Stu on that song. Reminds me a lil' more of some emotional Into Eternity tracks.
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LGefU3Efmjs
We could possibly have the worst IE in our hands in January. This is possibly one of the most unoriginal songs I've heard from Jon. Stu of course, sounds like shit too.
I agree.
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LGefU3Efmjs
We could possibly have the worst IE in our hands in January. This is possibly one of the most unoriginal songs I've heard from Jon. Stu of course, sounds like shit too.
I agree.
Reading some of the other posts, perhaps you and I are the crazy ones. :lol
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LGefU3Efmjs
We could possibly have the worst IE in our hands in January. This is possibly one of the most unoriginal songs I've heard from Jon. Stu of course, sounds like shit too.
I agree.
Reading some of the other posts, perhaps you and I are the crazy ones. :lol
Oh definitely, but tastes shmastes, I suppose.
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I just can't get into it. And thinking of quality IE back with Barlow and even with Ripper, this is just rubbish.
-
Like I said, Jon ran out of ideas. He can't riff or write anymore. Usually he manages to pull one good song out of his ass for every record, but it's just not enough for me anymore. I got rid of Dystopia. Crucible of Man wasn't perfect by any means, but it damn sure beats the hell out of any of the new stuff. It's not just Stu either. He could sing in his natural range, but that wouldn't save these songs anymore.
Glad to be back here where I can voice my disgruntled opinion about one of my favorite bands without being warned of a ban...
-
ICED EARTH is ready to embark on the second leg of the Volbeat tour, which kicks off at O2 World in Berlin, Germany, tomorrow, November 6, and wraps at Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark on December 1.
As of last night, ICED EARTH also has over 400,000 Facebook fans which prompted Jon Schaffer to say the following:
“Facebook gives us the opportunity to communicate with you, the fans, unfiltered. We are proud to see how much it’s grown and how much people interact here. Thank you for your support and love for ICED EARTH. It’s like a freight train ever moving forward, and I’m sure we’ll hit 500,000 in no time.”
For the remainder of the Volbeat tour, Jon Dette will be behind the drums taking over for Raphael Saini who filled in during the summer festivals, the recording of the new album, and the club leg of the Volbeat tour.
“Raphael came in and helped us out of a tight spot this summer with a full schedule of festivals, a new album to finish, and no room for diversion on the schedule. He came in and delivered and we are very grateful for that. We wish him all the best for his future endeavours.” ICED EARTH
“When I had the chance to join Iced Earth for their summer festivals and the new album, I couldn’t say no: I was really excited even though I knew that it was going to be something temporary. I am honoured to be part of the band’s history, an amazing album, and to have worked with some supremely talented musicians. My journey will continue, there’s more to come.” RAPHAEL SAINI
It's a love hate relationship... Don't judge me.
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Was it ever stated that this Raphael guy was only temporary? I don't remember it. He was shit live anyway.
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Don't know. No one is permanent in Iced Earth though. Jon would fire himself if he could. It wont shock me at all if Stu is gone after Plagues of Babylon.
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Good, maybe then he can go back to Into Eternity.
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That wouldn't mean anything either since Fukushima was a pretty terrible song. Didn't think much of Sandstorm either. Plus they might just stick with the female singer.
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I really liked Sandstorm, though I agree with you on Fukushima. I would like to see what Amanda can bring to the band, but having both of them would be even better.
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Don't know. No one is permanent in Iced Earth though. Jon would fire himself if he could. It wont shock me at all if Stu is gone after Plagues of Babylon.
Imagining a Blabbermouth headline now: JON SCHAFFER: "Jon Schaffer fired me from Iced Earth via e-mail!" :rollin
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I really liked Sandstorm, though I agree with you on Fukushima. I would like to see what Amanda can bring to the band, but having both of them would be even better.
Yeps.
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Don't know. No one is permanent in Iced Earth though. Jon would fire himself if he could. It wont shock me at all if Stu is gone after Plagues of Babylon.
We can only hope.
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Metal titans ICED EARTH make their triumphant return with the January 21, 2014 release of new studio album, "Plagues Of Babylon", on Century Media Records. The CD was recorded at Principal Studios (KREATOR, IN EXTREMO, GRAVE DIGGER) in Senden, Germany and was mixed at NHow Studios in Berlin, Germany. Guest vocals on "Highwayman" were laid down by VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen and SYMPHONY X/ADRENALINE MOB singer Russell Allen. Guest vocals on "Plagues Of Babylon", "Among The Living Dead", "Democide", "Resistance" and "If I Could See You" are by BLIND GUARDIAN vocalist Hansi Kürsch. The cover and additional artwork was created by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ATHEIST, HATEBREED).
"Plagues Of Babylon" track listing:
01. Plagues Of Babylon
02. Democide
03. The Culling
04. Among The Living Dead
05. Resistance
06. The End?
07. If I Could See You
08. Cthulhu
09. Peacemaker
10. Parasite
11. Spirit Of The Times
12. Highwayman
Songs 1-6 form the "Plagues Of Babylon" story line, part of the ongoing "Something Wicked" Universe
Read more at https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earth-plagues-of-babylon-release-date-confirmed-north-american-tour-announced/#77Ow7EEBSGUhRQcF.99
Anyone else wish that Hansi would just sing the whole thing?
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Aw man, I legit dislike Hansi.
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Him or Russell. Stu and the Pokemon guy can vominos.
I don't remember hearing Hansi on the title track though.
Also, they're coming to Phoenix on May 1st, bringing Revamp and Sabaton. I think I'd go just to see Floor.
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Aw man, I legit dislike Hansi.
:censored :censored :censored >:( >:( >:(
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Him or Russell. Stu and the Pokemon guy can vominos.
I don't remember hearing Hansi on the title track though.
Also, they're coming to Phoenix on May 1st, bringing Revamp and Sabaton. I think I'd go just to see Floor.
Yeah, me either. :'(
Aw man, I legit dislike Hansi.
:censored :censored :censored >:( >:( >:(
This. Hansi is one of the greatest metal voices in the last 20 years.
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Hansi hurts my ears.
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Hansi hurts my ears.
Thank you!
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If Hansi hurts your ears, you say Thank you.
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If Hansi hurts your ears, you say Thank you.
(https://f3nation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/thank-you-sir-may-i-have-another.jpg)
:biggrin:
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(https://metalhangar18.com/wp/ups/2012/01/hansi-blind-guardian.jpg)
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Aw man, I legit dislike Hansi.
wtf is this
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People don't like Hansi?
I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
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People don't like Hansi?
I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
This. He's a great vocalist and so are the other two guests on the album. Really looking forward to it.
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Personally, I love Hansi. Great singer.
I just wanted an excuse to quote Animal House. :biggrin:
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Wow, they are really utilizing the guest vocalist aspect. Plus I saw that they are playing Winnipeg in May. The venue they are playing this time around is even smaller then the previous time they played here.
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Wow, they are really utilizing the guest vocalist aspect. Plus I saw that they are playing Winnipeg in May. The venue they are playing this time around is even smaller then the previous time they played here.
Sadly, I didn't see any NC tour dates, so it's looking like I'll probably be missing out on them this time around. :(
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Also, they're coming to Phoenix on May 1st, bringing Revamp and Sabaton. I think I'd go just to see Floor.
April for Toronto. thinking the exact same thing. Don't know Sabaton at all, and not really an Iced Earth fan. But, it's a venue that holds about 900 people, so I'm thinking I'll be going, and hoping for a chance to see Ms Jansen. :drool:
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Also, they're coming to Phoenix on May 1st, bringing Revamp and Sabaton. I think I'd go just to see Floor.
April for Toronto. thinking the exact same thing. Don't know Sabaton at all, and not really an Iced Earth fan. But, it's a venue that holds about 900 people, so I'm thinking I'll be going, and hoping for a chance to see Ms Jansen. :drool:
The drummer is the Eclipse drummer. Totally different sort of music though, didn't really dig what I heard.
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Sabaton is awesome.
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I might go just to see Revamp, don't want to miss most likely my only chance to experience Floors amazing voice live.
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I might go just to see Revamp, don't want to miss most likely my only chance to experience Floors amazing voice live.
Would if I could too - not a big fan of Revamp tbh but I'd travel to see her sing the Yellow Pages.
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samples for the new album: https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon (https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon)
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Samples are very small but sounds like someone doing bad Barlow karaoke ;D
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C'mon Shaffer and Hansi, make a new D&W! But yeah, nice to see Russel and Hansi laying down a few guest vocals ;D Let's hope the album is any good. I really like their last effort but the latest track was awful.
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samples for the new album: https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon (https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon)
I don't know what band that was, but it wasn't Iced Earth...
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samples for the new album: https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon (https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon)
I don't know what band that was, but it wasn't Iced Earth...
Personally, i haven't been this excited for IE since i discovered the band 10 years ago! This sounds really good!
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samples for the new album: https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon (https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon)
I don't know what band that was, but it wasn't Iced Earth...
Personally, i haven't been this excited for IE since i discovered the band 10 years ago! This sounds really good!
Whatever makes you happy. To me those samples sounded like ass.
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meh, I'm not going to even bother listening to the disc
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If I've learned anything from being here at the DTF, it's that people here hate IE in any form.
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I don't hate Iced Earth. The only album I have is Framing Armageddon, and I think it's amazing. My problem with them now, though, is they have one of the most incredible and diverse metal singers, and it seems like all he gets to do is a bad imitation of Matt Barlow.
So, the dislike for their recent material makes perfect sense to me.
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Most of the samples sound like the most generic Iced Earth-record ever. Poorly executed, with poor production.
The only tracks that kind of interested me was:
Resistance - sounds like Horror Show, and i like that album
Parasite - The most interersting sample ive heard from them in years
Spirit of the times - Kinda sounds like Ayreon, and i like Ayreon
Highwayman - Sounds really different!
I guess this will be a 5/10 album for me, and thats pushing it - but thats just what i got from the samples. Dystopia was OK! A step up from the last two, but still pretty dull..
If this album is at par with that I´ll be satisfied..
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Zook does tend to be king negative where IE is concerned of late, but I have lost hope of the band making good music so long as Schaffer is making Stu Block be something he isn't. If I like this one it'll be a pleasant shock. But I have no problem with others liking it. Hell, maybe I'm the guy with the problem :rollin
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samples for the new album: https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon (https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Babylon-Iced-Earth/dp/B00GVX6NM4/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=iced+earth+plagues+of+babylon)
These samples are absolutely awful. This might be the first IE album I do not purchase.
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Can you blame me? First The Offspring, then Disturbed, now Iced Earth. Thankfully Dream Theater got back on track or I'd be all negative nancy about them too.
I only hate what Iced Earth have become.
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Yeah, I'm with Zook. I love Iced Earth and still enjoy their old stuff, but I don't understand how any fans of the band can accept what the band have become, it's just embarrasing. I've tried beleive me, but these samples are just fucking terrible.
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Funny thing is, I recently started dating a lady into metal who has impeccable taste-she dates me, after all :P-and when I told her of the internet notions about how no one likes Iced Earth anymore and Stu sucks and all of that, she looked at me funny and asked if I had been to an Iced Earth gig lately. When I said no, she said "people seem to like them there. I know I do."
Maybe we need to get over the near-thrash speedy riffing band Iced Earth really hasn't been for over a decade. People actually do like Iced Earth. :lol
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They only do greatest hits shows for a reason.
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Well, I like IE. But every album only has a few awesome songs, with the other tracks being total shit. Yes, the old albums too imo. So that's why I like their gigs; they usually only play a few crappy ones. I don't mind Stu either. I disliked Ripper for IE (not in general, Ripper is a good singer).
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Ripper was amazing with Iced Earth. Jon really brought out the best in him. Everything else Ripper has done hasn't been that good (except cover songs) , but with Iced Earth, he was godlike.
Which of course baffles me because by that notion, Stu should be a fucking titan with Iced Earth.
I disagree with your "total shit" opinion. Iced earth didn't release a really awful song until The Glorious Burden with Hollow Man. That's the first song that comes to mind when I think total shit IE songs.
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I like Hollow Man a lot. And yes, Ripper is incredible in IE. When I first heard the Reckoning, I knew Ripper was going to be a perfect fit for IE.
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Ripper was amazing with Iced Earth. Jon really brought out the best in him. Everything else Ripper has done hasn't been that good (except cover songs) , but with Iced Earth, he was godlike.
Which of course baffles me because by that notion, Stu should be a fucking titan with Iced Earth.
I disagree with your "total shit" opinion. Iced earth didn't release a really awful song until The Glorious Burden with Hollow Man. That's the first song that comes to mind when I think total shit IE songs.
Matter op opinion offcourse. But yeah, maybe total shit is not the correct term :P Fact remains that every single IE album has more than a few songs that do not do anything for me, but also every album has some awesome stuff. Even that last Barlow album, which is their worst imo, had some nice moments. Thus, I would not rate any IE album high as a whole but keep coming back to them due to the good stuff.
As for Ripper, I don't know what it is. It's not that I dislike his voice and there are some amazing moments with him, but he just did not really do it for me. Especially when performing older songs. During the Ripper period I kinda lost interest in the band for a while. Could also be due to the songwriting of Jon. I think Dystopia is a lot better than the three albums before it, regardless of the sometimes weird sounding Stu in Barlow mode.
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Yeah, the only album I think Dystopia is better than is Crucible. Framing Armageddon could be my fav IE album.
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Yeah, the only album I think Dystopia is better than is Crucible. Framing Armageddon could be my fav IE album.
I think Crucible would have been better if Ripper was singing on it.
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Yeah, the only album I think Dystopia is better than is Crucible. Framing Armageddon could be my fav IE album.
I think Crucible would have been better if Ripper was singing on it.
Yes, definitely.
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Yeah, the only album I think Dystopia is better than is Crucible. Framing Armageddon could be my fav IE album.
I think Crucible would have been better if Ripper was singing on it.
Yes, definitely.
Would it really improve it that much though? As much as I'd love to hear Ripper sing Come What May, Matt did an amazing job with what he had. It's the music that just feels unfinished. Jon didn't spend enough time on it.
I still think Crucible is better than Dystopia though. Crucible doesn't have any songs like Days of Rage.
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Yeah, the only album I think Dystopia is better than is Crucible. Framing Armageddon could be my fav IE album.
I think Crucible would have been better if Ripper was singing on it.
Yes, definitely.
Would it really improve it that much though? As much as I'd love to hear Ripper sing Come What May, Matt did an amazing job with what he had. It's the music that just feels unfinished. Jon didn't spend enough time on it.
I still think Crucible is better than Dystopia though. Crucible doesn't have any songs like Days of Rage.
While I disagree that Crucible is better than Dystopia, I do agree with you that Crucible really sounds unfinished. Easily the weakest album IE ever made, IMO.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G4QeOBChcDw
The song in this video teaser although generic and stale, sounds better than what we have heard so far.
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Just listened to Plagues Of Babylon again. To my great surprise, I rather enjoyed it.
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Among the Living Dead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5-RvUzUdHc
Eh, it's ok. This might be the Dark City of the album.
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I have to be completely honest. I liked this song a lot! This was at least something a bit different than "Iced Earth by numbers". Reminded me a bit of the Something Wicked/Horror Show-era.
I hear Hansi :metal
I´ve not liked any album by IE since Horror Show, and I´ll probably end up not liking this album either as a whole, but this song was actually pretty cool!
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Meh. Didn't really find anything enjoyable about it, but it was just okay. Perhaps I'm just over IE in general. Although after hearing Hansi at the end, I would have loved to hear him sing the whole thing.
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Really like this one. Much better.
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Meh.
And that's being generous ;D
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Guys, I talked to Stu today... Care to listen?
https://www.ladyobscure.com/portfolio/lady-with-stu-block-of-iced-earth/
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Longer samples are available on Itunes UK.
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Guys, I talked to Stu today... Care to listen?
https://www.ladyobscure.com/portfolio/lady-with-stu-block-of-iced-earth/
:metal thanks for the dedication! Loved the KrotchRaut mention. :D We really need to get together again and write. I'm not even sure if my brother still plays guitar. He doesn't have much free time anymore.
As for the interview, I'm really disappointed you didn't ask him why he sings with food in his mouth :p but seriously, I think a great follow up question to the vocal freedom question would have been "who's idea was it to have you sing in your mid range, rather than your more natural voice." Either way, great interview. I may not like him in Iced Earth, but Stu is still a really cool guy.
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Heheh, but we know the answer, right? It's Troy :P
Trust me Zookie, I pissed the man off enough in the past .. heheh
Also my pleasure dear :)
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Heheh, but we know the answer, right? It's Troy :P
Trust me Zookie, I pissed the man off enough in the past .. heheh
Also my pleasure dear :)
Go on.
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heheh... yeah why not :laugh:
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Came across this thread, realized i'v really lost track of IE. I used to own a couple of their records. I had Burnt Offerings, and apart from a couple songs (Last December, was it?) i couldn't get into it. Thinking back on it now tho i like the dark feel of the record, wish i could find it.
The other was Horror Show, which i liked a lot more. There were some really cool songs on it. Damien was amazing, Wolf, Phantom of The Opera. Wow those were good songs. But there were other songs i couldn't get into. Never really tried the band out again tho.
I remember hearing when Ripper was the new singer. It made sense, i'v only heard a few of his songs but liked him. He was good for IE, he could scream like Barlow. With Barlow i'm fascinated by how he has such a low register with his voice but can scream like a madman. Like when i heard clips of Warrel Dane in Sanctuary.
I haven't heard the new singer yet. I'v heard of 'Dystopia', which is actually a cool concept but also kinda lame; they did this type of thing already. Makes it seem like they'v run out of ideas. Plus so many singer changes always lower a bands reputation- now Iced Earth seems like less of a band. They're called Iced Earth, but the original voice is gone.
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Plagues of Babylon is streaming in full (except for Highwayman). https://play.spotify.com/album/4x8xN1DzJaDe3kOxw302hN (https://play.spotify.com/album/4x8xN1DzJaDe3kOxw302hN)
Edit: Don't know about you guys, but after my first listen I'm really digging it. Not quite on the level of Dystopia imo, but still a damn solid record. :tup
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Wait, so this is weaker than Dystopia?
I normally wait until I get the cd to listen to albums, but not sure that I'm even gonna buy this so I might have to check the stream.
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I guess it's better than Dystopia so far (on track 3) but there really aren't any good hooks. Stu sounds decent.
eh
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So I thought one of the track names on this new album sounded familiar.
He did it. He actually fucking did it!
Jon Schaffer covered a fucking Sons of Liberty song with Iced Earth.
Iced Earth covered a fucking Sons of Liberty song.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOD DAMN YOU SCHAFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!
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Which one? I haven't actually HEARD Sons of Liberty. Just heard OF it. :lol
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Spirit of the Times
At least I still have you, 9 different versions of Night of the Stormrider, 3 of which that are kind of the same, but hell, it's Night of the Stormrider, so what's one more copy.
Does anyone have the LP?
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Spirit of the Times
At least I still have you, 9 different versions of Night of the Stormrider, 3 of which that are kind of the same, but hell, it's Night of the Stormrider, so what's one more copy.
Does anyone have the LP?
I have NotS on CD. Definitely one of my favorite Iced Earth albums, alongside Burnt Offerings.
Listening to The Plagues of Babylon at the moment and so far, I like it a lot better than Dystopia. But I've yet to finish it and I'll probably need to give it a few spins to fully form an opinion on it.
EDIT: First impressions are pretty positive. Not the best thing IE have ever done, but I like it a lot more than Dystopia. We'll see what I think of it with repeated listens.
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My thoughts after 1 listen:
- It's better than Dystopia, especially the riffing
- All the songs, especially the choruses sound the same
- Cthulhu is the best song on the album
- Stu is pretty decent, and isn't just a Barlow clone this time
- the guest vocalists were massively over hyped. Backing choir vocals aren't really guest vocals.
- Spirit of the Times has the catchiest chorus, but the song is still stupid. Jon needs to keep that government conspiracy bullshit out of Iced Earth
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What the hell, I'll pick up a copy of this. I haven't listened to the stream.
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I thought this wasn't out until like January? It's already on Spotify.
I listened to half of it, here are the notes I jotted in my album tracker thing:
"Death Magnetic" style production. Does this band have a bassist? Inspired title track. Surpsingly good "demonic chorus" style background vocals on several tracks - works to mix up IE's recent blandness. Stu Block's posturing "deep" voice wears poorly as the album progresses. The songs begin to sound too similar for an album of this little cohesion.
Honestly, it was OK, better than expected and what I've heard from the band recently, but still not very good. Not sure I can make it through 'til the end.
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I thought this wasn't out until like January? It's already on Spotify.
I listened to half of it, here are the notes I jotted in my album tracker thing:
"Death Magnetic" style production. Does this band have a bassist? Inspired title track. Surpsingly good "demonic chorus" style background vocals on several tracks - works to mix up IE's recent blandness. Stu Block's posturing "deep" voice wears poorly as the album progresses. The songs begin to sound too similar for an album of this little cohesion.
Honestly, it was OK, better than expected and what I've heard from the band recently, but still not very good. Not sure I can make it through 'til the end.
That could possibly be Hansi.
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What i notice as Iced Earth's trademark in their sound, and what i very quickly tired of and found very bland, was the rapid chug-chug-chug tempo in so so many of their songs. I believe this is Jon Schaffer's trademark, is it not? I just listened to a sample of a song of their new upcoming cd and noticed this immediately. And the vocals are so-so. Honestly, getting Ripper as a replacement made sense, but after he left they really should have called it quits. I ask Iced Earth fans: is it really as good as it once was? Because now the impression i get from hearing they got a new one coming out is: they're still around? And: Why?
I get that the chances of Jon Schaffer ever getting a large fanbase with a new musical endeavor as sizable as IE's is small. But.....he should try. I'm tired of the same old chug-chug-chug....which is of course why i no longer listen to them.
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I am assuming this is the interview linked on the previous page?
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-stu-block-talks-to-lady-obscure-audio/
Does that qualify as making the big leagues? :biggrin:
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I just want to be clear about when I said that Stu wasn't just a Barlow clone on PoB. He's still doing the mid range tough guy Barlow voice, but he's gotten better at it. He still sounds like he's singing with food in his mouth at times, and he's inconsistent as all hell, but the Barlow impression has gotten better.
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I am assuming this is the interview linked on the previous page?
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-stu-block-talks-to-lady-obscure-audio/
Does that qualify as making the big leagues? :biggrin:
I don't know who lady obscure is. I'd say no, i does not qualify as making the big leagues.
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The lovely Mrs. Obscure is a member of this forum, and has her own webzine, which is actually quite popular.
But I wouldn't say she hit the big leagues either since Blabbermouth posts a new article every time Mike Portnoy farts.
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Cthulhu is an awesome song. Better than anything on Dystopia. Better than Dystopia as a whole.
Damn it Dystopia sucks. So uninspired and boring. Not all the songs were crap, but on this new album, Jon Schaffer actually sounds like he's awake and gives a crap again.
Plagues would be bloody brilliant if Ripper was singing.
I don't have to be British.
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Hansi is on 5 songs apparently.
For some reason I've never been able to get into IE, I'm not sure whether it's their very ''USA'' (for a better word) sound, the production, guitar sound or what.
But I was given a few years ago, the triple live in Athens CD and I do like that one.
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Plagues would be bloody brilliant if Ripper was singing.
This statement annoys and angers me. Again, backs up how good Tim was in IE.
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Plagues would be bloody brilliant if Ripper was singing.
This statement annoys and angers me. Again, backs up how good Tim was in IE.
The only parts that would be iffy would be the mellow singing like the beggining and middle of Cthulhu, but he'd own the fuck out of the rest of that song. He did do pretty good on The Clouding, and I do like his version better than Matt's.
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Plagues would be bloody brilliant if Ripper was singing.
This statement annoys and angers me. Again, backs up how good Tim was in IE.
The only parts that would be iffy would be the mellow singing like the beggining and middle of Cthulhu, but he'd own the fuck out of the rest of that song. ]He did do pretty good on The Clouding, and I do like his version better than Matt's.
Agree. There was really no comparison IMO.
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I'm not the best with words, but the new album inspired me to write a review of it.
I can't believe it, but I think Iced Earth is back.
That's not the review.
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I first got into them after picking up the "Alive in Athens" CD -- fantastic show and a great intro to them for any newcomers. I then went backwards and dug all of their earlier works. The "Glorious Burden" was good, but I thought they lost the plot when Shaffer decided to add to the Something Wicked series with the next two albums and stopped listening at that point. I picked up "Dystopia" after hearing bits of it online and thought maybe there was hope for them going forward with the new Barlow imitator on vocals, and I'm really pleased with the stream of the new album. I agree that I think they're back on an upswing.
They'll be playing on this upcoming tour at a club not far from me so I plan to go see them live for the first time finally this tour. Looking forward to it!! :metal
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After few listen I can say I like the new album. I really like it. Spirit of the Times, Peacemaker and Among the Living Dead are my favorites so far but I can't say i dislike any of songs on new album. I should take the opportunity and check IE live this month :metal
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I can't believe it, but I think Iced Earth is back.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOisy8GT6m0/Up6ZaqA_FII/AAAAAAAABRo/NYg3k2cUTok/s1600/wtf_gif_urkel.gif)
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I couldn't stop starring at that for a while.
Wolf, if you haven't listened to Plagues yet, I say give it a few spins/clicks/whatever. It does grow on you. If you liked Dystopia, this one is so much better. I kinda wish they just did a full album of Something Wicked songs. Jon's heart is in fantasy, and that's where his best work comes from. Crucible being an exception, but weren't other things going on personally? Maybe I'm thinking of a different band. Ayreon maybe? 01001110101 is awesome, damn it! (Thought I had that memorized for sure this time...)
Anyway, was using the way back machine to see if Jon reused anymore song titles from the Glorious Burden sessions, and came across this old blog:
My feelings on "Burnt Offerings":
There is a long list of reasons why it's my least favorite album. I feel,
with the exception of "Dante's Inferno", that due to the tremendous amount
of stress and the fact that I nearly dissolved the band in that time, that
I was not focused enough on the writing and arrangements. On top of that a
few of the players during that recording session caused headaches and
budgeting issues because of poor performances. The drums were an absolute
nightmare; it took Tom Morris every engineering trick in the book at that
time just to get them done. Someone said I dissed Matt in an interview
about his performance. Matt knows perfectly well what I was disappointed
with concerning his performance and it lead to him being pushed harder and
becoming a far better singer in one years time with serious work and
commitment and religiously taking lessons. I love Matt like a brother and
am proud of how he's grown within the band. I do not dis Matt or anyone
else I simply state facts and if a journalist translates that to a dis
then at that point I have no control over my own words. As the principle
songwriter I have a very clear vision of what my songs are to sound like.
When someone is not able to perform their parts the way they are in the
writers head then it can be extremely frustrating. This is perhaps my
biggest problem with "Burnt Offerings". Another thing is that it was our
first big budget recording and first time using an SSL console, which
would have made the Stormrider album sound 100 times better, and we got
the worst reviews in the history of the band and worst sales as well. This
was in Europe where we always had excellent reviews and great sales and
were treated like royalty. On top of that I had never been more
embarrassed in my life than when we went out on stage doing festivals for
that album and performed like some rookie garage band. I actually wanted
to hide. We even cancelled our co-headline tour with Rage because we were
not suitable for touring. So as you can see there are a lot of reasons why
that album has a dark cloud over it for me. Of course even the label
covers it up with bios that aren't necessarily true, but hey that's the
music business. Very little of it is true, in fact nowadays you can hardly
believe what you hear sometimes, and that's the truth. That's why for me
it's all about songs, because that really is the only thing that is pure.
One thing you guys have to realize also is that what you hear is the end
result, sometimes it can be very painful getting to the end. Anyway, I am
not ashamed of that album and I love the new mix on Dark Genesis, Jim did
a killer job. I am also glad that a lot of you really love the album, that
tells me it was not a complete failure. Maybe someday we'll revisit that
album and do it the right way and I can put that demon to rest.
Dear god I hope that isn't anytime soon. Dante's Inferno has already been "revisited" with dire results.
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To quote your signature line, "Zook is right." :xbones No more Dante music!!
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Currently re-listening to Dystopia. I guess it wasn't shit enough to get rid of, but there are certainly a few shit songs on it.
Shit...
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I remember liking Anguish of Youth, V, and Dark City. Dystopia (the song) was cool live but it sounds so lifeless on the album.
Didn't like the new one, but definitely a huge step up from Dystopia. It does have some great moments and Jon sounds inspired, which hasn't been the case for quite some time.
On the subject of Burnt Offerings, Matt definitely isn't the beast that he is on the following album, but it has a charm and dark vibe that I really love. One of my favorite albums. That album, along with Stormrider, has a quality/mood that no other IE album has. Dark Saga, while still a good album, is a let down in comparison.
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On the subject of Burnt Offerings, Matt definitely isn't the beast that he is on the following album, but it has a charm and dark vibe that I really love. One of my favorite albums. That album, along with Stormrider, has a quality/mood that no other IE album has. Dark Saga, while still a good album, is a let down in comparison.
I actually think Matt was at his best on Burnt Offerings. He sounds a bit more raw and natural on that album than on any other IE album that he sang on. But that's just me. :lol
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The lovely Mrs. Obscure is a member of this forum, and has her own webzine, which is actually quite popular.
But I wouldn't say she hit the big leagues either since Blabbermouth posts a new article every time Mike Portnoy farts.
:rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin
Truth!
But still... that doesn't stop me from going
(https://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu51/senemn/tumblr_inline_mhwkisLSQv1qz4rgp_zps24560c4a.gif)
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Interesting read Zook. I have always enjoyed Burnt Offerings and vote for him not to touch it. The Dante remake wasn't good.
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On the subject of Burnt Offerings, Matt definitely isn't the beast that he is on the following album, but it has a charm and dark vibe that I really love. One of my favorite albums. That album, along with Stormrider, has a quality/mood that no other IE album has. Dark Saga, while still a good album, is a let down in comparison.
I actually think Matt was at his best on Burnt Offerings. He sounds a bit more raw and natural on that album than on any other IE album that he sang on. But that's just me. :lol
He didn't sound bad and the style fit the music. But I think he improved a ton technically after that.
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I would love to see some of those festival shows to see just how bad they were.
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Well apparently there was one gig where the drummer lost his place and just stopped playing.
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I'm not the best with words, but the new album inspired me to write a review of it.
I can't believe it, but I think Iced Earth is back.
That's not the review.
Ha, would you really go that far?
I can hear how they've made improvements and are getting closer, but the album still sounds really samey and uninspired to me in lots of places.
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Everything sounds samey and uninspired to you.
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Well, you said the same thing, before you started talking yourself into loving it:
- All the songs, especially the choruses sound the same
My favorite parts of the release are Hansi's choir vocals, and the intro to Cthulhu, before it gets heavy.
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Oh yes, I talked myself into loving it. Well, shit, I hope I can finally talk myself into loving Dystopia too.
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Well, you obviously thought they were "samey" too, so you can't criticize me for holding that opinion now, even if you don't think they're samey anymore :biggrin:
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Get outta here kid, ya botha me.
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You know what bothers me? The outro.
It just seems out of place and a bit tasteless. Did Schaffer just think the album would look cooler with a Parental Advisory label on it or something?
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There isn't a PA sticker as far as I know. Dystopia had a secret outro too. This new one is just Russell Allen screwing around. You know what I did? I left it off my phone.
How old are you Mr. Change? You seem very crotchety.
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There isn't a PA sticker as far as I know. Dystopia had a secret outro too. This new one is just Russell Allen screwing around.
Oh man, that's him? Geez. He really rubs me the wrong way these days.
I'm not really looking for things to criticize about this album. Honestly, I haven't considered myself an Iced Earth fan for quite some time, and normally I'd be way to wrapped up in other releases to bother with this, but "Plagues of Babylon" has the unique distinction of being one of the very few albums on my radar to be released right now, given how new album releases are pretty sparse in Dec-Jan. I'm surprised that I enjoy it at all, but there are just a number of little things which strike me as odd and take me way out of the element, even once you get past the obvious Barlow imitation vocals.
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The biggest gripe for me probably is Stulow McIsingwithfoodinmymouth, but for once in a long time the music is engaging with a drummer who sounds like a drummer and not a robot. If an album doesn't have any "what the fuck is this shit" moments on it, it's a good album. Dystopia has a few of those moments.
I made a playlist mixing the Plagues songs with the other Something Wicked songs to try and fill in the gaps, and make like a metal opera deal. I think I got the time line right, but was missing some songs on my phone. If Barlow's performance on The Clouding wasn't so phoned in, I'd splice in with the original to make a cool duet version.
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I agree that Cthulhu is the best song on the album, by the way. But it makes the album worse, because once you listen to it you realize how Iced Earth could sound with Stu singing naturally.
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The biggest gripe for me probably is Stulow McIsingwithfoodinmymouth, but for once in a long time the music is engaging with a drummer who sounds like a drummer and not a robot. If an album doesn't have any "what the fuck is this shit" moments on it, it's a good album. Dystopia has a few of those moments.
I made a playlist mixing the Plagues songs with the other Something Wicked songs to try and fill in the gaps, and make like a metal opera deal. I think I got the time line right, but was missing some songs on my phone. If Barlow's performance on The Clouding wasn't so phoned in, I'd splice in with the original to make a cool duet version.
Interesting analogy.
Also, is this new album another continuation of Something Wicked? Hasn't that been done to death already. Hell, I don't even have any idea on the storyline.
I agree that Cthulhu is the best song on the album, by the way. But it makes the album worse, because once you listen to it you realize how Iced Earth could sound with Stu singing naturally.
It's the same with Dystopia. Dystopia wasn't great, but could have been a pretty good album if it wasn't for Stu and his performance.
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The biggest gripe for me probably is Stulow McIsingwithfoodinmymouth, but for once in a long time the music is engaging with a drummer who sounds like a drummer and not a robot. If an album doesn't have any "what the fuck is this shit" moments on it, it's a good album. Dystopia has a few of those moments.
I made a playlist mixing the Plagues songs with the other Something Wicked songs to try and fill in the gaps, and make like a metal opera deal. I think I got the time line right, but was missing some songs on my phone. If Barlow's performance on The Clouding wasn't so phoned in, I'd splice in with the original to make a cool duet version.
Interesting analogy.
Also, is this new album another continuation of Something Wicked? Hasn't that been done to death already. Hell, I don't even have any idea on the storyline.
Just the first 6 songs. I believe it takes place before The Clouding. And from what I can make out of the lyrics, the songs are back and forth between the humans and the Setians. Also, I looked up what Culling means, and it's to select a large group of something, so I'm assuming that that's before The Domino Decree maybe, when the 10,000 Setians take the roles of worlds leaders. Maybe not.
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Man, I gotta try and get into the story a bit, I have no clue what happens over any of it. :lol
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Story made sense to me when it was just the Something Wicked Trilogy: previous form of life on Earth is threatened by the rise of Man, takes steps to give birth to a leader in the future that will allow them to take over the world.
Then it got into the albums and the Setians became inhabitants of another planet who were invaded by technologically advanced humans and the Setians managed to erase their memory of who they used to be and at that point I really, really lose track of the story. And I am starting to think Schaffer did too. :lol
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Here's the cliffnotes:
Framing Amrageddon:
1. Elder gets prophecy of Setian demise by invaders.
2. Humans come to earth and slaughter all by ten thousand Setains
3. 10000 Setians go into hiding
4. The Clouding spell wipes out all of human memory
5. Humans be like "huh?" and go their separate ways
6. Setians infiltrate human life assuming the roles of leaders to sabotage the rest of human existence.
7. Set Abominae is born
The Crucible of Man:
1. Set is born... Still.
2. Set grows up
3. Set learns he's the messiah to the Setians, and the devil to mankind
4. Set isn't sure if he's evil
5. Set is evil
6. Set is still evil
7. Set is alone, and evil
8. Set visits Jesus at the Crucifixion, which is part of the Domino Decree (Jesus was a fabrication by the Setians)
9. Set will destroy mankind because he's evil
10. Set bumps his head and forgets he's evil
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Haha.
Set bumps his head :facepalm: - maybe even he's over it.
I don't always listen to Iced Earth but when I do
(https://thebasiks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Most-interesting-man.jpg)
it's usually Horror Show.
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So FA isn't a continuation of the SW trilogy, it's just an expanded version?
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Oh, and just a guess on the Plagues of Babylon songs:
1. The Clouding is super effective
2. Setians discuss whether they should release the plagues
3. they release the plagues
4. The Culling I guess only refers to the Babylonian plagues now that I think about it
5. Zombies?
6. Humans start remembering?
7. Set starts remembering?
So FA isn't a continuation of the SW trilogy, it's just an expanded version?
Yep.
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Sweet, I'm up to date. Seems like it could possibly keep going by your Babylon descriptions.
I'm actually quite keen to check this album out now. I will buy it, so I will wait to listen to it.
Also, we now have pieces of the story told by 3 different singers! lol
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Also, we now have pieces of the story told by 3 different singers! lol
That's where I got the idea for the rock opera. It's just putting the song in the right spot...
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Cool shit.
Post the final tracklist once you're done.
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Here's the cliffnotes:
Framing Amrageddon:
1. Elder gets prophecy of Setian demise by invaders.
2. Humans come to earth and slaughter all by ten thousand Setains
3. 10000 Setians go into hiding
4. The Clouding spell wipes out all of human memory
5. Humans be like "huh?" and go their separate ways
6. Setians infiltrate human life assuming the roles of leaders to sabotage the rest of human existence.
7. Set Abominae is born
The Crucible of Man:
1. Set is born... Still.
2. Set grows up
3. Set learns he's the messiah to the Setians, and the devil to mankind
4. Set isn't sure if he's evil
5. Set is evil
6. Set is still evil
7. Set is alone, and evil
8. Set visits Jesus at the Crucifixion, which is part of the Domino Decree (Jesus was a fabrication by the Setians)
9. Set will destroy mankind because he's evil
10. Set bumps his head and forgets he's evil
Oh, and just a guess on the Plagues of Babylon songs:
1. The Clouding is super effective
2. Setians discuss whether they should release the plagues
3. they release the plagues
4. The Culling I guess only refers to the Babylonian plagues now that I think about it
5. Zombies?
6. Humans start remembering?
7. Set starts remembering?
So FA isn't a continuation of the SW trilogy, it's just an expanded version?
Yep.
Dude. this. is. AWESOME.
I never cared to figure out the story but for the first time in years I actually want to listen to those albums now that I know what they're about. I mean, I probably won't listen to it but the fact that at this moment I kind of want to is a feat unto itself.
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Here's the cliffnotes:
Framing Amrageddon:
1. Elder gets prophecy of Setian demise by invaders.
2. Humans come to earth and slaughter all by ten thousand Setains
3. 10000 Setians go into hiding
4. The Clouding spell wipes out all of human memory
5. Humans be like "huh?" and go their separate ways
6. Setians infiltrate human life assuming the roles of leaders to sabotage the rest of human existence.
7. Set Abominae is born
The Crucible of Man:
1. Set is born... Still.
2. Set grows up
3. Set learns he's the messiah to the Setians, and the devil to mankind
4. Set isn't sure if he's evil
5. Set is evil
6. Set is still evil
7. Set is alone, and evil
8. Set visits Jesus at the Crucifixion, which is part of the Domino Decree (Jesus was a fabrication by the Setians)
9. Set will destroy mankind because he's evil
10. Set bumps his head and forgets he's evil
Oh, and just a guess on the Plagues of Babylon songs:
1. The Clouding is super effective
2. Setians discuss whether they should release the plagues
3. they release the plagues
4. The Culling I guess only refers to the Babylonian plagues now that I think about it
5. Zombies?
6. Humans start remembering?
7. Set starts remembering?
So FA isn't a continuation of the SW trilogy, it's just an expanded version?
Yep.
Dude. this. is. AWESOME.
I never cared to figure out the story but for the first time in years I actually want to listen to those albums now that I know what they're about. I mean, I probably won't listen to it but the fact that at this moment I kind of want to is a feat unto itself.
:lol
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They aren't that bad. Ripper owns the first album.
Well, he probably doesn't own the first album. I'm sure he got rid of his Iced Earth collection after being fired. :neverusethis:
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Schaffer probably charged him for a copy.
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:lol
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Schaffer probably charged him for a copy.
It wasn't a charge to keep, then :neverusethis:
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Schaffer probably charged him for a copy.
It wasn't a charge to keep, then :neverusethis:
:hat
Man, this Something Wicked talk and Zook you've actually made me interested in this new album quite a bit. I want to go back to Crucible too and see if I can find more in it than I have previously.
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Crucible's not that bad. It just feels rushed and unfinished. Some songs are kind of boring, but there are some gems in there. The Revealing should have definitely been expanded, cause it's pretty badass, but instead it just plods along with pointless rhythm guitar for 2 minutes at the end.
Also, an update to the Plagues Cliffnotes:
Oh, and just a guess on the Plagues of Babylon songs:
1. The Clouding is super effective
2. Setians discuss whether they should release the plagues
3. they release the plagues
4. The Culling I guess only refers to the Babylonian plagues now that I think about it
5. Oops we created zombies!
6. Humans start remembering?
7. Set starts remembering?
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You really seem to be enjoying this new album Zook.
I'm actually listening to the two official released tracks again. Among the Living Dead is still not doing much for me, but I actually didn't mind the title track, it was okay. I'm actually looking forward to buying this and trying to really get into it. My local stores aren't releasing it until the 17th though.
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Yeah man, I was disappointed on my first listen. It sounded like a continuation of Dystopia, and while Dystopia wasn't that bad, it still wasn't the greatest. One awful track, three extremely mediocre ones, and subject matter I really didn't care about at all. Plus, The Crucible of Man was a major step down from Framing Armageddon. I feared I really did lose my first favorite Metal band like I lost my first favorite Rock band, The Offspring. They aren't coming back. But I tried, so I gave it a few more spins, and the songs started forming their own identity, and the album as a whole started coming around. Peacemaker is certainly different, and Parasite sounds like a Disturbed song. Highwayman isn't that bad, but that Volbeat guy has a silly voice. It's like Matt Barlow trying to do a James Hetfield impression. Russell Allen sounded great, but also sounded weird, like he recorded his part with crappy equipment or something. The Sons of Liberty song really isn't that bad. I guess if it had to be one of those songs, I'm glad it was this one.
There are no Days of Rage tracks on this album, no plodding endlessly for no reason. Stu still sounds like Barlow, but he's really trying to do his own thing with it I think. Still sounds like he's singing with food in his mouth though. Schaffer sounds really inspired here, and I wish he would just stick to fantasy, cause that's when he shines. Crucible of Man needed the relentless thrashing that the Plague songs have. The album isn't perfect though. Schaffer really needs to come up with new chord progressions for his ballads. Also, I really like that drum beat Raphael keeps doing in a lot of the songs, but it also makes him sound uncreative. I don't know if Jon wrote the drums parts, but considering how natural the drums sound, I'm guessing he let Raph do his own thing. He did say he gave a lot more creative freedom this time around. Troy is Troy. He's a decent guitarist, but still lacks in the solo department. Jon played all the rhythm anyway.
I'm really glad this album didn't suck. I was worried. I guess some albums just take a few listens. I haven't encountered many instant clickers. I don't think Stu is going anywhere so there's still my gripe of him butchering older songs, but I don't see them live very often so as long as Jon can churn out a few more non-disappointments I'll be a happy camper.
I guess this could be my review. I planned something longer, but I really hate essays.
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Iced Earth has left a bad taste in my mouth a bit since 2007, when Jon threw Ripper to the wolves and fired him via email. Then I found Crucible underwhelming and didn't think too much of Dystopia. I'm curious for this release based on Zooks early reviews, but it would have to be a blockbuster and a homerun release for them to turn it around for me.
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Writing an album of individual songs based on popular dystopian movies comes of as being very uninspired. I felt this way about Horror Show, despite having a few songs I really like.
I'm no longer a fan of Iced Earth. They should call it quits. John Schaffer needs to take some time off. Maybe a year or two. Or take time off and only start writing music again when he feels really inspired and excited about some new ideas. He needs to think outside of the box he's in musically.
Hey here's an idea i just had: John Schaffer should join Nevermore as Jeff Loomis' replacement. That would definitely be interesting and would for sure result in change's to Nevermore's sound. (I'm just kidding. I don't think that'd be a good idea. It would not work. Plus i have a feeling Loomis will go back at some time in the future, and Nevermore will do another record).
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After Crucible and Dystopia, I was really wasn't expecting much out of this offering. It's certainly not IE's greatest effort, but I was pleasantly surprised. The first listen was quite unremarkable, but it definitely grew on me after a few more spins. Stu has definitely improved on this album, but there are still a lot of spots where it seemed forced or strained. I wish Jon would just let Stu be Stu and work with what comes naturally for him.
I agree with the sentiment that Cthulhu is definitely the best song on the album...it was the only one that instantly grabbed me on the first listen.
Overall, really a solid effort...color me surprised after their last two releases. And I'm glad Jon's showed some life...Iced Earth used to be one of my favorite bands.
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Oh yeah, I didn't even mention Cthulhu in my mini review. It's my favorite song as well.
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This is exciting I must say. I also thought the band was done for. I'm looking forward to this and gonna go in with a real open mind. I still don't have any real expectations, but that's a good thing.
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After Crucible and Dystopia, I was really wasn't expecting much out of this offering. It's certainly not IE's greatest effort, but I was pleasantly surprised. The first listen was quite unremarkable, but it definitely grew on me after a few more spins. Stu has definitely improved on this album, but there are still a lot of spots where it seemed forced or strained. I wish Jon would just let Stu be Stu and work with what comes naturally for him.
I agree with the sentiment that Cthulhu is definitely the best song on the album...it was the only one that instantly grabbed me on the first listen.
Overall, really a solid effort...color me surprised after their last two releases. And I'm glad Jon's showed some life...Iced Earth used to be one of my favorite bands.
My thoughts exactly!!
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They aren't that bad. Ripper owns the first album.
True. I didn't listen to those at first and think, "Man this is horrible." I loved Glorious Burden so much that I was psyched for anything that was Iced Earth. I listened to it several times because it was the new Iced Earth album. Then he fired Ripper and like others I got a bad taste in my mouth. But hey, Barlow was back and so I was psyched for the new album. Then I heard it and realized I don't really care for Iced Earth anymore. Then Barlow left, and it reaffirmed why I didn't like the band. then he got a new singer and I just didn't care.
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You left out: and then Shaffer went all wacky right wing conspiracy lunatic on us claiming banks were taking over the world and wanting to start a political revolution with his "Sons of Liberty" project.... ::)
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This is exciting I must say. I also thought the band was done for. I'm looking forward to this and gonna go in with a real open mind. I still don't have any real expectations, but that's a good thing.
Well sorry if I've over hyped it for you, but considering you probably still haven't opened Imaginaerum, I'm sure you wouldn't mind one more CD? :biggrin:
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Damn, Jon is getting ambitious:
(https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1557433_584369148300211_484665251_n.jpg)
Only a partial setlist.
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You left out: and then Shaffer went all wacky right wing conspiracy lunatic on us claiming banks were taking over the world and wanting to start a political revolution with his "Sons of Liberty" project.... ::)
Did you see his interview on Alex Jones's show? It was hilarious. alex Jones obviously didn't do his research (like he did in researching that 9/11 was perpetrated by Queen Elizabeth) and he kept sidetracking all of the "important" things Jon was trying to say by saying such gems as, "You're a good singer! Do you singer in your other band too? (Jon answers "no") Well, you should sing in it! You should be the singer for that one!" (I paraphrased...also, I must admit I have no conclusive proof that Queen Elizabeth had anything to do with 9/11 other than financing it).
With that said, I actually like the music on the first Sons of Liberty CD. Would like to hear the second but I'm not going to pay for that conspiracy garbage.
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Jon's "awakening" and everything that followed certainly left a bad taste in my mouth.
Besides the Iced Earthifed Spirit of the Times (cause really, the original is awful, as is the video for it lol) everything Sons of Liberty is terrible.
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You left out: and then Shaffer went all wacky right wing conspiracy lunatic on us claiming banks were taking over the world and wanting to start a political revolution with his "Sons of Liberty" project.... ::)
Did you see his interview on Alex Jones's show? It was hilarious. alex Jones obviously didn't do his research (like he did in researching that 9/11 was perpetrated by Queen Elizabeth) and he kept sidetracking all of the "important" things Jon was trying to say by saying such gems as, "You're a good singer! Do you singer in your other band too? (Jon answers "no") Well, you should sing in it! You should be the singer for that one!" (I paraphrased...also, I must admit I have no conclusive proof that Queen Elizabeth had anything to do with 9/11 other than financing it).
With that said, I actually like the music on the first Sons of Liberty CD. Would like to hear the second but I'm not going to pay for that conspiracy garbage.
Yeah I didn't want to support his insanity and make him think we wanted more of that stuff. Please return your attention to Iced Earth, Jon. :)
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Alright, while I was out this weekend, to my surprise I actually found a copy of the CD/DVD version of Babylon. I instantly picked it up.
I have listened to it once and I gotta say, I think I'm impressed. I think this album is pretty damn good. The first six songs obviously shine and Zook is right, this is where Jon shines, he should stick to this sort of stuff.
Stu is doing more his own thing, but his voice still annoys me a bit, but it's more bearable here. Zook is right again saying that Ripper would destroy this thing. The riffs are good, the rhythms are cool and old school and the song structures are surprising fresh and apart for some long intros, everything works quite well.
If I Could See You impresed me. It's a IE ballad by numbers but Stu sounds alright here and the chorus is terrific. Cthulhu. Peacemaker reminded me heavily of TGB and seems filler but again I've only had one listen. Parasite was okay, same as Peacemaker at this stage. Not keen on the cover, but it works alright here and its one of the better SOL liberty song to cover.
Fuck Highwayman. I can't believe this is an actul track. I would accept this as a bonus track, but sweet jesus. RA sounds like shit too. The hidden piece of shit is uncalled for too.
So, after one listen, Zook I think you are right, Iced Earth are back. We have to live with Stu, and even though, he's not optimal here, it's acceptable. I also gotta say that the production is really good. Everything sounds crisp and breathes and it's not weighed down with heavy compression of limiting too much. Hopefully it has a bit of staying power.
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This is encouraging, wolfking. I pre-ordered it after giving it a couple spins on Spotify because I, too, was encouraged. Disc should be showing up here any day now. They'll be playing near me in May -- for the first time in an eternity -- so I'm going to go give them a try and see how Stu is live. :hat
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If I Could See You impresed me. It's a IE ballad by numbers but Stu sounds alright here and the chorus is terrific. Cthulhu. Peacemaker reminded me heavily of TGB and seems filler but again I've only had one listen. Parasite was okay, same as Peacemaker at this stage. Not keen on the cover, but it works alright here and its one of the better SOL liberty song to cover.
Yeah, If I Could See You is pretty good. Better than the ballads on Dystopia. Stu sounds more comfortable here. Shame about the subject matter though. Poor Stu. Is that a good "Cthulhu."? Peacemaker is weird. I don't really like Stu on this song cause he has food in his mouth, but the song is alright. I can see what you're saying about it sounding like The Glorious Burden era. They captured the Western vibe too like Metallica's Unforgiven. Obviously what they were going for though. Parasite I'd agree is kind of filler. I still say it sounds like Disturbed. It's OK, but could use a proper ending. Spirit of the Times is still ok, despite Stu sounding like Daffy Duck when he says "justice".
Fuck Highwayman. I can't believe this is an actual track. I would accept this as a bonus track, but sweet jesus. RA sounds like shit too. The hidden piece of shit is uncalled for too.
Highwayman has actually grown on me. I mistook Jon for Volbeat Guy when I first heard it (not sure how), So Jon sounds kinda silly here. I'm with you on Russell. He is over compressed or something. Maybe the other singers were jealous. Stu is really hillbillying it up here. Volbeat Guy actually doesn't sound that bad. His voice initially turned me off of Volbeat, but I might give 'em a fair listen. Pretty good Metal cover of an old Country song. The hidden thing: It sounded familiar to me, so after doing some research (looking through the Iced Earth webisodes) I found a short segment of Jon and Russell saying the Dave Chappelle line "fuck yo couch". According to Stu's facebook, it was the theme of the tour. I like Russell. He's a pretty funny guy, but this just wasn't. It may have gotten a smile out of me the first time around, but putting it on the CD was just stupid. At least they didn't stick it on the end of Highwayman.
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Yeah, for some reason I fucked up what I was writing for Cthulhu. It's like I started a sentence but then forgot about it and went on to something else, weird. :lol Anyway I think I was just going to say that Cthulhu is fucking terrific too, which it is.
Been spinning this again today and I really like it, I never thought this would happen. My favs could possibly be The Culling (what a chorus) and The End? The whole mini story here works so damn well.
If I Could See You has grown on me even more and even though it's pretty much I Died For You, it's just wonderful. Peacemaker is okay, but I think the vibe just doesn't fit what came before it.
It's funny, you've heard all these riffs and shit before but, somehow Jon has made everything work and even though things sound familiar with IE, it somehow sounds really fresh.
I watched the 55 minute doco on the making of and that was really well done. Great interviews and insight on the album. Stu is such a fucking nerd though. :lol Anyway, I like the drumming too, he makes it fresh, but it's funny how much they praise him on the DVD but at teh time the DVD was released he was already out of the band.
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I guess I was wrong about If I Could See You. I thought it was pretty obvious that Stu wrote the lyrics, but it was Schaffer.
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I haven't read the lyrics or anything but to me it seems a bit of a sequel to Watching Over You. Probably wrong, but that's the impression that I get from it.
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Maybe.
Turns out the Plagues story is actually about the zombie apacolypse and not about the ancient plagues like I thought. Makes sense considering the lyrics of ATLD. The beginning of the title track made it sound like it was before The Clouding, but there is a resistance in the future that is becoming more aware of the Setians manipulation.
Jon explains all this in the new Making of Documentary.
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Maybe.
Turns out the Plagues story is actually about the zombie apacolypse and not about the ancient plagues like I thought. Makes sense considering the lyrics of ATLD. The beginning of the title track made it sound like it was before The Clouding, but there is a resistance in the future that is becoming more aware of the Setians manipulation.
Jon explains all this in the new Making of Documentary.
Yeah, it's like an off side story but in the same realm as the humans and setians. Pretty cool.
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I just saw Iced Earth and it was perfect, probably one of the best shows I've seen. Stu was spot on, and we shared a moment when a dude lifted me up into the air during the first verse and chorus of Dystopia :hat I don't like Plagues Of Babylon that much, it's pretty much just "okay" to me, but the songs were engaging live.
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:tup :tup Glad to hear this. I'll be seeing them in May. :yarr
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This is me cracking a very stupidly bedazzled smile at him:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1/1510890_10201169212023491_1047172203_n.jpg)
:angel:
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:metal
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(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/1620664_642315685830061_1071038274_n.jpg)
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I remember back when Barlow was still in the band, Iced Earth was a very acclaimed and popular metal band. It also seemed this way when Ripper first joined too. But now it's not the same. I'm sure there are many others who feel this way.
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I remember back when Barlow was still in the band, Iced Earth was a very acclaimed and popular metal band. It also seemed this way when Ripper first joined too. But now it's not the same. I'm sure there are many others who feel this way.
Check mine and Zook's posts over the last 20 or so pages.
Saying that, I haven't gone back to the new album much, but they have redeemed themselves a little. They will never be the band they were though.
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I'm still listening to the new album, but over the last few days Sins in Vain and Rainover have been raping my ears. I just can't get enough of those two.
There used to be an Iced Earth fan site called The Iced Realm that was huge. It had so much information regarding albums, different versions, the old Purgatory stuff, and a forum that actually had traffic. The owner closed the site because Iced Earth weren't his favorite band anymore, and because, as we have said on here, "Schaffer lost it".
I actually found a blabbermouth article about it. Yes, blabbermouth actually wrote an article about an Iced Earth fan site, but that goes to show just how big the site was.
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/long-running-iced-earth-fan-site-shuts-down-webmaster-says-schaffer-has-lost-it/
So yeah, there are diehards like Johnny Z, and then there are fans that are "awake" so to speak.
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Looks like they've been playing 6 songs from the new album on the first few dates of this tour. A typical set list so far:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/iced-earth/2014/rosenhof-osnabruck-germany-73c50259.html (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/iced-earth/2014/rosenhof-osnabruck-germany-73c50259.html)
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That's an okay set, but they could ditch V. I wonder how Stu copes with Red Baron.
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I wondered the same thing, Wolf. I wish they were playing a few more tracks from the first couple albums. On the plus side, they are skipping the "Framing Armageddon" and "Crucible of Man" albums, both of which I really disliked.....
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I wouldn't mind hearing Stu sing Framing Armageddon. He does pretty good on Red Baron. But since he cuts himself off at the end of the epic climax to Come What May to sing the last chorus, I hope they don't bring that one back.
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This is me cracking a very stupidly bedazzled smile at him:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1/1510890_10201169212023491_1047172203_n.jpg)
:angel:
Wait you're NOT really a ghost wearing a sheet? :lol
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John Greely and Jon Schaffer from yesterday's show!
(https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10152567_755529277814187_6250836828994652578_n.jpg)
Unfortunately he didn't get invited to sing, but I guess they aren't playing any Stormrider songs anyway this tour.
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Dystopia is not a bad album, and Stu is a good singer for Iced Earth. But the way I feel about Dystopia is how i feel about most of IE's music, and that is that it's not great but not bad. There is very little versatility in their music, and that makes them very unimpressive as a whole.
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no u
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John Greely and Jon Schaffer from yesterday's show!
(https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10152567_755529277814187_6250836828994652578_n.jpg)
Unfortunately he didn't get invited to sing, but I guess they aren't playing any Stormrider songs anyway this tour.
Bullshit, he should have sung a couple of songs, what the hell?
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Kinda glad I didn't see them last night. They played Days of Rage.
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gay
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Off-topic = Dante's Inferno must be one of the best epics performed by any metal band.
You are correct, sir. I can't wait for the day Schaffer finally makes a newer version with a real orchestra. It won't beat the original, but it'll be epic as fuck.
... Still waiting...
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Off-topic = Dante's Inferno must be one of the best epics performed by any metal band.
You are correct, sir. I can't wait for the day Schaffer finally makes a newer version with a real orchestra. It won't beat the original, but it'll be epic as fuck.
... Still waiting...
I never heard the talk of them doing this. Would be pretty cool, except Stu of course.
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I can't really blame Stu completely for that rush job remake. The whole band including Schaffer was sloppy as fuck.
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I think I only listened to that once.
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And that's more times than you should have.
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Yeah, The live version with Stu is worse IMO.
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I don't think I made it through that one.
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Don't blame you.
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That new live album is mixed so poorly I can't really listen to any of it. The mix makes the songs boring. There's no life at all, which is the opposite of what live albums and concerts do. I like some live versions better and visa versa, but the band on that sound bored, and the absence of the crowd kills the whole experience.
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I only watched the DVD once too. Waste of money really. There was no way I was getting the soundtrack. Everything you just said is spot on.
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Well, Iced Earth is going to record another covers album.
LOL
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R U SERIOUS?
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A cover of old Iced Earth material?
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Alright, showtime in a couple hours. Gonna have a good brew before I head to the venue.
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A cover of old Iced Earth material?
I read it on the Brazil Under Ice facebook page, but apparently there was an interview a month ago, and it'll be covers of songs they hear a lot on tour or something.
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A cover of old Iced Earth material?
I read it on the Brazil Under Ice facebook page, but apparently there was an interview a month ago, and it'll be covers of songs they hear a lot on tour or something.
wut?
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Now that I'm at my computer:
"This album will have very different things and surprise everyone, as the band intends to record songs they hear enough on tour, including from other musical genres, but, logically, in the style of Iced Earth."
That's a translated quote from Johnny Z who apparently didn't know there was an interview about it a month ago. I can't find the interview.
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The show was Amazing. Revamp and Sabaton kicked ass. IE wasn't bad either.
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Now that I'm at my computer:
"This album will have very different things and surprise everyone, as the band intends to record songs they hear enough on tour, including from other musical genres, but, logically, in the style of Iced Earth."
That's a translated quote from Johnny Z who apparently didn't know there was an interview about it a month ago. I can't find the interview.
This sounds fucking stupid.
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That's Jon Schaffer for you. Tribute to the Gods was pretty shitty so I'm not holding out hope for this one.
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Yeah, it was shit.
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Total missed opportunity to play The Phantom Opera Ghost by the way. Way to go, Schaffer.
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"I have to have neck surgery. It's the second cervical fusion. I had the first one 14 years ago. And, ironically, we did Wacken, like, three and a half weeks after that, and I was in a neck brace and shit. But this time, there is no chance for me to do it and heal up through the summer because of what it takes. So, I mean, basically, early September, I'm going under the blade again and I'm gonna get this fixed. 'Cause it's rapidly gotten worse. I would say since the recording of 'Plagues Of Babylon' is when it really started to get bad. It's been bothering me for a long time, but now it's getting to the point where it's actually affecting my hands and my shoulders and it's really not good. A little break would be good, because it's not just the performing of Iced Earth, it's the whole thing. It's a 24-7 job, so it's just gonna be good to be able to take a few weeks and not hear the words 'Iced Earth' for awhile or anything and do some stuff with my daughter and have some good quality time. So that alone will recharge the batteries, let alone getting the neck situation fixed up."
I noticed you were in serioues pain here in Sao Paulo, and still did a great show to us! Get well soon, brother!!! Let's make our prayers to Jon improve fast.
He'll come back with faster triplets than ever!
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Hopefully his new neck will remind him how to headbang and start writing Stormrider like material.
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We can hope.
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We can hope.
It's all we have. :(
How did Babylon age for you? I still think it was a good record, but honestly, I haven't gone back to it after a couple of weeks of spinning it.
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It's still good I guess. I haven't listened to it recently besides select tracks put on an IE playlist for work, but I still consider it a good album. I wish that was the first album with Stu and Dystopia didn't exist lol
I'm still bummed that when I bought a used copy again, it didn't have the sticker with it. That's what I get for selling it back. At least it's from a mediocre album. I still have my Glorious Burden sticker.
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Sticker? I don't think either of those albums came with a sticker for me. :'(
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The Dystopia sticker is the pic of Set with the vines or tentacles or whatever, and The Glorious Burden sticker is of the album cover.
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I'll check my copies when I get home.
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Actually, the sticker only came with the 2 CD version of TGB. Same with the special edition of Dystopia. I have 3 different versions of TGB but alas only one sticker.
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Hmmm....I have the 2cd version. The packing I remember fucking sucks.
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Goodbye Jon Dette, the best drummer Iced Earth never had. I guess Anthrax makes more money.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10325391_650630401674085_8877271513181415678_n.jpg)
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If someone buys this for me I'll pay whoever back. Payment plan? Anything? Seriously, There are 2 listings, and one already has a bid, and there are still 6 days. The one I'm posting is a buy it now, and more expensive and could be gone before anyone reads this, but yeah, I really want this useless piece of crap. I have like every other version of this album. It seems this always appears on ebay when I can't fucking afford it! >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ICED-EARTH-NIGHT-OF-THE-STORMRIDER-LP-CENTURY-MEDIA-1991-FIRST-EDITION-/171347886579?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item27e52141f3
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That's cool. Contact the seller, they might help you out.
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I suck at negotiating, but I guess it's worth a shot.
... That is how I got all four Conception CDs back in the day.
Thanks Wolfking for the facts!
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Dunno what I did man, but glad to help.
There's that band again, Conception. Still haven't checked out. :facepalm:
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I just found out that Richard Kristy from the Howard Stern show used to be the drummer for Iced Earth. That's cool, was very surprised.
There was an interview with Nikki Sixx where Richard came in and met him. It's funny, they talked about how Richard can never get laid, even when he was in IE. Apparently it's a sausage fest, where as a band like Crue writes pop hits so ladies flock to them and their cocks ;p Pretty cool interview.
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Jon would find some way to fire any groupies that came backstage anyway.
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I just found out that Richard Kristy from the Howard Stern show used to be the drummer for Iced Earth. That's cool, was very surprised.
He did much more than that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Christy#Discography
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One of my favorite bands right herrr. I'm probably one of the few who loves Stu Block's vocals just as much as Matt Barlow's. Dystopia was a phenomenal album. As for Plagues of Babylon... I'm still 'trying' to get into it. I think it will grow on me though.
Favorite albums (no order):
-Horror Show
-Dystopia
-Something Wicked This Way Comes
-Framing Armageddon
-The Glorious Burden
-The Crucible of Man
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One of my favorite bands right herrr. I'm probably one of the few who loves Stu Block's vocals just as much as Matt Barlow's. Dystopia was a phenomenal album. As for Plagues of Babylon... I'm still 'trying' to get into it. I think it will grow on me though.
Can't quite agree with this. IMO Dystopia was pretty terrible, but Babylon was quite a good comeback.
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One of my favorite bands right herrr. I'm probably one of the few who loves Stu Block's vocals just as much as Matt Barlow's. Dystopia was a phenomenal album. As for Plagues of Babylon... I'm still 'trying' to get into it. I think it will grow on me though.
Can't quite agree with this. IMO Dystopia was pretty terrible, but Babylon was quite a good comeback.
Agreed.
Also, no Stormrider? o_O
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One of my favorite bands right herrr. I'm probably one of the few who loves Stu Block's vocals just as much as Matt Barlow's. Dystopia was a phenomenal album. As for Plagues of Babylon... I'm still 'trying' to get into it. I think it will grow on me though.
Favorite albums (no order):
-Horror Show
-Dystopia
-Something Wicked This Way Comes
-Framing Armageddon
-The Glorious Burden
-The Crucible of Man
Just noticed Crucible on your list too. Interesting, that one IMO is by far the weakest IE album.
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It's not that I thought Dystopia was terrible. I actually think it's pretty good. But I honestly haven't listened to it more that 2 or three times. I just could not part with any money for Plagues. I figured it'd be very similar.
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It's not that I thought Dystopia was terrible. I actually think it's pretty good. But I honestly haven't listened to it more that 2 or three times. I just could not part with any money for Plagues. I figured it'd be very similar.
Not at all. It is a big improvement.
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It's not that I thought Dystopia was terrible. I actually think it's pretty good. But I honestly haven't listened to it more that 2 or three times. I just could not part with any money for Plagues. I figured it'd be very similar.
Not at all. It is a big improvement.
OK. I'll consider it. It's not that I don't like Iced earth. I do, but I feel like I keep buying the same album over and over again.
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It's not that I thought Dystopia was terrible. I actually think it's pretty good. But I honestly haven't listened to it more that 2 or three times. I just could not part with any money for Plagues. I figured it'd be very similar.
Not at all. It is a big improvement.
OK. I'll consider it. It's not that I don't like Iced earth. I do, but I feel like I keep buying the same album over and over again.
If that's the case, I doubt Plagues of Babylon will change your opinion of them. The band is pretty damn repetitive. The general idea of their sound is a blending of Iron Maiden and Metallica.
It's a formula that works, but I personally think, and Zook will probably agree on this, that it worked best on their earlier albums like Night of the Stormrider or Burnt Offerings. If you somehow haven't heard those albums yet, I'd suggest checking them out instead of Plagues.
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It's a formula that works, but I personally think, and Zook will probably agree on this, that it worked best on their earlier albums like Night of the Stormrider or Burnt Offerings. If you somehow haven't heard those albums yet, I'd suggest checking them out instead of Plagues.
I have both. Burnt Offerings is terrible IMO. Stormrider is good, but the Athens versions of the Stormrider songs basically turned that album into a coaster.
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It's a formula that works, but I personally think, and Zook will probably agree on this, that it worked best on their earlier albums like Night of the Stormrider or Burnt Offerings. If you somehow haven't heard those albums yet, I'd suggest checking them out instead of Plagues.
I have both. Burnt Offerings is terrible IMO. Stormrider is good, but the Athens versions of the Stormrider songs basically turned that album into a coaster.
Huh. Well, in that case, I'd look into the middle range albums from The Dark Saga to Horror Show or The Glorious Burden.
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It's a formula that works, but I personally think, and Zook will probably agree on this, that it worked best on their earlier albums like Night of the Stormrider or Burnt Offerings. If you somehow haven't heard those albums yet, I'd suggest checking them out instead of Plagues.
I have both. Burnt Offerings is terrible IMO. Stormrider is good, but the Athens versions of the Stormrider songs basically turned that album into a coaster.
I probably wouldn't really bother with anything else IE related if I were you then.
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Tim, I'm surprised you think Burnt Offerings is terrible. I think its a great metal disc!!
My favorites from the band will still be Dark Saga, Horror Show and Glorious Burden.
I didn't even bother checking out Plagues; likely never will.
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I HAVE all of the Iced Earth albums. I just feel like over the last few albums that I basically bought the same album. I am really struggling to part with any cash for it. I feel the same about the new Edguy, Ace Frehley, and Tesla albums.
I have not listened to Burnt Offerings in ages. The production is terrible and I think Barlow sounds like crap on it. Definitely took some time to find his "voice". Dante's Inferno is fantastic, but for that I always go to Alive In Athens, which to me is the Frampton Comes Alive of heavy metal.
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Dante's Inferno is fantastic, but for that I always go to Alive In Athens, which to me is the Frampton Comes Alive of heavy metal.
That's a legit statement.
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I HAVE all of the Iced Earth albums. I just feel like over the last few albums that I basically bought the same album. I am really struggling to part with any cash for it. I feel the same about the new Edguy, Ace Frehley, and Tesla albums.
I have not listened to Burnt Offerings in ages. The production is terrible and I think Barlow sounds like crap on it. Definitely took some time to find his "voice". Dante's Inferno is fantastic, but for that I always go to Alive In Athens, which to me is the Frampton Comes Alive of heavy metal.
You likely have the original. Get the remixed and remastered version. The original indeed sounds like ass, and the drummer for that album was horrid. It's all cleaned up on the remaster.
Tim, I'm surprised you think Burnt Offerings is terrible. I think its a great metal disc!!
My favorites from the band will still be Dark Saga, Horror Show and Glorious Burden.
I didn't even bother checking out Plagues; likely never will.
At least listen to Plagues once. It really is a step up from Dystopia and Crucible.
And yeah, MOST of the Athens Stormrider songs put the originals to shame, but Night of the Stormrider is still my all time favorite album and an underrated Thrash Metal album in general. Greely is no Barlow, but he definitely isn't Gene Adam either. Aparently the guy drives through Arizona all the time. One day I hope we can meet up so he can sign my ten different copies of Stormrider. :lol
Dante's Inferno is fantastic, but for that I always go to Alive In Athens, which to me is the Frampton Comes Alive of heavy metal.
That's a legit statement.
I actually prefer the studio version of Dante's Inferno, but yeah, Alive in Athens is my favorite live album. The live version of A Question of Heaven is an emotional eargasm.
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I find a lot of the AIA versions better than the studio versions, especially Dante and Heaven.
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I find a lot of the AIA versions better than the studio versions, especially Dante and Heaven.
Yeah, but the lyrical flub in Dante's Inferno kills it for me. Nah, just kidding. Definitely a great version, I just prefer the studio's atmosphere more. And the live version of A Question of Heaven is my all time favorite Iced Earth song.
Larry mucked up some of the solos on the other Stormrider songs so I can't lump those in with the musical blissful awesomeness of the live "Stormrider Trilogy", and I also prefer the studio Something Wicked Trilogy.
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Matt at the end of AQOH on AIA is one of the best vocal moments ever.
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Matt at the end of AQOH on AIA is one of the best vocal moments ever.
Like I said, emotional eargasm. Accompanied with the guitar lead, it's the perfect ending to a song.
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Yes.
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Great version. Phenominal! :metal
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What sucks though, is that Matt (possibly by Jon's influence) changed the way he sang the final part after this concert. The new way sucked, and wasn't near as moving. Stu stayed true to the studio version, but his voice didn't fit. I would have loved to have been there in person to see that song in it's perfect form, but considering it wasn't on the DVD, I fear it may have been heavily tinkered with, but then again, The Killing Hand from Live at the Marquee has a complete vocal overdub, and I still love it.
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I would have liked to hear Tim sing AQOH.
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but considering it wasn't on the DVD, I fear it may have been heavily tinkered with,
Like the rest of that DVD wasn't? :lol
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but considering it wasn't on the DVD, I fear it may have been heavily tinkered with,
Like the rest of that DVD wasn't? :lol
No, I imagine it was, but Jon was nice enough to leave some things unpolished to give the illusion... like Larry's fudged up solos. Thanks Jon.
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I would have liked to hear Tim sing AQOH.
Ehhh, I'll pass on that, but Travel in Stygian definitely.
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Travel in Stygian
Awesome tune. My first IE album was Athens and that was the first tune that hooked me.
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I think it was Alive in Athens that got me into Barlow. Watching Over Me was my first Barlow IE song and I didn't like him at first. My introduction to IE was The Glorious Burden, so the drastic change in singers was very off putting.
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https://www.jsrdirect.com/bands/icedearth/
:facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:
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It's a formula that works, but I personally think, and Zook will probably agree on this, that it worked best on their earlier albums like Night of the Stormrider or Burnt Offerings. If you somehow haven't heard those albums yet, I'd suggest checking them out instead of Plagues.
I have both. Burnt Offerings is terrible IMO. Stormrider is good, but the Athens versions of the Stormrider songs basically turned that album into a coaster.
I probably wouldn't really bother with anything else IE related if I were you then.
Yeah, it's kind of like trying to get into DT even though you hate I&W and Awake.
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https://www.jsrdirect.com/bands/icedearth/
:facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:
That hot chicks poop shirt is one of the most tasteless, tacky, awful and stupid shirts I've ever seen and coming from Iced Earth just blows my mind. Why, fucking why?
Also, what's fuck yo couch?
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Please welcome Zakk Wylde as the new chief of merchandising for Iced Earth :D
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https://www.jsrdirect.com/bands/icedearth/
:facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:
That hot chicks poop shirt is one of the most tasteless, tacky, awful and stupid shirts I've ever seen and coming from Iced Earth just blows my mind. Why, fucking why?
Also, what's fuck yo couch?
It's from a Dave Chapelle skit. That's what they're saying at the end of Plagues of Babylon.
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Oh.
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Kade is right, that shirt is horrific. Who would not only pay money for that thing, but wear it in public. Terrible.
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Yeah, it's kind of like trying to get into DT even though you hate I&W and Awake.
That's not an apt comparison. Regardless of what you think of them, very few DT albums sound similar. Someone who doesn't care for I&W and Awake could enjoy FII, ToT, or SC because those are very different, or any of the ones not mentioned because they are different enough. The biggest different between IE albums seems to be which vocalist is on the album, because musically the formula is basically the same (themes change as well).
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Kade is right, that shirt is horrific. Who would not only pay money for that thing, but wear it in public. Terrible.
Amen bro. I'd actually be a bit ashamed to admit I like IE if they are going to release rubbish like this.
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I used to have the Stormrider shirt that had FUCK POSERS on the back. I thought I was so badass with it on. One time at Bass Pro Shops the manager asked me to turn it inside out because BPS is a family place. The last time I ever wore it was at Wal-Mart when I was getting my hair cut. I turned around while waiting my turn and this woman holding her baby was giving me a concerned dirty look. It actually made me feel really bad about wearing it.
I'd still love a normal classic non Disney Stormrider cover shirt without the text on the back.
The sad thing is, I probably would have bought either of those 10 years ago, because I thought I was so cool wearing offensive shirts. Funny how much we change.
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I saw someone wearing the FUCK POSERS shirt get the shit kicked out of him at an Opeth concert. He was moshing and knocked a girl over. She got up and went like psycho ballerina on his ass. Just spinning and bitchslapping him. :lol
I used to own offensive t-shirts when I was younger-I had a shirt when I was in my early 20s that had a hand pointing out of it and YOU SUCK! written over it, and fuck did that get me into trouble-but even younger me would've balked at buying the Fuck Posers shirt.
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Worst offensive t-shirt has to go to Seb Bach - anyone remember that? I haven't posted it as I don't want to offend , but if you saw it you'll remember.
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Worst offensive t-shirt has to go to Seb Bach - anyone remember that? I haven't posted it as I don't want to offend , but if you saw it you'll remember.
Post it please.
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I saw someone wearing the FUCK POSERS shirt get the shit kicked out of him at an Opeth concert. He was moshing and knocked a girl over. She got up and went like psycho ballerina on his ass. Just spinning and bitchslapping him. :lol
I used to own offensive t-shirts when I was younger-I had a shirt when I was in my early 20s that had a hand pointing out of it and YOU SUCK! written over it, and fuck did that get me into trouble-but even younger me would've balked at buying the Fuck Posers shirt.
Well the unwritten rule of moshing is to help up those who you knock down, so the guy deserved it. And yeah, wearing a shirt with FUCK in big letters was quite stupid... not quite as subtle as a Wheel Of Fortune Go fuck yourself shirt with the vowels missing.
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yeah not even worth posting that Seb Bach shirt, that was the worst no question
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I'm guessing it was the blank kills blank blank.
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Thats the one I was thinking of, unless Brent was talking about an even worse one lol
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Just googled the Seb shirt, pretty nasty. he says he wore it without knowing what was on it. yeah right Seb. :lol
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Thats the one I was thinking of, unless Brent was talking about an even worse one lol
That was the first google result, and I didn't think I needed to look any further.
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That's the one guys
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Oh yeahhhh that shirt. That's...pretty close to the record holder. Probably is. Cradle of Filth had a shirt that was about that vile that read "Jesus was a C-Word"
Depending on your beliefs, that one might be the winner.
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Oh yeahhhh that shirt. That's...pretty close to the record holder. Probably is. Cradle of Filth had a shirt that was about that vile that read "Jesus was a C-Word"
Depending on your beliefs, that one might be the winner.
Perhaps, but I think the Seb Bach shirt is definitely the more all-around offensive shirt. I can easily ignore a shirt insulting my religion; a shirt that wishes death on a group of people requires more effort.
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(https://scontent-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/q81/s720x720/10636173_802231373180653_4157720859838927264_n.jpg?oh=214897a408e4760a2bb5dfe7ac979da5&oe=55B4AEBA)
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What the fucking fuck?
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Iced Earth is set to begin the writing process of their 12th studio album in spring 2015. After a short hiatus, (primarily due to founder, chief songwriter, and guitarist Jon Schaffer’s 2nd cervical fusion surgery), the band is planning their schedule for the remainder of the year. Iced Earth fans can expect the next album, tentatively entitled "The Judas Goat", and the subsequent touring cycle to begin in early 2016.
Schaffer comments on his recovery and the direction of the new album, “The recovery after this surgery has been more difficult than the first time around in 2000. Although there have been a few setbacks, I am confident that I’m ready to resume my duties in Iced Earth, directing my full attention to the creative process, production, and touring future of the band.” Schaffer continues, “We are looking forward to songwriting and getting back in the studio. The creative direction of the new album is rife with intense and heavy emotions, as one would expect from an Iced Earth record, as well as a wide variety of lyrical inspirations and themes.” “I am 100% confident that the bond our band has forged in these last several years will shine through in the music. It’s a brotherhood in every way, and the fans will feel that. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and everything we’ve achieved together.”
Long time drummer Brent Smedley will be returning to the band for the recording and touring of the next album cycle. Smedley had to step down due to personal family reasons in 2013 shortly before the recording of Plagues of Babylon. “We are very pleased to have Brent joining us once again; he’s always been a brother and an important part of the Iced Earth legacy,” says Schaffer.
Iced Earth is sure to please fans from all eras of the band’s illustrious history with this next offering of unadulterated heavy metal.
Oh balls.
Also, I really hope he changes the title.
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The Judas Goat? :rollin
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wtf schaffer
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The Judas Goat? :rollin
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Once you know what a judas goat is, it's not so bad. It's still fucking silly for an album title though.
A judas goat is a goat trained to lead sheep to be slaughtered.
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Fair enough, makes it a little better based on that concept but still. A song title maybe, but not an album title.
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Guys, the album cover leaked:
(https://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/Zook85/Icedearth_Judasgoat4.jpg) (https://s84.photobucket.com/user/Zook85/media/Icedearth_Judasgoat4.jpg.html)
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Symbolic of Schaffer followed by all former IE members.
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:lol
Poor sheep, getting led to die. :-\
The Judas Goat is actually Schaffer since Stu joined IE IMO. We can't help but to follow yet being lead into bad circumstances.
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Symbolic of Schaffer followed by all former IE members.
Damn you, ninja'd sort of. Yours is more accurate though. :lol
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Guaranteed #1 in New Zealand
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Stopped caring about IE a long time ago but holy shit seriously? Why would you even disgrace a new album with a WORKING title that horrible.
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Once you know what a judas goat is, it's not so bad. It's still fucking silly for an album title though.
A judas goat is a goat trained to lead sheep to be slaughtered.
I have it on good authority that is was actually inspired by this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v6yVP5mIsI
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Guaranteed #1 in New Zealand
:lol
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Just googled the Seb shirt, pretty nasty. he says he wore it without knowing what was on it. yeah right Seb. :lol
I had the Guns n Roses shirt with the girl on the floor as though she had been raped by the robot, from the inside cover of Appetite. A mate bought it at the same gig and I remember he got serious shit for it one night when we were in the pub from a woman. She tore him a new one about degrading women. Looking back it was fair ewnough.
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Guys, check out Raven Lunatic's Youtube page for footage of Iced Earth's set from 70,000 Tons of Metal. Troy has been practicing! Stu still sounds silly though. He does have some cool moments here and there.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCovaxG6Q28n59JAXzQQYaBw/search?query=iced+earth
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I came in here expecting album news.
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I hope it'll be in vein of Plagues of Babylon, love that album :metal
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I came in here expecting album news.
me too - the lack of news really gets my goat.
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I came in here expecting album news.
me too - the lack of news really gets my goat.
(https://cactusjaq.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/ric-flair-woo-gif.gif)
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:metal
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These days, I see new IE albums through a side glance, basically. 'Oh... a new one. OK.'
Just got Burnt Offerings and Dark Saga LPs in the mail though. And Something Wicked is coming out soon! This is far more exciting to me than new stuff.
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These days, I see new IE albums through a side glance, basically. 'Oh... a new one. OK.'
Just got Burnt Offerings and Dark Saga LPs in the mail though. And Something Wicked is coming out soon! This is far more exciting to me than new stuff.
I don't have a record player, but I'd love to get all the new vinyl re-releases just because the covers are so awesome. I am curious as to how the new vinyl masters sound.
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These days, I see new IE albums through a side glance, basically. 'Oh... a new one. OK.'
Just got Burnt Offerings and Dark Saga LPs in the mail though. And Something Wicked is coming out soon! This is far more exciting to me than new stuff.
I don't have a record player, but I'd love to get all the new vinyl re-releases just because the covers are so awesome. I am curious as to how the new vinyl masters sound.
The only bad thing about the Burnt Offerings release is they used the original art layout, so the Satan image on the cover isn't full size. It's framed in black. All the others have the full size art, though.
Just finishing "Dante's Inferno" right now, on the transparent orange. Whole thing is solid. It's different from the last CD remaster for sure (the one with the new cover), besides not being blasted to the roof. I'm really noticing some of the nuances I didn't remember – weird vocal mixing choices, the drum mistakes, etc.
Dark Saga up next!
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These days, I see new IE albums through a side glance, basically. 'Oh... a new one. OK.'
Just got Burnt Offerings and Dark Saga LPs in the mail though. And Something Wicked is coming out soon! This is far more exciting to me than new stuff.
I don't have a record player, but I'd love to get all the new vinyl re-releases just because the covers are so awesome. I am curious as to how the new vinyl masters sound.
The only bad thing about the Burnt Offerings release is they used the original art layout, so the Satan image on the cover isn't full size. It's framed in black. All the others have the full size art, though.
Just finishing "Dante's Inferno" right now, on the transparent orange. Whole thing is solid. It's different from the last CD remaster for sure (the one with the new cover), besides not being blasted to the roof. I'm really noticing some of the nuances I didn't remember – weird vocal mixing choices, the drum mistakes, etc.
Dark Saga up next!
Drum mistakes you say? That just refreshed my memory that these rereleases are the original versions remastered for vinyl, so they aren't the 2002 Schaffer mixes. Also, the original cover for BO on vinyl had the black frame as well. The original Burnt Offerings before Dark Genesis sounds quite bad and needed the remix the most out of the 3.
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The only bad thing about the Burnt Offerings release is they used the original art layout, so the Satan image on the cover isn't full size. It's framed in black. All the others have the full size art, though.
Just finishing "Dante's Inferno" right now, on the transparent orange. Whole thing is solid. It's different from the last CD remaster for sure (the one with the new cover), besides not being blasted to the roof. I'm really noticing some of the nuances I didn't remember – weird vocal mixing choices, the drum mistakes, etc.
Dark Saga up next!
Drum mistakes you say? That just refreshed my memory that these rereleases are the original versions remastered for vinyl, so they aren't the 2002 Schaffer mixes. Also, the original cover for BO on vinyl had the black frame as well. The original Burnt Offerings before Dark Genesis sounds quite bad and needed the remix the most out of the 3.
Yeah. They're most obvious on "Dante." Late fills, mostly. Only a few times but they were very noticeable to me – it's likely I know the 2002 re-mix you mention better, so perhaps that's why the drum thing hit me, and also why I found the vocal mix to be very strange throughout.
Dark Saga sounds impeccable. In fact, it sounds better than the CD. The top end rolloff/softening really, really helped the brittle mix/remastering I'd known previously. Extremely, extremely impressed.
Something Wicked hopefully gets the same treatment. It has a serious hi-hat problem on an otherwise perfect mix.
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Dear friends,
Do these working song titles for the next Iced Earth album stir excitement within you? They do us!
New Dawn
Incorruptible
Beware the Judas Goat
Unbroken/Unbeaten
Brother
Clear the Way (December 13, 1862)
Universal Truth
Seven Headed Whore
Black Flag
The Relic
The Great Heathen Army
Independence Hall, the aptly named Iced Earth headquarters/studio, is nearing completion!
Things are moving forward!
Stay tuned,
Jon Schaffer
I actually like Seven Headed Whore :lol
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Beware the Judas Goat :metal :metal :metal
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Dear friends,
Do these working song titles for the next Iced Earth album stir excitement within you? They do us!
New Dawn
Incorruptible
Beware the Judas Goat
Unbroken/Unbeaten
Brother
Clear the Way (December 13, 1862)
Universal Truth
Seven Headed Whore
Black Flag
The Relic
The Great Heathen Army
Independence Hall, the aptly named Iced Earth headquarters/studio, is nearing completion!
Things are moving forward!
Stay tuned,
Jon Schaffer
I actually like Seven Headed Whore :lol
Yeah, I hope that stays as the actual title.
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A quick googling reveals that Clear the Way is about the Civil War in the USA, a prequel to the Gettysburg trilogy basically?
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Yeah, that's the year before, it must be. Makes sense considering it's Schaffer and all.
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Seven Headed Whore sounds like something taken straight out from A Song of Ice and Fire. :lol
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Steel Panther are taking legal action.
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Aaaaaaaaaaand Troy's out. Family responsibilities.
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I hope Brent Smedley is really on the new record, because the drumming on Babylon is awful.
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Aaaaaaaaaaand Troy's out. Family responsibilities.
Was Troy the guitarist? If so, good.
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I totally skipped the last IE album.
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I totally skipped the last IE album.
I think you should check it out. Minus 2 or 3 songs it's really good.
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I actually didn't think Dystopia was that bad. I just never got the energy to follow up with it. Generally I like most of what IE does, but hey are like a modern day Rainbow with so many damn members. It's not really a band that I can "follow".
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Aaaaaaaaaaand Troy's out. Family responsibilities.
Thank God.
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I hope Brent Smedley is really on the new record, because the drumming on Babylon is awful.
I liked the drumming on Plagues. It sounded like a human being was playing rather than a program doubling Schaffer's riffs. Also, there were fills. Some were repeated, but they were still fills. Brent doesn't really do fills much at all.
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I overall really liked the production on Plagues, sounds dynamic and crisp.
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I hope Brent Smedley is really on the new record, because the drumming on Babylon is awful.
I liked the drumming on Plagues. It sounded like a human being was playing rather than a program doubling Schaffer's riffs. Also, there were fills. Some were repeated, but they were still fills. Brent doesn't really do fills much at all.
I agree completely with your criticism of Brent. I just feel like we should have more options other than "guy who sounds like a human drum machine that does nothing but double the guitar" and "guy who sounds like he just learned the songs 10 minutes ago"
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So the last 2 days they played a new song, "Incorruptible" in Greece. I didn't really like it, but that could be Stu sounding like shit live as he always does or it could be because it sounds like a Dystopia leftover. This is also our introduction to the new lead guitarist. I already like him better than Troy. According to Jon, the new album drops in May, which you can hear him say after the song. You can also watch the full show from the same uploader.
Incurruptible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR-LqoHMGgc&t=7s
I wish Stu would just sing in his own range. A Question of Heaven would sound amazing if he did, but when he's in his Barlow range, the ending sounds goofy as fuck. I know I've said that before, but they're still playing it, and he still sounds fucking goofy! Hell, he sounds goofy all around now. Knowing how he really sings makes it so much worse, not only because why is he singing like that, but because I know the songs would sound 100x better and more badass in his natural range. Ripper may not have sounded the greatest on the ballads, but for the most part he owned the heavier stuff. Thankfully this isn't a problem with Tommy/Kamelot.
Oh well...
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No offense, but this band died when Matt Barlow left.
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No offense, but this band died when Matt Barlow left.
Which time?
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No offense, but this band died when Matt Barlow left.
Which time?
The first.
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Even though they weren't the strongest albums, I really dug Tim Owen's time in the band. But the whole Stu Block era has been awful. Sad since Stu is such an incredible singer outside of the band.
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No offense, but this band died when Matt Barlow left.
Which time?
The first.
The Glorious Burden
Framing Armageddon
Come What May
Plagues of Babylon
Not bad for being dead.
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Matt will always be the classic vocalist of ICED EARTH. His voice is synonymous with the band, even if he wasn't the original voice, or if in time, not the longest-tenured. That said. I think Stu Block has done a tremendous job. I saw them on the Plagues tour in San Francisco. The man was on FIRE. Just incredible power and presence. He's my favorite "metal" vocalist out there, and has great control and range. His high end is ear-piercing, his low end is gritty and powerful.
Different strokes for different folks, but I think he was a fantastic choice, and really enjoy what he's brought to the band. No one can replace THE BARLOW, but Stu has really done a great job in following him, and bringing a dynamic element to ICED EARTH.
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Matt will always be the classic vocalist of ICED EARTH. His voice is synonymous with the band, even if he wasn't the original voice, or if in time, not the longest-tenured. That said. I think Stu Block has done a tremendous job. I saw them on the Plagues tour in San Francisco. The man was on FIRE. Just incredible power and presence. He's my favorite "metal" vocalist out there, and has great control and range. His high end is ear-piercing, his low end is gritty and powerful.
Different strokes for different folks, but I think he was a fantastic choice, and really enjoy what he's brought to the band. No one can replace THE BARLOW, but Stu has really done a great job in following him, and bringing a dynamic element to ICED EARTH.
I disagree.
The way he sounds on Dystopia (the song) is pretty good. Going for that deeper baritone sound, but not crossing into Barlow imitator. The way he sings older songs, and some songs on Dystopia and Plagues just goes way too far, and in most cases sounds completely awful. Again, Ripper didn't sound that great on the ballads, but he never tried to imitate Barlow (oh the horror that would have been).
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I grant you that there are plenty of times it seems Stu is trying to sound like Barlow. However, that may not be by his own choice. Remember this is Jon's band, and what he says, goes. I thought it was awfully interesting how Stu, on the Live in Ancient Kourion release, literally spoke to the crowd like he was Barlow ("brothers and sisters!").
However, when I saw the Block-era Iced Earth live, Stu didn't do that, and vocally, put his own spin on some of the songs, where appropriate. So while I see your point, I think the cause of that is possibly not Stu, but Jon asking that of him.
if you disagree with what I said about Stu, there's nothing I can do about that. Opinions and all that, it is what it is. :lol
But I'm not so sure the focus of your ire should be on Stu completely. There may be other influences at play, such as Jon. just something else to consider.
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However, that may not be by his own choice. Remember this is Jon's band, and what he says, goes.
No doubt about that.
I got Dystopia, but never bothered to get Plagues. Dystopia was good enough, but I never tended to relisten to it, as with the Owens albums, save for Gettysburg 1863. I suppose I moved past them. But Stu was awesome on Dystopia, and many times, I thought I was listening to Barlow.
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There is no question Matt is the voice of Iced Earth, but I thought Ripper did an excellent job with his two albums. Especially Glorious Burden, which has some amazing tunes.
I bought Dystopia and thought it was solid, but not enough for me to buy the follow-up.
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I'm big Matt fan as well but I heard Plague many times and saw them on that tour and Stu was/is amazing. Him trying to sounds like Matt bothers me, too but what you gonna do? Plagues is actually one of my favorite IE albums.
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I've always shared Zook's thoughts on Stu and I pretty much still agree with him here. We've had some great bonding moments in regards to this topic in the past. Plagues was alright but still would have been so much more with Matt or even Tim. Tim got hard done by and was great in the band. Both albums he did were fantastic.
I'm not going to listen to a bootleg of the new song, I'll wait but IMO I don't think Stu brings anything to the band really.
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I've always shared Zook's thoughts on Stu and I pretty much still agree with him here. We've had some great bonding moments in regards to this topic in the past. Plagues was alright but still would have been so much more with Matt or even Tim. Tim got hard done by and was great in the band. Both albums he did were fantastic.
I'm not going to listen to a bootleg of the new song, I'll wait but IMO I don't think Stu brings anything to the band really.
:heart
The album name has been changed to Incorruptible. I'm sure some of you are happy about that. :lol
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Of all the things that worry me about the new album, the name was.....one of them, but it wasn't terribly high on my list.
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How high is Stu "I sing with food in my mouth" Block?
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How high is Stu "I sing with food in my mouth" Block?
Number two!
Bland and uninspired writing is number one and blah musicianship is 3
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As long as I get a few good tunes I'll be happy. Even Dystopia had some good stuff on it, and Plagues was 95% great!
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As long as I get a few good tunes I'll be happy. Even Dystopia had some good stuff on it, and Plagues was 95% great!
We're going to disagree about plagues. Couldn't stand that album at all.
Also didn't care much for dystopia. Though Days of Rage was great. ;)
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Bland new album title. I'd rather The Judas Goat.
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So I gave the Something Wicked albums a listen after a long time not doing so aside from a few songs. Framing Armageddon still holds up, but Crucible of Man got worse. I still hold the same criticisms of it, mainly that it's an uninspired and unfinished album. I understand why Jon keeps the songs out of the set. What happened? He said he wrote all the music before booting Ripper, so why is FA so much more inspired than CoM? And then the story itself by the end makes no sense. The Setians' intent is to wipe out humanity as an act of revenge so they create a god who can do it, the god accepts his fate, and is fully on board with destroying mankind, but then suddenly changes his mind, and is all like "nah, you guys just be on your best behavior and all's good." Ripper could not have saved this album, and I really can't hear him singing any of these songs. Of course Matt wrote some of the lyrics, so if he also wrote the vocal melodies, they'd be much different if Ripper was still in the band.
These songs are good:
In Sacred Flames (amazing intro)
Behold the Wicked Child
The Revealing (if it was finished)
A Gift or a Curse?
I Walk Alone
Sacrificial Kingdoms
Come What May
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Yea, Framing Armageddon is really good, and I mostly like Crucible, but your criticism of the story is definitely correct. It's a terribly weak story and really shouldn't have gone beyond that initial three song run.
I think each album has songs I'd take out, but I'd take out less from Framing, and every time the title track comes on shuffle I have to blast and headbang to the ending.
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That's definitely one of Ripper's most bad ass moments.
Also, people call Mancini a robot, but compared to Brent of Crucible, the Genie is the most organic sounding drummer ever.
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I agree about the criticisms of the albums (FA good, Crucible very weak) and about the storyline. It should have been Jon's magnum opus, his Scenes or Astonishing, and we got a collection of very forgettable songs.
The storyline bummed me as well, the original trilogy was as perfect as it gets in metal, and The Coming Curse is one of the best metal songs ever. The whole two album Set Abominae plans to destroy mankind, as late as the penultimate song, Divide and Devour, he's there all "I'm so gonna kick your ass" and then he just goes "Nah, whatever".
Come What May is such a beautiful song that soften the blows of the storyline ending bad (which was reprised again in some form in later albums... looks to me the equivalent of resurrecting an already killed character in a TV series for higher ratings), it's a nice swan song for Barlow and the whole ending section where he goes insanely high has me in worshipping mode. But still, I expected much more from these albums.
I hope the new one will be good... back in the day I was a HUGE Iced Earth fan, they were one of my favorite bands and when Barlow left (the first time) I was devasted. The three hour show for the Horror Show tour is still one of the best concerts I've ever been.
I didn't mind Ripper, I liked Dystopia as well and I've seen them on that tour (when they played Dante's Inferno) and I really enjoyed it, then Plagues of Babylon came out (it was good but not mindblowing), I missed the chance to see them live and then for whatever reason my interest for them just faded away. I've barely listen to Iced Earth in recent years, I hope the new album will be so good that it will send me back in full IE mode!
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I agree, FA is top 3 IE for me, but Crucible is just awful, could be their worst album.
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Crucible was definitely a disappointment. I do really like I Walk Alone, that's a great tune
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The album name has been changed to Incorruptible. I'm sure some of you are happy about that. :lol
Sounds like a Disturbed record title.
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The album name has been changed to Incorruptible. I'm sure some of you are happy about that. :lol
Sounds like a Disturbed record title.
First thing I thought.
Not much new I can talk about as a disgruntled Iced Earth fan, so I'm going to post this bootleg from 2002, because it's awesome, and a nice time capsule from better days-AH:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwKpBUviSsQ&t=3812s
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Gave a spin again to Plagues of Babylon.
Stu is a great singer but there are too many times when he just forces too much certain aggressive styles of singing. Second half of the album (the non conceptual one) is great, Chtulu and Peacemaker are great stand alone songs. The title track could have been better, but at least the intro and the build up is quite cool.
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A few songs from Glorious Burden and Framing Armageddon came on today, and man did Ripper really put his heart into those performances.
I think that's one thing I feel is missing in IE since Barlow left (again), the heart and true passion. Just don't feel it anymore from any of them.
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Jon really brought out the best in Ripper, and live you could tell he was having fun, but that also has to do with him loving to perform on stage.
It's hard to connect with a band when so many line up changes occur. Troy was capable, but he didn't have the chops (imo) that Larry did, and I don't think we'll ever have a better lead player in Iced Earth than Randy. We'll see what this new guy can do, but he wasn't even there for the writing process of the new album. I think our dislike of Stu's voice also clouds our judgement a bit. Jon's too concerned with having a Barlow clone or Stu's too concerned with sounding like a tough guy metal singer. There are times when live, Stu's normal singing voice bleeds through (The Ripper songs), and I'm like there you go, do that more, but then his Barlow takes over, and he sounds silly again. I don't think Stu's going anywhere any time soon, unless it's out of his control. Jon likes him too much. I have nothing against Stu personally, I just don't like the way he sings for Iced Earth. I'd rather have Richard Christy back on drums, and James Macdonough on bass. The perfect sound for Iced Earth though was on Something Wicked This Way Comes.
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Zook, you are probably the biggest Iced Earth fan on this forum.
Who would you ideally like to have singing for the band right now? Anybody out there that you can think of?
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Jon really brought out the best in Ripper, and live you could tell he was having fun, but that also has to do with him loving to perform on stage.
It's hard to connect with a band when so many line up changes occur. Troy was capable, but he didn't have the chops (imo) that Larry did, and I don't think we'll ever have a better lead player in Iced Earth than Randy. We'll see what this new guy can do, but he wasn't even there for the writing process of the new album. I think our dislike of Stu's voice also clouds our judgement a bit. Jon's too concerned with having a Barlow clone or Stu's too concerned with sounding like a tough guy metal singer. There are times when live, Stu's normal singing voice bleeds through (The Ripper songs), and I'm like there you go, do that more, but then his Barlow takes over, and he sounds silly again. I don't think Stu's going anywhere any time soon, unless it's out of his control. Jon likes him too much. I have nothing against Stu personally, I just don't like the way he sings for Iced Earth. I'd rather have Richard Christy back on drums, and James Macdonough on bass. The perfect sound for Iced Earth though was on Something Wicked This Way Comes.
But I'm not just basing it off of Stu. I just don't feel any of that energy or inspiration anymore. They're just doing the IE thing. I just feel like he doesn't have much new to say.
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Zook, you are probably the biggest Iced Earth fan on this forum.
Who would you ideally like to have singing for the band right now? Anybody out there that you can think of?
I'm not Zook (though I often write his name on my underwear) but i'm a pretty big IE fan too. Honestly, Stu Block is one of the most talented singers in the damn genre. I would LOVE for Stu Block to sing for the band...............as Stu Block. If he just sang in his normal range and normal voice, it'd be a huge massive improvement.
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Zook, you are probably the biggest Iced Earth fan on this forum.
Who would you ideally like to have singing for the band right now? Anybody out there that you can think of?
Well, in a perfect world, Matt Barlow, but realistically, I'm with Adami. If Stu Block ditched the Barlow impression, and added a bit of grit to his clean Into Eternity voice, he'd sound killer. One does not need to sound like Barlow to sing Iced Earth... Except me when I'm singing along. I can't help it. Honestly though, I can't really think of anyone outside of past and present members of the band that could pull off the vocals for Iced Earth. Russell Allen is a beast, but could he sing Angels Holocaust? Dracula? He still has the chops, but there are plenty of Iced Earth songs that require some seriously ball clenching. I don't want a singer with a noticeable accent while singing. I don't know if the singer from Innerwish can hit high notes, but he has a natural, non forced deeper voice. Robb Graves of Lorenguard was mimicking Barlow anyway in his former band Winterfell, but I could only take him in small doses. I think Stu just needs to take the food out of his mouth, and just sing in his natural voice. I know that isn't going to happen so it is what it is. Even when he's trying to get the crowd to sing along to the music, he does the faux Barlow thing. I don't know, maybe he's like Ripper, and can't sing in a low voice. There's a video of Jack live with Ripper on vocals, and he attempts the Barlow voice and doesn't sound good at all. Rob Rock is pretty good.
Jon really brought out the best in Ripper, and live you could tell he was having fun, but that also has to do with him loving to perform on stage.
It's hard to connect with a band when so many line up changes occur. Troy was capable, but he didn't have the chops (imo) that Larry did, and I don't think we'll ever have a better lead player in Iced Earth than Randy. We'll see what this new guy can do, but he wasn't even there for the writing process of the new album. I think our dislike of Stu's voice also clouds our judgement a bit. Jon's too concerned with having a Barlow clone or Stu's too concerned with sounding like a tough guy metal singer. There are times when live, Stu's normal singing voice bleeds through (The Ripper songs), and I'm like there you go, do that more, but then his Barlow takes over, and he sounds silly again. I don't think Stu's going anywhere any time soon, unless it's out of his control. Jon likes him too much. I have nothing against Stu personally, I just don't like the way he sings for Iced Earth. I'd rather have Richard Christy back on drums, and James Macdonough on bass. The perfect sound for Iced Earth though was on Something Wicked This Way Comes.
But I'm not just basing it off of Stu. I just don't feel any of that energy or inspiration anymore. They're just doing the IE thing. I just feel like he doesn't have much new to say.
I hear ya, but he's been at it 30 years. Dream Theater's line up has been mostly static, but they're aren't exactly pumping out masterpieces anymore. After 30 years, I'd imagine coming up with riffs, and song ideas can be quite difficult, especially on your own. Hell, Jon started recycling riffs way early in his career. I believe he still has something left to say, but he needs a steady line up, and to let them actually come up with ideas. He's so worried about his "vision" that he's gotten a bit stale.
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If Stu Block ditched the Barlow impression, and added a bit of grit to his clean Into Eternity voice, he'd sound killer.
I think he was fine on Dystopia in this regard, and it could well be Jon who is producing his voice to be more Barlow-like. On Dystopia there's a lot of distinguishable high falsettos for example, like on the title track and Dark City.
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If Stu Block ditched the Barlow impression, and added a bit of grit to his clean Into Eternity voice, he'd sound killer.
I think he was fine on Dystopia in this regard, and it could well be Jon who is producing his voice to be more Barlow-like. On Dystopia there's a lot of distinguishable high falsettos for example, like on the title track and Dark City.
For the most part, I didn't mind him on Dystopia. He sounded pretty good on Plagues too, although a bit more Barlowy. It's his live singing that I don't like. Songs that Barlow didn't even sing on, he does the voice.
You know what sucks? They never played Travel in Stygian while Ripper was in the band.
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If Stu Block ditched the Barlow impression, and added a bit of grit to his clean Into Eternity voice, he'd sound killer.
I think he was fine on Dystopia in this regard, and it could well be Jon who is producing his voice to be more Barlow-like. On Dystopia there's a lot of distinguishable high falsettos for example, like on the title track and Dark City.
I don't think he sounds bad, he just sounds goofy and silly and I can't take it seriously.
And I 100% blame Jon. I assume most people do.
I'm hoping Stu quits and finds a band to properly sing in.
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He already quit the band he sang properly in.
#notbitter
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Those two songs he sang with them 4 years ago were NOT WELL.
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Those two songs he sang with them 4 years ago were NOT WELL.
Yea, Into Eternity's writing had gone down hill really quickly.
Honestly I'm not sure if I prefer Stu in IE or IE more. Hmmm.
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Also listening to Cthulhu for the first time in a very long time.
Stu trying to passionately sing about the creatures tentacles. :rollin
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Hey, that's the best song on the album.
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Hey, that's the best song on the album.
The chorus is soooooooo overly generic for modern IE. But most of the song is pretty good, but come on....how can you not laugh at that line about the power of his tentacles?
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Aren't Cthulhu's tentacles pretty powerful though?
It never came across as silly to me.
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Aren't Cthulhu's tentacles pretty powerful though?
It never came across as silly to me.
Maybe you're used to coming across Cthulu's tentacles, but it's still a new thing for me.
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(https://img08.deviantart.net/d15b/i/2012/290/f/4/cthulhu_by_douzen-d5i2saj.jpg)
Are you suggesting a creature of that size wouldn't have powerful tentacles?
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Fair point! Those tentacles definitely deserve a passionate epic vocal delivery.
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Also the tentacles are his beard! Who sings about their mighty beard?
Besides Nick Offerman.
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What an interesting conversation to walk in on.
I never really gave the lyrics to Cthulhu much thought, but I also think it's one of the better songs on the album from what I recall.
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There was no reason for Iced Earth to re-record material that was already well done on their earlier albums. Fans of the new singer, Matt Barlow, prefer his voice on the tracks as opposed to the old singers, but why did Iced Earth re-record an entire two disc set? Isn't the live performance the place to hear the new singer's take on the old songs? What if every band did this when they hired a new vocalist? We'd have hundreds of unnecessary albums stealing attention from the originals. Annihilator would have an extra half dozen albums alone. The entire concept of releasing this CD is incredibly stupid and I'd have to conclude there was some major lapses in judgment over at Century Media to let this project get approved.
And that's just the concept. The actual result turned out pretty well musically and fans of Matt Barlow probably love this. I personally think Barlow is Iced Earth's worst singer, not so much on his own faults, but because the other guys were better. He does a good job with the stuff from Stormrider, but he almost ruins the tracks from the self-titled album. A lot of people seem to dislike the band's first singer, but he had the most unique voice of all of them, primarily due to his killer falsetto. Barlow's voice just doesn't measure up, despite the fact that he's the better 'singer.' His voice just isn't metal enough to pull off the classics.
This album's high points are the inclusion of songs that haven't been done since Enter the Realm (the new version of "Nightmares" is awesome) and the rare track "Winter Nights." The album's low point is the new lyrics and altered music of "Written on the Walls", now entitled "Cast in Stone." I liked the original a lot better. In fact, don't bother with this release at all, unless you're an Iced Earth die hard. Having their first two albums is more than sufficient enough to make up for not owning this.
Bitter Gene Adam or a fan with very weird opinions and taste?
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Where was this posted?
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Eh, I don't mind when they re-record material, mostly because I can ignore it if I want.
I really didn't like any of the Stu Block re-recordings at all. So I am free to ignore them.
Loved the Barlow re-recordings.
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What an interesting conversation to walk in on.
I never really gave the lyrics to Cthulhu much thought, but I also think it's one of the better songs on the album from what I recall.
Agreed. The album as a whole was a bit of a bummer, but that tune stood out.
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Where was this posted?
Metal Archives review back in 2006.
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Where was this posted?
Metal Archives review back in 2006.
Eh, could be legit, I suppose.
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So I gave the Something Wicked albums a listen after a long time not doing so aside from a few songs. Framing Armageddon still holds up, but Crucible of Man got worse. I still hold the same criticisms of it, mainly that it's an uninspired and unfinished album. I understand why Jon keeps the songs out of the set. What happened? He said he wrote all the music before booting Ripper, so why is FA so much more inspired than CoM? And then the story itself by the end makes no sense. The Setians' intent is to wipe out humanity as an act of revenge so they create a god who can do it, the god accepts his fate, and is fully on board with destroying mankind, but then suddenly changes his mind, and is all like "nah, you guys just be on your best behavior and all's good." Ripper could not have saved this album, and I really can't hear him singing any of these songs. Of course Matt wrote some of the lyrics, so if he also wrote the vocal melodies, they'd be much different if Ripper was still in the band.
Jon has stated in interviews over the past handful of years that he lost 3 family members during the period where he was writing those records and admitted that his heart just wasn't into writing it and the songs and albums suffered because of it.
Jon also writes the vast majority of the vocal melodies for Iced Earth, and he doesn't write FOR anyone, except for some archetypical voice in his head that is the way that an Iced Earth singer should sound. When they're tracking, the singer may suggest changes here and there to see what works better, but Jon's the one with the vision and the songs are going to come out the way he wants them to at the time.
I love Crucible more than FA, though the title track to FA is awesome (triplets! gallops!).
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I understand the need for a closing kind of song and an outro and all that theatrical stuff, but the title track for Framing Armageddon would have been a badass way to close the record. All the story unfolds and as "season finale" before part II what do you get? the wailing and unholy screams of FRAAAAAMIIIING ARMAGGEEEEEDDDDON, FRAAAAMING ARMAGEDDDOOOOOOOOOOOON and them bam, the album suddenly and abruptly ends :metal
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So I just listened to the original unaltered debut, and I gotta say, it's really underrated. Yeah Gene Adam is horrendous, but surprisingly he fits. Matt Barlow's renditions are infinitely better, but Adam doesn't ruin it. If anything he makes it more enjoyable in an ironic way. The music is great. Schaffer and Shawver were all about the instrumentals on the first 2 albums. Even with Gene Adam goofifying (holy shit that's a real word) it up, Iced Earth is a tremendous debut. If you haven't heard it yet because of the horror stories of Gene Adam, I highly recommend the Days of Purgatory versions with Barlow. To make it a complete album, put Nightmares where Curse the Sky should be since it wasn't re-recorded. It fits surprisingly well. I edited the songs in Audacity lowering the bass, and doing all the fade outs like the originals just to complete the experience. The only inconsistency is the drums, since some of the songs were re-recorded with Brent.
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I never really had a problem with the debut, it's a cool listen. I never thought Adam was as bad as everyone said.
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I never really had a problem with the debut, it's a cool listen. I never thought Adam was as bad as everyone said.
I also liked him on the 2 song demo with the band Unearthed (that had several other former Iced Earth members). Too bad that never went anywhere.
As far as rerecordings go, I dont mind if it is a special thing like Kiss rerecording some stuff for a Japanese compilation or Iced Earth for their comp. But for an artist to actually replace the original version like Ozzy did is absolute bullshit.
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Not directly IE related, but has anyone else heard about the new project with Barlow and the dude from Pyramaze? Apparently it's orchestral based.
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I saw it. I dig movie scores, so i am thinking this will be along those lines with Barlow contributing vocals as they make sense. Looking forward to it.
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I'm excited as well, but it was announced now for the end of 2017, with no snippets whatsoever. Thanks for the info but by summer I will have forgotten about this :lol
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Not directly IE related, but has anyone else heard about the new project with Barlow and the dude from Pyramaze? Apparently it's orchestral based.
https://www.facebook.com/wearesentinels/
If you listen to Pyramaze's "Legacy in a Rhyme" from the Immortal record, you may get a feel for what it could be like, though that song is just a piano ballad with Matt singing.
The new project will be a full on orchestral score. It should be interesting to hear him sing over a non-Jon Schaffer/metal riff for a change.
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Not directly IE related, but has anyone else heard about the new project with Barlow and the dude from Pyramaze? Apparently it's orchestral based.
https://www.facebook.com/wearesentinels/
If you listen to Pyramaze's "Legacy in a Rhyme" from the Immortal record, you may get a feel for what it could be like, though that song is just a piano ballad with Matt singing.
The new project will be a full on orchestral score. It should be interesting to hear him sing over a non-Jon Schaffer/metal riff for a change.
Did you not like Ashes or Ares? I thought it was OK. Nothing special.
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Not directly IE related, but has anyone else heard about the new project with Barlow and the dude from Pyramaze? Apparently it's orchestral based.
https://www.facebook.com/wearesentinels/
If you listen to Pyramaze's "Legacy in a Rhyme" from the Immortal record, you may get a feel for what it could be like, though that song is just a piano ballad with Matt singing.
The new project will be a full on orchestral score. It should be interesting to hear him sing over a non-Jon Schaffer/metal riff for a change.
Did you not like Ashes or Ares? I thought it was OK. Nothing special.
I like the record, but I had to listen to a few times and get the expectations out of my head before I could start to enjoy it. There's some kickass songs and some clunkers. Aside from Ashes of Ares, we'd only really heard Matt sing on Iced Earth tunes, and the Pyramaze disc. Pyramaze beefed up their sound on that record too, so it wasn't too drastically different from Iced Earth, with the exception of the songwriting and riffing styles.
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I decided to torture myself and listen to the Overture of the Wicked re-recording of the Something Wicked Trilogy. Still as bad as I remember it. Thing is, it could have been great. Jon just decided to suck the intensity out of every aspect of the recording, right down to Ripper's singing. Seriously, it sounds like Ripper is bored or just woke up. You have Ripper Owens and the Something Wicked Trilogy and you don't have him go all out, AND you palm mute some of your most bad ass riffs and make them sound boring? I know Jon wanted to try something different, but he failed with flying colors.
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Actually I prefer the re-recording to the original. I think it's insanely awesome, while the original is pretty watered down and generic.
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Actually I prefer the re-recording to the original. I think it's insanely awesome, while the original is pretty watered down and generic.
I can't tell if you're serious.
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Actually I prefer the re-recording to the original. I think it's insanely awesome, while the original is pretty watered down and generic.
I can't tell if you're serious.
Of course I'm serious. In fact, those re-recordings are probably the best thing IE has ever done, right next to the re-recording of Dantes Inferno. Way superior to the original and especially the live version.
That help?
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Actually I prefer the re-recording to the original. I think it's insanely awesome, while the original is pretty watered down and generic.
I can't tell if you're serious.
Of course I'm serious. In fact, those re-recordings are probably the best thing IE has ever done, right next to the re-recording of Dantes Inferno. Way superior to the original and especially the live version.
That help?
Well when you put it that way.
HOW CAN YOU LIKE THOSE HORRIBLE REMAKES OVER THE ORIGINALS?! ESPECIALLY DANTE'S INFERNO! THAT'S THE WORST ONE!
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I decided to torture myself and listen to the Overture of the Wicked re-recording of the Something Wicked Trilogy. Still as bad as I remember it. Thing is, it could have been great. Jon just decided to suck the intensity out of every aspect of the recording, right down to Ripper's singing. Seriously, it sounds like Ripper is bored or just woke up. You have Ripper Owens and the Something Wicked Trilogy and you don't have him go all out, AND you palm mute some of your most bad ass riffs and make them sound boring? I know Jon wanted to try something different, but he failed with flying colors.
I don't have a problem with Ripper, I think he sounds pretty cool, but those riffs, still don't know what Jon was thinking. He just strangled them to death.
Can't stand the Dante re-recording though, Stu sucks on that one IMO.
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I never heard the Dante re-recording, not much interest in doing so.
But I always thought Ripper did a good job with his vocals on the Wicked trilogy. I really liked the live version too.
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The one thing I like about the Overture of the Wicked re-recordings is that Jon made the SW Trilogy sound completely different than the original version.
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I remember hearing the Dante re-recording for the first time. It was their first release with Stu and I was so excited to see what he brought to the band.
Then he started singing and it was....okay....then he growled the "ABANDON ALL HOPE!" part and I was so pumped.
Then the rest of the song happened. :-\
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It was pretty cool seeing it live that year though.
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Check out the track-list for the upcoming Iced Earth studio album titled Incorruptible. Due out in mid June. More news will soon follow.
1.) Great Heathen Army
2.) Black Flag
3.) Raven Wing
4.) The Veil
5.) Seven Headed Whore
6.) The Relic (Part 1)
7.) Ghost Dance (Awaken the Ancestors)
8.) Brothers
9.) Defiance
10.) Clear The Way (December 13th, 1862)
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Wasn't there a title track? I could have swore there was.
Anyway, where's The Relic part 2? :D
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Disappointed that the title The Judas Goat is nowhere to be seen.
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Seven Headed Whore sounds like it was nicked from Steel Panther.
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Disappointed that the title The Judas Goat is nowhere to be seen.
It has always been a working title, it sounds a bit silly but after all if you think what a judas goat is (a goat trained to lead other animals to a specific destination, usually the slaughterhouse, while the goat himself is spared) it's a clever heavy metal theme.
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Can't wait for this disc. If it's like Jon says it is, in the vein of Dark Saga, SW, and Dystopia, I'll be thrilled. Only dug about 2/3 of the last album, though they still remain my favorite band. :metal
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Can't wait for this disc. If it's like Jon says it is, in the vein of Dark Saga, SW, and Dystopia, I'll be thrilled. Only dug about 2/3 of the last album, though they still remain my favorite band. :metal
Yeah, the last one faded a bit for sure. I'm still skeptical of comments like Jon's (this is in vein with our most popular records! Yarr!), but it remains one of my most anticipated records of 2017! Along with Mastodon!
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It's very important that you read the following statement with the voice and inflection of Daria Morgendorffer.
I am so very excited.
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The Relic Part 2 will be a concept album.
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The Relic Part 2 will be a concept album.
God, no.
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Triplets from a Discography
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And here it comes the cover art!
I've seen better, but it's acceptable. I wish they'd retire Set by now, especially if there are no more songs tied to his saga.
(https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17800098_1384653941596228_4770930224467786181_n.jpg?oh=176f125e5f6bca9c809be1640ea24716&oe=598CA7F2)
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Looks like Eddie's cousin
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I've seen better, but it's acceptable.
This. Kinda "meh" artwork...
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It's fine.
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I dig it.
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I don't mind it.
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Their Facebook said the reveal was tomorrow. Iced Earth sucks.
Pretty cool.
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So we'll be getting 2 new songs at the end of the month. One of them is Seven Headed Whore. It's three minutes long. I was looking forward to it based on the title, but at 3 minutes, I fear it'll be reminiscent of Boiling Point or even worse, Days of Rage.
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The cover art kicks ass - that's the most realistic looking Set that they've had in the 19 years that he's been around.
:metal
Also: Stu singing Bruce Hornsby:
My talented wife and I are doing a duo together for fun. Our first gig is in a couple of months for a Dog and Cat fundraiser. Enjoy a rehearsal of us doing Bruce Hornsby's "The way it is" love this song!
https://www.facebook.com/stublockofficial/videos/pcb.1608541802519204/1608538285852889/?type=3&theater
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So we'll be getting 2 new songs at the end of the month. One of them is Seven Headed Whore. It's three minutes long. I was looking forward to it based on the title, but at 3 minutes, I fear it'll be reminiscent of Boiling Point or even worse, Days of Rage.
First thing I thought was Days of Rage too.
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:metal SEVEN HEADED WHORE :metal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sneo7yuIYFo
I'm so glad that Stu sounds more like himself on this song and less like the somewhat forced "Barlow" range that he uses in the band. I love the raspy, evil, higher-pitched vocals. He sings Pure Evil like that and I've always been wanting to hear that style in the band a bit more. Musically, it's pretty concise and Jake has a nice little ripping solo. It reminds me of Im-Ho-Tep a little in spots, where there's some little lead guitar lines trailing over the riffs.
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Cool song, with that old "thrashy" feel. Stu sounds very good, and nice solo.
Promising.
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Liked most of the song quite a bit. Just didn't like the vocals on the chorus.
It's just another example of IE adding so many vocal layers to the choruses that it just lacks punch anymore. If it were a bit more stripped down there, it'd be way better.
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Pretty cool tune!
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This tune will have to grow on me a bit. At least from one listen.
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Turned it off after about 30seconds. Hated it. Awful vocals.
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Turned it off after about 30seconds. Hated it. Awful vocals.
That seems a tad unfair since the vocals don't kick in till about 30 seconds.
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The production sounds a little flat but that might just be the youtube quallity.
I do like Stu doing more his own thing in the verses. He reverts back a little in the chorus, but it's pretty decent. Nice shredding too.
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Yeah, very flat... Did that song have bass?
The song itself... A tad uninspired, but better than I feared.
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Raven Wings is out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAKvZKRk_Rs
I'm gonna need a few more spins on this to really get a full opinion on it, but I dig it on first listen.
Also, while this is no surprise to me since I've been listening to the Witherfall debut for the past two months ad nausem, Jake Dreyer's already making it very clear that he's the best lead guitarist Iced Earth has ever had by a country mile. Both this track and Seven Headed Whore, if nothing else, definitely have great guitar solo sections.
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Raven Wings is pretty standard and safe IE, but it's fine, could fit easily on Plagues.
Looking forward to some killer solos on this album too by the sounds of it. Something IE have been off the mark with a lot in their career.
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Yea, it's fine.
Honestly, based solely on these two songs, I think I'll skip on this album unless the rest of them are really impressive.
I'm just not invested enough in this lineup enough to put up with mediocre releases.
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I'm just not invested enough in this lineup enough to put up with mediocre releases.
That's how I feel about most new music these days.
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I liked this song better than that first song that was released yesterday.
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Kinda bland, although SHW sounded a little better the second time. I don't know.
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Raven did nothing for me. But yeah, the solos are very good.
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Raven Wings is out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAKvZKRk_Rs
I'm gonna need a few more spins on this to really get a full opinion on it, but I dig it on first listen.
Also, while this is no surprise to me since I've been listening to the Witherfall debut for the past two months ad nausem, Jake Dreyer's already making it very clear that he's the best lead guitarist Iced Earth has ever had by a country mile. Both this track and Seven Headed Whore, if nothing else, definitely have great guitar solo sections.
Witherfall is amazing. I recommend anyone here to check it out. Especially if you like what Jake is doing here in Iced Earth. Although it does not sound like Iced Earth. It is more in the vein of Nevermore, Control Denied and Opeth. At any rate, I already purchased "Incorruptible". Both singles released are way better than anything on the last album.
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Raven Wings is out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAKvZKRk_Rs
I'm gonna need a few more spins on this to really get a full opinion on it, but I dig it on first listen.
Also, while this is no surprise to me since I've been listening to the Witherfall debut for the past two months ad nausem, Jake Dreyer's already making it very clear that he's the best lead guitarist Iced Earth has ever had by a country mile. Both this track and Seven Headed Whore, if nothing else, definitely have great guitar solo sections.
Witherfall is amazing. I recommend anyone here to check it out. Especially if you like what Jake is doing here in Iced Earth. Although it does not sound like Iced Earth. It is more in the vein of Nevermore, Control Denied and Opeth. At any rate, I already purchased "Incorruptible". Both singles released are way better than anything on the last album.
Negative.
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Raven Wings is out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAKvZKRk_Rs
I'm gonna need a few more spins on this to really get a full opinion on it, but I dig it on first listen.
Also, while this is no surprise to me since I've been listening to the Witherfall debut for the past two months ad nausem, Jake Dreyer's already making it very clear that he's the best lead guitarist Iced Earth has ever had by a country mile. Both this track and Seven Headed Whore, if nothing else, definitely have great guitar solo sections.
Witherfall is amazing. I recommend anyone here to check it out. Especially if you like what Jake is doing here in Iced Earth. Although it does not sound like Iced Earth. It is more in the vein of Nevermore, Control Denied and Opeth. At any rate, I already purchased "Incorruptible". Both singles released are way better than anything on the last album.
You should definitely check out the Witherfall thread we have here. I'm in love with that album right now. :metal
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Raven Wings is out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAKvZKRk_Rs
I'm gonna need a few more spins on this to really get a full opinion on it, but I dig it on first listen.
Also, while this is no surprise to me since I've been listening to the Witherfall debut for the past two months ad nausem, Jake Dreyer's already making it very clear that he's the best lead guitarist Iced Earth has ever had by a country mile. Both this track and Seven Headed Whore, if nothing else, definitely have great guitar solo sections.
Witherfall is amazing. I recommend anyone here to check it out. Especially if you like what Jake is doing here in Iced Earth. Although it does not sound like Iced Earth. It is more in the vein of Nevermore, Control Denied and Opeth. At any rate, I already purchased "Incorruptible". Both singles released are way better than anything on the last album.
Negative.
This is correct. Clearly Days of Rage is better than both ;)
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Dante's Inferno 2011 crushes them all.
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I think every time IE gets a new member (whichever instrument) they should completely re-record every single song they've ever recorded.
Every. Single. Time.
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I think every time IE gets a new member (whichever instrument) they should completely re-record every single song they've ever recorded.
Every. Single. Time.
You joke, but let's be real- a lot of classic IE songs would probably benefit from Jake Dreyer getting to record a new guitar solo for them.
Everything else about the re-record would almost certainly not be as good as their original counterparts (or outright suck), but Dreyer doing his own solos for those songs would likely be a step-up.
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Some, sure. But on those older albums with Randy and Larry, those solos might not always be technically amazing, but they can be pretty memorable.
I remember when they released the rerecordings of Dante and the Something Wicked trilogy and the dude re-wrote all the solos and it was just odd not hearing the solo I know so damn well.
On the newest albums though (anything after Horror Show) you can trade any of the solos with anything and no one would notice or care.
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Some, sure. But on those older albums with Randy and Larry, those solos might not always be technically amazing, but they can be pretty memorable.
I remember when they released the rerecordings of Dante and the Something Wicked trilogy and the dude re-wrote all the solos and it was just odd not hearing the solo I know so damn well.
On the newest albums though (anything after Horror Show) you can trade any of the solos with anything and no one would notice or care.
I actually agree. Honestly Jake's the first lead guitarist since Randy that's actually impressed me with his solos. The Dark Saga-era and prior material would be the hardest stuff for Jake to try and one-up due to their memorability. But aside from the Randy and Larry stuff, Iced Earth was never really a band that focused too strongly on quality guitar solos.
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It's pretty clear that solos were never a focal point for Jon.
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With regards to the departure of guitarist Larry Tarnowski prior to the recording sessions for The Glorious Burden", Schaffer said, "Well, I asked Larry to leave the band. There's not really a lot of space for lead guitarist in ICED EARTH, he doesn't really have a job to do. You know, solos is all that any lead guitarist in the band has ever done, and I record all other guitar parts. There's plenty of bands out there that have guitar heroes and have to have a guitar solo in every song, but I don't do things in that way. I write a song, and if it feels like a guitar solo's gonna add something to it, then I'll put space in there for one, but there's no fucking rule that says, 'You have to put a guitar solo in a song.' I just don't believe that. Quite frankly, Larry didn't bring anything to the table, he didn't bring any love of creativity that was helping the band out, and I thought it would just be better for Larry, because with the involvement that he had, there's no guarantee for a good future for him in the band. So I said, 'Dude, it's better for you to just concentrate, go to school, get a career, forget about the music business.' He's just not made for it. Unless he decides he's got what it takes to start his own band and to do everything that it takes to make it happen, then I wish him all the best in the world, I will help him, but I don't think he's got that. This is a rough, tough and ugly business, and it takes a combination of things to make it work. Larry was a good guitarist, but creatively he didn't bring anything to the table. He did come up with a few cool solos, but that's it, and solos are not that important. You can't even copyright a guitar solo, it's not like you're gonna make a bunch of money playing guitar solos. You have to write songs."
Read more at https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earth-s-schaffer-matt-barlow-wasn-t-comfortable-playing-the-rock-star-role/#f4cmje0M7lGcruc3.99
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Classic Schaffer!! :lol
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It's pretty clear that solos were never a focal point for Jon.
Yeah, I've always known that. :lol Guitar solos aren't a requirement for Iced Earth, but they're not a bad thing to do right either. My point was that the solos still took a drop in quality after Randy left. ;)
Also LOL at that Schaffer quote.
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Raven Wing is really cool. Yeah, it sounds like a song from Plagues, but it beats the pants off of If I Could See You. Much better riffing, groove and vocal lines, though I wish the chorus just soared after the first NO NO NO section. It builds and builds and I'm waiting for something crazy awesome, but it goes into a different direction than I expect.
Jake is definitely the best lead guitarist they've had since Randy, and I'm glad that Jon's letting him play some killer solos given his belief that solos are just icing on the cake (which I actually agree with).
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Filing this here:
In a brand new interview with Metal Wani, Schaffer revealed that songwriting sessions for the follow-up to "Touched By The Crimson King" have officially begin, but cautioned that "it's gonna take some time. [Hansi] did work up two songs that I sent him of vocal melodies and cadences and I still have to fly him into the sessions and move him around and experiment with him and stuff and see how it's feeling," he said. "We're gonna take our time, but at least now we're actually doing it. So I would hope that next year we'll have it out. I hope that we can get the songwriting all dialed in in this calendar year in between the holes — he's busy, I'm busy — but at least we're actually moving forward with it for the first time in twelve years or whatever."
Read more at https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-jon-schaffer-and-blind-guardians-hansi-kursch-are-working-on-material-for-third-demons-wizards-album/#8eY5EFuvpLx5sWqF.99
Jon and Hansi wrote the first album together in person, so I'm really excited to see that he wants to fly Hansi in and out to write. That first album is so much better than the second, which was written by sending files back and forth.
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The first D&W album is amazing, the second kinda sucks. Hope for a good new one.
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The first D&W album is amazing, the second kinda sucks. Hope for a good new one.
The second is good, but aside from the title track, all fast songs sound average and same-y to me. The slower tracks are what save the album for me.
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I like the second one, but the first D&W is something magical to me, like some of the best elements of both IE and BG merged into one album. This is good news for me, as I enjoy D&W more than most IE material actually.
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The first D&W album is amazing, the second kinda sucks. Hope for a good new one.
The second is good, but aside from the title track, all fast songs sound average and same-y to me. The slower tracks are what save the album for me.
My favorites are Love's Tragedy Asunder and Dorian. You're right in that the slower tracks are the better ones on the disc. I was never into Terror Train or even the title track.
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I like those songs, but I like Seize the Day and Beneath the Waves even better. And Wicked Witch is a nice little gem, fun to sing along.
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Dorian is ruined by the middle section. Sooooooooo boring. Both D&W albums are half good.
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If i am not mistaken, the first Demons & Wizards was released here in Brazil in the same day as BNW by Iron Maiden. I remember being at the record's store doors waiting for them to open to buy them both. :lol
The D&W album was a special digipack edition, so cool!
It was a great day! :metal
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Dorian is ruined by the middle section. Sooooooooo boring. Both D&W albums are half good.
Bah! The first album is incredible from start to finish. After learning how each album was written, I can definitely tell that Jon and Hansi are more inspired by being around each other, rather than having Jon send the finished music to Hansi for vocal melodies.
If they can get together a few times this year and knock out some songs, I think there's hope that a third record will feel more like the first one.
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If i am not mistaken, the first Demons & Wizards was released here in Brazil in the same day as BNW by Iron Maiden. I remember being at the record's store doors waiting for them to open to buy them both. :lol
I beat you. I saw Iron Maiden AND Demons & Wizards perform at the same festival ;D
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I thought the second album was really quite good.
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If i am not mistaken, the first Demons & Wizards was released here in Brazil in the same day as BNW by Iron Maiden. I remember being at the record's store doors waiting for them to open to buy them both. :lol
I beat you. I saw Iron Maiden AND Demons & Wizards perform at the same festival ;D
OMG, thats awesome man! :metal :tup
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The new song has the best guitar solo ever in an Iced Earth Song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAKvZKRk_Rs
Guitarist Jake Dreyer is amazing. Here is a playthrough of one of the Witherfall Tracks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pALdy-MVwM :metal
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Another new song;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_VbMVwVuhw
Yeah, it's Iced Earth. Nothing mindblowing.
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Another new song;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_VbMVwVuhw
Yeah, it's Iced Earth. Nothing mindblowing.
It was alright.
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Raven Wing is really cool. Yeah, it sounds like a song from Plagues, but it beats the pants off of If I Could See You. Much better riffing, groove and vocal lines, though I wish the chorus just soared after the first NO NO NO section. It builds and builds and I'm waiting for something crazy awesome, but it goes into a different direction than I expect.
Jake is definitely the best lead guitarist they've had since Randy, and I'm glad that Jon's letting him play some killer solos given his belief that solos are just icing on the cake (which I actually agree with).
His stuff in WITHERFALL is just epic. Glad Jon found him.
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I listened to Seven Headed Whore, and didn't really care for it. But I am a big fan (thanks Grappler) and will just wait to hear the whole thing from here on out. Glad Raven Wing sounds a bit better.
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Iced Earth for me is just serviceable. They haven't hit the point of unlistenable like one of my other favorite bands... Glad Dexter finally got his PhD though.
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This is the most un-Iced Earth sounding album ever, but it's actually not bad.
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This is the most un-Iced Earth sounding album ever, but it's actually not bad.
Didn't realise we were that close to the release. Looking forward to it.
Interesting comment. What is it sounding like mate?
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This is the most un-Iced Earth sounding album ever, but it's actually not bad.
Didn't realise we were that close to the release. Looking forward to it.
Interesting comment. What is it sounding like mate?
I've only listened once so far, but this album sounds very inspired. The guitar solos aren't an after thought, Brent sounds more human, Stu, while still doing some... Stuisms still sounds the most natural he's been since joining. Again, I only listened once, but that's the impression I got I don't remember very many triplets either lol.
Also, Clear the Way is awesome!
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Sounds good mate. :metal
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This is the most un-Iced Earth sounding album ever, but it's actually not bad.
Didn't realise we were that close to the release. Looking forward to it.
Interesting comment. What is it sounding like mate?
The Guitar solos are epic.
I've only listened once so far, but this album sounds very inspired. The guitar solos aren't an after thought, Brent sounds more human, Stu, while still doing some... Stuisms still sounds the most natural he's been since joining. Again, I only listened once, but that's the impression I got I don't remember very many triplets either lol.
Also, Clear the Way is awesome!
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new interview with Stu Block from That Drummer Guy (JRundquist)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1XidR7Wv8U
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Clear the Way is pretty good! It pales compared to Gettysburg but it's quite a nice song.
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Clear the Way is pretty good!
Yep, my favorite so far from the new album.
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Clear the Way is pretty good! It pales compared to Gettysburg but it's quite a nice song.
Just saw the lyric video. Wow. Gave me goosebumps.
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Clear the Way is fucking awesome. The instrumental section in the middle has a very Irish/folk feel to it, married perfectly to the iced Earth sound and riffing. Love Stu's vocals on this one. Total Iced Earth epic song - it doesn't have to beat Gettysburg to be a great IE epic, and honestly, no song Jon writes will ever touch that trilogy. I don't expect him to beat it, but songs like these that have that same vibe are great to have.
And those gang vocals - I can see this as a killer live song with fists pumping - FORWARD...CLEAR...THE...WAY!
I preordered this through Amazon, though I'm not sure when the hell the cd is going to show up since it's included with some other things I ordered. Oh well, I can be patient...but I need this disc!
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Total Iced Earth epic song - it doesn't have to beat Gettysburg to be a great IE epic, and honestly, no song Jon writes will ever touch that trilogy.
I agree. Clear The Way has convinced my to pick this up.
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Here's the link for the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmljtVrxul0
Listening now.
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Pretty good. Sounding like a solid IE album, but this doesn't have anything on Gettysburg IMO.
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The fun thing about the first listening was that I was listening to the verses, then the title gets said and I think "Well, is this the chorus? it's a bit meh..." and then I realized it was the bridge, and I thought "Well, maybe the chorus explodes into something bombastic"... and it does!!!! and then comes the "second part" of the song and it's even better!!! :metal I love when these things happen, high expectations fully satisfied ;D
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new interview with Stu Block from That Drummer Guy (JRundquist)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1XidR7Wv8U
That's a great interview! Stu is one of the nicest guys I've ever met.
Even if we tend to rag on him sometimes here for how he handles certain songs, the guy is an incredibly gifted singer and a pretty humble dude. Loved that bit in the interview where he was gushing over how great a singer Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge is.
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I know I don't "rag" on Stu. Been impressed since I first heard him with ICED EARTH. Saw his other band open for DT and Redemption back in 2007, and wasn't impressed. But with IE, he's been great. Incredible singer. I'll check out the interview.
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Loved that bit in the interview where he was gushing over how great a singer Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge is.
Obviously the tipping point for..
I'll check out the interview.
;D
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I saw this version of Iced Earth only once, but Stu positively impressed me. An hell of a singer, a good and entertaining frontman, and dripping enthusiasm all over. It felt like he was one of us that instead of being in the pit, was there on stage singing. I consider him the way I consider Tommy Karevik in Kamelot: a miracolous replacement of an irreplaceable singer.
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Loved that bit in the interview where he was gushing over how great a singer Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge is.
Obviously the tipping point for..
I'll check out the interview.
;D
I saw that earlier today on this topic and thought "oh, if that doesn't increase Samsara's bro-crush on Stu, I don't know what will."
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I know I don't "rag" on Stu. Been impressed since I first heard him with ICED EARTH. Saw his other band open for DT and Redemption back in 2007, and wasn't impressed. But with IE, he's been great. Incredible singer. I'll check out the interview.
I think it's largely Zook, wolfking and sometimes myself that rag on Stu. My opinion on the matter has changed a couple of times over the years, but I would always agree that he's an incredible singer. The issue is whether or not you're cool with his particular way of channeling Matt Barlow in certain instances.
But as I said, the man is an incredible singer. One of the best in the metal scene these days, imo.
And more importantly, Stu's also a pretty great human being as far as my personal experiences go. I used to talk with him a lot on Facebook when he first joined Iced Earth in Spring/Summer of 2011 and he was always really responsive and fun to talk to. Then when I finally got to see him and the rest of the band live the following March in 2012, he recognized and remembered me right away during the VIP Meet-and-Greet and talked with me for a little while, which then led to Troy Seele and Freddie Vidales both talking to me for awhile longer after the Meet-and-Greet had ended.
So yeah, lot of admiration and respect for Stu on my end, even if I sometimes have been a tad critical in the past. At this point though, I've come to accept how he sings in IE for what it is and just have fun. :metal :tup
Loved that bit in the interview where he was gushing over how great a singer Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge is.
Obviously the tipping point for..
I'll check out the interview.
;D
Loved that bit in the interview where he was gushing over how great a singer Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge is.
Obviously the tipping point for..
I'll check out the interview.
;D
I saw that earlier today on this topic and thought "oh, if that doesn't increase Samsara's bro-crush on Stu, I don't know what will."
:rollin :rollin :rollin
And the best part was that I actually mentioned that bit on purpose, because I knew it'd elicit brownie points from Samsara. :biggrin:
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Stu sounds the best he's been since joining the band. There are a few instances where he has that food in mouth sound, but overall, I think he's finally come into his own, and the Barlowisms are almost gone.
That's Jon singing as well on Clear the Way right?
Also a bit of Where Eagles Dare in Black Flag.
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I am one who has very much ragged on Stu.
But I do it because I KNOW he's one of the best singers in metal. The dude is just insanely talented and I'm constantly let down by what he's allowed to do or told to in Iced Earth. I think he largely sounds goofy in Iced Earth, though I haven't listened to the new album.
And yes, he is an awesome dude as well. I remember e-mailing back and forth with him well before he joined Iced Earth and he was just a super sweet guy.
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My opinion on the matter has changed a couple of times over the years, but I would always agree that he's an incredible singer. The issue is whether or not you're cool with his particular way of channeling Matt Barlow in certain instances.
That's my only criticism of him, and I think part of it is just how he sounds when he sings in that range. I prefer how he sounds on Pure Evil, which is a little more aggressive and raspy. I'd like to hear him just sing like that more often, rather than do the Barlow thing - it reminds me of John Greely's vocals on the original Stormrider disc, which aren't bad at all.
Aside from that, Stu makes it look so easy to sing those songs, and he's a great singer for this band. Hopefully the last one too. :)
I'm constantly let down by what he's allowed to do or told to in Iced Earth. I think he largely sounds goofy in Iced Earth, though I haven't listened to the new album.
I read an interesting opinion from Iced Earth's former webmaster during the Barlow-era once on another forum during the Ripper years. Jon's always stated that he hears this archetypical "voice" that is how a singer in Iced Earth should sound. He doesn't write for a singer's voice like so many fans think he does, he just writes and expects his singers to sound like this voice in his head. The former webmaster figured that the archetypical voice sounds more like Ripper Owens than it did Matt Barlow. But when Barlow joined and started singing, Jon discovered Matt's best range is in the lower areas, rather than the higher areas. So why not exploit that (re: Dark Saga onward) and fans ended up loving it.
I think you're definitely on the right course in thinking that Stu is directed to sing songs in a particular manner (especially when Jon writes the vocal melodies, which he always does during writing sessions - in past years, songs where he couldn't figure out a melody went to Hansi to write melodies for inclusion in Demons and Wizards), and he and Jon probably work together to develop what they think is best for the song.
Seven Headed Whore is a nice way for Stu to cut loose with some more extreme vocals within the confines of Iced Earth.
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he and Jon probably work together to develop what they think is best for the song.
And I disagree with sooooo many of those choices recently.
I mean, look at Ripper. Dude showed up and crushed it with his own natural voice. Never did he try to do a Barlow or force a range that wasn't natural for him. If IE just let Stu sing in his natural range without trying to push the low register stuff, I'd like it a little more. Sadly the writing recently isn't my thing either, but it'd be better.
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I will agree that Stu sounds...restrained at times. Is that Jon encouraging him to emulate Barlow? Maybe. Or maybe it's Stu purposefully trying to give people the closest rendition to the records and the classic singer that he possibly can.
Remember, Stu was a fan, before becoming the singer. Yeah, there are too many instances of Stu saying "brothers and sisters" like Barlow -- it's hard to deny that, and I cringe when I hear it. But the criticism is a bit overblown IMO, even if I appreciate the points those criticizing are making.
On another note -- got my copy of Incorruptible pre-ordered for delivery tomorrow. I only heard Seven Headed Whore once (and not the whole thing). I didn't really like it during that brief exposure, but I can't wait to listen to the whole album Friday night! :metal
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I heard the new album. It's not yet the great comeback that Iced Earth needs, IMHO, but a step in a good direction. I ned more listens, but this might be their best material with Stu. As of now, i put it definetely above Plagues, but i don't know if beats Dystopia.
The pros:
- Good Production
- Probably the best solos on an IE album, ever.
- Stu is sounding very good.
- Clear The Way kicks major ass and it is, IMHO, the best track they've written with Stu.
The cons:
- Still find the songwriting a bit too simplistic at most times. Jon can write much more sophisticated stuff than this (Clear The Way is proof).
- Too many ballads/slow paced songs. It gets kind of boring at times.
All things considered, it's a fairly standard current IE record, repeating some of the not so good stuff from the last records, but it also shows that they can still write some pretty cool heavy/epic stuff when they want it. I think Jon could use a little more ambition, he has a good enough band right now to try something more bold.
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All things considered, it's a fairly standard current IE record, repeating some of the not so good stuff from the last records, but it also shows that they can still write some pretty cool heavy/epic stuff when they want it. I think Jon could use a little more ambition, he has a good enough band right now to try something more bold.
I think I agree with this - Amazon gave me the autorip feature, so I'm listening through the disc for the first time and up to Ghost Dance. I would definitely like to see Jon inspired more, but I don't think this is a boring record. I'm noticing some faster paced stuff more than any mid-tempo songs, but maybe my ears are looking for that. I definitely agree that Jon has settled into a songwriting groove where the mid-tempo stuff with simpler riffs are what he wants to write now, but I'll take that. Iced Earth has always had those songs since the mid-late 90's with stuff like Last December and carrying on through Dark Saga, with some faster stuff peppered throughout the album.
Incorruptible seems to have a nice balance where the mid-tempo stuff is spread throughout the album and a faster paced song comes after a slower chugger (Brothers followed by Defiance, etc.).
All in all, this disc gets a big :metal from me after feeling like Plagues was a bit of a letdown.
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Mine arrives tonight, but I FORGOT about autorip. I will go login and get it now...
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Incorruptible is definitely the best with Stu. Dystopia being the worst. I thought Plagues was way better than Dystopia. I even liked the drummer.
Brent sounds great on incorruptible though. I'm glad the machine guns weren't used this time around.
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Incorruptible is definitely the best with Stu. Dystopia being the worst. I thought Plagues was way better than Dystopia. I even liked the drummer.
Brent sounds great on incorruptible though. I'm glad the machine guns weren't used this time around.
I'm really digging this record. I thought Dystopia was awesome and the closest thing we'd had to a SWTWC vibe - just a bunch of kickass songs without a concept, though it was themed via dystopian stories. Plagues has some killer songs, but the last half felt a bit dull, though Chuthlu gives it a big kick in the nuts. I had no use for the SOL cover. Seeing them on that tour made me feel that the long days on the road have burned them out a bit (though Jon's injuries likely tempered the performance), but Incorruptible feels like they're back to kicking ass again.
Incorruptible is very much in the same vein as Dystopia. Ghost Dance is killer. Each time I listen to the album today I find something else I like. Even the slower songs have parts that break up the monotony a bit, whether it's big chunky riff, or a faster part or solo section (If I Could See You didn't have that). I've been an Iced Earth fan for 19 years, so I'm long past the hankering for Stomrider Part 8 each time an album comes out even though I'd love to hear that again.
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Incorruptible is definitely the best with Stu. Dystopia being the worst. I thought Plagues was way better than Dystopia. I even liked the drummer.
Brent sounds great on incorruptible though. I'm glad the machine guns weren't used this time around.
I'm really digging this record. I thought Dystopia was awesome and the closest thing we'd had to a SWTWC vibe - just a bunch of kickass songs without a concept, though it was themed via dystopian stories. Plagues has some killer songs, but the last half felt a bit dull, though Chuthlu gives it a big kick in the nuts. I had no use for the SOL cover. Seeing them on that tour made me feel that the long days on the road have burned them out a bit (though Jon's injuries likely tempered the performance), but Incorruptible feels like they're back to kicking ass again.
Incorruptible is very much in the same vein as Dystopia. Ghost Dance is killer. Each time I listen to the album today I find something else I like. Even the slower songs have parts that break up the monotony a bit, whether it's big chunky riff, or a faster part or solo section (If I Could See You didn't have that). I've been an Iced Earth fan for 19 years, so I'm long past the hankering for Stomrider Part 8 each time an album comes out even though I'd love to hear that again.
13 year fan here. I've accepted that we likely will never get a Stormrider 2, but I don't necessarily want that. When Jon is on point, he's really on point. I miss the riff master, and he's substituted that with songwriting as in strong vocal melodies and whatnot. I think that last time Jon wrote really badass riffs were the Something Wicked Trilogy. Incorruptible shows that he still has it, and if he can keep this line up, we can get another Stormrider type masterpiece.
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I got on board with IE with The Glorious Burden (thank you Grappler). To me, at least in regard to the Stu-fronted records, this one is better than Plagues. I'm not quite sure it is as good as Dystopia, but it'll take some time to evaluate. I'm only on my third listen...
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I got into IE because Spawn was on the cover of Dark Saga :blush
It was before the release of SWTWC, so it probably was around 96/97...holy shit it's been 20 years! :o
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Bought this on iTunes today. Just had my first listen and Damn, this album is awesome.
This is balls to the wall metal. It has a simplicity about it. I felt like the latter Ripper albums were way to busy for me. I bought Dystopia, listened once, and skipped Plagues altogether.
But there's something about Incorruptible that is really inviting.
Also, since I bought on iTunes, can someone please post the band lineup for me? Producer? Where recorded?
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This one I really like. I haven't loved the Stu CDs but this may be their most cohesive since SWTWC; even if not, this is a really good one. Everyone, including me, loves Clear the Way but the rest is really good too.
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This one I really like. I haven't loved the Stu CDs but this may be their most cohesive since SWTWC; even if not, this is a really good one. Everyone, including me, loves Clear the Way but the rest is really good too.
So, better than the new Styx? ;D
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This one I really like. I haven't loved the Stu CDs but this may be their most cohesive since SWTWC; even if not, this is a really good one. Everyone, including me, loves Clear the Way but the rest is really good too.
So, better than the new Styx? ;D
Yeah, just a little. I actually enjoy listening to this :lol
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Bought this on iTunes today. Just had my first listen and Damn, this album is awesome.
This is balls to the wall metal. It has a simplicity about it. I felt like the latter Ripper albums were way to busy for me. I bought Dystopia, listened once, and skipped Plagues altogether.
But there's something about Incorruptible that is really inviting.
Also, since I bought on iTunes, can someone please post the band lineup for me? Producer? Where recorded?
Sure thing, man! The band lineup is:
Stu Block - Vocals
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitar
Jake Dreyer (also of Witherfall) - Lead Guitar
Luke Appleton - Bass
Brent Smedley - Drums
Schaffer produced the album entirely on his own and if memory serves me right, the band built themselves their own studio to act as the band's HQ from here on out and record the albums there and this is the first album they've made there.
And yeah, listening to Incorruptible, I quite like it. It's not on the level of Night of the Stormrider or Burnt Offerings for me, but it's a strong entry just the same. Definitely Stu's best since he joined the band.
Jake, unsurprisingly, is by far the best lead guitarist the band's ever had and crushes it on this album. I think we'll probably see Jake contribute to the songwriting on the next album, seeing as how he sent Jon the recordings for Witherfall's "End of Time" and "What We Are Dying For" as part of his audition in the band. So yeah, the prospects of Jake potentially joining in the writing for IE really excite me.
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Also, since I bought on iTunes, can someone please post the band lineup for me? Producer? Where recorded?
I don't have the actual CD yet, but I know that it was recorded at Independence Hall, the band's new headquarters and home studio. Jon built it in Indiana last year - living quarters, storage, rehearsal space, recording studio. This is the band's last album on their record contract with Century Media and he seems to be ready to be fully independent (think Metallica on a much smaller scale - recording on your own and then pressing records on your own label).
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I still have to warm up to this album, I hope it will grow on me. So far I like Seven Headed Whore, The Veil, and I already completely LOVE Clear the Way, that song is kickass :metal
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I already completely LOVE Clear the Way, that song is kickass :metal
I think it goes nowhere after that bagpipe break. Even the faintest momentum that song has dies off when the same thing just gets repeated without any variety. Many say it's one of their best long songs but I'm going completely the other way. The musical ideas just don't mix for the most part, I can just tell from how jagged the arrangement is.
Black Flag is easily my favourite song here.
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Well, the first time I was hearing the song, after the chorus I was expecting another round of verse / bridge / chorus, I wasn't expecting the solo break to already arrive. Yes, after the solo it's all the same, but it's a fitting conclusion to the song.
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Picked up a copy of this yesterday. haven't listened to it yet, but looking forward to it.
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So I watched a new interview with Jon on YouTube last night and he mentioned that part of Jake's audition process for the band required him sending in potential song ideas for Iced Earth and that he was so impressed by what Jake sent in that he was upset that they didn't have the time to really flesh out and finish writing those songs in time for them to make Incorruptible.
So I have a feeling that the next IE album is gonna be pretty baller, provided that Jake's in it for the long haul (which seems to be the case). :metal
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So I watched a new interview with Jon on YouTube last night and he mentioned that part of Jake's audition process for the band required him sending in potential song ideas for Iced Earth and that he was so impressed by what Jake sent in that he was upset that they didn't have the time to really flesh out and finish writing those songs in time for them to make Incorruptible.
So I have a feeling that the next IE album is gonna be pretty baller, provided that Jake's in it for the long haul (which seems to be the case). :metal
That's good to hear. I'm very impressed with Jake.
In regard to the record, I'm warming up to it more now, on the sixth and seventh listen.
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Jon's been basically writing all the music on his own since Randy Shawver left. A few small ideas here and there from past band members. It would be awesome if Jon got his Randy back.
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Jon's been basically writing all the music on his own since Randy Shawver left. A few small ideas here and there from past band members. It would be awesome if Jon got his Randy back.
Well, it looks like Jon's already got his Dave Abdell back in the form of Luke Appleton. Luke co-wrote two of the songs off of Incorruptible; Black Flag and Defiance (Jon mentioned that the latter of which was mostly written by Luke in that interview I mentioned).
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Jon's been basically writing all the music on his own since Randy Shawver left. A few small ideas here and there from past band members. It would be awesome if Jon got his Randy back.
Well, it looks like Jon's already got his Dave Abdell back in the form of Luke Appleton. Luke co-wrote two of the songs off of Incorruptible; Black Flag and Defiance (Jon mentioned that the latter of which was mostly written by Luke in that interview I mentioned).
Good to hear. I haven't watched the interview yet.
I can barely hear Luke on the album. Kinda sucks. They mixed the kick drum way too loud, though, but I do enjoy the album.
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I'm warming up to the album... but I'm afraid it's more of getting used to Iced Earth's sound than anything.
I mean, the album is not bad, and it's not a timeless masterpiece that will change the history of heavy metal. It's an Iced Earth album with songs in the Iced Earth style, and hearing it again and again I get accustomed to the songs, but I'm afraid it's more of an habit and that in some months I will have already forgotten about this album.
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It has taken me a bit, but finally, after repeated listens, I'm completely enthralled with Incorruptible. The one thing I really like is that for the first time in a long time, I get to an Iced Earth ballad, and don't feel the urge to skip it. The record flows very well, and I'm really enjoying it now.
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I keep coming back to Raven Wing. My mind knows that Clear the Way is the best song on the album, but I just want to hear that big stomping groove that the riffs and drums sync up to, and Stu's vocals and melodies are so good.
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It has taken me a bit, but finally, after repeated listens, I'm completely enthralled with Incorruptible. The one thing I really like is that for the first time in a long time, I get to an Iced Earth ballad, and don't feel the urge to skip it. The record flows very well, and I'm really enjoying it now.
Awesome. I've been lukewarm on them for a while now. But this album, with it's simplicity, is so immediate.
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Having my first listen now. It's Iced Earth but will need a few listens, as most IE albums do. Raven Wing an early standout.
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Nice interview with Stu, discussing the band, brotherhood, the future of Iced Earth and their independence, lyrical topics, etc.
https://maximummetal.com/interviews/intresults.asp?ID=stublock_iearth&idBand=165
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I thought Clear The Way could be improved with a solo, so I wrote my own: https://youtu.be/5cNltIeB8fc
And here's my cover of Seven Headed Whore: https://youtu.be/pgRjQCbo2j4
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This album is fucking legit.
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This album is fucking legit.
This post is fucking legit.
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This album is fucking legit.
This post is fucking legit.
You're fucking legit. :yarr
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:metal
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Pleasantly surprised by this one. I was previously under the impression that the band would be stuck at middle-of-the-road 'stock IE' stuff due to the past few Stu albums (which are fine, but have very few highlights sticking out of the meh for me), but this one blows all of them out of the water. Thoroughly great riffing throughout, even when retreading the usual stuff, and genuinely surprisingly twists and turns all over the place. Seems like Schaffer and co. are finally ready to push into the proggier side again – I'd love if the next one went full epic and made use of Stu beyond his ability to do both Barlow and Ripper types of things. I think they're on the cusp of another Burnt Offerings or Dark Saga, so let's see that happen!
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They're overdue for another trilogy. I love me some trilogies.
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They're overdue for another trilogy. I love me some trilogies.
With lots of triplets!
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They're overdue for another trilogy. I love me some trilogies.
With lots of triplets!
An Iced Earth fucking legit trilogy of triplets.
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This album really has one thing that Iced Earth have never really been able to nail IMO, and that's guitar solos. Don't get me wrong, Randy was cool as was Larry and Ralph was cool on TGB. Troy really was pretty shit, but he managed to come up with some decent solos on the last album. My fav solos were actually from Tim Mills on the re-recorded something wicked trilogy, it's a shame he never recorded on some original material, he has chops.
But his Jake fella is also fucking legit. It is so good to hear these kinds of advanced, well executed and professional solos on Iced Earth's music. What he's doing really adds to the songs and adds so much to what Iced Earth are doing here and makes the album more diverse and enjoyable. Definitely have to go back and check that Witherfall album and I really hope this guy can stick around. A breath of fresh air for this band and their sound. I know Jon has never been a big advocate on leads but what's on offer here is quite plentiful and works really really well.
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Definitely have to go back and check that Witherfall album and I really hope this guy can stick around. A breath of fresh air for this band and their sound. I know Jon has never been a big advocate on leads but what's on offer here is quite plentiful and works really really well.
The solos are killer, and I'm pretty sure that Jake will stick around. Jon recently said that Jake's audition process was late in the production, so he showed up and just laid down the solos, but his audition included submitting ideas for more Iced Earth styled songs, rather than his own (Witherfall). So Jake gave him some riffs and Jon loved them and wished they could have fleshed them out to put on the album.
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Sounds like this is getting some positive reviews. I did not care of Plagues of Babylon but I really like Dystopia.
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Sounds like this is getting some positive reviews. I did not care of Plagues of Babylon but I really like Dystopia.
Was the other way round for me. Check this new one out for sure.
Definitely have to go back and check that Witherfall album and I really hope this guy can stick around. A breath of fresh air for this band and their sound. I know Jon has never been a big advocate on leads but what's on offer here is quite plentiful and works really really well.
The solos are killer, and I'm pretty sure that Jake will stick around. Jon recently said that Jake's audition process was late in the production, so he showed up and just laid down the solos, but his audition included submitting ideas for more Iced Earth styled songs, rather than his own (Witherfall). So Jake gave him some riffs and Jon loved them and wished they could have fleshed them out to put on the album.
Nice.
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I guess today it's a nice excuse to blast out Declaration Day :metal (I've heard Ripper doing it live and man, he was wailing like a badass m0th€rfokker on the final verse!!!)
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I guess today it's a nice excuse to blast out Declaration Day :metal (I've heard Ripper doing it live and man, he was wailing like a badass m0th€rfokker on the final verse!!!)
Ripper live in general is a badass all over.
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Absolutely true.
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My first concert ever was Priests Demolition tour, holy shit he was amazing.
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Anyone hear the live covers he did for Roadrunner United? King Diamond should have sold his vocal cords on ebay after that.
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Anyone hear the live covers he did for Roadrunner United? King Diamond should have sold his vocal cords on ebay after that.
Yeah, that's a great DVD. He did an amazing version of Abigail.
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I've done guitar tabs for three songs on this album, if anyone's interested.
Black Flag: https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/i/iced_earth/black_flag_guitar_pro.htm#c_5215931
Seven Headed Whore: https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/i/iced_earth/seven_headed_whore_guitar_pro.htm#c_5206619
Defiance: https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/i/iced_earth/defiance_guitar_pro.htm
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Anyone hear the live covers he did for Roadrunner United? King Diamond should have sold his vocal cords on ebay after that.
What a visual I just got reading that. :lol
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On a journey into Iced Earth lately. This latest one is really good.
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On a journey into Iced Earth lately. This latest one is really good.
It is, but I haven't gone back to it in about 2 weeks or more. Most of that has to do with not being able to wear headphones at work anymore. Well, I could, but it's not worth the risk of a suspension or firing. I haven't really listened to a lot of music lately. It sucks. Work was my time to listen to new albums and old favorites. At home I don't get a whole lot of time to do that.
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I'm in the same boot with you Zook. I still consider it a good album and I dig it, but with limited time and other exciting releases coming up (Alice Cooper, Rage) the album has already fallen out of my daily rotation.
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I remember actually liking it, which is surprising.
It's not a classic at all, but it's way better than anything since Ripper. I also don't think the war epic was as great as everyone else. It was okay, but nothing special.
This album, however, made me realize that Stu's lost a lot of his power. His highs just sound really thin, and they have for a long time now.
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I remember actually liking it, which is surprising.
It's not a classic at all, but it's way better than anything since Ripper. I also don't think the war epic was as great as everyone else. It was okay, but nothing special.
This album, however, made me realize that Stu's lost a lot of his power. His highs just sound really thin, and they have for a long time now.
I think that has a lot to do with the way he sings. Since midrange is where he generally sings now, he probably can't transition to the high notes as easily anymore. It's also why he sounds silly in songs like A Question of Heaven. He would rival Barlow's epic performance of that song if he sang in his natural voice.
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I just went back to it after almost a month. I really like it. I think Stu's highs are just fine live. If you're referring to the record, remember, he's being coached in the studio to sing a certain way by Jon. Jon controls the direction, but gives guys latitude.
In addition, Stu's high range is mostly falsetto, not pure range. He's a baritone, and very few baritones have naturally high end range (or if they do, it fades over time). Stu has a killer high falsetto, which is naturally thinner than someone's own voice anyway.
There's a huge difference between someone having a high singing voice, and having a powerful falsetto. Stu is a baritone with a really good falsetto. Michael Kiske is a tenor who has a very high singing voice. Huge difference, even though both are noted for some awfully high notes.
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I liked the album too, but also haven't spun it in a few weeks. I might change that tonight.
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I just went back to it after almost a month. I really like it. I think Stu's highs are just fine live. If you're referring to the record, remember, he's being coached in the studio to sing a certain way by Jon. Jon controls the direction, but gives guys latitude.
In addition, Stu's high range is mostly falsetto, not pure range. He's a baritone, and very few baritones have naturally high end range (or if they do, it fades over time). Stu has a killer high falsetto, which is naturally thinner than someone's own voice anyway.
There's a huge difference between someone having a high singing voice, and having a powerful falsetto. Stu is a baritone with a really good falsetto. Michael Kiske is a tenor who has a very high singing voice. Huge difference, even though both are noted for some awfully high notes.
They're really not fine live. I mean, they're not bad by any stretch, but they're paper thin.
I am well aware of what falsetto is. But I look back and compare the same notes with him, Barlow, and Ripper and he stands out as the thinnest. Barlow just has a huge gigantic sound, low or high and while Ripper has a similar falsetto, his is just so much more powerful.
And I say this as I've feel it's changed over the years. Early videos I say of IE live were fine, but the more modern ones sound really thin and weak.
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I wasnt saying you werent aware of what falsetto is. We just disagree on Stu. Comparing him to Barlow and Ripper is natural, but really unfair. Barlow is a God among men with that voice and has the strongest falsetto I have ever heard. Ripper is a little more naturally rangy, but his falsetto is very strong too. Thats tough to live up to.
I have seen Stu live with IE just once. The wife has seen him twice. Dude slays. No, he's not Barlow? But then again, who is? 😂
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😂
What is this sorcery?
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I really like the new album. I'm one of those people who really liked Dystopia for the individual song vibe, Plagues not so much.
Stu sounds excellent. Not sure if I ever want a different sound for him in Iced Earth either. Into Eternity-Stu, after all, isn't Natural Stu either, and Iced Earth does well with his lower range nowadays. Would love to hear him in an Ayreon-like project, though. He's been one of my favorite metal singers ever since I discovered him through Dystopia and my liking only grows stronger each day.
re: his range, most men are actually tenors, and I think Stu is no exception, he just sounds very persuasive in all points of his range nowadays. He's probably not working on his falsetto so much nowadays, and before now, even in Into Eternity it sounded almost Mickey Mouse thin in some moments, but I personally like how he pulls it into a sort of a... wailing ghost thing. It's definitely not one of the chesty sounding falsettos you hear a lot in metal.
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I've given Incorruptible a couple spins... I really wish I liked later Iced Earth, but I never find myself returning to anything on a regular basis post-Horror Show. Wheels just kinda fell off.
I like Incorruptible better than Plagues of Babylon but not as much as Dystopia, and while I liked Dystopia it just felt like the band was over the hill to me.
I listened to a lot of old Iced Earth this weekend, I mean Iced Earth, Angels' Holocaust, Stormrider early - that's the Iced Earth I know and love. I love hearing Jon Schaffer still at it with the tightest rhythm playing out there but the songs at large ring hollow to me, unlike their prime years in the late 90s.
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Okay, wow, I'm eating crow now. I actually *bought* Incorruptible instead of listening to it on Spotify (pardon my terminology, I still use 'spin' even if it's digital). The difference is so drastic. Seven Headed Whore cranked to 11 in the car on the interstate, now that's heavy metal. Definitely the best IE in a long time.
Some songs are still a bit flat and I wish Iced Earth didn't rely on the mid-tempo head bobbing pace for so many songs (that's why Something Wicked is so great, it has a perfect blend of tempo, aggression, and emotion). Stu's inflection is really strange sometimes - sounds like he's forcing the tough guy sound on the lower notes and hams up the emotional lines, but not in the good way like Barlow did - but holy crap is he a good fit for the band. Clear the Way is a great closer to the album. Really digging this and glad to add it to the collection. All I need now is the first couple IE albums to fill out my collection.
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I've played it a couple of times recently and like it more than anything they've done in a good while, although all their ballads sound like I Died For You.
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It's just a very good album. Having said that, how's everybody's opinion on the Ashes of Ares record Matt did?
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It's just a very good album. Having said that, how's everybody's opinion on the Ashes of Ares record Matt did?
Very meh. Not bad. Just meh.
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Having said that, how's everybody's opinion on the Ashes of Ares record Matt did?
I thought it was pretty rubbish.
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It's just a very good album. Having said that, how's everybody's opinion on the Ashes of Ares record Matt did?
I loved it when it came out, but over time, I haven't gone back to it as much. I think I just miss hearing him over a big, fat Jon Schaffer riff.
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It's just a very good album. Having said that, how's everybody's opinion on the Ashes of Ares record Matt did?
Very meh. Not bad. Just meh.
Same. I was going to buy it used, but I wanted to support him in some way. Hopefully #2 will have high production values, and maybe a better guitarist. Also, I've heard Van Williams with Nevermore, and thought he was excellent. Why on Ashes of Ares does he sound like an amateur?
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I might go back and listen to that album. Can't remember a thing about it other than I thought it was crap.
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I was watching a bunch of old videos of Matt Barlow-era IE (right after Horror Show, circa 2002) the other day... Holy shit, man, Wolf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeA6wD3WBtU
Good god.
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That is amazing! :metal
Horrorshow was the first album that came out after I got into them.
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Have you seen the European Horror Show tour? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWhtKxYzY2c
2.5 to 3 hours, 3 different sets. 3 costume changes, arena staging, costume changes, pyro. Apparently the band lost money on this tour, and it doesn't surprise me. But talk about a bad-ass show and a killer setlist of all eras up through Horror Show.
As for the American tour - I love the video of Matt singing Iced Earth and just headbanging like mad during the intro of the song.
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Have you seen the European Horror Show tour? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWhtKxYzY2c
Fuck yeah I did. One of my best concerts ever. Not of Iced Earth, I mean EVER. What a glorious and badass concert all the way through. Matt SLAYED. The whole band rocked :metal
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I just might put Horror Show as my favorite Iced Earth album. The only one that might come close to it would be Dark Saga
Phantom Opera Ghost is my personal favorite from the band. Awesome tune.
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I was watching a bunch of old videos of Matt Barlow-era IE (right after Horror Show, circa 2002) the other day... Holy shit, man, Wolf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeA6wD3WBtU
Good god.
(https://cdn.meme.am/instances/62383080/hell-yeah-im-a-badass.jpg)
Seriously though, that video was all pure raw fucking power! :metal
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Anyone get a D&W vibe from The Relic? I wonder if it was originally intended to be a D&W song.
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Thread could use more Larry.
Alright, who misses Larry? I understand there are Randy fans here, and I respect Randy and his tens of millions of fans, but in my opinion, no one comes close to Larry. His work on Something Wicked wasn't especially technical, it wasn't revolutionary, but it was the perfect complement to the band, and his performance on Alive in Athens shows what a vital part he was of the short-lived golden era. Despite being enveloped in a near-constant verbal shitstorm originating from Schaffer's Skoal-stained mouth, he kept on course the argosy for as long as any man possibly could before the inevitable crash on the jagged rocks hiding just beneath the surface of the shallow waters of generic metal mediocrity.
He was the vastly less talented and original Marty Friedman to Jon Schaffer's vastly less talented and original Dave Mustaine, and for that, he will always have a special place in my vastly less talented heart. When Troy Seele came along, the worst player to ever strap on a Suhr Modern, he Glen Drover'd allover Larry's solos and virtually every pre-Larry lead, no matter how simple. The band would never recover...
:heart Larry :heart
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I loved Larry on the albums. He was good live when he was playing his own solos, but his version of Randal's solos are just....not good. Yes, that is mostly because Randy used a ton of layers that can't be reproduced live, but his technique really fell apart when he tried some of those older solos.
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Larry isn't bad, but I much prefer Jake Dreyer and Randy when it comes to IE's lead guitarists.
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Larry was cool and did his job well enough. This new fella needs to stay though.
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I suppose I will have to give the new album a shot after all then.
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I suppose I will have to give the new album a shot after all then.
Didn't dig it?
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Nah I just haven't checked it out at all yet, but will for the new guitarist. I have a hard time with Stu Block singing in a way that just doesn't seem natural for him (I know, Jon tells him exactly what to do).
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Nah I just haven't checked it out at all yet, but will for the new guitarist. I have a hard time with Stu Block singing in a way that just doesn't seem natural for him (I know, Jon tells him exactly what to do).
Everything has improved here. Stu isn't my fav IE singer, and I agree with you and have felt that way since he joined, but he sounds decent enough here, even solid! The songwriting has stepped up also. Great record all round. Check it.
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IE goes through so many damn band members I have never known who the hell is in the band outside of the singer and Jon Schaffer. The Wikipedia page's band member timeline is funny, the drummer section looks like a seismograph reading...
Whoever the guitarist, bassist, and drummer were during Something Wicked This Way Comes: I like that lineup best, also has the best production of any IE album imo so maybe that has something to do with it.
But yeah I think Incorruptible is a great step up, best of the Stu era definitely. Brothers has grown on me big time, that's a catchy tune.
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Nah I just haven't checked it out at all yet, but will for the new guitarist. I have a hard time with Stu Block singing in a way that just doesn't seem natural for him (I know, Jon tells him exactly what to do).
After you check out the new IE album, go and check out Jake's other band Witherfall to get a better idea of what the guy is capable of as a guitarist and songwriter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM1VAXrF4Rk). :tup
That's still my favorite album of the year at this point!
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After one spin, Incorruptible is a big step up from recent efforts at the very least. Just three songs in on the Witherfall album, and this is really cool. Tasteful neoclassical, with Latin influences on the current track. Thanks for the recommendation. I hope Dreyer in IE doesn't end up like Loomis in AE.
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After one spin, Incorruptible is a big step up from recent efforts at the very least. Just three songs in on the Witherfall album, and this is really cool. Tasteful neoclassical, with Latin influences on the current track. Thanks for the recommendation. I hope Dreyer in IE doesn't end up like Loomis in AE.
I don't think he will - Jon mentioned that Jake came into the production with some very "Iced Earth-y" sounding songs that he wished he could have expanded on.
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Re-listened to that Clear the Way song.
Man, those verses have some weird singing on them. It's not his usual marble gargling Barlow voice, but it's still dumb.
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Re-listened to that Clear the Way song.
Man, those verses have some weird singing on them. It's not his usual marble gargling Barlow voice, but it's still dumb.
It sounds like Schaffer singing.
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Re-listened to that Clear the Way song.
Man, those verses have some weird singing on them. It's not his usual marble gargling Barlow voice, but it's still dumb.
It sounds like Schaffer singing.
What? No it doesn't. You silly.
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Re-listened to that Clear the Way song.
Man, those verses have some weird singing on them. It's not his usual marble gargling Barlow voice, but it's still dumb.
It sounds like Schaffer singing.
What? No it doesn't. You silly.
No, YOU silly. Also, yes it does.
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That's definitely Stu in the verses of Clear the Way. He sounds a lot more "punkish" to me during those parts.
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European tour dates announced for early 2018! :metal
Damn, no Italy so far.
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Re-listened to that Clear the Way song.
Man, those verses have some weird singing on them. It's not his usual marble gargling Barlow voice, but it's still dumb.
It sounds like Schaffer singing.
What? No it doesn't. You silly.
No, YOU silly. Also, yes it does.
Schaffer? What the hell are you listening to bro? We're talking about Clear the Way, not Stormrider.
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Stormrider was one of the songs that got me into the band...
I don't hear it on Clear the Way. Clearly Stu. Not Schaffer.
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Have you guys not heard anything else he's sung on? I may not get a response, but I'll ask Stu on Facebook.
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Sorry Zook, but that's totally Stu on Clear the Way. He did an interview with That Drummer Guy a few months back and I remember him mentioning how he tried to do some distinctions with his voice on certain songs like Clear the Way and Black Flag to reflect the characters of those songs.
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Have you guys not heard anything else he's sung on? I may not get a response, but I'll ask Stu on Facebook.
Obviously Sons of Liberty is the main on here, but not sure how you could think he sings on Clear the Way.
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Have you guys not heard anything else he's sung on? I may not get a response, but I'll ask Stu on Facebook.
Obviously Sons of Liberty is the main on here, but not sure how you could think he sings on Clear the Way.
Because it soundd like him.
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When Troy Seele came along, the worst player to ever strap on a Suhr Modern, he Glen Drover'd allover Larry's solos and virtually every pre-Larry lead, no matter how simple. The band would never recover...
:heart Larry :heart
this is the funniest thing I read in a long long looooong time :biggrin:
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'I want to tell you something.......Arrr! :yarr Fuck your couch!' :rollin
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When Troy Seele came along, the worst player to ever strap on a Suhr Modern, he Glen Drover'd allover Larry's solos and virtually every pre-Larry lead, no matter how simple. The band would never recover...
:heart Larry :heart
this is the funniest thing I read in a long long looooong time :biggrin:
Funny because it's true, right? Except for that last part. I think the band recovered nicely.
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I'm glad Troy is gone. Jon was blinded by friendship there. One of the worst guitar players I've ever heard playing at that level.
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I'm glad Troy is gone. Jon was blinded by friendship there. One of the worst guitar players I've ever heard playing at that level.
*comment deleted*
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A clip of new music from Sentinels. Matt Barlow and Jonah Weingarten of Pyramaze - this is movie score music with vocals.
I had no idea what to expect, and Barlow's just wailing on this in the background behind his lead vocals. Truly epic sounding shit. :metal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBI8IHN9LI8
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A clip of new music from Sentinels. Matt Barlow and Jonah Weingarten of Pyramaze - this is movie score music with vocals.
I had no idea what to expect, and Barlow's just wailing on this in the background behind his lead vocals. Truly epic sounding shit. :metal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBI8IHN9LI8
Speaking of Jonah, he just joined the Australian prog metal band Teramaze earlier this week too! Can't wait to hear him on that new album sometime next year! :metal
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There's a books / multimedia store nearby my work, I often go there during lunch break. In the DVDs section there's a string of the classic horror movies, the Universal ones, they're under the "Legacy collection" package.
I must confess I felt tempted more than once to re-organize them on the shelf following the tracklist on Horror Show ;D but I gave up 'cause I would have felt silly and the list would have been incomplete anyway... but the thought crossed my mind :biggrin:
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That's awesome, MM :)
I'm not sure how I feel about that Sentinels clip if I'm being honest. Maybe it's just the melodies but it didn't impress me much and I actually would've liked it more without the wailing in the background. Barlow's one of those guys whose voice can instantly make anything better just because it's so good, but...
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A clip of new music from Sentinels. Matt Barlow and Jonah Weingarten of Pyramaze - this is movie score music with vocals.
I had no idea what to expect, and Barlow's just wailing on this in the background behind his lead vocals. Truly epic sounding shit. :metal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBI8IHN9LI8
Interesting to say the least.
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Interesting indeed. I'm a huge fan of heavy film score. I need to hear more before deciding to pick it up. Love Barlow, however.
Re: Incorruptible -- is it just me, or has this record had almost zero staying power with people this year. It's not a bad record at all, but it's like I forget about it. Going to put it on now, just because I can't remember the last time I put it on.
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I guess I should've done it before, but hey, I feel now is the right time. I'd like to check a few of Iced Earth albums, and I guess instead of googling and reading reviews I should just rely on DTF, a lot of you guys in the thread know my tastes. Which albums would you recommend?
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I guess I should've done it before, but hey, I feel now is the right time. I'd like to check a few of Iced Earth albums, and I guess instead of googling and reading reviews I should just rely on DTF, a lot of you guys in the thread know my tastes. Which albums would you recommend?
I strongly urge you to listen to Something Wicked This Way Comes and Horror Show, in that order, and once your hair is blown back you can come back for more :biggrin: Or even listen to Dante's Inferno - 16 minutes of kickass metal.
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I guess I should've done it before, but hey, I feel now is the right time. I'd like to check a few of Iced Earth albums, and I guess instead of googling and reading reviews I should just rely on DTF, a lot of you guys in the thread know my tastes. Which albums would you recommend?
I strongly urge you to listen to Something Wicked This Way Comes and Horror Show, in that order, and once your hair is blown back you can come back for more :biggrin: Or even listen to Dante's Inferno - 16 minutes of kickass metal.
Ditto on the recommendations. Those two records are where it is at.
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I strongly confirm those suggestions too.
Only if you're REALLY into trash metal, check Night of the Stormrider, but it doesn't have their classic singer, so go for Something Wicked This Way Comes and then maybe Dark Saga, before going on to Horror Show.
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Their live album Alive in Athens is basically a greatest hit/best of, so that's another great place to start.
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Their live album Alive in Athens is basically a greatest hit/best of, so that's another great place to start.
It IS the place to start.
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Yeah, if he doesn't mind listening to live first, then Alive is perfect. Personally I don't ever start with live albums or compilations but that's just me :)
I'd also recommend a couple songs from Ripper and Stu Block eras... Declaration Day and Ten Thousand Strong for Ripper, and Dystopia/Boiling Point/Raven Wing for Stu
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Re: Incorruptible -- is it just me, or has this record had almost zero staying power with people this year. It's not a bad record at all, but it's like I forget about it. Going to put it on now, just because I can't remember the last time I put it on.
I play it quite regularly.
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Yeah, if he doesn't mind listening to live first, then Alive is perfect. Personally I don't ever start with live albums or compilations but that's just me :)
I'd also recommend a couple songs from Ripper and Stu Block eras... Declaration Day and Ten Thousand Strong for Ripper, and Dystopia/Boiling Point/Raven Wing for Stu
He doesn't mind listening to live first. ;)
I'll try Alive in Athens then!
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Oh, good then! :biggrin:
I like Incorruptible. I lent it to a friend but I don't think he's bothered listening to it. Gonna try to get it back, Seven Headed Whore is awesome to blast in the car (no aux port).
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I like Incorruptible. I lent it to a friend but I don't think he's bothered listening to it. Gonna try to get it back, Seven Headed Whore is awesome to blast in the car (no aux port).
Raven Wing is my jam. :metal
I just listened to it this morning, and probably listen to it once every week or two. It's a great album, but I've found myself listening to a lot of different stuff over the past few months, rather than having this one album in constant rotation. I did play the crap out of it in June though, and not having a US tour to prepare for (yet) doesn't really give me a reason to listen to it.
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Yeah, if he doesn't mind listening to live first, then Alive is perfect. Personally I don't ever start with live albums or compilations but that's just me :)
I'd also recommend a couple songs from Ripper and Stu Block eras... Declaration Day and Ten Thousand Strong for Ripper, and Dystopia/Boiling Point/Raven Wing for Stu
He doesn't mind listening to live first. ;)
I'll try Alive in Athens then!
Just one advice: you'll probably go for the three discs version... the third disc was a bonus, not all editions have it, so the main part was the first two discs. They played two nights with totally different sets and the tracklist was pulled together from two shows, but it's the first two discs who have a "setlist" feel, you can imagine them as set 1 and set 2 of a long show, with all the good setlists mark: a good opener, the classics, the climax with the big songs, and the namesake song as a closer. The third disc is more of a bonus, so think of it as an "out of setlist", long encore with whatever song was left to play.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whbuGfegPxk
Monster interview (53 minutes! - Part 1 of 3!) with Jon Schaffer. Apparently there's a podcast dedicated to just Iced Earth on this youtube channel - they also have an interview with Stu. Still listening to the early part of the interview, so can't really comment on the content too much, but thought I'd share it.
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Thanks. Really informative. We're getting Days of Purgatory 2 it seems. I wonder if he'll call it "Return to Purgatory."
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I'll wait until it's formally announced. Jon is the master of saying "hey, I'm going to do this and this and this (remember the SW comic book ideas?) but a sometimes they don't come to fruition. I don't doubt that he wants to do some re-recording, especially coupled with the fact that he admitted in the interview that Century Media retains the rights to the old records. I've followed the band long enough to know that he certainly means good and is brutally honest when it comes to the fans, but not everything is feasible. What songs would he re-record? DOP is almost all of the s/t and Stormrider with Matt's vocals. I don't see how he can improve any of the Barlow-era songs with Stu's vocals, unless he lets Stu get all evil and rougher sounding.
I do like how he is talking about dusting off some older songs for the upcoming tours. That's definitely a good idea. I loved the songs they picked for the Dystopia tour (Stand Alone, When the Night Falls, Slave to the Dark) and hope that he can pull some others out, like Curse the Sky.
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My wet dream is Burnt Offerings, the title track. I know he has bad memories about the album (record company ordeals, the players not being up to task) but the positive reception from the fans for the album should encourage him.
Tonight since it kinda fits these "dark" days I'm gonna watch Bram Stoker's Dracula, the 1992 movie by Francis Ford Coppola.The intro to the song Burnt Offerings comes from it, the scene where Dracula is in the room with Mina and is being hunted by Van Helsing and co - "I was betrayed, look what your god has done to me".
Not so long ago I gave a spin again to Burnt Offerings... man, what a great record. It's not their best, but it's unique in their catalogue, it drips heaviness and darkness, and it's a cohesive piece of work, complex and brutal at times. Dante's Inferno is the clear masterpiece of the album, but the title track is to me one of their best songs ever, and the rest of the songs have their own dark flavour. When one's in the mood for the album, this can do wonders.
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I listened to Burnt Offerings today after listening to that interview where Jon addressed his perception of that album. I love it, and the title track is definitely one of their most badass songs.
Hearing that one re-recorded is definitely worth it, but I do think that Stu needs to be let loose in the evil department more often. I just don't see how you can improve on many of Matt's performances from Dark Saga on, since he's the classic singer in the band, and Stu is accused of doing "Barlow" impressions when he sings them.
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Please god no, not Purgatory 2. He already screwed up with stretching Something Wicked into two more bad albums, don't taint Purgatory's legacy...
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Please god no, not Purgatory 2. He already screwed up with stretching Something Wicked into two more bad albums, don't taint Purgatory's legacy...
Yeah, no more re-records Jon. I really liked the Something Wicked with Tim, but Dante with Stu sucked.
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Please god no, not Purgatory 2. He already screwed up with stretching Something Wicked into two more bad albums, don't taint Purgatory's legacy...
Framing Armageddon was a pretty good album. Crucible... Was just ok. It was clearly rushed and unrealized. I did learn that there was some personal turmoil with Jon which influenced the album in a bad way. But yeah, Dante's Inferno was pretty bad, and I'm not too pleased with Stu's interpretations of the old songs live, so I'm not excited for Purgatory 2, but like Grappler said, Jon wants to do lots of things that never come to fruition.
It's interesting that Jon and Gene are on good terms. It must be because Gene found god, which in my personal opinion is both good and bad.
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The new album was really really strong, so he really doesn't need to do another Purgatory. Will be interesting to hear the new lead guitarist shred on some old stuff though.
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The new album was really really strong, so he really doesn't need to do another Purgatory. Will be interesting to hear the new lead guitarist shred on some old stuff though.
I didn't like Troy's solos on the Something Wicked Trilogy, and although Jake is a 1000 times better than Troy, I would much rather the arrangements untouched. Stuff like the drums on Purgatory, sure, the original drums were bad, and Brent brought new life to songs like Colors, but other then that, there's not much to change except the vocals. Now if Jon was going to re-record some more recent stuff, and Jake was to change Troy's solo, yeah, I'm OK with that. :biggrin:
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Nothing on Burnt Offerings needs any reworking. The album (the remix) is perfect.
Nothing at all needs to be re-recorded at this point.
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The new album was really really strong, so he really doesn't need to do another Purgatory. Will be interesting to hear the new lead guitarist shred on some old stuff though.
I didn't like Troy's solos on the Something Wicked Trilogy, and although Jake is a 1000 times better than Troy, I would much rather the arrangements untouched. Stuff like the drums on Purgatory, sure, the original drums were bad, and Brent brought new life to songs like Colors, but other then that, there's not much to change except the vocals. Now if Jon was going to re-record some more recent stuff, and Jake was to change Troy's solo, yeah, I'm OK with that. :biggrin:
I loved the leads on the Something Wicked Trilogy myself, and that was a fella named Tim Mills, not Troy. That was obviously the only thing he recorded with the band.
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Please god no, not Purgatory 2. He already screwed up with stretching Something Wicked into two more bad albums, don't taint Purgatory's legacy...
Yeah, no more re-records Jon. I really liked the Something Wicked with Tim, but Dante with Stu sucked.
I really dislike what they did with Dante with Stu. Now, the live version I liked, but the studio rerecording, no...
Please god no, not Purgatory 2. He already screwed up with stretching Something Wicked into two more bad albums, don't taint Purgatory's legacy...
Framing Armageddon was a pretty good album. Crucible... Was just ok. It was clearly rushed and unrealized. I did learn that there was some personal turmoil with Jon which influenced the album in a bad way. But yeah, Dante's Inferno was pretty bad, and I'm not too pleased with Stu's interpretations of the old songs live, so I'm not excited for Purgatory 2, but like Grappler said, Jon wants to do lots of things that never come to fruition.
It's interesting that Jon and Gene are on good terms. It must be because Gene found god, which in my personal opinion is both good and bad.
I remember I didn't listen to IE for a couple months after FA came out, I was so disappointed (partially because I was so into Ten Thousand Strong despite the awful video, and nothing else on the album came close to it). Crucible I bought just out of principle of supporting the band but I only ever listened to it once. I think it's still in the plastic wrap actually. I only like Stu doing the old stuff when the songs demand the really high vocals - except Wolf. That's just not in Stu's wheelhouse unfortunately. I had no idea Gene found God. Wow. How about that...
I too think Incorruptible was really strong and would like them to just ride that wave, it's really impressive that the band's been around this long and they came out with Seven Headed Whore. More stuff like that. Or maybe that's kind of where Jon is heading with DoP 2? Who knows... I'm wary though.
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The new album was really really strong, so he really doesn't need to do another Purgatory. Will be interesting to hear the new lead guitarist shred on some old stuff though.
I didn't like Troy's solos on the Something Wicked Trilogy, and although Jake is a 1000 times better than Troy, I would much rather the arrangements untouched. Stuff like the drums on Purgatory, sure, the original drums were bad, and Brent brought new life to songs like Colors, but other then that, there's not much to change except the vocals. Now if Jon was going to re-record some more recent stuff, and Jake was to change Troy's solo, yeah, I'm OK with that. :biggrin:
I loved the leads on the Something Wicked Trilogy myself, and that was a fella named Tim Mills, not Troy. That was obviously the only thing he recorded with the band.
Of course. Right you are. I think the reason I dislike them so much is because I loved the original leads so much, and Tim's leads just weren't those.
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Nothing on Burnt Offerings needs any reworking. The album (the remix) is perfect.
Indeed. I have the Dark Saga boxset (a real treat), and the Burnt Offerings remix is possibly the BEST remix I've ever heard. I can't think of any other album that I've heard remixed that made me go "yeah, this is the definitive version of the record".
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I for one would like Purgatory pt. 2. I often like rerecordings and in general love to hear alternate versions of favourite songs. It won't erase originals and I don't see it getting in the way of an actual new studio album (especially since Iced Earth has it's own studio).
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The new album was really really strong, so he really doesn't need to do another Purgatory. Will be interesting to hear the new lead guitarist shred on some old stuff though.
I didn't like Troy's solos on the Something Wicked Trilogy, and although Jake is a 1000 times better than Troy, I would much rather the arrangements untouched. Stuff like the drums on Purgatory, sure, the original drums were bad, and Brent brought new life to songs like Colors, but other then that, there's not much to change except the vocals. Now if Jon was going to re-record some more recent stuff, and Jake was to change Troy's solo, yeah, I'm OK with that. :biggrin:
I loved the leads on the Something Wicked Trilogy myself, and that was a fella named Tim Mills, not Troy. That was obviously the only thing he recorded with the band.
Of course. Right you are. I think the reason I dislike them so much is because I loved the original leads so much, and Tim's leads just weren't those.
Fair enough. Tim's leads are boss, but yeah, nothing like the original at all and can see why you'd be turned off.
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Just came across these videos, courtesy of the Brazil Under Ice page:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnktWqCB5yWk9y7ciUni01A
Old 1986 live footage of Purgatory. The Sunset Club video even has an early version of Stormrider with Gene Adam singing (8:30 in on Part 2).
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Also: Part 2 of the Jon Schaffer Podcast in Stone interview. 53 minutes for this segment. :metal
I'm loving how honest and forthcoming he's being in this interview. He always is, which I love about him, but the conversations in this interview is so down to earth and in depth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44dfo0HjzzA
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Part 3 of the interview has been uploaded. Jon elaborated on a few additional items mentioned in Parts 1/2:
Album rerecording is scheduled for 2019. He plans rerecord the first three albums in full (s/t, Stormrider, Burnt Offerings) due to being unhappy with the original productions and a desire to tweak some arrangements. May not do the albums in order.
He plans to collaborate with Gene Adam and Dave Abell on some songs after recently reconnecting with them. The songs are already written and he seemed to indicate that this could happen sooner rather than later.
Demons & Wizards is the priority beyond the upcoming Iced Earth album cycle.
They plan on playing 7-8 songs from Incorruptible (no Ghost Dance, maybe not Defiance or The Veil on the first leg).
They also want to play some older songs that Stu has yet to sing live.
New online merch shop is coming soon.
A lot of talk about music/creative rights. As an example, he asked Century Media to record the European Horror Show tour for a DVD, where they played a three hour show broken up into different sets with different staging for each era. Century Media balked, saying that they didn't believe in the DVD format, and the band's best tour ever was not captured on tape. Fast forward a few years to when The Glorious Burden was released (on SPV) and doing really well and Century Media decided to release the Alive in Athens dvd with subpar footage and editing to capitalize on Iced Earth's popularity at that time. Jon had no control over it and was irritated that they would pass up recording such an awesome tour, but then put out a shitty product a few years later.
Overall, that was a very cool interview and Jon admitted that he normally wouldn't devote the time or be as forthcoming with info if it was for a traditional journalist or publication. But since these are a couple of superfans with a dedicated Iced Earth podcast, he gave it to them with an offer to talk more in the future. Killer job guys!
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Album rerecording is scheduled for 2019. He plans rerecord the first three albums in full (s/t, Stormrider, Burnt Offerings) due to being unhappy with the original productions and a desire to tweak some arrangements. May not do the albums in order.
Gods, no. Leave those album be. The Dark Genesis boxset is all you ever need for a new version of these records.
Demons & Wizards is the priority beyond the upcoming Iced Earth album cycle.
Yay!
They plan on playing 7-8 songs from Incorruptible (no Ghost Dance, maybe not Defiance or The Veil on the first leg).
They also want to play some older songs that Stu has yet to sing live.
Excellent approach! :tup
As an example, he asked Century Media to record the European Horror Show tour for a DVD, where they played a three hour show broken up into different sets with different staging for each era. Century Media balked, saying that they didn't believe in the DVD format, and the band's best tour ever was not captured on tape.
Pity. That was one of the best shows EVER I've seen.
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Regardless, Alive in Athens is fucking awesome.
Also, I look forward to hearing alternate versions of classic songs. Bands still doing these surely means there are people like me that enjoy that, right?
Demons and Wizards is one of my most anticipated albums, the first one is a personal classic and the second one is a very solid/good album.
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Regardless, Alive in Athens is fucking awesome.
Also, I look forward to hearing alternate versions of classic songs. Bands still doing these surely means there are people like me that enjoy that, right?
I would be excited if I didn't think they'd suck. I loved the Barlow re-recordings, but everything they re-recorded since has been awful.
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:metal :metal :metal :metal
ICED EARTH will embark on the North American leg of the "Incorruptible" tour in late February. Support on the trek will come from SANCTUARY and KILL RITUAL.
ICED EARTH founding member and main songwriter Jon Schaffer states: "Brothers and sisters! We are very aware at how impatient you have been getting about our North American tour announcement, but the time has arrived!! We will be seeing you soon in a very extensive USA/Canada run. Be there; it will be an awesome time for sure!"
A special BLABBERMOUTH.NET presale will begin on Wednesday, November 29 at 10:00 a.m. local time and end on Thursday, November 30 at 10:00 p.m. local time. When prompted, type in the presale code "BLABBERMOUTH" to access tickets before the general public.
The general on-sale for U.S. dates is Friday, December 1 at 10:00 a.m. local time.
The dates are as follows:
Feb. 22 - Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe # (buy tickets)
Feb. 23 - CIncinnati, OH - Bogarts # (buy tickets)
Feb. 24 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom # (buy tickets)
Feb. 25 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Ballroom # (buy tickets)
Feb. 26 - Minneapolis, MN - Music Hall # (buy tickets)
Feb. 27 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground # (buy tickets)
Feb. 28 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall # (buy tickets)
Mar. 02 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room # (buy tickets)
Mar. 03 - Calgary, AB - Marquee Beer Market & Stage # (buy tickets)
Mar. 04 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater # (buy tickets)
Mar. 05 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon # (buy tickets)
Mar. 07 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades # (buy tickets)
Mar. 08 - Los Angeles, CA - Belasco Theater # (buy tickets)
Mar. 09 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues # (buy tickets)
Mar. 10 - Anaheim, CA - Parish @ House of Blues # (buy tickets)
Mar. 11 - Phoenix, AZ - The Pressroom # (buy tickets)
Mar. 13 - San Antonio, TX - Aztec Theatre # (buy tickets)
Mar. 14 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues # (buy tickets)
Mar. 15 - Houston, TX - House of Blues # (buy tickets)
Mar. 16 - New Orleans, LA - Parish @ House of Blues # (buy tickets)
Mar. 17 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade # (buy tickets)
Mar. 18 - Charlotte, NC - Underground # (buy tickets)
Mar. 19 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage # (buy tickets)
Mar. 21 - Wilmington, DE - The Queen # (buy tickets)
Mar. 22 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre # (buy tickets)
Mar. 23 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall # (buy tickets)
Mar. 24 - Quebec City, QC - Imperial Bell # (buy tickets)
Mar. 25 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theater # (buy tickets)
Mar. 26 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Theater # (buy tickets)
Mar. 27 - Cleveland, OH - Cambridge Room @ House of Blues # (buy tickets)
Mar. 28 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall # (buy tickets)
Mar. 29 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge # (buy tickets)
# with SANCTUARY and KILL RITUAL
Read more at https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earth-to-tour-north-america-with-sanctuary-blabbermouth-net-presale-available.html#LbOALmwCxEio2WDs.99
(https://assets.blabbermouth.net.s3.amazonaws.com/media/icedearthsanctuarytour2018poster.jpg)
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Hm, tempting but I still don't like Stu singing for them.
Is the setlist supposed to be special?
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Is the setlist supposed to be special?
Lot of new songs and some older stuff Stu hasn't sang yet
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[Pod] Cast in Stone: Iced Earth Interview - Randall Shawver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zv-r1R6h0o&t=1967s
Not a whole lot of new info if you read the interview from a few years ago, but it was a neat listen. He often sounded like Bill Paxton which was weird.
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I bought a ticket to the Milwaukee show. I'm skipping and/or missed a few big tours (Dream Theater, Helloween next year), but a Sunday night in Milwaukee is doable. Sanctuary is huge. I got to meet Nevermore and IE when they toured together in 1999, but was too young to get into the 21+ show. So to see Sanctuary and finally hear Warrel sing will be awesome.
It will be my 5th time seeing Iced Earth, and the third time with the Stu lineup. Incorruptible is a really strong record and hearing the majority of it live (RAVEN WING!), plus some older songs that I probably haven't seen them play is a nice bonus. It's only the 4th night of the tour, so I may even be able to avoid some setlist spoilers.
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I've only seen Iced Earth once in 2008 with Barlow. Great show, but the setlist was the typical greatest hits set. I wish I could have seen them with Ripper. I still don't really care too much for Stu live, but if I have the funds next year, I might go.
On a side note, while listening to Incorruptible on different headphones last week, I finally heard Stu on the verses of Clear the Way. He does a good Schaffer impression though.
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Official video for....BLACK FLAG. :metal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUMDcVMiduY
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Part 3 of the interview has been uploaded. Jon elaborated on a few additional items mentioned in Parts 1/2:
Album rerecording is scheduled for 2019. He plans rerecord the first three albums in full (s/t, Stormrider, Burnt Offerings) due to being unhappy with the original productions and a desire to tweak some arrangements. May not do the albums in order.
Jon was just quoted in some interview that the album rerecording is also (and truly the main reason) due to the fact that he/Iced Earth do not own the rights or masters to any of the original music. Certainly the original Century Media discs, but he mentioned the first eight albums, which would potentially include up to Framing Armageddon. So by re-recording the music, he can then own the rights to the new versions of the songs and start generating income for the band. He's placing a ten-year timeline on the project, so it's not going to be a giant onslaught of material coming out, especially as they focus on the Incorruptible cycle, plus writing and recording for a third Demons & Wizards album.
Testament did the same thing on First Strike Still Deadly - they couldn't re-release the first two discs, so they just re-recorded some songs instead to get around the ownership issue.
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Dumb, but luckily I can just ignore them if I don't like them, and I'm definitely not going to like them.
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Re-record every album up to FA?! Get the fuck out of here Jon. As Grappler said, a solid best of re-record will do for sure.
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This is just another example of how broken the record industry is/was. I know this isn't the first time I have heard of a band re-recording classic music of theirs for the sole purpose of getting rights back to their own music.
Thanks to the Days Of Purgatory 2 disc set I already have the first 2 records almost entirely sung by Barlow so I don't have much use for this. Not sure how they would work with Stu. I think I have 1 song on each album by the original vocalist. I guess I could replace them with the Stu sung track. I don't know. I will at least check out samples but it is hard to improve on Matt Barlow.
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Here's the exact quote - the first six records, which is up to and including Horror Show. The original Century Media contracted albums.
On the band's future plans:
Jon: "We are going to be re-recording [our older] records over the course of, probably, the next 10 years. We're going to be doing a lot of the ICED EARTH catalog because I don't own the master rights and there's no real income coming from that. If we redo those records, then everybody in the band will be able to get a royalty in the future moving forward. It's going to be a big project and it's going to be a lot of fun to do, to really dig back into those records — especially, like, the first six. That's what we're gonna focus on. I don't know which one we're gonna start with yet. I have a pretty good idea which one, but the guys and I will talk over that in the next few months. Not to take away, because I think those albums are great, but the fact is that it was a bad business deal for ICED EARTH, and for us going forward, we want to be able to have control of our catalog and of our destiny."
"If it takes three or four years for another ICED EARTH record, then so be it. I don't think that it will, but if it does, okay. Going forward, we're not going to be under any pressure to make another ICED EARTH record to the point where we're rushing it in between scheduled tours or something. I'm just not going to do that. It's going to be more, you know, we take our time and make the record that we want to make, and then, we put it out. And if we do that, we're going to end up with albums like 'Incorruptible' all the time, because it's not forced. It's like you're allowing the energy to flow the way it's supposed to and coming up with the goods. That's all about learning from past experiences and just trying to go with the flow and not force something because of a time commitment. And besides, now that we are free [agents], the way that we're going to be doing business as a band going forward is going to be completely different than anything in the past. That, also, gives us a lot of possibilities of dictating the way that our future is done. So, it's a great period for the band right now, actually."
I think it's important to note that he wants everyone in the band to get a royalty. Sure, he gets the biggest chunk, but he wants to see those guys get a share as well. This ties in with him building his own studio and HQ for the band. He seems to want independence from record labels, now that his current contract has finished by releasing Incorruptible.
I don't mind him re-recording stuff, even if it's full records. It's not like it disappears from my collection when a new version comes out and a new version could be neat to hear, though it's going to be weird to hear the Barlow albums with a new singer and production. I agree - I don't think you can improve on it and it will likely sound like the live versions on Live in Ancient Kourion.
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I get his reasoning, and that he's doing it for good reasons and not for nostalgia, but man, what a mess IE's discography will become. A new fan wanting to educate himself on the band will get a headache trying to figure out which singer was originally on whcih album.
Uh well, I guess we can consider the new albums an alternate timeline of IE or whatever. The old ones won't disappear suddenly.
About the first album to start - this year it's Something Wicked's 20th anniversary, and it's one of the most successful anyway... *hint hint*
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European tour starts tonight! Can't wait to see the setlist.
They have some badass new shirt designs....I usually get the shirts with tour dates, but I love the 3 Decades Strong and Black Flag shirts.
(https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/26230629_1656462581082028_2157411378302037251_n.jpg?oh=7725d900ccd52c87c4f597ffee7a475f&oe=5AB26DE7)
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Man those are some killer shirts. I'd love to have one. Only IE clothing I have is an oooold hoodie, still in almost perfect condition, I think I got it in '05. Has Set Abominae on the back with some killer artwork but some of those cheesy (imo) words up the sleeves. The Watcher!
I also agree with MM, rerecording those albums is gonna turn the discography into chaos. Organizing that stuff is gonna be hell!
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I actually just noticed that the official IE website only recognizes the remixed and remastered versions of the debut, Stormrider and Burnt Offerings. The original albums are no longer listed - for a long time, the discography section listed the original and remixed versions separately.
If/when they re-record the albums, the band may consider only the re-recorded versions to be the official ones - especially if they want to start pushing the sale of those versions to generate revenue.
Sucks for guys like Matt Barlow - he's known as the classic singer in the band and there is potential for the albums that he appeared on to no longer be part of the band's official discography. Century Media will obviously still sell those versions, since they own the rights and he'd still be paid for them, but the band may not recognize them. Or, Iced Earth will consider the remixed albums to be the "original" versions and the re-recorded ones could be cataloged separately like they had previously done. Thus, the true original versions are dropped because Jon is no longer a fan of the production on those albums, hence the remixed versions from Dark Genesis.
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Barlow's albums will always be the 'official' versions of those albums regardless of the remastering, rereleases, rerecordings... same with the first two albums, they are what they are. They've mucked it up so much already that all the rereleased/rerecorded material is in its own category but doesn't overtake the originals. I remember scratching my head when Ripper came in for Framing Armageddon and they rerecorded the Something Wicked songs... and then Barlow was back for the next album anyway :lol
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I still see the original albums:
https://icedearth.com/discography/page/2/
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I still see the original albums:
https://icedearth.com/discography/page/2/
Oops. :facepalm:
Didn't see that there was a page 2 - that kind of blends in at the bottom. I was surprised, because they had always had those albums on the discography page, and they apparently still do! Nevermind then. :biggrin:
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Setlist for the European tour:
Great Heathen Army
Burning Times
Dystopia
Black Flag
Seven Headed Whore
I Died for You
Vengeance Is Mine
Cthulhu
Dracula
Brothers
Last December
Raven Wing
Prophecy
Birth of the Wicked
The Coming Curse
Stormrider
Angels Holocaust
Travel in Stygian
Encore:
Clear the Way (December 13th, 1862)
Watching Over Me (Dedicated To Warrel Dane)
This is one ripping setlist, and the first time that they've dropped Iced Earth from the set in 20-30 years. I hope that this full set carries over to the US. On the Plagues tour, they reduced the set from 19 songs in Europe to 14 in America, though I don't know if that was because of time limits or Jon's neck injury.
6 from Incorruptible, 5 from Something Wicked (including the Trilogy in honor of the album's 20th anniversary), 3 from Stormrider, and a few of these songs Stu has yet to sing (Last December, Prophecy, Birth of the Wicked, Travel in Stygian). :metal
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Some songs like Last December, I don't care much about, but yeah, that setlist is on fire. Wow. :metal
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Between this killer setlist and the news that Joseph Michael will be stepping in for Warrel Dane to Sanctuary's farewell shows on this tour, I'm growing more and more upset that I'm missing the Charlotte show because of my recent move to Japan... :lol
The only thing I could say to improve the setlist a bit would maybe be switch out Last December with Burnt Offerings or Creator Failure. Schaffer would never do that though, unfortunately.
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I love Last December.
I'm seeing them in March, but for some reason, Stu is a lot like Mangini to me. I loved him in other projects, but in IE, he just seems sterile and very very meh, so I don't get excited about hearing him do older material.
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I love Last December.
I'm seeing them in March, but for some reason, Stu is a lot like Mangini to me. I loved him in other projects, but in IE, he just seems sterile and very very meh, so I don't get excited about hearing him do older material.
Last December isn't bad, but Burnt Offerings is arguably the band's best work and it's the only song that the band ever plays from it these days aside from Dante's Inferno every once and awhile.
When was the last time they played Diary live? Or how about Burning Oasis? There's quite a few jewels on that album that just don't get played because Jon associates the music with the period in his life that created it too much.
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Yea. The remix of Burnt Offerings might be my favorite album of theirs.
Sucks Jon hates all but one song so much.
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That's a great setlist.
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That's a great setlist.
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Why is Stormrider before Angels Holocaust? Otherwise a great set.
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Here's Stormrider, Angels Holocaust, and Travel in Stygian Live with Stu.
Stu sings the original melody for Stygian which is fine (although the updated version is way better), but he sounds fucking terrible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr1fLdy8vpI
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The hell happened to his high notes? He's technically hitting them, but I've written on paper thicker than that.
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As someone who often really likes Stu, I agree Stu doesn't sound good in that clip during Travel in Stygian. Song doesn't fit his voice at all. Hopefully it is just the melodies, and not his voice in general, because a couple of years back I loved his Dracula performance. Still, seems like an ace setlist and a good time live. I do still think Stu could sing a bit more "natural" when he is singing more clean, but at this point I don't think that Barlow impression esque singing will dissapear ever.
But singers sounding off has been a problem with modern IE live in general. Barlow sounded terrible on some Ripper era IE songs as well after his return. Ripper to my knowledge always sounded fine but not more than that (voice lacks melody, when not going balls to the wall screaming). If they rerecord albums, I hope Jon will accomodate the songs to suit Stu better.
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Yeah, Stu isn't great there on Stygian, but man, Jon's right hand never ceases to amaze me, such tight rhythm.
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Yeah, Stu isn't great there on Stygian, but man, Jon's right hand never ceases to amaze me, such tight rhythm.
I saw the Milwaukee show last night and was in front of Jon the whole night in the 3rd row. They played faster than I think I've ever seen them play - his right hand was a total blur, just laying out riff after riff after riff. One song right into the next, into the next. It was so awesome to see him energized again. My last time seeing them was on the Plagues tour in 2014, when he was suffering from his neck issues and he and the band just looked so tired.
Not last night, they were completely on fire and tore through their set with a frenzy that I'd never seen in 4 prior shows.
Sanctuary was incredible as well - Joseph Michael was like Warrel Dane from 1991 reincarnated. He absolutely nailed every one of those songs...and claimed via a joke on stage to be fairly lubricated as well. Hats off to him for stepping up and letting us get to see Sanctuary live. They hit the jackpot in hiring him for the tour.
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Sanctuary was incredible as well - Joseph Michael was like Warrel Dane from 1991 reincarnated. He absolutely nailed every one of those songs...and claimed via a joke on stage to be fairly lubricated as well. Hats off to him for stepping up and letting us get to see Sanctuary live. They hit the jackpot in hiring him for the tour.
I've only been able to look up some videos on YouTube since I don't live stateside anymore, but yeah, I'm kinda blown away by the clips I've seen. I figured Joseph would nail it, but he's kinda exceeded my expectations. I actually kind of hope that Sanctuary decide to continue on as a band with him at the mic.
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Sanctuary was incredible as well - Joseph Michael was like Warrel Dane from 1991 reincarnated. He absolutely nailed every one of those songs...and claimed via a joke on stage to be fairly lubricated as well. Hats off to him for stepping up and letting us get to see Sanctuary live. They hit the jackpot in hiring him for the tour.
I've only been able to look up some videos on YouTube since I don't live stateside anymore, but yeah, I'm kinda blown away by the clips I've seen. I figured Joseph would nail it, but he's kinda exceeded my expectations. I actually kind of hope that Sanctuary decide to continue on as a band with him at the mic.
I watched a few clips as well and got the sense of "oh, ok, he can hit the high notes," but when I saw the full set, there was so much more. Yeah, he soared and nailed Battle Angels like you wouldn't believe, but he also was amazing on the moodier stuff like the title tracks to Into the Mirror Black and The Year the Sun Died. He certainly tapped into his inner Warrel.
I had that same thought - hoping that they'd do an album with him. Their statement led me to believe that this was the last we'd see of Sanctuary.
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Sanctuary was incredible as well - Joseph Michael was like Warrel Dane from 1991 reincarnated. He absolutely nailed every one of those songs...and claimed via a joke on stage to be fairly lubricated as well. Hats off to him for stepping up and letting us get to see Sanctuary live. They hit the jackpot in hiring him for the tour.
I've only been able to look up some videos on YouTube since I don't live stateside anymore, but yeah, I'm kinda blown away by the clips I've seen. I figured Joseph would nail it, but he's kinda exceeded my expectations. I actually kind of hope that Sanctuary decide to continue on as a band with him at the mic.
I watched a few clips as well and got the sense of "oh, ok, he can hit the high notes," but when I saw the full set, there was so much more. Yeah, he soared and nailed Battle Angels like you wouldn't believe, but he also was amazing on the moodier stuff like the title tracks to Into the Mirror Black and The Year the Sun Died. He certainly tapped into his inner Warrel.
I had that same thought - hoping that they'd do an album with him. Their statement led me to believe that this was the last we'd see of Sanctuary.
Yeah, there's a brief partial clip of him singing The Year the Sun Died on YouTube that blew me away. I dug his take on Arise & Purify, but you're spot-on. He nailed the moodier side of Warrel's singing.
Yeah, I think that was probably the original idea, but I have a feeling that might change. Apparently their first impulse altogether after they heard Warrel had died was to just drop out of the tour and had to think it over to look for a guest singer to do a tribute tour instead. So it might be that part of it is they're still working out their feelings over Warrel's death- which is completely understandable, as I think all of us fans are doing that too.
Plus, the shows with Joseph are getting one helluva response from the fans on YouTube and Facebook. Obviously not everyone is on the same page, but the common consensus from fans- as far as I can see at least- is that they want the band to continue if possible with Joseph at the mic. And it sounds like Joseph is really getting along great with the rest of the band too.
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Most musicians need two bands these days to survive, or at least some projects. Wouldn't surprise me, given how good Joseph is with Sanctuary, if Lenny didn't have a change of heart, or at least come up with a new band name and start something with Joseph. There's plenty of room and difference of sound between what Witherfall does, and what a Sanctuary-like band would do.
Looking forward to seeing this show next week! :metal
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Most musicians need two bands these days to survive, or at least some projects. Wouldn't surprise me, given how good Joseph is with Sanctuary, if Lenny didn't have a change of heart, or at least come up with a new band name and start something with Joseph. There's plenty of room and difference of sound between what Witherfall does, and what a Sanctuary-like band would do.
Looking forward to seeing this show next week! :metal
Yeah, I don't think Joseph joining Sanctuary full-time or starting a new Sanctuary-type band with Lenny would get in the way of his and Jake's time working on Witherfall. Especially since Jake's doing double duty with Iced Earth- actually all of the other guys in Witherfall are part of other bands, aside from Joseph. Steve Bolognese is in Death Dealer, Fili Bibiano is in a small LA metal band called Fortress and Anthony Crawford does all sorts of gigs in a variety of different genres.
And btw, Samsara, I'm still insanely jealous that I'm missing out on this tour! :biggrin: :tup Really wish I'd be able to catch this show in North Carolina.
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Stu just shared this on Facebook - what a badass picture! He didn't do this at the show I saw, but Jake did hop up on the corner of the drum riser for one of his solos.
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/28575717_2043377595702287_3143288722493208976_n.jpg?oh=4e3e69a1cb7bb680c2e355e3cc6ac034&oe=5B096A21)
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That is a great picture. Can't wait for the gig this week! :metal
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Lead singers climbing up shit they shouldn't be on is one way to instantly make a show more awesome :metal
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I didn't know JR was on tour with them.
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I didn't know JR was on tour with them.
:rollin
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Stu just shared this on Facebook - what a badass picture! He didn't do this at the show I saw, but Jake did hop up on the corner of the drum riser for one of his solos.
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/28575717_2043377595702287_3143288722493208976_n.jpg?oh=4e3e69a1cb7bb680c2e355e3cc6ac034&oe=5B096A21)
I think it was during the first verses of Travel in Stygian, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNo-DQ3qwIw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNo-DQ3qwIw). Looks cool. And the (decent for a yt boot) sound of this video makes Stu performing this song sound much more flattering than the last vid that was shared. It is not a Stu song, but I would love to witness this live regardless.
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Yea, he did that in LA when I saw them. It was earlier on in the set.
It was cool.
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Oh that's awesome. I've been scouring the videos on youtube looking for that moment when he climbs up there.
I was in the 3rd row, right in front of Jon, so I pretty much just heard drums, bass, and Jon's guitar. It was fun being so close to my favorite band, but Stu's vocals weren't as clearly audible from where I was standing, though I could hear them. I love that he doesn't sing it in Matt's melody and uses something closer to the original. Honestly, I was happy watching Jon's picking hand for most of the show. They're playing these songs at such a fast tempo, it was amazing to watch him tear it up, and I'd notice things that I never really noticed before (like when he'd switch from clean to distorted sounds). As much of a vocals guy as I am, it was neat to focus on just the rhythm guitar for most of the night.
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Yea, they were cool when I saw them, but I just don't dig Stu singing for them. Just don't. And I love Stu.
Doesn't help that the mix wasn't great. It was a TON of low end. So ton of boomy kick drums. Very very little guitar, tons of bass, and vocals. Not great for IE.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNo-DQ3qwIw[/url]. Looks cool. And the (decent for a yt boot) sound of this video makes Stu performing this song sound much more flattering than the last vid that was shared. It is not a Stu song, but I would love to witness this live regardless.
Bring back John Greely.
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Bring back John Greely.
Ask and you shall receive: https://www.facebook.com/seventhservant/
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Bring back John Greely.
Ask and you shall receive: https://www.facebook.com/seventhservant/
That's... Not what I meant.
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New round of european dates, and this time Italy is in!!! :metal
1 hour away from where I live, but it's 95% highways. You get out of the highway and you're literally at the venue, been there already once. It's a sunday. Very very very likely I will go! :metal
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Apparently Matt Barlow rejoined them on stage for a song in Baltimore.
THE ONE REASON TO LIVE IN BALTIMORE! god dammit.
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Yep, its on YouTube. They did Watching Over Me.
THE BARLOW. :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
I love Stu, and fully support him being Iced Earth's singer. Just a great vocalist. But THE BARLOW will always be the band's classic vocalist, and the one I associate with them. Love that guy.
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I remember seeing Matt select that he was "interested" in the Facebook event for this concert a while back online and thought "well this could be really neat." He's generally stayed away from the band since he left. So it's awesome to see him attend the show as a fan and the band reach out and allow him back onstage as a guest. Jon's been in a big reconnecting phase lately - Gene Adam and Bill Owen of Purgatory were at the Atlanta concert and took pics with him and the band. I think Jon alluded to something happening with some of these former members in an interview not long ago. Who knows if that will ever happen, but at least he's committed to Demons & Wizards during Iced Earth's breaks in touring this year.
For anyone who isn't part of the Podcast in Stone Facebook group already, a number of former and current members of the band occasionally participate. Matt, Freddie Vidales, Gene Adam, Bill Owen (Purgatory), John Greely, Dave Abell, Jonah Weingarten (of Pyramaze/Sentinels/Teramaze) and Brent come to mind right now, but there may be more lurking around. They've also interviewed Jon, Stu, Matt, Luke and some of the former members (Gene, Randy Shawver, Larry Tarnowski, and Troy {coming this week}). While the hosts come off as really fanboy-ish at times, the interviews have all been fantastic and they do ask some wonderful questions and get some great conversations going with these guys.
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Funny seeing Stu fanboying.
Um, Matt really didn't look like he wanted to be there, but that was awesome anyway. And not to shit all over Stu, but he doesn't hold a candle to Matt even at his age and being away from the game for so long. And he sounds even sillier singing right next to him.
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I just wish Matt would finally release the second Ashes of Ares album. They've been teasing it for a while. Put it out already. Need some new Barlow!
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I just wish Matt would finally release the second Ashes of Ares album. They've been teasing it for a while. Put it out already. Need some new Barlow!
As of last fall, they had the bulk of the writing done and were shopping for labels. They seemed to think the album would be out in 2018. I do know that the Sentinels record is fully finished, but he and Jonah were trying to find a label that would release it as well.
You can never go wrong with more, and new, Barlow.
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THE BARLOW. :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
I love Stu, and fully support him being Iced Earth's singer. Just a great vocalist. But THE BARLOW will always be the band's classic vocalist, and the one I associate with them. Love that guy.
Yeah, same here. Jon better hold on tight to Stu and I love the guy, but Iced Earth's definitive singer will always be Matt Barlow.
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The last discussion about Barlow (I've seen the video.... it's awesome and also funny how Jon looks on with pride and a big smile to see his old brother on stage again with him, and Stu giggling like a fanboy at the idea of sharing the stage with him) is a nice lead-in to his latest solo project.... remember when he announced an orchestral / symphonic project? well, it's coming soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1D-6cSf3Fk
That was awesome. Not your standard or even metal awesome, but still awesome.
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I can't wait for the We Are Sentinels disc (I guess they changed their name from Sentinels). The climax of that song gives me goosebums, hearing him launch into those higher vocals.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwrDjZg3LT0
Ashes of Ares announce signing with Rock of Angels Records in Greece...album #2 should be out in 2018. Sucks that they're not on Nuclear Blast....maybe that was just a one album deal and it didn't do well enough to warrant a second album.
The snippets of the demo songs in Matt's announcement video sound awesome. Much faster than anything on the first album.
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I discovered I had $15 in rewards from Best Buy so I ordered Incorruptible for $1.13 lol
I've been listening to a lot of IE lately. Mostly the Barlow Era, and I made a new version of my Sounds of Hell edition of Dante's Inferno just for fun. It needed to be in better quality. I think my original version is still better as in better mixed. I didn't really change anything. All the key sounds are still there. I just wish I had more sound effects though, but the FX CDs aren't available anymore.
Anyway, Days of Purgatory is a great collection. I don't care what anyone says, Matt sounds great. I EQ fixed Stygian because they fell asleep at the board that day. I don't know what it is about that song. Jon took out the second part of the solo and the acoustic guitar, and then for the remix, he fucked with the section before the last verse. Terrible ideas. We still have the live version though. As far as the BO songs, the only difference I noticed on DI was the echo effects on the names of the devil were removed. The cymbal hits on Creator Failure don't really count and the intro to the title track was addressed in the book. All in all, the songs sound so much better with Matt. I will say the mix isn't the greatest, but I love the volume of the kick drums.
Also, Jon Greely is a conspiracy theorist... Like majorly.
Also, also, I checked out the Festivals of the Wicked sets because I never gave them a proper listen, and Matt actually sounds really good on the 2 Ripper songs.
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I'm a newer fan of Iced Earth and have been listening to them obsessively over the past few months. After hearing all their albums multiple times, I feel confident enough to make my Top 5 list.
1. Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1. The first Iced Earth albums I bought were all from the Barlow era and I couldn't imagine anybody else behind the mic, and so I was surprised by how much I loved this album immediately. The songwriting is really strong here, and those soaring, epic choruses from Something Wicked (Part 1), A Charge to Keep, Ten Thousand Strong, and When Stars Collide get stuck in my head for days. And miraculously, when I hear Tim Owens on this album, I don't really miss Barlow that much.
2. Something Wicked This Way Comes
3. Dark Saga
4. Burnt Offerings. Once I heard The Pierced Spirit and Dante's Inferno, I knew this band was something special.
5. Horror Show. Does anyone here agree with me that Dracula is their best song ever?!
Is this Top 5 list pretty typical of Iced Earth fans or was there a surprising omission?
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What surprises is that Framing Armageddon is your favorite :D
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5. Horror Show. Does anyone here agree with me that Dracula is their best song ever?!
Is this Top 5 list pretty typical of Iced Earth fans or was there a surprising omission?
Not my fave album (and I haven't heard every single thing they have done) but I'd say Dracula is probably my favourite song of theirs.
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Night of the Stormrider is the glaring omission.
Dracula is a top 5 IE song for me.
Dante's Inferno is still my favorite.
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Thinking about seeing them on July 12th. I have an exam the day later but I should be done studying be then :justjen and I loved their latest, would like to hear those songs live and I like the rest of the setlist. (I guess I came here so someone say me to just go :lol )
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They're playing this sunday (damn) 1 hour away from me (damn), but both me and a friend entered into a contest to win tickets. If either I win or she wins, I guess we'll go together, traveling in pair is better than going alone :hat
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What surprises is that Framing Armageddon is your favorite :D
Yeah, that's the only surprise. I think The Glorious Burden is the best album with Tim and certainly has Jon's best songwriting compared to Framing Armageddon. I remember reading Tim's official forum about 10 years ago and his fans were salivating over the Framing record, which I never really felt the same for. But it's cool that someone loves the album that much!
I remember when Dracula was debuted as the lead single from Horror Show and how exciting it was. It felt like a Blind Guardian song with Matt's vocals, which are just awesome. I always kind of forget about the song when thinking about my top 5 songs. Burning Times is in there, Coming Curse. Definitely Gettysburg (High Water Mark, if I have to pick one of the 3).
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My unholy trinity of Iced Earth would be The Coming Curse, Burnt Offerings and A Question of Heaven, but yeah, Gettysburg's trilogy is awesome and as I previously said, as much as Matt was and always will be IE's ultimate singer, I can't imagine anyone else than Ripper singing the "It's over now" final section of High Water Mark.
IT'S ALL MY FAAAAAUUUULT
THE BLOOOD IS ON MY HAAAAAAAAAAANNNDSSSSSS :metal
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Framing Armegedon is better than Glorius Burden. To me at least.
But yea, Dante’s Inferno is their best song.
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Dante's Inferno is flawless.
I also have to give the edge to FA over TGB because FA doesn't have anything remotely close to being in the same league of bad as Hollow Man.
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The We Are Sentinels album is out today! I've listened to it a few times and Matt sounds incredible. It's weird to not hear him in front of a big, chugging riff though. But there are layers upon layers of his vocals and I find myself humming Jonah's keyboard melodies as if I would a guitar riff that gets stuck in my head. It's a very unique album, that's for sure.
There's a really cool cover of Holy Diver as well. :metal
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The We Are Sentinels album is out today! I've listened to it a few times and Matt sounds incredible. It's weird to not hear him in front of a big, chugging riff though. But there are layers upon layers of his vocals and I find myself humming Jonah's keyboard melodies as if I would a guitar riff that gets stuck in my head. It's a very unique album, that's for sure.
There's a really cool cover of Holy Diver as well. :metal
I need to pick that up. I forgot about it.
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I'm not really interested in We Are Sentinels. I love good Symphonic Metal, but one of the main ingredients to that is missing: the METAL. It's unfortunate because of how awesome the two guys involved are.
In other news, I just listened to the "rough mix" of Burnt Offerings from the Slave to the Dark box set, and although the production is poor, and Schaffer vastly improved the album overall in 2002, there are some subtle nuances he removed for the remix that I really enjoyed. I haven't compared the original release to this "rough mix", but besides opening cymbal hits in Creator Failure, I'm pretty sure it's just the original release labeled "rough mix".
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I haven't listened to We Are Sentinels since it came out. It's unique and both Matt and Jonah's stuff is awesome, but it's really missing the "rock out" factor that I want when I listen to music.
I never listened to the rough mix of Burnt Offerings....I wonder if it's the same as the "alternate" mixes that were included on Days of Purgatory.
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The original Burnt Offerings is a rough mix. I find it unlistenable. Always have.
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I decided to skip We are the Sentinels. A lot of good music just released, and coming up, and for the style that WatS is, I need to be in the mood for it.
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The original Burnt Offerings is a rough mix. I find it unlistenable. Always have.
I don't think it's unlistenable, but compared to the remix, its like a demo, and there's really no point. Every blue moon I'll give it a listen though. It has a different sound that makes in interesting. The drums are the worst part.
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Demons & Wizards confirmed for Wacken 2019! :metal
I assume that means we will see their new album before that, in the coming year.
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I'm thrilled for this news. The second album never felt as cohesive to me as the first, in which every single song was incredible. I think writing together in person, like they did for the first album, will help them come up with a killer record.
I've been binging on Dark Saga and Horror Show lately, just a real deep dive into both albums, which I hadn't done in a long time. I can't stop listening to them.
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Aside from the title track, the second album convinced me only with the slower songs. All the other fast and heavy ones were kinda forgettable.
Btw, I've seen Demons & Wizards opening for Iron Maiden in 2000 :metal
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I hope they film it, and include both respective bands' songs in the set like last time.
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No doubt there should be some monstrous tunes on D&W 3. Both Blind Guardian and Iced Earth's last albums were my favorites in many years from both bands, hopefully that lucky streak continues.
Re: Iced Earth - I've been considering going through their catalog again. They have quite a history and it's been a very long time since I've heard the first couple albums and I feel like it's finally time to give Framing Armageddon and Crucible of Man one more fair shake after years of despising them. Plus there's a lot to unpack with respect to rerecordings of older songs, different singers, live albums.. You know, I think IE could have a killer band documentary.
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It's been so long since I've heard Dorian that I forgot Schaffer reused the riff for Come What May.
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It took 13 years, but Demons & Wizards finally clicked for me. I only liked about half the first album and rarely listened to the songs, but I gave it another shot and the other half is great! I always thought the songs were boring, but not anymore.
I also made an edit of Dorian cutting out the slow boring ass middle section, which I know cuts out the main part of the story, but it's such a slog. Both albums are great though. Except Terror Train. That song blows.
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I always loved the first album as a whole, one of my favourite power metal albums probably. The second one initially dissapointed me, partially due to it having a lot of slower songs and moments, as well as being overall less intense at it's bombastic/faster peaks. However, the second one has grown on me over the years and I think it is a very good disc, albeit with some uninteresting moments that take too long. For example, I fully agree that Dorian has a dragging middle part that hampers an otherwise good song.
Anyways, I think Iced Earth has delivered some great music in their latest albums, the newest one in particular. And Hansi has delivered fantastic vocals on Beyond the Red Mirror and some recent guest spots, so I have good hopes for this one. After many years, both Jon and Hansi feel it is the right time, which to me indicates that they will enter the studio inspired.
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I always loved the first album as a whole, one of my favourite power metal albums probably. The second one initially dissapointed me, partially due to it having a lot of slower songs and moments, as well as being overall less intense at it's bombastic/faster peaks. However, the second one has grown on me over the years and I think it is a very good disc, albeit with some uninteresting moments that take too long. For example, I fully agree that Dorian has a dragging middle part that hampers an otherwise good song.
Anyways, I think Iced Earth has delivered some great music in their latest albums, the newest one in particular. And Hansi has delivered fantastic vocals on Beyond the Red Mirror and some recent guest spots, so I have good hopes for this one. After many years, both Jon and Hansi feel it is the right time, which to me indicates that they will enter the studio inspired.
I didn't care for BTRM. It severely lacks hooks. Incorruptible is really good though. Stu is fine in studio, but I really can't stand him live.
The long hiatus was really because they couldn't find the time to get together, but they've been talking about a 3rd album for years.
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I always loved the first album as a whole, one of my favourite power metal albums probably. The second one initially dissapointed me, partially due to it having a lot of slower songs and moments, as well as being overall less intense at it's bombastic/faster peaks. However, the second one has grown on me over the years and I think it is a very good disc, albeit with some uninteresting moments that take too long. For example, I fully agree that Dorian has a dragging middle part that hampers an otherwise good song.
Anyways, I think Iced Earth has delivered some great music in their latest albums, the newest one in particular. And Hansi has delivered fantastic vocals on Beyond the Red Mirror and some recent guest spots, so I have good hopes for this one. After many years, both Jon and Hansi feel it is the right time, which to me indicates that they will enter the studio inspired.
I didn't care for BTRM. It severely lacks hooks. Incorruptible is really good though. Stu is fine in studio, but I really can't stand him live.
The long hiatus was really because they couldn't find the time to get together, but they've been talking about a 3rd album for years.
In regards to BTRM, I personally really like it (save for the odd sound production that takes time to get used to every time I listen to it), but in this case I was specifically talking about Hansi's vocals. I think Andre from BG is a major part of the songwriting as well, which obviously is not the case for D&W, hence emphesizing the vocals. In terms of singing (delivery, variety, use of range etc.), I think Hansi's studio performance for BTRM is better than anything in the ten years before it.
And I didn't know talks for a new D&W were there for that long (I was only aware of recent years). Either way, I expect some killer tunes.
And as for Stu live, it really depends which song. I prefer him to Ripper (of whom I enjoy none of the live stuff of IE), but Stu tends to reallt overdo a Barlow impression at times, rather than just going for something that sounds a bit more natural.
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I always loved the first album as a whole, one of my favourite power metal albums probably. The second one initially dissapointed me, partially due to it having a lot of slower songs and moments, as well as being overall less intense at it's bombastic/faster peaks. However, the second one has grown on me over the years and I think it is a very good disc, albeit with some uninteresting moments that take too long. For example, I fully agree that Dorian has a dragging middle part that hampers an otherwise good song.
Anyways, I think Iced Earth has delivered some great music in their latest albums, the newest one in particular. And Hansi has delivered fantastic vocals on Beyond the Red Mirror and some recent guest spots, so I have good hopes for this one. After many years, both Jon and Hansi feel it is the right time, which to me indicates that they will enter the studio inspired.
I didn't care for BTRM. It severely lacks hooks. Incorruptible is really good though. Stu is fine in studio, but I really can't stand him live.
The long hiatus was really because they couldn't find the time to get together, but they've been talking about a 3rd album for years.
In regards to BTRM, I personally really like it (save for the odd sound production that takes time to get used to every time I listen to it), but in this case I was specifically talking about Hansi's vocals. I think Andre from BG is a major part of the songwriting as well, which obviously is not the case for D&W, hence emphesizing the vocals. In terms of singing (delivery, variety, use of range etc.), I think Hansi's studio performance for BTRM is better than anything in the ten years before it.
And I didn't know talks for a new D&W were there for that long (I was only aware of recent years). Either way, I expect some killer tunes.
And as for Stu live, it really depends which song. I prefer him to Ripper (of whom I enjoy none of the live stuff of IE), but Stu tends to reallt overdo a Barlow impression at times, rather than just going for something that sounds a bit more natural.
That's my one solid criticism of Stu. Just sing naturally - don't try to make some songs sound like a Barlow impression.
Jon and Hansi have been wanting to do a third Demons album for a long time. The first album was written together, with Hansi coming to the US and staying with Jon. The second one was written by sending tunes back and forth, and I think you can really tell the difference. So they haven't wanted to work on a third until both of their schedules opened up and allowed them the time to actually get together and do it.
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Barlow's Ashes of Ares updated their Facebook page recently. The album is mixed and it's off to be mastered. Also, a window opened up in Van Williams schedule and he was able to play drums on the new album. He isn't back in the band, this was just a session thing since he had time.
Can't wait for this one!
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Barlow's Ashes of Ares updated their Facebook page recently. The album is mixed and it's off to be mastered. Also, a window opened up in Van Williams schedule and he was able to play drums on the new album. He isn't back in the band, this was just a session thing since he had time.
Can't wait for this one!
I hope the sound production and intrumental side of the music of their new album are much better than they were in their debut. I wasn't very fond of the first one, but can see the potential, given the involved musicians.
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Folks, I'm having an incredibly hard time finding an old picture that I know exists but for some reason cannot find it. It's an old picture of Jon Schaffer and Matt Barlow side by side, like a promo photo, both scowling at the camera. It's a bigger photo, not a small one, and I just remember them having the most evil scowls on their face. Not a photoshop either, I believe they were both there in real time next to each other. I'm trying to find it and can't locate it anywhere. Must have been a promo photo but it was mostly a headshot/upper torso photo.
Kind of a generic photo request but if anyone knows what I'm talking about that'd be a big help. This was back before Matt left the band the first time, probably somewhere around the Something Wicked or Horror Show days when Matt's hair was ridiculously stupid long and Schaffer had more color in his hair, so definitely younger IE days.
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Just the two of them together?
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Yeah. I believe arms crossed, shoulder to shoulder, staring at you (the camera). Evil as phuq. I haven't seen it in years but I cannot find it whatsoever on Google.
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This probably isn't it as it doesn't entirely match your description, but here's what I found so far:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROCKHARD-7-2001-Germany-magazine-ICED-EARTH-SLAYER-SLIPKNOT-SAVATAGE-GAMMA-RAY-/350575990224
Then there's this one:
https://picclick.de/Rock-Hard-Metal-Magazine-135-1998-352219077246.html
lol
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Here you go. Jon Schaffer and Matt Barlow. Arms crossed.
(https://carlbegai.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Iced-Earth-4.jpg)
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Damn, nah, that's not it. They both share about equal space in the photo and it's pretty much just them, no magazine logo as far as I recall. Still searching because I have nothing better to do :corn
... curse you Adami :lol
Schaffer looks like he does in this one for Demons & Wizards. So it was a long time ago.
(https://metalitalia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/demons-and-wizards-band-2017-700x526.jpg?x30273)
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Good call on that Zook. I was looking at magazines as well. Got to Metal Hammer and Burnn before you posted that. I bet it could be from the article inside.
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Maybe it's related to this picture?
(https://i.imgur.com/uRREFe8.jpg)
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Maybe it's related to this picture?
(https://i.imgur.com/uRREFe8.jpg)
:rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin that picture!
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Nah, not that either. Could be related but it's far better quality.
I'm wondering if it just up and vanished. I used to look it up every so often to show people but that was many years ago, I remember a friend and I would refer back to it because it was so damn metal. Oh well. I'd definitely know if I saw it. One day I'll find it again. There's no distance between them in the pic, it's a pretty cut and dry photo of them together.
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As opposed to the cut and dried up photo that zook posted.
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:lol That is how Barlow more or less looks in the picture though, too. Put that and the one of Schaffer together and you get close to it. I just don't know how it disappeared, a search for 'matt barlow jon schaffer' would've immediately pulled it up years ago, but now all I find are pictures of Stu Block >:(
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It'll never be as metal as this:
(https://www.metalblast.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/521595_450703498324615_611156099_n-315x420.jpg)
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(https://i.pinimg.com/236x/0f/ed/a8/0feda84074861e883177f59afcf28d7b--iced-earth-power-metal.jpg)
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Here you go. Jon Schaffer and Matt Barlow. Arms crossed.
(https://carlbegai.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Iced-Earth-4.jpg)
Uh, I believe that's Stu and not Matt.
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Really? Sounded like Matt to me.
I'm kidding. I'm probably the 2nd biggest IE fan on here after Zook.
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Uh, I believe that's Stu and not Matt.
(https://i.imgur.com/rQCWNYe.gif)
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CRAP! I had a feeling but second guessed myself. Oh well. I'll just self-own with this result from a Barlow/Schaffer image search:
(https://www.metalupdate.com/img/icedearth1.jpg)
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Umm I believe that's Rob Halford, not Matt.
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Guys. No. That's Ralf Scheepers. You can tell by the leather jacket and bald head.
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Umm I believe that's Rob Halford, not Matt.
:lol
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Anyone else pick up on the Sedona "hiking trip" the Iced Earth guys took? I am wondering if this was Jon's way of telling everyone that IE is on hiatus indefinitely. Something is certainly up.
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I saw that, and Luke said something on his Facebook about not seeing the guys for a long time after the trip ended. Jon's probably in full-on Demons & Wizards writing mode, so the band must be taking another break. He tends to put a full stop on all touring activities when he's writing music, and the band has nothing scheduled from now through 2019 at least. With Demons being booked at Wacken and ProgPower USA, I think they may be trying to hit the European festivals next summer.
It's a good thing, since the first Demons album is so much better than the second, and I attribute that to him sitting down and writing those songs with Hansi, rather than sending files back and forth.
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IMO Touched by the Crimson King destroys the first album but they're both great.
I think Jon is definitely all-in on Demons & Wizards right now given their big appearance at ProgPower next year, their third album, and very likely big European festival appearances.
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Wasn't Jon wanting to re-record every one of their pre-Stu block albums anyway? I hope that's been put on indefinite hold.
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Wasn't Jon wanting to re-record every one of their pre-Stu block albums anyway? I hope that's been put on indefinite hold.
One? I believe it was the entire catalog up until Horror Show or something like that.
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Wasn't Jon wanting to re-record every one of their pre-Stu block albums anyway? I hope that's been put on indefinite hold.
One? I believe it was the entire catalog up until Horror Show or something like that.
Yes, that's why I said every one. ;)
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Like full re-record with Stu on vox and everything? Please god no, Schaffer, stop with this madness :facepalm: If he so much as touches Barlow's vox on Something Wicked I'll retch
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Like full re-record with Stu on vox and everything? Please god no, Schaffer, stop with this madness :facepalm: If he so much as touches Barlow's vox on Something Wicked I'll retch
That's the impression I got. Apparently they don't own the original recordings or something and this way they will. I dunno. I am not at all excited about it, especially given how bad their Dante re-recording was.
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It's so the other band members can get royalties.
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Wasn't Jon wanting to re-record every one of their pre-Stu block albums anyway? I hope that's been put on indefinite hold.
One? I believe it was the entire catalog up until Horror Show or something like that.
Yes, that's why I said every one. ;)
Ehm.... I have a different version of the forum, it doesn't show the word "every" so I read "re-record one of their pre-Stu albums" :blush :blush :blush
:D
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Ohhh, one of THOSE versions. Yea. I hate when that happens. :P
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This is from March, but Jon was clear he wanted to focus solely on Demons & Wizards. It also seems they both want to do some touring in 2019 as well. I would say that IE is on hiatus until 2020, most likely.
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-jon-schaffer-says-demons-wizards-will-be-the-focus-of-his-creative-energy-this-year/
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I sure hope Stu finds another project in that mean time that will allow him better use of his voice.
I actually miss hearing the guy sing well.
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"That was great, but this time channel Matt, and take a bite of this carrot."
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Been listening to a bit of IE lately, and I just came here to post that the AIA version of AQOH is simply one of the greatest things I've ever heard. Matt gives me goosebumps at the end. So fucking good.
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Been listening to a bit of IE lately, and I just came here to post that the AIA version of AQOH is simply one of the greatest things I've ever heard. Matt gives me goosebumps at the end. So fucking good.
Yes :metal
I just listened to that last week. I considered sending it in 425's Roulette for his Live Round. Went with Helloween's How Many tears instead.
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I still like the studio version more.
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One of the few instances in which I prefer the live version - that version - over the studio, but the studio version is also magical.
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I think what makes AIA so great is that with the exception of Something Wicked, all of IE's studio albums sound like ass.
I have always called it the Heavy Metal version of Frampton Comes Alive. It's really all you need.
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Been listening to a bit of IE lately, and I just came here to post that the AIA version of AQOH is simply one of the greatest things I've ever heard. Matt gives me goosebumps at the end. So fucking good.
While he completely nailed the song, and I understand that he's human and he has to breathe, I prefer the studio version ending. OH WON'T YOU LET ME DIE, OH WON'T YOU LET ME DIE, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WON'T YOU LET ME DIEEEEE. Live he makes a progression to reach the high note, I prefer more the sudden piercing wail of despair of the studio version.
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A bunch of IE songs scream 'fall' to me, because I got into them when I was a kid. I'd throw on my headphones with my IE mix CD in my walkman and rake leaves out in the yard. Angels' Holocaust (Barlow version), Damien, and AQOH in particular all make me think of autumn as a result.
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Been listening to a bit of IE lately, and I just came here to post that the AIA version of AQOH is simply one of the greatest things I've ever heard. Matt gives me goosebumps at the end. So fucking good.
Hands down Matt's finest moment as a singer right there. He poured his heart out at the end of that rendition of the song.
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Been listening to a bit of IE lately, and I just came here to post that the AIA version of AQOH is simply one of the greatest things I've ever heard. Matt gives me goosebumps at the end. So fucking good.
Hands down Matt's finest moment as a singer right there. He poured his heart out at the end of that rendition of the song.
Well, I will never ever dispuste the awesomeness of A Question of Heaven, but also his studio swan song, Come What May, is priceless.
THE HUUUUUUMAN RAAAACEEEE
MUST EVOOOOOOOOOLVEEEEEEEE
MUST EVOOOOLVEEEEEEE
Spine chilling :metal
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Been listening to a bit of IE lately, and I just came here to post that the AIA version of AQOH is simply one of the greatest things I've ever heard. Matt gives me goosebumps at the end. So fucking good.
Hands down Matt's finest moment as a singer right there. He poured his heart out at the end of that rendition of the song.
Well, I will never ever dispuste the awesomeness of A Question of Heaven, but also his studio swan song, Come What May, is priceless.
THE HUUUUUUMAN RAAAACEEEE
MUST EVOOOOOOOOOLVEEEEEEEE
MUST EVOOOOLVEEEEEEE
Spine chilling :metal
Oh definitely. I LOVE most of Come What May (the middle instrumental section meanders aimlessly for too long though). And of course, Dracula remains one of Matt's finest accomplishments as a singer too.
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I think what makes AIA so great is that with the exception of Something Wicked, all of IE's studio albums sound like ass.
What??? The first two, for sure. But the remix of Burnt Offerings sound huge. And while the rest have their issues, they mostly sound fine until you get to some of the ripper era stuff.
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I haven’t heard a Burnt Offerings remix. I’m glad they did one because the first one was unlistenable. I may have to find the remix then.
Been a while since I’ve listened to Dark Saga too. I remember it being way too sterile.
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I haven’t heard a Burnt Offerings remix. I’m glad they did one because the first one was unlistenable. I may have to find the remix then.
Been a while since I’ve listened to Dark Saga too. I remember it being way too sterile.
Oh yea, the original mix of Burnt Offerings is awful. The remix is huge sounding, I love it.
And yea, with a few exceptions, their albums DO tend to sound pretty sterile. I get that. It never ruins it for me, but I can hear it for sure.
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The remixes sound great, and it's amazing they were able to make them sound so great from what they had to work with. It's a shame Jon cut some stuff from Stormrider though, specifically in Travel in Stygian. Dark Saga is a little too quiet, and The Glorious Burden is a little tinny. Once Jon switched to that baritone guitar or whatever, the music lost a bit of a punch. It could also be the bass tone too. Something Wicked sounds beefy, and then after that it's all twangy. I do think the Days of Purgatory mixes sound pretty good too, except for Travel in Stygian. Poor song can't catch a break.
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Been listening to a bit of IE lately, and I just came here to post that the AIA version of AQOH is simply one of the greatest things I've ever heard. Matt gives me goosebumps at the end. So fucking good.
While he completely nailed the song, and I understand that he's human and he has to breathe, I prefer the studio version ending. OH WON'T YOU LET ME DIE, OH WON'T YOU LET ME DIE, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WON'T YOU LET ME DIEEEEE. Live he makes a progression to reach the high note, I prefer more the sudden piercing wail of despair of the studio version.
I get that with the high note, but I still prefer the live version. Matt destroys the studio version IMO.
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John Greely is a Kent Hovind parrot. :(
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WOW!
Jon Schaffer's Purgatory - Dracula https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPjelVJrRUM&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2XsT2Ut1BrFtjEL6Z-CKumFdkf-32SB0m9Oaref5MeiSQYG-GobGtKLCo
Jon / Bill Owen / Greg Seymour / Gene Adam
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/44935603_10205265071424137_7069296249710575616_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=77e2dc9501ef8aaee8e6edbb366d1f46&oe=5C5227BD)
Jon Schaffer’s PURGATORY (pre-Iced Earth) to release five-track EP in December, first song launched today
Century Media Records is proud to announce a very special release: ICED EARTH’s mastermind Jon Schaffer has teamed up with his old pals in PURGATORY, the band that he originally founded in 1985, then later became ICED EARTH, to record five tracks that were written between 1985 and 1987, now to be released as the “Purgatory” EP on December 21st as limited Digipak CD, limited LP (with 180 gram vinyl, 4-page inlay and etching) and digitally. Produced and mixed by Jon Schaffer and Jim Morris and mastered by Zeuss this very fine release showcases the foundation of the invincible metal monster known as ICED EARTH. All five tracks featured on the EP offer real US metal and perfectly capture the spirit of the mid 1980’s with a powerful production, rounded up by liner notes or comments of Jon Schaffer, Gene Adam, Greg Seymour and Bill Owen and a fitting cover artwork by David Newman Stump and Roy Young, known from their excellent work on ICED EARTH’s latest album “Incorruptible”. The greatest surprise might be Gene Adam, ICED EARTH’s original singer who sang on the band’s self-titled debut album from 1990, who delivers his best vocal performance ever. The song “Dracula” can be checked out as of now. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/sPjelVJrRUM
Jon Schaffer’s PURGATORY is for all ICED EARTH maniacs out there, for all fans of real US metal in the vein of Omen, Liege Lord or Savage Grace, and for all metal fans in general – young and old.
“Purgatory” is dedicated to Richard Bateman, the band’s original bass player, who passed away right before the EP went into production. Rest in peace, Richard.
The “Purgatory” EP can be pre-ordered here: https://jonschafferspurgatory.lnk.to/PurgatoryEP
The vinyl version is available in the following colours:
Black vinyl: Unlimited
Transparent-blue vinyl: limited to 100 copies, exclusively available at CM Distro Europe
Transparent-orange vinyl: limited to 200 copies, available at CM Distro Europa *
Clear vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively available at Nuclear Blast
Lilac vinyl: limited to 300 copies, exclusively available in the USA
* a limited amount of 50 copies will be signed by the band and sold through band channels
“Purgatory” tracklist:
1. In Your Dreams (4:55)
2. Dracula (6:08)
3. In Jason’s Mind (5:03)
4. Jack (4:00)
5. Burning Oasis (5:38)
Jon Schaffer’s PURGATORY is:
Jon Schaffer – Rhythm & Lead Guitars, Vocals
Gene Adam – Lead Vocals
Bill Owen - Lead Guitar
Guest appearances by:
Jim Morris – Lead Guitar
Ruben Drake – Bass Guitar
Mark Prator – Drums
This is awesome. Gene Adam was always my least favorite of the Iced Earth vocalists, but I love how he sounds on this new recording. He hasn't lost a thing - those highs and screams are incredible. Kudos to the Podcast in Stone guys for re-connecting the prior members of Purgatory and Iced Earth with Jon, leading to this new recording of the old Purgatory demos.
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And a new Ashes of Ares video! Matt kills it on this one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GICCKVL3r_w&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3KJ5p8t4fWqVoU2CAtNRSy9CVjVzRCjo7S-i9hZyvhkXUHmSjn2SqWMI4
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Neat. Gene does sound better, but not by much. In fact, he still sounds like he's in 1987.
The two new Ashes songs are decent, but haven't got me excited at all.
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And a new Ashes of Ares video! Matt kills it on this one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GICCKVL3r_w&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3KJ5p8t4fWqVoU2CAtNRSy9CVjVzRCjo7S-i9hZyvhkXUHmSjn2SqWMI4
Cool.
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That Purgatory song sounds like old school Mercyful Fate, not bad!
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And a new Ashes of Ares video! Matt kills it on this one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GICCKVL3r_w&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3KJ5p8t4fWqVoU2CAtNRSy9CVjVzRCjo7S-i9hZyvhkXUHmSjn2SqWMI4
Solid.
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And a new Ashes of Ares video! Matt kills it on this one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GICCKVL3r_w&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3KJ5p8t4fWqVoU2CAtNRSy9CVjVzRCjo7S-i9hZyvhkXUHmSjn2SqWMI4
So....meh. Matt deserves so much better than that. He needs a fantastic song writer.
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Listening to the new Witherfall album right now and I've gotta say that I can't wait to see what Jake adds to the songwriting table on the next IE album. Obviously there's no way it'll be as proggy as Witherfall is, but songs like Vintage really show that Jake's a natural at writing memorable (and siiiiiick) melodies.
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New Ashes of Ares is out today! They dropped a video for The Alien, a big, heavy tune from the album as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSao0O_Gl7g
I think the songs are a bit better on this disc compared to the debut and the production is definitely better. Barlow really is the star of the album (and band), that's for sure.
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New Ashes of Ares is out today! They dropped a video for The Alien, a big, heavy tune from the album as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSao0O_Gl7g
I think the songs are a bit better on this disc compared to the debut and the production is definitely better. Barlow really is the star of the album (and band), that's for sure.
Ashes of Ares is out NEXT Friday, according to my Amazon pre-order. LOL
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New Ashes of Ares is out today! They dropped a video for The Alien, a big, heavy tune from the album as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSao0O_Gl7g
I think the songs are a bit better on this disc compared to the debut and the production is definitely better. Barlow really is the star of the album (and band), that's for sure.
Ashes of Ares is out NEXT Friday, according to my Amazon pre-order. LOL
There's been some weirdness with release dates lately. Ashes was due today and then pushed to next week, yet they released the digital this week. Same thing happened with the new Warrel Dane record. Date got pushed but only for the physical. Digital released on the proper day. It's aggravating.
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Strange. Yeah, I should check my Amazon and see if Ashes is available digitally for me. It probably isn't though, because they only release the auto rip (I think) after the CD ships.
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Not really caring for the new Ashes of Ares. Very samey, and I think Matt is capable of doing way better than this.
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I'm hot and cold on the Ashes of Ares album. I have moments where I agree with a comment above, about wanting Matt to have a kickass songwriter in the band, like we're used to with Jon. Then I just sit back and realize that Ashes is never going to be Iced Earth and I just enjoy it for what it is.
Matt addressed that in a recent interview - Freddie is more of a thrash/death metal guy that wants to write ultra heavy songs and Matt is always looking for some room in the music to do some different things with his vocals that aren't tied to those styles of music.
Also, I submitted this in a facebook group and found it to be an interesting exercise. Write your dream Iced Earth setlist using songs that they have not played over the last handful of tours. I tried to cover as many albums as I could, rather than just sticking to particular discs. That one-two punch of Dark Saga and Last Laugh is just awesome.
Dark Saga
The Last Laugh
Defiance
Anthem
Burnt Offerings
Desert Rain
Peacemaker
Diary
I Walk Alone
The Reckoning
Dragon’s Child
Im Ho Tep
Boiling Point
Melancholy
A Question of Heaven
Encore:
Gettysburg Trilogy
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I'm hot and cold on the Ashes of Ares album. I have moments where I agree with a comment above, about wanting Matt to have a kickass songwriter in the band, like we're used to with Jon. Then I just sit back and realize that Ashes is never going to be Iced Earth and I just enjoy it for what it is.
Matt addressed that in a recent interview - Freddie is more of a thrash/death metal guy that wants to write ultra heavy songs and Matt is always looking for some room in the music to do some different things with his vocals that aren't tied to those styles of music.
I am the same. I went back and listened to the first AoA album today, and I think its slightly better than Well of Souls. Well of Souls isn't bad by any stretch, and I'll play it quite a bit for awhile. But its clear that the songwriting is nowhere near as good as Iced Earth. And that's really hard to get around, because, well, when you hear Barlow, you think Barlow-era Iced Earth. It's really just unavoidable.
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A bit off topic, but does anyone else think Barlow sounds like Paul Stanley in his hayday in his mid range?
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A bit off topic, but does anyone else think Barlow sounds like Paul Stanley in his hayday in his mid range?
My step dad thought so.
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I can hear that, yeah.
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A bit off topic, but does anyone else think Barlow sounds like Paul Stanley in his hayday in his mid range?
Yes
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A bit off topic, but does anyone else think Barlow sounds like Paul Stanley in his hayday in his mid range?
Definitely
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An updated from the Podcast in Stone guys:
Just finished up an awesome 6 hour chat with Jon Schaffer. The interview is around 4 hours. We had a casual 2 hour chat afterwards.The interview is releasing in the new year. I'm so overwhelmed on what I'm able to do with this podcast. Thank you everyone for your support. Metal lives!!
Their prior interview with Jon was fantastic, so I'm looking forward to this new one. Kudos to Jon for giving these guys so much of his time. Their Facebook group is a lot of fun - there are a lot of prior Iced Earth members and members of Purgatory hanging around, sharing stories, explaining some of the band's history from their perspectives and even giving their own interviews.
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4 hour interview, WTF?
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4 hour interview, WTF?
The last one was 3 hours. Went by super quick.
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Lyric video for Jon Schaffer's Purgatory - In Your Dreams. https://youtu.be/MlpWHZeA61U
FREDDY'S GONNA GET YA! :metal
I have to say that Jon definitely honed his talent for writing lyrics over the years, coming from "Freddy's gonna get ya, he'll rip you to shreds, his hands are sharp and pointy." :lol I do like the tune musically - it's not a straight-forward banger like Dracula was.
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Lyric video for Jon Schaffer's Purgatory - In Your Dreams. https://youtu.be/MlpWHZeA61U
FREDDY'S GONNA GET YA! :metal
I have to say that Jon definitely honed his talent for writing lyrics over the years, coming from "Freddy's gonna get ya, he'll rip you to shreds, his hands are sharp and pointy." :lol I do like the tune musically - it's not a straight-forward banger like Dracula was.
Maybe Gene Adam wrote that one.
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Lyric video for Jon Schaffer's Purgatory - In Your Dreams. https://youtu.be/MlpWHZeA61U
FREDDY'S GONNA GET YA! :metal
I have to say that Jon definitely honed his talent for writing lyrics over the years, coming from "Freddy's gonna get ya, he'll rip you to shreds, his hands are sharp and pointy." :lol I do like the tune musically - it's not a straight-forward banger like Dracula was.
Maybe Gene Adam wrote that one.
Maybe - I'm sure the CD will clarify who wrote what. I know that they were teenagers when they wrote these songs and it shows how much better they've become.
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Lyric video for Jon Schaffer's Purgatory - In Your Dreams. https://youtu.be/MlpWHZeA61U
FREDDY'S GONNA GET YA! :metal
I have to say that Jon definitely honed his talent for writing lyrics over the years, coming from "Freddy's gonna get ya, he'll rip you to shreds, his hands are sharp and pointy." :lol I do like the tune musically - it's not a straight-forward banger like Dracula was.
Maybe Gene Adam wrote that one.
Maybe - I'm sure the CD will clarify who wrote what. I know that they were teenagers when they wrote these songs and it shows how much better they've become.
Gene confirmed on Facebook that he wrote the lyrics for In Your Dreams, In Jason's Mind, and Dracula.
What does everyone think of the EP? I didn't care for IYD, but for what they were, the other songs are decent. Dracula being the best.
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I really like it - I wasn't a fan of Gene's for a long time, and only within the last handful of years started listening to the debut more regularly. Between Days of Purgatory and Alive in Athens, most of the songs were re-recorded or played live by Matt or even Stu.
I compared it to the demos briefly and love that they tightened the songs up - the tempos and arrangements are better and the songs don't sound like the band is going to come off the rails at any time. The maturity and musicianship shows through. Gene is the shining star on the EP - his vocals are incredible, and that's a huge compliment from me. The guy hasn't lost a step, and his clean vocals have some more grit and depth to them. The highs are on par with King Diamond, which is so cool to hear.
I think the lyrics suck, but they were written when these guys were kids, so it is what it is. I love that the band could put aside any differences as they've gotten older, reconnect, and give fans a proper recording of those old songs. Hopefully they can keep doing this - they recorded it in 9 days, so Jon could sneak it in again in between projects.
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New FOUR HOUR Jon Schaffer interview from Podcast in Stone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2qKsdLxx4c
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I've listened to it all, and I love that he's so giving with his time to these guys and isn't afraid to go into detail on certain topics. I only cringed once when he brought up a brief political view of his that bothers me. But it was once again a great conversation about him and his music and bands.
Biggest tidbits:
Re-releasing Enter the Realm on Vinyl in April on the 30th anniversary of it's original release. Newly remastered (again) with new artwork.
Demons & Wizards' prior two albums will be remastered and re-released in 2019 with bonus content and new artwork for the second album.
Demons & Wizards' new album should arrive in January 2020. Some potential for US dates and an idea floating around for an Iced Earth/Blind Guardian/D&W tour in 2021 for the 20th anniversary of the band's original European tour. If that were to happen, it would be a small European tour and only a few shows in major US markets. Big plans for the production of the Wacken show.
There is potential for more Purgatory releases if they have time in the future. Great stories about how the guys handled the recording of the EP and Gene having to work to get his voice back into singing in that style again. Purgatory will not play live shows.
Iced Earth re-recording will eventually start with Night of the Stormrider, and future albums will only be re-recorded only if there is enough demand for it. Bonus tracks on re-recorded albums could include a few new versions of songs with the original singers of those albums (Gene, Matt, etc.) now that he has begun reconnecting with them on a personal level.
Sons of Liberty will eventually remix/remaster the debut and EP and be re-released on vinyl, with future new material being considered.
He believes that he will write music with Matt again someday, but only after he decides to end Iced Earth. He has no plans to play a show with all former singers of the band, though he could see ending the band with a studio album that features them all.
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Thanks for the recap, Grapp. Very cool news.
Had my first full listen to the Purgatory EP this morning. Great stuff. Very well done.
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All of that sounds great to me. Was kind of expecting Demons and Wizards earlier due to their festival tour this summer, but the current plans sound better to me (first a festival tour with two rereleases, then a new album, then a club tour featuring the new material).
I am one of those people that likes rerecordings. Furthermore, Jon involving some of the musicians originally involved sounds great.
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There was a lot of stuff packed into that interview and some tremendous insight into how things in the music industry work. One fun little story - a fan asked about Jon's BC Rich Ignitor that he played on Alive in Athens. He said that when he toured with Volbeat and Hellyeah in Europe several years ago, Michael Poulson mentioned that he was building a new home that would include a bar inside. Jon had brought the guitar with him on the tour and gave it to Michael as a gift, so the guitar used on Alive in Athens now hangs in Michael Poulson's house.
Alive in Athens will also receive a proper vinyl release. The original vinyl release was 5 picture discs, and while Jon says that they looked awesome, they sounded poor. He mentioned that he dislikes that recording due to the band being too excited and pushing the tempos of the songs up, rather than keeping the songs at their original tempos. I find that amusing because the reason the fans love it so much is because the band is on fire and cranks through those songs at a faster pace.
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Agreed on Live in Athens. Glad it will get a proper vinyl release.
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What made Live in Ancient Kourion sound like ass, besides Stu, was that they played the songs what seemed to be slower than the studio versions. AiA wouldn't be held in such high regard if it wasn't for the way they played. No one talks about Ancient Kourion.
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What made Live in Ancient Kourion sound like ass, besides Stu, was that they played the songs what seemed to be slower than the studio versions. AiA wouldn't be held in such high regard if it wasn't for the way they played. No one talks about Ancient Kourion.
I finally picked up some Stu era IE and he sounds pretty good on the studio albums, but live he sounds to draaaaaMAAAAATiiiiiiIIIIICCC! Pretty annoying.
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What made Live in Ancient Kourion sound like ass, besides Stu, was that they played the songs what seemed to be slower than the studio versions. AiA wouldn't be held in such high regard if it wasn't for the way they played. No one talks about Ancient Kourion.
Yeah it sucks, Festivals is light years better.
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Just downloaded the EP from Amazon. I always get physical copies but it's surprisingly expensive unless you buy it from amazon which says it will ship in a month or two. Weird.
Anyway, love the EP and Gene sounds awesome. Lyrics are pretty bad but they were teens when they wrote it. It's weird though because their old men now. If you're going to rerecord, maybe switch some things up?
Anyway, I'm unfamiliar with the original songs. I'm assuming they're on youtube but are they available for purchase anywhere?
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Just downloaded the EP from Amazon. I always get physical copies but it's surprisingly expensive unless you buy it from amazon which says it will ship in a month or two. Weird.
Anyway, love the EP and Gene sounds awesome. Lyrics are pretty bad but they were teens when they wrote it. It's weird though because their old men now. If you're going to rerecord, maybe switch some things up?
Anyway, I'm unfamiliar with the original songs. I'm assuming they're on youtube but are they available for purchase anywhere?
I'm not sure why the band is selling it for $15. I got it for less than $9 from Amazon, and it arrived a week after it's release. The CD has some great artwork and all of the band members got to write some liner notes, including Greg Seymour, who didn't play on the disc, as he reconnected with Jon after the recording was finished).
The original demo songs are out on youtube, but the quality is pretty poor. Hence the reason for re-recording these tunes. Jon did alter some things - the tempos and arrangements are tighter, and they wrote a new chorus to Dracula. Just search for the Purgatory Horror Show demo and you'll find most of the tunes.
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Just downloaded the EP from Amazon. I always get physical copies but it's surprisingly expensive unless you buy it from amazon which says it will ship in a month or two. Weird.
Anyway, love the EP and Gene sounds awesome. Lyrics are pretty bad but they were teens when they wrote it. It's weird though because their old men now. If you're going to rerecord, maybe switch some things up?
Anyway, I'm unfamiliar with the original songs. I'm assuming they're on youtube but are they available for purchase anywhere?
I'm not sure why the band is selling it for $15. I got it for less than $9 from Amazon, and it arrived a week after it's release. The CD has some great artwork and all of the band members got to write some liner notes, including Greg Seymour, who didn't play on the disc, as he reconnected with Jon after the recording was finished).
The original demo songs are out on youtube, but the quality is pretty poor. Hence the reason for re-recording these tunes. Jon did alter some things - the tempos and arrangements are tighter, and they wrote a new chorus to Dracula. Just search for the Purgatory Horror Show demo and you'll find most of the tunes.
Ah crap. I thought the CD might be bare bones because there really isn't a lot of info about it. It's still available for relatively cheap from amazon just backordered and I wanted to hear it in high quality now.
I don't get what Shaffer's obsession with rerecording things is. Obviously, this stuff makes sense but now he wanted to rerecord stuff from the albums that already sound pretty good. Weird.
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If I remember correctly, Jon's motive for re-recording the albums is to get financial rights. I don't think they make a dime from the records now and they want to re-record them so they can get royalties. Def Leppard did the same thing recently with Hysteria while in a royalty dispute with their label.
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Thanks for the recap Grappler! I too assumed that a new D&W album would be out by the time of the shows, but after all it's better maybe to bring attention to the band again playing songs from the, ehm, "classic" albums and then introduce new music.
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If I remember correctly, Jon's motive for re-recording the albums is to get financial rights. I don't think they make a dime from the records now and they want to re-record them so they can get royalties. Def Leppard did the same thing recently with Hysteria while in a royalty dispute with their label.
Correct. Century Media retains the rights to the catalog and I believe Jon might have alluded to the fact that they ALWAYS will. So the way around it is to re-record some albums. Night of the Stormrider is generally their most popular album worldwide and it seems like he wants to improve on a few things like arrangements in a new recording. It will also test the waters to see if there is fan and/or industry demand for them to continue. He's said that it costs about $6K in airfare and/or hotels for the band to get together, so despite having Independence Hall studios, the band still has to spend some money if he wants to fly them in to record albums.
Jon's very much in financial mode. He talked about different merch designs and stated that he would rather do limited designs for merch, rather than pay for 1,000 of something like pins and have them sit in a warehouse, losing money until they eventually all sell. He seems to want to build up the official merch store, instead of offloading things to JSR Direct (or other fullfillment houses) for a loss in money. He also said that some merch will be exclusive, like the Legacy series shirts. They might create a different legacy design for a tour, but it wouldn't be the same as the design originally offered online.
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Do they make that much off royalties though?
re-recording the albums is going to cost tens of thousands of dollars. Each.
Do they seriously make that much money in royalties? It's Iced Earth. Big fans will buy them, but beyond that?
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Do they make that much off royalties though?
re-recording the albums is going to cost tens of thousands of dollars. Each.
Do they seriously make that much money in royalties? It's Iced Earth. Big fans will buy them, but beyond that?
Hence Jon's hesitation to re-record everything. Start with the most popular record and gauge the interest. Assuming they do this 100% on their own, then he can recoup the money quicker than usual - the band would get 100% of the money from any sales.
If he limits it to a digital release, then the expense is pretty much just the airfare to fly band members/producers in and then the production of the recording. If they want a physical release, then they have to pay for artwork, pay for manufacturing, distribution and so on. Or he may engage another label contract if the independent route is too costly. The the band's profits are less.
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Just recording this stuff is expensive as hell.
I assume.
Maybe Jon has his own studio and does all the work himself for free? I dunno. But recording at a pro studio and having a pro mixer alone is tens of thousands of dollars per album.
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I'm a big fan and I'm not sure I would buy them. My reason is the 2 disc Days Of Purgatory release gave me the ability to remake the first 2 albums with Matt doing vocals on all but 1 song off of each record, I think.
As much I like Stu, I'm pretty sure that on his best day he can't touch Matt on his worst.
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Oh yea. If this were back in the Matt days and they re-recorded the first two albums? Heartbeat purchase.
But with Stu? And most of the albums with the Matt being redone?
Hell naw. I respect Jon's desire to own the rights, but not THAT much.
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I get that he wants to get the rights back but the only thing that really makes sense to rerecord would be that one Something Wicked album with Ripper and use Matt so it can at least be consistent. I still wouldn't buy it but it would at least make sense.
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Personally, I would prefer Barlow come in and sing everything he's not on, EXCEPT the Stu albums. This would clearly define two separate eras of Iced Earth. I came in late to Iced Earth. And while the first guy was OK, and Ripper was OK, Barlow is THE BARLOW, and given that he already did Days of Purgatory, I don't see the problem in him re-recording the early albums entirely again. And I like Ripper, but I think Matt has a more commanding voice.
As for costs, they are at Jon's studio, so all the overhead would be whatever they already have. The costs would be associated with the personnel involved engineer, mixer, mastering), the cost of having the band flown in and paying for their food and lodging (which can get expensive), and then ultimately, you then have to see how you want to release everything. Would not make sense for digital-only. Do it all, or don't do it, in terms of physical and digital. My guess is, if they do it, you do it under your own label, and sign a distribution deal with a major label. This way everything is under Jon's control.
But whether I purchase would really depend on who is singing. I have the catalog, so if it is just re-doing the records with the same singers, then no. If it's re-recording the first couple, plus the Ripper stuff, with Matt, I'll buy them.
If it is Stu (who I personally really enjoy) doing all of it, then absolutely not. I love his era, but Barlow should never be recorded over. Ever.
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I would hate to have Ripper erased from IE the way he was from JP.
Even though I didn't like that Civil War album much, Ripper was amazing on it. He has always been incredible on the records, even if the writing is bad.
Personally? I'd love to see Ripper and Barlow being dual singers in the band. I know someone put together a cut from one of the songs that Ripper did that Barlow re-did where it was half/half and it was amazing.
Just get rid of Stu and let him find a band that knows how to use his amazing voice properly.
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Ripper >>> Stu
I would hate to have Ripper erased from IE the way he was from JP.
Even though I didn't like that Civil War album much, Ripper was amazing on it. He has always been incredible on the records, even if the writing is bad.
Personally? I'd love to see Ripper and Barlow being dual singers in the band. I know someone put together a cut from one of the songs that Ripper did that Barlow re-did where it was half/half and it was amazing.
Just get rid of Stu and let him find a band that knows how to use his amazing voice properly.
Sounds like a good plan to me.
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I wonder what are Jon's real thoughts on all the revolving door of singers. I don't know if it would be polite to ask him, and I can imagine he couldn't answer straight in an interview, but I'd love to ask him if, knowing then what he knows now, if it was worth to bring Matt back just for several years and one (lackluster) album, and if it wasn't better maybe to find Stu, or whoever could have been IE's final singer, back when Matt left. I don't know what Stu was doing back in 2003 and he probably was too young, but after all the pain of losing Barlow, seeing him come back and then just say "well, I guess it's time to leave for good after all"... meh, left a soure taste in my mouth.
I lived it like a breakup - love of my (IE) life goes, I accept the replacement, love comes back and I have to erase all of my acceptance and grieving over the breakup, and then "she" leaves again for good.... d'oh.
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I wonder what are Jon's real thoughts on all the revolving door of singers. I don't know if it would be polite to ask him, and I can imagine he couldn't answer straight in an interview, but I'd love to ask him if, knowing then what he knows now, if it was worth to bring Matt back just for several years and one (lackluster) album, and if it wasn't better maybe to find Stu, or whoever could have been IE's final singer, back when Matt left. I don't know what Stu was doing back in 2003 and he probably was too young, but after all the pain of losing Barlow, seeing him come back and then just say "well, I guess it's time to leave for good after all"... meh, left a soure taste in my mouth.
I lived it like a breakup - love of my (IE) life goes, I accept the replacement, love comes back and I have to erase all of my acceptance and grieving over the breakup, and then "she" leaves again for good.... d'oh.
This is largely why I'm not a big Iced Earth fan anymore (and the fact that the Something Wicked albums kinda sucked). I'm tired of keeping up with Jon's justifications of, well, everything.
-The original singers were crap
-Ripper is always the voice I heard
-Now we can do the something Wicked concept
-Ripper wasn't cut out for the Something Wicked concept
-We're doing limited dates now that Barlow's back
-We can't do limited dates so we gotta get a new singer
Not to mention a 180 on his political views and his recent praise for the confederacy, with the caveat that, "I'm against slavery but..."
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Unfortunate that the Something Wicked albums (the two) get so much hate. I think there's a good amount of lame filler, but a lot of those songs are really great, I thought.
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I'm curious what Jon plans to do with Stormrider as far as new arrangements. That album is perfect as is. Well, almost. Most of the Athens versions are superior, not just because of Barlow, but the energy. Like it or not, Jon, the faster tempo helped the songs A LOT. If it's anything like the re-recorded Something Wicked Trilogy, it's gonna suck. I liked some of the ideas on Prophecy, but palm muting the riffs neutered the song. I also can't see myself enjoying Stu. He's gonna do his tough guy Barlow voice that only Barlow can do, and he's gonna make Greely sound better by comparison. John Greely wasn't bad. He could hit the highs and had a nice menacing harshness. He was good on that album. You just can't compare to Matt though.
I wish we could have gotten a live version of Stygian with Ripper, with the Purgatory vocal arrangements. They recently played the song with Stu, but he sang it with the original melodies, and it just didn't sound right. I hope Jon doesn't change it back for this re-record. Those kinds of changes are good. Shit like the Wicked Trilogy, not so much.
I agree about the Something Wicked albums. I haven't listened to them in forever, but I always really liked Framing Armageddon. Crucible is a good EP.
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Unfortunate that the Something Wicked albums (the two) get so much hate. I think there's a good amount of lame filler, but a lot of those songs are really great, I thought.
There was some decent stuff for sure but overall the story didn't interest me. I was thrown off by the native sounding drumming and all that, lasers, etc. I just didn't feel like it fit with the original Something Wicked song but by then Jon was making me lose my interest anyway so I was a little biased towards not giving it a chance.
I only ever saw Iced Earth with Ripper but that show was amazing. Hearing ripper hit those ungodly high notes in Declaration Day and hearing him on the old songs, that was awesome. I was pumped for the next album but I was just let down and lost total interest since then. The rerecording of the original 3 songs was pretty decent but as much as I love Ripper, I gotta give the edge to the Barlow version.
I mentioned earlier but I picked up some of the Stu albums at Amoeba Records in LA, used and cheaper, and I was surprised at how good they were. I doubt I'll ever regain my full fandom though.
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Stu's version of Dantes Inferno was enough for me.
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The first time I went 'WTF Iced Earth??' was the Ten Thousand Strong music video.
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The first time I went 'WTF Iced Earth??' was the Ten Thousand Strong music video.
It was like that because Jon thought he was going to put out a graphic novel of the Something Wicked story. Of course that fell through like a lot of the things he's wanted to do.
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New artwork for the Enter the Realm re-release. I love how they incorporated all of the elements from the original art....and the picture of Jon that they snuck in on the left is badass.
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/lyricwiki/images/8/83/Iced_Earth_-_Enter_the_Realm.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110629115420)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50936733_2462084343818888_299035788018974720_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=26692407cefddecd489bbb32a076572d&oe=5CC28F33)
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That's really cool.
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How is this one different from the Dark Genesis rerelease?
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How is this one different from the Dark Genesis rerelease?
I believe that it is newly remastered from the original source. Probably by Zeuss. I'm sure once they officially put out a press release, it will have more info.
The Dark Genesis version was remastered by Jim Morris in 2001.
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The only thing I'd be remotely interested in is having Barlow come in and do The Glorious Burden. Or whatever demos of that with him on vocals that they deem suitable for release. I have Dark Genesis, and I just don't see the point in re-buying records. The new art is BAD ASS, but just a fresh remaster just doesn't do it. There has to be more.
I love Iced Earth (thanks Grapp), but Jon has to put more into it to have me re-buy stuff at this point.
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The only thing I'd be remotely interested in is having Barlow come in and do The Glorious Burden. Or whatever demos of that with him on vocals that they deem suitable for release. I have Dark Genesis, and I just don't see the point in re-buying records. The new art is BAD ASS, but just a fresh remaster just doesn't do it. There has to be more.
I love Iced Earth (thanks Grapp), but Jon has to put more into it to have me re-buy stuff at this point.
Jon's a vinyl guy. So this release is primarily to have Enter the Realm available on vinyl with new artwork. I don't really need it since I have the Dark Genesis box. Assuming there is a CD release too, then I'll get that to be a completest...it's the one band I try to do that with.
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I could see that for the vinyl guy, yeah. I am as well, but with select bands.
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Freddy basically said in his Podcast in Stone interview that he left the band because he got tired of babysitting the other guys when they were being drunken douchebags.
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That was a great interview and Freddie was pretty honest about it without pointing fingers at specific people or going into too much detail.
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Of course he's gonna write his own history in favorable light, but I always had the honest impression that Jon was the most driven, hard working guy of them all and so went through many line-up changes because he couldn't find people with his level of determination and professionalism.
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Of course he's gonna write his own history in favorable light, but I always had the honest impression that Jon was the most driven, hard working guy of them all and so went through many line-up changes because he couldn't find people with his level of determination and professionalism.
True - if you're not up to his standards, you're out of the band - that's happened a number of times, whether Jon has fired someone (like Matt in 2002/2003) or whether that member eventually quit and later said Jon's too hard to work for.
I believe Freddie - the Dystopia tour was massive and that's a lot of time for the band and crew to be on a bus together around the world. He did a European leg and a US leg of the tour. Freddie wasn't going to throw anyone under the bus, but he did come out and say "this is why I quit and this is how I quit by approaching Jon in the lobby of a hotel in Australia and not mincing words with him about why I was quitting." Every single night he would be the last one to bed, making sure that the party animals were safe - the one night he didn't do that, something happened to someone and he felt guilty. The band's management even stepped in at one point to try and ensure that the problems would be handled, but they kept on occurring.
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Sorry. Who is Freddie?
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Sorry. Who is Freddie?
Freddie Vidales - played bass from 2008 to 2012 and is now the guitarist/songwriter for Ashes of Ares.
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OK. Thank you.
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Of course he's gonna write his own history in favorable light, but I always had the honest impression that Jon was the most driven, hard working guy of them all and so went through many line-up changes because he couldn't find people with his level of determination and professionalism.
...for minimal pay.
Also, we should point out "his level" is "whatever he deems his level to be."
There's no doubt he's driven but he has not always been receptive to other people partaking in the writing and even recording.
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Of course he's gonna write his own history in favorable light, but I always had the honest impression that Jon was the most driven, hard working guy of them all and so went through many line-up changes because he couldn't find people with his level of determination and professionalism.
...for minimal pay.
Also, we should point out "his level" is "whatever he deems his level to be."
There's no doubt he's driven but he has not always been receptive to other people partaking in the writing and even recording.
Yeah, he kicked Larry out because he didn't want any "guitar heroes" in the band.
EDIT: While the guitar hero thing stuck with me for years, I can't find anything about it now, but I did find a different explanation from Jon. http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earth-s-schaffer-explains-guitarist-s-departure/
This might have even been addressed by Larry or Jon on Podcast in Stone, I can't remember. I know I read the guitar hero thing somewhere years ago.
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I remember something along those lines and then him trashing lead guitarists. He essentially said, "They can play a bunch of scales but can't keep a steady rhythm." He's ranted about people not being able to write as well as him and don't forget the obligatory mention about how he was sleeping in cars when he was 16.
He's pretty obnoxious and I try not to let personalities influence my opinion of his music but it's difficult with him. Hell, I even like the first Sons of Liberty album kind of so that shows that I can separate the music from the bullshit.
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I remember something along those lines and then him trashing lead guitarists. He essentially said, "They can play a bunch of scales but can't keep a steady rhythm." He's ranted about people not being able to write as well as him and don't forget the obligatory mention about how he was sleeping in cars when he was 16.
He's pretty obnoxious and I try not to let personalities influence my opinion of his music but it's difficult with him. Hell, I even like the first Sons of Liberty album kind of so that shows that I can separate the music from the bullshit.
Don't forget the abandoned houses. I think he's mellowed out over the past few years though. He went through his midlife crisis when Stu joined, but he seems to have since started becoming a team player rather than a dictator. I think he was always just really protective of his band.
I did not like Sons of Liberty at all. The lyrics were laughable, and the music didn't have much going for it either. Plus, he was full on Alex Jonesing it during that time.
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Yes. His interview with Alex Jones was painful. Alex Jones has such terrible ADD. He kept jumping back and forth in between topics and telling Jon he should sing in Iced Earth even though I doubt he had ever listen to Iced Earth.
I don't know why but I actually kind of liked the SOL lyrics. I had to completely separate myself from the topic in order to enjoy it it was cool for what it was and what it was for me was a free download. I actually had some free download credits on Amazon and I decided to get his second release which he didn't release for free for some reason. That one was pretty painful. I had pretty much given up on Iced Earth at that point but I saw some clips of Sons of Liberty opening for Iced Earth and that was pretty painful to see Jon as a frontman.
I do agree it seems like he's mellowed out a bit though
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Demons & Wizards US/North American Tour! :metal
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/56781142_309163303090239_5507557939436584960_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=11fc216dc7d95d19f514cf8faa901623&oe=5D40B37A)
Legendary metal band Demons & Wizards have just announced their A Magical Encounter With Demons & Wizards North American headline tour today. The band will hit the road starting August 17th in Los Angeles and will be wrapping with their sold out show on September 7th in Atlanta. The band will be joined by special guests Lizzy Borden and Týr and will be playing major markets like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and more.
“Demons & Wizards touring North America? That is going to be pure magic, guaranteed,” states Hansi Kürsch about the tour announcement. “You better not miss it, cause you never know when the Demon and the Wizard will join forces again. I am really thrilled about these first shows for Demons & Wizards in North America and we are going to make every single night a legendary night to remember. Join us on this path of glory.”
“I am very happy that we've announced the first ever Demons & Wizards tour in North America,” adds Jon Shaffer. “We’ve been getting fan requests for many years to bring this show to all points around the world. To be able to do it in the USA is an exciting development. Stay heavy and see you on the road soon!”
Founded in 1999 by Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) and Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth), Demons & Wizards released two highly acclaimed albums Demons & Wizards (1999) and Touched by the Crimson King (2005). The band recently announced their worldwide signing to Century Media Records and is gearing up to release their highly anticipated third studio album (title TBD), which is scheduled to be released early 2020. Before then, Century Media Records will release the band’s first two sold out albums as reworked special editions. Remastered by Zeuss (Iced Earth, Queensr˙che, Sanctuary), both releases will be out on June 7th, 2019 as a limited edition digipak and a limited deluxe two LP releases with bonus material and liner notes by both members. On March 29th, 2019, the digital standard versions of the remastered albums will be available to promote the band’s festival run in Europe.
DEMONS & WIZARDS TOUR DATES
May 31 – Saarbrücken, Germany – Garage
June 1 – Pratteln, Switzerland – Z7
June 2 – Frankfurt, Germany – Batschkapp
June 19 – Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhell Festival
June 21 – Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
June 21 – Clisson, France - Hellfest
June 29 – Dokkum, Netherlands - Dokk’em Open Air
June 30 – London, United Kingdom - Islington Assembly Hall
July 4 – Barcelona, Spain - Barcelona Rock Fest
July 6 – Chania,Greece - Chania Rock Festival
July 7 – Tolmin, Slovenia – Metaldays
August 1-3 – Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
August 17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
August 20 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
August 21 - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore
August 22 - Portland, OR - Roseland
August 24 - Denver, CO - The Summit Theater
August 26 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live
August 28 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
August 29 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theater
August 31 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
September 1 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
September 4 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
September 5 - New York, NY - The Playstation Theater
September 7 - Atlanta, GA – Progpower (SOLD OUT)
Not a fan of the opening bands, but this will probably be the ONLY chance to ever see them play live. I may have to get tickets to this one. At least they're hitting a lot of major cities.
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I'm just thankful I still have ProgPower in case I miss it (Wednesday in Chicago - that's gonna be tough), but yeah, this is awesome news. August just got way more fun.
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Not the least bit surprised there's no Arizona date.
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Damn. Tickets are 50 bucks a piece. Seems a bit pricey but I'll bite.
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Damn. Tickets are 50 bucks a piece. Seems a bit pricey but I'll bite.
I think the Chicago show is $47.50, plus $25 for on-site parking.
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Damn. Tickets are 50 bucks a piece. Seems a bit pricey but I'll bite.
I think the Chicago show is $47.50, plus $25 for on-site parking.
I love Concord Music Hall - easiest venue for me to get to in Chicago, after being on the interstate for a couple hours I take a quick exit and 5 minutes later I'm standing in line. But that damn parking fee. When it first started being the go-to venue for power metal bands years ago it was like 10, maybe $15, last year I thought it was $20, now $25? Still, I wouldn't want to go to any other small/medium sized club in the city. It'll be a damn good show worth the cost.
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I'm not a big fan (yet), and I don't know most of their material, although I plan to delve into it, but I'm definitely going to see them in June. I mean, this seems like a unique opportunity which may not arise anymore in the future.
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I'll catch it at Progpower, the way the PP bands end up touring means I can see them in NYC or ProgPower but not both and PP is already booked so there's that.
I've listened to both albums on stream and enjoy it, reminds me of Bling Guardian essentially which I love. I'll probably buy the remasters when they get released instead of buying one of the albums now.
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Hesitating on a ticket. $45, plus $20 in fees, plus $25 in pre-paid parking is $91. That just comes out to a ton of money.
I know it's a once in a lifetime thing and the higher ticket cost is because this will never happen again, but it's really hard to justify that given current family expenses.
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Man I hope they have something cool at the merch table beyond just t-shirts and CDs. Like... a flag. I will squeeze some last bit of room on my living room walls to fit a D&W flag. I need this...
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Ripper-era albums back on streaming services :metal
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Damn. Tickets are 50 bucks a piece. Seems a bit pricey but I'll bite.
I think the Chicago show is $47.50, plus $25 for on-site parking.
I love Concord Music Hall - easiest venue for me to get to in Chicago, after being on the interstate for a couple hours I take a quick exit and 5 minutes later I'm standing in line. But that damn parking fee. When it first started being the go-to venue for power metal bands years ago it was like 10, maybe $15, last year I thought it was $20, now $25? Still, I wouldn't want to go to any other small/medium sized club in the city. It'll be a damn good show worth the cost.
I'm partial to Thalia Hall in the Pilson neighborhood. I saw Goblin there and it was one of the coolest experiences in this beautiful 120 year old theater.
I dont think they have many metal acts there. Skipped seeing Gart Numan there last year and regretted it ever since.
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Super excited to grab Demons & Wizards tickets for NYC!
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Hesitating on a ticket. $45, plus $20 in fees, plus $25 in pre-paid parking is $91. That just comes out to a ton of money.
I know it's a once in a lifetime thing and the higher ticket cost is because this will never happen again, but it's really hard to justify that given current family expenses.
There is free street parking if you are up for that (and can find it). I saw Machine Head at Concord and we parked on Western for free. It was a 5 or 10 minute walk.
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First live show is this Friday! Jon and Hansi have revealed the band lineup today, and it's really no surprise, though they did add keyboards for the first time ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1zh2BSwqTc&fbclid=IwAR3YI-I_QdqyAgsGR-E81Tqku7_4rThEZPLVD8Fr-ViVikUysRIgw-LeBJw
Vocals - Hansi
Rhythm Guitar - Jon
Lead Guitar - Jake Dreyer (Iced Earth)
Bass - Marcus Siepen (Blind Guardian guitarist)
Drums - Frederik Ehmke (Blind Guardian)
Keys - Joost van den Broek (After Forever, Ayreon/Star One)
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Omg I love that lineup. YES!! I met Fred outside a BG gig a few years ago and he is so cool. Can't wait for this tour to go down.
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And here it is! I'm anxiously awaiting video....love that they continued playing some Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, and added an extra song from each band. In 2000, they played Welcome to Dying (Jon's favorite BG tune) and Travel in Stygian (Hansi's favorite IE tune).
(Intro)
Rites of Passage
Heaven Denies
Poor Man's Crusade
Crimson King
Love's Tragedy Asunder
Burning Times (Iced Earth cover)
Welcome to Dying (Blind Guardian cover)
Wicked Witch
Beneath These Waves
The Gunslinger
Terror Train
I Died for You (Iced Earth cover)
Valhalla (Blind Guardian cover)
Tear Down the Wall
Gallows Pole
My Last Sunrise
Encore:
Blood on My Hands
Fiddler on the Green
Encore 2:
Dorian
If this doesn't sell out, I'd be tempted to get last minute tickets. Otherwise I'm glad that they'll be recording the Wacken show for future release.
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Be still, my heart. That's beautiful.
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I'm glad its a nice long set list too :metal I still don't know their music that well, I've lsitened to both albums a bunch but never really studied it to know the songs but I liked it and am looking forward to their set in September.
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Awesome setlist! Feels weird to have Dorian as second encore but for the rest it's a kickass and long setlist!
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A shame they don't play Immigrant Song in the first encore. That cover is so good.
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Jeesh, Jon loves himself some Burning Times. That song is so boring...
Welcome To Dying!! :metal
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Burning Times rocks, you fool.
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Jeesh, Jon loves himself some Burning Times. That song is so boring...
It doesn't matter what your tastes are, if you don't like Burning Times, you are a sinner
:metal
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Burning Times is awesome...everything great about Iced Earth packed into a 4 minute tune.
And they rocked the shit out of it...and Welcome to Dying:
https://youtu.be/b01xaNChD30
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Love's Tragedy Asunder Demo lyrics:
"I don't believe in thunder, still I believe"
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Just got back from the show. If you're thinking if you should go or not (like I did), definitely go. Being familiar with the material helps, but turned out not to be necessary—I didn't remember much from the first album aside from a few songs and still had fun.
Fiddler on the Green is the damnedest song live. It's even better without a fadeout, and a great show closer. Dorian (which we also got as the second encore) is not the damnedest song live and not a great show closer, but it helped that the second encore was much more spontaneous than the first. The band took a bow, took a picture with the fans, Jon and Frederik threw the picks and drumsticks to the crowd, everyone seemed ready to leave and I thought we won't get it. So I guess it worked as a spontaneous encore, just an additional song played, whereas the "true" closer was Fiddler.
Other two highlights of the show in regards to D&W original material were Love's Tragedy Asunder (figures, I love that song) and surprisingly Terror Train. Welcome to Dying and Valhalla are always a treat, and I liked Burning Times a lot, even though I wasn't too familiar with that song at all (I only knew when to scream "YOU ARE A SINNER!" so there's that).
The biggest bummer is that I got to the venue quite late (the opening band just finished playing) and all the merch was already gone. :lol No CDs, no vinyls, no T-shirts, only two types of fridge magnets (and I've bought the last one of one type, haha). While I thought it was a possibility I'll miss out on the T-shirt, I didn't think all the CDs would be gone. I was actually looking forward to buying the new remasters, even had some money put aside for that. Oh well.
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I've been watching a lot of clips and they are killing it. They get better with every performance. Although I've never seen Blind Guardian live and hope I still can one day, I'd be fine if both bands took an extended break so Demons & Wizards can tour more. It's a pretty great line up. It looks to be quite a success so far so hopefully they can add more dates, but I guess it's really up to them if they want to.
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I have seen them live in 2000, opening for Iron Maiden at a festival (well, they were the last band before Maiden). Ironically for 19 years I've been one of the lucky few that saw them live (they played the whole debut album minus The Whistler and rounded it up with covers of School's Out and Hell's Bells), and this time around they skip Italy.
Glad however that you had a great time Evermind! :tup
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I'm afraid of the D&W show near me selling out in August (I'll buy my tickets later) but since I'll see them at PP I'm not too fussed. I'm really happy to hear the live shows are going well.
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Unfortunately I couln't catch D&W...
Buuut, here is a proshot 50 min concert of Hellfest!
https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/089122-002-A/demons-wizards-au-hellfest/ (https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/089122-002-A/demons-wizards-au-hellfest/)
Sounds awesome!!! :metal So glad they broadcasted/uploaded the set.
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Oh good. Jon's finally looking his age. About time.
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That's awesome!
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This video is fantastic - the guys are absolutely tearing it up.
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Yeah, just watched the whole thing and this is a great band. As a fan of Blind Guardian and Ayreon and someone who really loves Iced Earth, this band is a gem of a mixup to see. I assume this will be the lineup they take into the studio as well.
And there is good news, in the press conference of Hellfest Jon said the following:
-Two studio albums in the planning (one soon and one in a couple of years)
-A live album in the planning (2020 or later)
-They will probably do more live stuff, but it will likely be special events
So it seems they are really taking this thing seriously after so many years, not just a one off thing.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATGkMbNY1R8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATGkMbNY1R8)
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I started watching the video and it's really awesome, I plan on watching the whole thing eventually.
Anyone know the reason to bring this thing back from the dead and put so much into it now? Obviously not against it, but without knowing the history here, just seems odd to suddenly put so much stock into it.
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They've wanted to do a third album for a long time, but trying to find the time for it was difficult, last I heard (and that was like 7 years ago).
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I started watching the video and it's really awesome, I plan on watching the whole thing eventually.
Anyone know the reason to bring this thing back from the dead and put so much into it now? Obviously not against it, but without knowing the history here, just seems odd to suddenly put so much stock into it.
They've been wanting to for 10+ years, and they finally got an opportunity.
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I guess they foresee a lot more time then
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I started watching the video and it's really awesome, I plan on watching the whole thing eventually.
Anyone know the reason to bring this thing back from the dead and put so much into it now? Obviously not against it, but without knowing the history here, just seems odd to suddenly put so much stock into it.
They've been wanting to for 10+ years, and they finally got an opportunity.
To build on that, every time they think they have an opportunity, Jon or Hansi get too busy with their main bands. So they honestly just blocked out a year - Blind Guardian had the time. Jon put IE on hiatus after cutting the Incorruptile world tour off shorter than usual and they dedicated 2019 to Demons & Wizards.
The new studio album, a live album (and potential DVD) and a fourth studio record would be fantastic. Hopefully they can keep the commitment.
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I want more Dark Tower songs. Dod-a-chok motherfucker :2metal:
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I read an interview where Hansi said that for the third album he was inspired by John Milton, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and Stormlight Archive books by Sanderson, among other things.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZnB9fv0GBA
Take a wild guess which Iced Earth song is, before opening the link :biggrin:
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https://www.magenta-musik-360.de/wacken-livestream-2019 (https://www.magenta-musik-360.de/wacken-livestream-2019)
Currently live streaming their Wacken set :metal :metal
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I caught the first 30 minutes of that before leaving the office. They were ON FIRE. Jon was so pumped, the stage set looked awesome and Hansi was sounding killer. 4 backup singers too.
Jon was interviewed on a local metal radio station the other day and he said the same band, minus the keyboard player and backup singers, will be on the US tour. They planned to see if the Wacken footage is viable before committing to a live DVD but they have recorded every show's audio, so a live album is definitely happening at least. Plus 2 studio albums. I don't see why the footage wouldn't be good, given the amount of bands that release their shows from Wacken.
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I watched most of it and listened to just about all of it while I finished my work day. It was awesome, looked and sounded great so I don't see why they couldn't use the footage. Jon definitely looked really happy.
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Also now that I watched that show and loved it, and already listened to the albums a bunch on youtube, I finally just got the digital downloads of the remasters :metal :metal I need some music for my road trip to see Maiden tomorrow so this works well
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TWO studio albums in the future?!
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TWO studio albums in the future?!
They signed a deal for 2 studio albums and one live one (3 albums in total). There is a lot of demand for Demons and Jon and Hansi seem committed to delivering a second disc in a few more years, after this new one comes out in 2020.
He also talked about who may appear on the album, and Demons will always be comprised from the IE/BG family of musicians, including his session guys.
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Also catched most of the Wacken show and it was awesome. Cool to see they had a group of backing singers (nice to see Marcela and John). Great performance, great setlist and a good timeslot for a dvd (late, so darker/more atmosphere). They better release this, but I think they will, at the very least as a bonus to something.
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Also catched most of the Wacken show and it was awesome. Cool to see they had a group of backing singers (nice to see Marcela and John). Great performance, great setlist and a good timeslot for a dvd (late, so darker/more atmosphere). They better release this, but I think they will, at the very least as a bonus to something.
I think it was for Wicked Witches that the sun was setting just perfect, looked stunning.
Since I finally got the two albums, I listened to the self titled on my way to Hartford yesterday and then Touched by the Crimson King today on my way home. Both were good, but the self titled was much better. I had listened to both a bunch but mostly as background music so my first time actually really listening to the music. It totally feels like Blind Guardian though just with a crunchier guitar and a little less harmony. I definitely like it a lot since Hansi is so damn good.
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The full Demons & Wizards show from Wacken is now online! :metal :metal :metal
https://www.magenta-musik-360.de/demons-wizards-wacken-2019-9208205928595185927?fbclid=IwAR2Z8nvTT21Bj3howxG_jb7vGffpFfqLsJs_l8i1h1jRCAUKkrxRGF1ba5s
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The full Demons & Wizards show from Wacken is now online! :metal :metal :metal
https://www.magenta-musik-360.de/demons-wizards-wacken-2019-9208205928595185927?fbclid=IwAR2Z8nvTT21Bj3howxG_jb7vGffpFfqLsJs_l8i1h1jRCAUKkrxRGF1ba5s
Thanks, I'll know what to watch first chance I get :metal I already used that site to watch the Rage (with the orchestra) one!
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I watched a bit last night, so goood. I also watched it live so I'm just going back to it because it's better than listening to the albums IMO. Sounds good and looks amazing, the backing vocals add so much to it as well. I'm not in love with the production (on the remasters or the original) of the two albums so I find this really enjoyable although it's probably the same show I'll see in Progpower so I probably shouldn't get too into it to spoil the enjoyment of finally seeing it in a few weeks.
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The full Demons & Wizards show from Wacken is now online! :metal :metal :metal
https://www.magenta-musik-360.de/demons-wizards-wacken-2019-9208205928595185927?fbclid=IwAR2Z8nvTT21Bj3howxG_jb7vGffpFfqLsJs_l8i1h1jRCAUKkrxRGF1ba5s
As cool as that Hellfest show was, this one is a lot better, awesome show!
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A wild Matt Barlow appeared during I Died for You in New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ere4AQsxqxk
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A wild Matt Barlow appeared during I Died for You in New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ere4AQsxqxk
Erect.
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If I won the lottery, I'd give a million to Barlow so he can tour with Iced Earth again. I'm sure Jon wouldn't mind booting Stu for Matt.
Dear Stu,
I want to wish you a killer happy birthday. You are my brother and I'd do anything for you. You are the killerest.
By the way, you're fired. Matt's back in the band. Brothers 'til the end!
Fuck posers!
Sincerely, Jon.
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Stu: oh thank god. It’s so weird playing a Canadian confederate.
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Sty: oh thank god. It’s so weird playing a Canadian confederate.
lol that never dawned on me.
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Saw a youtube video of a vocal coach reacting to Burning Times live.
Originally I was pumped to see someone witness the greatness of Barlow, but it turned out to be a Stu performance.
I think the first thing she said about his vocals were how weird they sounded with the, what we call, Barlow imitation voice.
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A wild Matt Barlow appeared during I Died for You in New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ere4AQsxqxk
Very cool!
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Sounds like Stu is switching back and forth between Matt Barlow and Axl Rose impersonations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so99F-1DbOk
I can't unhear it now.
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If I won the lottery, I'd give a million to Barlow so he can tour with Iced Earth again. I'm sure Jon wouldn't mind booting Stu for Matt.
I'd have to win about 100 billion to even consider spending a million on something like that.
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If I won the lottery, I'd give a million to Barlow so he can tour with Iced Earth again. I'm sure Jon wouldn't mind booting Stu for Matt.
I'd have to win about 100 billion to even consider spending a million on something like that.
I'd consider it donating to charity. Chances are Matt probably wouldn't accept the cash though. He's too humble.
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If I won the lottery, I'd give a million to Barlow so he can tour with Iced Earth again. I'm sure Jon wouldn't mind booting Stu for Matt.
I'd have to win about 100 billion to even consider spending a million on something like that.
I'd consider it donating to charity. Chances are Matt probably wouldn't accept the cash though. He's too humble.
Yeah me too.
Saying that though, I'd give Stu half a mil just to leave. :lol
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Even though I liked their last album, I’m astonished how one of my favorite thrash bands took one of my favorite metal singers and just brought out the absolute worst in each other.
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I'll counter: I thought the last album had some great writing and that, the Barlow impression aside, Stu found a good voice to use on future Iced Earth albums. If Stu left tomorrow, who would replace him? Someone actually likely to join, not Barlow or Ripper or, idk, Hansi?
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I'll counter: I thought the last album had some great writing and that, the Barlow impression aside, Stu found a good voice to use on future Iced Earth albums. If Stu left tomorrow, who would replace him? Someone actually likely to join, not Barlow or Ripper or, idk, Hansi?
Like I said, last album was good but he still isn’t anywhere near singing in a natural sounding voice. The writing just improved.
Who would replace him? No idea. Not Hansi. Definitely not Ripper sadly. And likely not Barlow.
Maybe Nicky Spanjaards?
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Maybe Nicky Spanjaards?
:lol
Seriously, I can't really think of a good metal singer who is in pre-IE Stu's position right now. The Witherfall guy might work stylistically, but the Sanctuary guys already snatched him.
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Honestly, I don’t have an obvious choice to replace him. But I also would have never predicted Stu join IE either. Or Ripper.
But Stus not leaving. I just don’t like him in the band.
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But I also would have never predicted Stu join IE either. Or Ripper.
Me neither! But it shouldn't be hard for me to name someone who exists in any scene with clean singing (power metal, heavy metal, prog, doom, whatever) right now who might be game for joining a bigger band, and I really can't. Maybe Kelly Carpenter or that Greek guy from Wardrum? I'm not saying you in particular have to offer a replacement if you hate Stu in the band or that there is no way to find a better option (like auditioning complete unknowns). Just saying that I think y'alls are kinda harsh towards Stu considering that we don't even have anyone to point at that who could do it a lot better. Stu himself could do it a lot better if anyone bothered to tell him he doesn't have to pretend to be a baritone.
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It's really his live performance that bothers me most. On the albums he's alright. Sometimes he still sounds silly, like when he goes high on Great Heathen Army. In that Dracula clip I posted, he sounded pretty good during the intro. Very little Barlowing. I just don't understand how Jon can hear him live and still think he's great. Especially after reading an interview back in 2004 on Barlow's departure, saying how awful he sounded on The Glorious Burden.
I'll give Stu credit where it's due though. He made Jon's heart grow 3 sizes.
Here's the interview. He's so angry here:
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earth-s-schaffer-matt-barlow-wasn-t-comfortable-playing-the-rock-star-role/
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That interview reads as him shit-talking someone who decided to leave him. "Until yesterday I was happy to be with my wife but now I gotta tell you she's UGLY. and FAT. and LAZY." :lol His opinions on how things should sound change with the wind anyway, and as he changes his opinions about the person, so does his opinion about the person's performance change. It's how Ripper went from the voice he hears in his head when he writes songs to "it never would have worked anyway". If Stu wakes up from his permanent high to offer a contrary opinion he'll be gone and lambasted in interviews too.
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Here's the interview. He's so angry here:
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earth-s-schaffer-matt-barlow-wasn-t-comfortable-playing-the-rock-star-role/
I remember that interview, and maybe at the time it made sense, but yeah, he's so angry and bitter. He probably took it all out on Larry Tarnowski and he ended up being collateral damage :P
"Damn, this whole situation sucks, Matt's leaving, the music business is grueling.... you know what? Larry, you just play solos anyway, GTFO as well" :biggrin:
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That interview reads as him shit-talking someone who decided to leave him. "Until yesterday I was happy to be with my wife but now I gotta tell you she's UGLY. and FAT. and LAZY." :lol His opinions on how things should sound change with the wind anyway, and as he changes his opinions about the person, so does his opinion about the person's performance change. It's how Ripper went from the voice he hears in his head when he writes songs to "it never would have worked anyway". If Stu wakes up from his permanent high to offer a contrary opinion he'll be gone and lambasted in interviews too.
Yeah, you're 100% correct. Although like I said, Stu brought out Jon's inner child, and he's been all smiles for years. I never understood the Ripper thing though. Using Dracula again, Ripper sounds great during the high parts, but he's off during the intro and can't convey the emotion. So during recording for that song, he had Ripper in his head, and Matt sang it his way, so he didn't get the sound he wanted. Also, Phantom Opera Ghost must have sounded really funny in his head.
He also said Matt never wrote vocal melodies. How can someone write lyrics without having vocal melodies? I guess John Myung does this too. On Pyramaze's Immortal, Matt wrote all the vocal melodies. This doesn't make sense to me. The lyricist in Pyramaze wrote all those lyrics without any melodies in mind, or were they completely different?
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So I decided to give Dystopia another shot, considering I've bought the album FIVE FUCKING TIMES (I finally got the sticker though) and I have to say... My opinion hasn't change a whole lot. The riffs are largely uninspired, as are the drums, which sound lifeless. Boiling Point is still silly, but not as bad as Days of Rage. I still don't understand how Equilibrium's vocal melodies slipped past Jon, as the verses are basically Anthem's but sped up. Positives: I actually think Stu sounds his best (in Iced Earth) on this album. I criticized him a lot when it came out for his Barlowisms, but he's honestly gotten worse, although the albums have gotten better. Dystopia. Anguish of Youth, V, Dark City, Soylent Green, Iron Will, and Tragedy and Triumph are all good songs. Days of Rage is horrible, Anthem is just OK, as is End of innocence, and Equilibrium is Eh. Aside from the verses, I forgot what it sounded like. It's still at the bottom of the catalog, with Crucible still beating it out. Too bad there aren't any live versions to choose over the sterile studio versions. Yes, I'm aware of Live in Ancient Kourion. It's terrible, and not just because of Stu. Jon may like playing on tempo, but live it sounds slower, and they muted the crowd!
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Better late than never - I finally saw the whole Wacken show in streaming.
Whoah! amazing! it was great and energetic from start to finish, and it helped to have a lot of songs played back to back (Hansi never does this with Blind Guardian, it's a bit of a drag to have introduction - song, introduction - song, introduction - song, without exceptions). Nice selection of tunes, good job from the backing vocalists which surely helped, and of course the atmosphere of Wacken and all the pyros were great!
Now I regret not having seen them, not that they came by my nation anyway.....
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I hope that Wacken show gets a release, it might have been the best of their tour. I mean, I didn't watch all their concerts or anything but there's little doubt that performance was topped, other than maybe their last show at ProgPower :biggrin:
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Dream Theater is in the Burnt Offerings thanks list.
That is all.
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Burnt Offerings, the album that Jon Schaffer hates but the fans love :lol
I get his point of view, it was a troubled time with issues with the record label (which were lasting since three years) and the drummer if I remember correctly wasn't good and they had to fix 7857 mistakes in the studio but come on, it turned out good. It's not perfect but it's ultra heavy, ultra relentless and the title track is one of my favorite IE songs period (and of course DANTE'S INFERNO, D'uh). It's an angry album written in angry times and it shows. It's not their best but far from the failure that Jon perceives it to be (at least according to his own experience, he acknowledges that many fans like it and he's happy about it).
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Burnt Offerings, the album that Jon Schaffer hates but the fans love :lol
I get his point of view, it was a troubled time with issues with the record label (which were lasting since three years) and the drummer if I remember correctly wasn't good and they had to fix 7857 mistakes in the studio but come on, it turned out good. It's not perfect but it's ultra heavy, ultra relentless and the title track is one of my favorite IE songs period (and of course DANTE'S INFERNO, D'uh). It's an angry album written in angry times and it shows. It's not their best but far from the failure that Jon perceives it to be (at least according to his own experience, he acknowledges that many fans like it and he's happy about it).
I actually think it is one of their best. Jon said he almost quit during that time so I guess the album really just brings bad memories. I can understand that. Certain songs, and even some foods remind me of shitty times.
It's amazing how crappy the drums are on it though. I think it was Dave Abell who brought him in, if I'm remembering the Podcast in Stone episode right. It must have been hell fixing all that for the remix, but you'd never know if you hadn't heard the original.
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I maybe heard the original once, but can't remember much of it. Doubt I listened to all of it.
But on the amazing remixed/whatever version? I love the drumming. Way more than I like how the drumming is nowadays.
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I maybe heard the original once, but can't remember much of it. Doubt I listened to all of it.
But on the amazing remixed/whatever version? I love the drumming. Way more than I like how the drumming is nowadays.
I challenge you to listen to the original. You'd think they rerecorded the drums with a different drummer for the remix.
And yeah, Brent's great, but lacks dynamics. I wish they just kept Mark Prator.
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I maybe heard the original once, but can't remember much of it. Doubt I listened to all of it.
But on the amazing remixed/whatever version? I love the drumming. Way more than I like how the drumming is nowadays.
I challenge you to listen to the original. You'd think they rerecorded the drums with a different drummer for the remix.
And yeah, Brent's great, but lacks dynamics. I wish they just kept Mark Prator.
No way I'm listening to a whole (poorly mixed) album just to hear if something sounds bad. Give me a specific song and I'll check that out. Assuming if I youtube "original .........know what? Send me a link to the song, so I know it's right and I'll check it out.
Then I shall render my decree and it will be final.
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I maybe heard the original once, but can't remember much of it. Doubt I listened to all of it.
But on the amazing remixed/whatever version? I love the drumming. Way more than I like how the drumming is nowadays.
I challenge you to listen to the original. You'd think they rerecorded the drums with a different drummer for the remix.
And yeah, Brent's great, but lacks dynamics. I wish they just kept Mark Prator.
No way I'm listening to a whole (poorly mixed) album just to hear if something sounds bad. Give me a specific song and I'll check that out. Assuming if I youtube "original .........know what? Send me a link to the song, so I know it's right and I'll check it out.
Then I shall render my decree and it will be final.
What's the matter, McFly? Ya chicken?
If I remember correctly, Creator Failure needed the most work.
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https://youtu.be/frMkdkCV2D0 (https://youtu.be/frMkdkCV2D0)
They're back :metal :metal :metal
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That is such an awesome song and video. I'm so excited for this album. Jon and Hansi are two of my favorite musicians of all time and they compliment each other so well musically.
:metal
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Good to see a metal band producing a top notch vid for once. Pretty good song too.
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Good song. Everyone is in top form. After one listen though, it's not better than Crimson King or Heaven Denies.
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I like it, dislike the outro though. With all the lyrics of heaven denies, it has that same drawn out ending after a kick ass metal song. The music video is awesome. Looking forward to this for sure.
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Awesome video, good song, bland chorus that felt more like a bridge (I expect it will grow on me). And yeah, once again a slow outro as a buzzkill for the first song.
Still, we're getting new D&W music, yay!
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I like it, dislike the outro though. With all the lyrics of heaven denies, it has that same drawn out ending after a kick ass metal song. The music video is awesome. Looking forward to this for sure.
Yeah on first listen the outro didn't seem to fit.
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Good song, super excited for the album!
And a surprisingly well made video, they really put effort into this D&W revival.
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Glad to see them back in action. I remember when I heard their debut back in the day, I was blown away how tight and crisp that album was. Mike Prator is a beast!
Great live clip:
Demons & Wizards - 2 Songs - Live at Wacken Open Air 2019 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17BWgBgxB1s)
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I honestly thought it was an AC/DC cover at first.
Midas Disease
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RjVEVU5uP0A&feature=youtu.be
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I honestly thought it was an AC/DC cover at first.
Haha, true!
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I honestly thought it was an AC/DC cover at first.
Midas Disease
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RjVEVU5uP0A&feature=youtu.be
This is...........strange.
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AC/DC at the start and then at 0.40 it morphs into WASP :lol
I don't mind it - certainly not what I would expect from these guys.
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WTF?
Demons & Krokus.
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The pictire of Hansi standing over Jon also just looks wrong. :lol
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Okay, you know what, as long as it's a one-off experiment on the album and the whole album doesn't sound like that, I actually don't mind this at all. Alright hard rock song with good vocals and nice guitar solo. I'm definitely more interested in the new record now, looking forward to what else they've got to offer.
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Okay, you know what, as long as it's a one-off experiment on the album and the whole album doesn't sound like that, I actually don't mind this at all.
Exactly my thoughts.
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Wasn't expecting this, but I like the song! And Hansi sounds great. I hope the album will be varied, this is a good sign, as I don't think we will get a hardrock-ish album as a whole.
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Wasn't expecting this, but I like the song! And Hansi sounds great. I hope the album will be varied, this is a good sign, as I don't think we will get a hardrock-ish album as a whole.
Same here. I like that we're getting some variety and I trust Jon and Hansi to not stay too far from their typical sound.
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We didn't even bother to comment on the third song released, Wolves in Winter :P
Tomorrow is the day! after 15 years, we get a new chapter in D&W's history. III comes out tomorrow! crossed fingers for a kickass record!
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Wolves in Winter is probably my favorite tune of the three singles. It's so catchy and has some killer vocals. I'm excited to hear the full record soon.
Nothing will ever beat the magic that is the first album, but I'm just happy to have some new Demons & Wizards tunes.
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I enjoyed each new track more than the previous one. And each track thus far is different, which I like. Looking forward to tomorrow!
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We didn't even bother to comment on the third song released, Wolves in Winter :P
I didn't find it terribly interesting, that's why I didn't comment. Actually, other than the first single, which was good but sounded too much like Heaven Denies, nothing has stood out. I'll still get the album.
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We didn't even bother to comment on the third song released, Wolves in Winter :P
I didn't find it terribly interesting, that's why I didn't comment. Actually, other than the first single, which was good but sounded too much like Heaven Denies, nothing has stood out. I'll still get the album.
Well, Diabolic is lyrically a direct sequel to Heaven Denies. That type of song is D&W's bread and butter and Heaven Denies is probably one of their most kick-ass songs. So any similarity didn't bother me at all. I love the riffing in Diabolic.
I've seen a few interviews with Jon and Hansi where they stated that their only intent on this album was to put more of the classic rock feel into the band, like Midas Disease's blatant AC/DC homage. Jon actually said he wrote that during the Incorruptible sessions and held onto it. He had a different theme for the lyrics as well, which were about a street fighter. I'm glad that idea was scrapped. :lol
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Diabolic is a good song, no doubt. I don't mind a more classic rock infusion, just didn't love the other two singles so hopefully I connect moreso with the other tracks. It's still Hansi so I'm still very much interested in it.
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I've listened to the album a few times since yesterday and it's a grower. Diabolic and Wolves in Winter are the more immediate songs. I always hope for a bunch of faster songs with galloping riffs and have to get over my initial feelings when those songs aren't there. That's not to say that the songs aren't heavy, they're just not always fast-paced burners like we get on the first album.
There is a ton to absorb still - Hansi is phenominal. Some songs like New Dawn have him singing phrases a lot rougher than his usual layered, majestic choirs. His voice is just so damn good no matter what he sings.
Musically, it's pretty much on par with recent Iced Earth albums, though there are a few acoustic based songs, which Jon seems to reserve for these Demons albums. Many of them feel like Raven Wing from Incorruptible - a clean intro, with mid-tempo heavy sections that are catchy and just groove along. In one recent interview that I saw, Jon was explaining how he wrote that song in one night and it came to be the most popular song on the album. So maybe he's trying to emulate that type of song a bit more since it was so popular. Split has some really fast riffing in sections, but it doesn't keep the afterburners on throughout the song, though it feels a bit more like the darker Iced Earth of old (some of the riffing is reminiscent of stuff on Burnt Offerings).
Overall, I think it's a great record and I find more to like with each listen The first album is absolutely magical for me and I've recently enjoyed the second a lot more than I had in years past. This one feels like it fits right in.
Initial favorites: Diabolic, Wolves in Winter, New Dawn (I CLEANSE IT WITH FIIIIIRE :metal), Split, Children of Cain
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I haven't had a solid uninterrupted listen, but I didnt really like what I've heard so far. One song has a riff from Dystopia. V I think the riff is from. The melodies didn't stand out, and neither did the music. Pretty disappointed so far.
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This is a plain bad album imo. Not terrible, but not good. Just bad. Not one memorable vocal melody or hook, Jon Schaffer playing the same boring riff for most of the record, and a bunch of slow clean stuff that is not what I expect from Demons & Wizards - and even then it was done better on the earlier records. I was holding out hope after the three singles disappointed me but this is just weak. I haven't been this disappointed in an album by musicians I deeply admire since Rhapsody of Fire's last record. Boring lyrics, boring performances, boring album. That "classic rock" direction was a mistake imo, after hearing this.
This isn't as bad as Iced Earth's Plagues of Babylon, but it's not even in the same ballpark as Dystopia or Incorruptible to me. At least those records had a few great songs I still listen to.
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Jon Schaffer playing the same boring riff for most of the record, and a bunch of slow clean stuff that is not what I expect from Demons & Wizards - and even then it was done better on the earlier records.
I think there are plenty of great vocals from Hansi, but I can agree with the statement about Jon (my comment about a bunch of the songs reminding me of Raven Wing).
It took me several listens to get past that sentiment. I'm hearing some stuff that I really dig, whether it's a riff here or there, or the acoustic stuff, since he doesn't put a lot of that into Iced Earth.
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I remember one song - Dark Side of Her Majesty, I believe - having some better vocals from Hansi, but man, after every song was finished, I couldn't sing back a single melodic idea.
It's nice to hear Schaffer do the acoustic clean stuff, I agree. I just wish the musical ideas were more compelling. Just sound kinda bog standard string riffing outlining the chordal tones for that given bar, there's no emphasis on a clear melodic idea which I find boring. :(
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On my second listen to the record this morning. I really dig it. Time will tell if it all sticks with me, but it was memorable enough to me that I told the Mrs. she should absolutely rip my CD because it sounds like something she'd be into.
Interesting responses from you all. I mean, I knew of Demons & Wizards, and I have the first album - admittedly not as familiar with it as the Iced Earth stuff. But I dug III on first listen, and nothing in my second listen has changed that.
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Gave it some spins. It's a grower for sure, and it's not immediate like the other ones. Definitively they did what they wanted to do, rather than aiming for a "commercial hit".
Diabolic is quite good in the end, it bookends Heaven Denies with the long outro, but it's a solid song. Invincible is unusual but pretty good, and Wolves in Winter is a fine heavy track.
Timeless Spirit kinda goes on and on, it's quite simple for being 9 minutes long... same for Children of Cain, it's quite a good song but it's hard to decipher, there's no momentum, no climax, it goes on and on and on and a certain point it ends. Some great moments here and there for sure, though.
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Second listen was better with headphones. Blown speakers in the car plus windows open really does a number on the listening experience. Still, Diabolic is the best, most memorable song. Midas Desease is memorable in a bad way. Other songs were alright, but I doubt I'll spin this one that often. The debut took years to grow, so maybe it'll be the same for this one, but for now, this gets a 4 out of 10.
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I saw this instore on the weekend and picked it up. Only 4 songs in but don't know what to think. It sounds a bit different for D&W, definitely smells more of later day IE. Hansi sounds amazing though. Sounds like the rest of the album won't pick up any momentum but we'll see.
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I saw this instore on the weekend and picked it up. Only 4 songs in but don't know what to think. It sounds a bit different for D&W, definitely smells more of later day IE. Hansi sounds amazing though. Sounds like the rest of the album won't pick up any momentum but we'll see.
It's a grower, give it some time.
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I saw this instore on the weekend and picked it up. Only 4 songs in but don't know what to think. It sounds a bit different for D&W, definitely smells more of later day IE. Hansi sounds amazing though. Sounds like the rest of the album won't pick up any momentum but we'll see.
It's a grower, give it some time.
Yeah, spending 20 bucks on it will make me give it everything I have. :lol
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After a full listen I'm not sure what to think. It's a pretty safe album and it's clear that Hansi and Jon were going for something a bit more simple and a different direction. It definitely needs a few listens I think. Can't recall any standouts but Diabolic is the best song here I think. I actually liked Timeless Spirit a lot even though it's Schaffer by numbers. Universal Truth seems like it could be a good one also. Was disappointed with Children of Cain.
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Children of Cain is a weird epic, it kinda drags, with the momentum building up only in the middle. It has some excellent vocal passages however, such as when toward the end Hansi sings "Dismiss the illusion, all mercy's denied; the mark's set upon you, you're no son of mine", and the following "Father, OOOH FATHER". With time it will grow.
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Children of Cain is a weird epic, it kinda drags, with the momentum building up only in the middle. It has some excellent vocal passages however, such as when toward the end Hansi sings "Dismiss the illusion, all mercy's denied; the mark's set upon you, you're no son of mine", and the following "Father, OOOH FATHER". With time it will grow.
They had a good opportunity around the 4 minute mark to keep it going with the momentum and get into a really big epic mid section but it stops early and just fades into the rest of the song. I find it strange.
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Hansi's screams on this record sound like he smoked a pack of reds before each recording session. No me gusta
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Jon's new project: Jon Schaffer's Wicked Words & Epic Tales:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/icedearth/jon-schaffers-wicked-words-and-epic-tales?fbclid=IwAR258ptqisuzPTzRq9JzvDSc3cH8Pg-4ntIsTQQySHOppbDs3KV21zLOYRA
The presentation is fantastic and I'm really excited about this thing, especially the limited CD with reimagined songs. So much so that I actually pledged to my first crowdfunding campaign ever. It's not really set up in the same manner as others, where higher tiers receive the rewards of lower tiers (so some options get shirts, some get their name in the book, but you can't get additional rewards). It's expensive, but the book should be worth it. I wanted my name in the thank you list, but paying an extra $75 for that to happen is too much money.
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Strongly considering jumping in on this.
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So I didn't love the singles and the reviews here were fairly meh on D&W's III, but I had an itch to listen to something new this week so finally picked it up. Gave my first listen at work Tuesday and was really surprised how much I enjoyed it. It didn't blow me away, but on first listen, I totally dug it. Now I'm back at work and almost done with my second play through and I'm feeling good about this. I like it. I'll need more listens to really figure out what I like about it and which songs are my favorites, but I'm a bit shocked considering my previous feelings. Or maybe I just needed some Hansi in my life :metal
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Lyric Video for Dracula (A Narrative Soundscape): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh170RUQuO8&feature=emb_title
Musicially, it has the same intro, but the main portion of the song has been reimagined into what resembles a film score, with the orchestration carrying the melody of what would normally be the guitars throughout the song. The vocals are Jon's spoken word performance of the lyrics, and though it's devoid of the original vocal melodies, he certainly enunciates and emotes within the performance.
Ultimately, this isn't an Iced Earth project, it's a solo project to highlight Jon's lyrics via special art and a special musical companion. So don't go into it thinking that it's a full-on Iced Earth re-recording of the song. I think it's rather cool and very unique - and can't wait to hear the rest of the reimagined songs.
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So during the recent Facebook chat, Jon talked a bunch of conspiracy theory nonsense, his book, and the 30th Anniversary of the debut and it getting another remix, this time by Zeuss. There's also a surprise coming in a few weeks.
My favorite guitarist is a tinfoil hat wearing nut job, and I'm worried for his safety.
Also, Iced Earth is on hold because all the members are from different countries.
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I hope Stu hasn't redone the vocals on the debut. :lol A remix I wouldn't mind hearing though. Never had an issue with the album though.
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I hope Stu hasn't redone the vocals on the debut. :lol A remix I wouldn't mind hearing though. Never had an issue with the album though.
I think he briefly mentioned the re-recordings, and basically said that's dead in the water. The Covid bullshit screwed everything up, so after the book, the remix, and whatever surprise in a few weeks, he's taking another vacation. But not Arizona this time, because Arizona doesn't believe in the constitution or something along those lines.
I like Incorruptible, but not so much the mix. The 2002 version of the debut sounds just fine, so I'm not sure how it can be improved upon. Oh, I think he said he's doing both the debut and Stormrider since the release dates were so close. I'm hoping he uses the original files and NOT the chopped up 2002 versions as a base.
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I don't follow Jon's personal stuff, but have read some of the stuff he believes in and it seemed pretty nuts, some of it actually offensive in my view. I love his work though, but I don't think I would align with him on a personal level at all.
That book thing he is doing is amazing btw, not enough of an Iced Earth fan to jump in, but it really seems like he is doing the cool concept justice.
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Jon isn't the only known musician with some crazy conspiracy theories (I don't follow him closely to know what his are, but just heard others say similar). Billy Corgan and Tom DeLonge come to.mind
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So during the recent Facebook chat, Jon talked a bunch of conspiracy theory nonsense, his book, and the 30th Anniversary of the debut and it getting another remix, this time by Zeuss. There's also a surprise coming in a few weeks.
My favorite guitarist is a tinfoil hat wearing nut job, and I'm worried for his safety.
Also, Iced Earth is on hold because all the members are from different countries.
He was interviewed by MetalSucks.com and kept bringing up conspiracies and when he was very passively challenged on it got very indignant and said he thought he was going to interviewed about his book. He then blathered on and when challenged again, very passively i might add, got agitated and said he didn't want to talk about it. He then brought up more conspiracies and...well, you see where this is going.
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So during the recent Facebook chat, Jon talked a bunch of conspiracy theory nonsense, his book, and the 30th Anniversary of the debut and it getting another remix, this time by Zeuss. There's also a surprise coming in a few weeks.
My favorite guitarist is a tinfoil hat wearing nut job, and I'm worried for his safety.
Also, Iced Earth is on hold because all the members are from different countries.
He was interviewed by MetalSucks.com and kept bringing up conspiracies and when he was very passively challenged on it got very indignant and said he thought he was going to interviewed about his book. He then blathered on and when challenged again, very passively i might add, got agitated and said he didn't want to talk about it. He then brought up more conspiracies and...well, you see where this is going.
I listened to that same interview. It was the host that kept baiting him. Jon is very passionate, so when the host starts bringing up the COVID conspiracies, of course Jon is gonna start ranting. He stopped himself several times because he was there to promote his book. The host was kind of a douche, and wasn't all that interested in the book.
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It's hard to support Iced Earth, honestly.
The first Iced Earth album I bought was Horrorshow, and it came with a companion interview disc. I remember thinking, this guy is a total asshole.
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It's hard to support Iced Earth, honestly.
The first Iced Earth album I bought was Horrorshow, and it came with a companion interview disc. I remember thinking, this guy is a total asshole.
Honestly, he kinda was for a long time. After Stu joined though, his heart grew 3 sizes. Unfortunately that's also when he had his "awakening". But he's been much more inclusionary with the other band members since Dystopia. I think he's kind of like Portnoy in that he doesn't have a filter, and he's just going to speak his mind. He's pretty much made that clear in the facebook chat. He doesn't care if his crazy wackadoo beliefs offend anyone.
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It's hard to support Iced Earth, honestly.
The first Iced Earth album I bought was Horrorshow, and it came with a companion interview disc. I remember thinking, this guy is a total asshole.
I've had that 2cd version for years but I've never listened to that interview disc.
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It's hard to support Iced Earth, honestly.
The first Iced Earth album I bought was Horrorshow, and it came with a companion interview disc. I remember thinking, this guy is a total asshole.
I've had that 2cd version for years but I've never listened to that interview disc.
He slept in abandoned houses when he was 18. The end. I've listened to it twice and that's all I remember from it.
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I remember two things.
1. The guy was a dick.
2. The interview was done by Summit Chandra. And in the early days of me having the internet, he also traveled along Iron Maiden's reunion Ed Hunter tour posting show reviews.
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It's hard to support Iced Earth, honestly.
The first Iced Earth album I bought was Horrorshow, and it came with a companion interview disc. I remember thinking, this guy is a total asshole.
I've had that 2cd version for years but I've never listened to that interview disc.
He slept in abandoned houses when he was 18. The end. I've listened to it twice and that's all I remember from it.
One listen wasn't enough?
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It's hard to support Iced Earth, honestly.
The first Iced Earth album I bought was Horrorshow, and it came with a companion interview disc. I remember thinking, this guy is a total asshole.
I've had that 2cd version for years but I've never listened to that interview disc.
He slept in abandoned houses when he was 18. The end. I've listened to it twice and that's all I remember from it.
One listen wasn't enough?
They were years apart. You've never listened to an interview/lecture/presentation more than once?
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It's hard to support Iced Earth, honestly.
The first Iced Earth album I bought was Horrorshow, and it came with a companion interview disc. I remember thinking, this guy is a total asshole.
I've had that 2cd version for years but I've never listened to that interview disc.
He slept in abandoned houses when he was 18. The end. I've listened to it twice and that's all I remember from it.
One listen wasn't enough?
They were years apart. You've never listened to an interview/lecture/presentation more than once?
Far enough then. I don't think I've ever listened to a musicians interview more than once.
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Why the first album should have a remix again? I have the Dark Genesis boxset and the remix (or it was a remaster?) on all the first three albums is excellent, in my limited exploration of remixes I'd say that, at least in heavy metal, those are by far the best ones where the difference is clear as night and day, and there's no need for any further tinkering.
About Jon... he's always made it clear that he has an altar where he worships Steve Harris and he's always been brutally honest about having a vision for the band and taking no prisoners in aiming for it. As it has been said, he has no filter like Portnoy, but maybe he's just a meaner than Mike (For all the bad rep Mike got for his online comments, his personality first and foremost as a music lover with tons of knowledge always shines through).
It's all a matter of personality and being your own filter I guess, Bosk said more than once that Petrucci has strong opinions and he's probably a firm leader like anyone else, but he always comes across as a nice and humble guy. Which I'm quite sure he is anyway, but I don't think we will ever see him (or read about it on the internet) blatantly in "I am the boss" mode, because even if he is, he's able to keep it hidden.
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So during the recent Facebook chat, Jon talked a bunch of conspiracy theory nonsense, his book, and the 30th Anniversary of the debut and it getting another remix, this time by Zeuss. There's also a surprise coming in a few weeks.
My favorite guitarist is a tinfoil hat wearing nut job, and I'm worried for his safety.
Also, Iced Earth is on hold because all the members are from different countries.
He was interviewed by MetalSucks.com and kept bringing up conspiracies and when he was very passively challenged on it got very indignant and said he thought he was going to interviewed about his book. He then blathered on and when challenged again, very passively i might add, got agitated and said he didn't want to talk about it. He then brought up more conspiracies and...well, you see where this is going.
I listened to that same interview. It was the host that kept baiting him. Jon is very passionate, so when the host starts bringing up the COVID conspiracies, of course Jon is gonna start ranting. He stopped himself several times because he was there to promote his book. The host was kind of a douche, and wasn't all that interested in the book.
Baiting? I dont know if asking very basic questions is baiting. In fact, the interviewer hardly challenged his views at first and when he did he wasnt very forceful. Jon took any question very badly. It's hard to support Iced Earth, honestly.
The first Iced Earth album I bought was Horrorshow, and it came with a companion interview disc. I remember thinking, this guy is a total asshole.
I've had that 2cd version for years but I've never listened to that interview disc.
He slept in abandoned houses when he was 18. The end. I've listened to it twice and that's all I remember from it.
Haha. The abandoned cars thing was basically every interview. I also remember him saying he supported george bush because he supports anybody that's a hard worker.
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Baiting? I dont know if asking very basic questions is baiting. In fact, the interviewer hardly challenged his views at first and when he did he wasnt very forceful. Jon took any question very badly.
I agree with that. The interview was titled something like "at home in quarantine," so of course the interviewer is going to ask some questions about the world situation and what Jon is doing to bide his time. I really commend the interviewer for trying to get Jon to expand on his thoughts. Jon would just say "well you're gonna see what happens soon," like he has some advanced knowledge, touting his knowledge of studying our government via reading a bunch of books. When he was asked to further explain what he thought would happen, Jon avoided the question all together and kept insisting that we would see what happens soon. I thought it made him look crazy.
I just wish Jon would stop talking about politics. His live chat back in April was similar, complaining about the stay at home orders and government conspiracies.
Either way, I will always love his music and am excited for the book. He did say that there was a good chance at some new Purgatory music as well.
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Baiting? I dont know if asking very basic questions is baiting. In fact, the interviewer hardly challenged his views at first and when he did he wasnt very forceful. Jon took any question very badly.
I agree with that. The interview was titled something like "at home in quarantine," so of course the interviewer is going to ask some questions about the world situation and what Jon is doing to bide his time. I really commend the interviewer for trying to get Jon to expand on his thoughts. Jon would just say "well you're gonna see what happens soon," like he has some advanced knowledge, touting his knowledge of studying our government via reading a bunch of books. When he was asked to further explain what he thought would happen, Jon avoided the question all together and kept insisting that we would see what happens soon. I thought it made him look crazy.
I just wish Jon would stop talking about politics. His live chat back in April was similar, complaining about the stay at home orders and government conspiracies.
Either way, I will always love his music and am excited for the book. He did say that there was a good chance at some new Purgatory music as well.
I guess that sounds closer to what happened. The interviewer was still an arrogant twat.
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Baiting? I dont know if asking very basic questions is baiting. In fact, the interviewer hardly challenged his views at first and when he did he wasnt very forceful. Jon took any question very badly.
I agree with that. The interview was titled something like "at home in quarantine," so of course the interviewer is going to ask some questions about the world situation and what Jon is doing to bide his time. I really commend the interviewer for trying to get Jon to expand on his thoughts. Jon would just say "well you're gonna see what happens soon," like he has some advanced knowledge, touting his knowledge of studying our government via reading a bunch of books. When he was asked to further explain what he thought would happen, Jon avoided the question all together and kept insisting that we would see what happens soon. I thought it made him look crazy.
I just wish Jon would stop talking about politics. His live chat back in April was similar, complaining about the stay at home orders and government conspiracies.
Either way, I will always love his music and am excited for the book. He did say that there was a good chance at some new Purgatory music as well.
I try not to let my personal feelings get in the way of liking a band, but it is hard with Iced Earth. I gave up on them but finally got their latest albums and was pleasantly surprised. I don't go back and listen to them much though. I actually don't really dig Stu Block in a live setting. Sure he can hit the notes but that thin over the top vibrato things is too much. He sounds great from the studio though. I would love some new Purgatory. I dig Gene Adam's voice.
Also that whole "You're gonna see what happens soon" with the crazy eyes sounded vaguely threatening.
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"You're gonna see what happens soon" => Anything happens => Oh, I told you!
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"You're gonna see what happens soon" => Anything happens => Oh, I told you!
:lol
Except, if he is that deadly accurate, does that mean he's actually a member of the deep state? Is Jon Schaffer the creature from Jeckyll Island?
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I've never followed Jon and any interviews, what sort of shit is he into?
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I've never followed Jon and any interviews, what sort of shit is he into?
Alex Jones conspiracy theory BS. The government wants to control us through face masks and vaccines. I think he thinks the eventual COVID vaccine will have a microchip in it or something. Then there's the federal reserve. Basically, government is evil. The civil war wasn't fought over slavery, yadyyada.
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I've never followed Jon and any interviews, what sort of shit is he into?
Alex Jones conspiracy theory BS. The government wants to control us through face masks and vaccines. I think he thinks the eventual COVID vaccine will have a microchip in it or something. Then there's the federal reserve. Basically, government is evil. The civil war wasn't fought over slavery, yadyyada.
Yeah nice. I don't think I'll delve into that with him. :lol
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Jon has always been a bit... out there, but now he's apparently gone off the deep end.
"People die all the time"? WTF Jon?
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Jon has always been a bit... out there, but now he's apparently gone off the deep end.
"People die all the time"? WTF Jon?
Did he say that after 9/11? Nope. He wrote a song called When the Eagle Cries and that got whiny when MTV wouldn't play the video and implored all of us to write to Bill O'Reilly to draw attention to it.
I was at the height of my Iced Earth fandom at the time and I was like, "Dude. MTV isn't going to play your video because they don't play any videos of heavy bands let alone Iced Earth."
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I'm very fortunate I can just listen to their music and not care about being crazy dicks.
Granted, I wish I liked their music with Stu more, but at least I got their older albums!
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I'm very fortunate I can just listen to their music and not care about being crazy dicks.
Granted, I wish I liked their music with Stu more, but at least I got their older albums!
Yeah, I still can't really get into Stu but have accepted that fact. I didn't mind him on Incorruptible though.
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I've never followed Jon and any interviews, what sort of shit is he into?
Alex Jones conspiracy theory BS. The government wants to control us through face masks and vaccines. I think he thinks the eventual COVID vaccine will have a microchip in it or something. Then there's the federal reserve. Basically, government is evil. The civil war wasn't fought over slavery, yadyyada.
Yeah nice. I don't think I'll delve into that with him. :lol
Ah, that crazy part of America. Seems the further south you go the crazier the people get. With exceptions of course :biggrin:
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Schaffer/Barlow Christmas EP
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/icedearth/schaffer-barlow-project
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$20 for an EP is fine with me if it has Jon and Matt back together again! :metal He really seems to have embraced this Kickstarter stuff.
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Might back it, they also state they are open to visiting other works in the future, sounds good to me.
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It's already reached double the goal. That's pretty damn impressive.
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Am I the only one who really couldn't give a shit about this?
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Am I the only one who really couldn't give a shit about this?
I give a shit about anything that comes out of Matt Barlow's mouth.
When he's in front of a microphone, I mean.
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I mean a, Christmas EP? No thanks.
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Am I the only one who really couldn't give a shit about this?
:metal
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Am I the only one who really couldn't give a shit about this?
:metal
:metal
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Am I the only one who really couldn't give a shit about this?
I mean, I do in the sense that I think its vomit inducing.
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A bunch of people on Facebook that I know are pitching a fit over this for so many ridiculous reasons and I'm over here rolling my eyes at people seriously acting like this is the worst/dumbest thing ever and they're all upset that they have 'the nerve' to ask for $15k for 7 songs. Like... okay? :|
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A bunch of people on Facebook that I know are pitching a fit over this for so many ridiculous reasons and I'm over here rolling my eyes at people seriously acting like this is the worst/dumbest thing ever and they're all upset that they have 'the nerve' to ask for $15k for 7 songs. Like... okay? :|
When you pledge you get a cd right? This isn't like they are asking for that amount of money to get started then you need to pay for the cd. What's so different to going and buying it in a cd store?
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A bunch of people on Facebook that I know are pitching a fit over this for so many ridiculous reasons and I'm over here rolling my eyes at people seriously acting like this is the worst/dumbest thing ever and they're all upset that they have 'the nerve' to ask for $15k for 7 songs. Like... okay? :|
When you pledge you get a cd right? This isn't like they are asking for that amount of money to get started then you need to pay for the cd. What's so different to going and buying it in a cd store?
If you donate $5 or $10, you don't get a reward. If you donate $15, you get a digital download. For $20 you get a physical edition of the EP. Which is steep to me, especially for a 7 song set of Christmas covers. But, it's not THAT steep, and if you're a fan of Barlow and Schaffer, that's probably totally fine. Unless you're rabidly into hating this like some people are, mostly because they like attacking Jon for being a loon, but that's not even relevant
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A bunch of people on Facebook that I know are pitching a fit over this for so many ridiculous reasons and I'm over here rolling my eyes at people seriously acting like this is the worst/dumbest thing ever and they're all upset that they have 'the nerve' to ask for $15k for 7 songs. Like... okay? :|
When you pledge you get a cd right? This isn't like they are asking for that amount of money to get started then you need to pay for the cd. What's so different to going and buying it in a cd store?
If you donate $5 or $10, you don't get a reward. If you donate $15, you get a digital download. For $20 you get a physical edition of the EP. Which is steep to me, especially for a 7 song set of Christmas covers. But, it's not THAT steep, and if you're a fan of Barlow and Schaffer, that's probably totally fine. Unless you're rabidly into hating this like some people are, mostly because they like attacking Jon for being a loon, but that's not even relevant
No way I'd donate for nothing but say this was a new metal EP or something from both of them, I'd pay 15 bucks, no problem. The content of it makes it questionable but if you don't like it, don't give them money, it's pretty simple.
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Am I the only one who really couldn't give a shit about this?
I mean, I do in the sense that I think its vomit inducing.
I good, I thought I was the only one.
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You also get the CD signed. And I'd imagine the covers are of the metal genre. Even if I only listen once every blue moon like Tribute to the Gods, I'd still get more use out of it than the book which I'd probably only look at every bright florescent pink moon.
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Yea I don't really see anything wrong with this, if you are a fan you will "donate" and get your moneys worth IMO (well, if the music is any good but that's going to be the case for anything music related).
Having said that, I have no interest, but for those who do, that's cool. If you picked some musicians I really liked and set up similar, I might be on board.
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On a totally random note, someone on Reddit said / claimed to be General Lee's grand grand how-many-grand-it-takes daughter and I suggested her to listen to Gettysburg :metal
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Just saw the news on the Barlow/Schaffer Project. Is it wrong that this is what popped into my head?
Brothers and Sisters! I'm going to need to hear all of your voices on this next one. Sing it loud! Let me here you!
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas (Come on, I can't hear you!)
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
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I saw on blabbermouth that Casey Grillo is going to play drums on the new EP. That's kind of cool, I got a picture with him back before covid ruined 2020 when he played locally with Queensryche since I was wearing a Kamelot shirt.
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The debut may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this new remix and remaster sounds really good. They didn't take anything out of the mix this time, so I'm excited for Night of the Stormrider's eventual re-release.
Written on the Walls
https://youtu.be/t6UD3VoqiAo
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The debut may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this new remix and remaster sounds really good. They didn't take anything out of the mix this time, so I'm excited for Night of the Stormrider's eventual re-release.
Written on the Walls
https://youtu.be/t6UD3VoqiAo
Not bad.
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I think the Dark Saga boxset already fixed everything that there was to fix with the original recordings, but this sounds good indeed.
I suppose Schaffer didn't feel like pulling a Sharon Osbourne and have Stu singing over the original recordings :D but after all the original vocals fit in line anyway with the style so it's all good.
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I feel like John Schaefer is becoming the George Lucas of metal music.
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Am I imagining things or does the Winter Nights version of I Died For You have the same music as a song from D&W III?
EDIT: Yeah, It's Timeless Spirit.
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I love this version of I Died For You. I think Matt did something similar a number of months ago n his facebook page, as he called it a "cowboy version" of the song.
I need to spend some more time listening to the EP - I got the files last week, but just haven't been up to listening to Christmas music. I found it really cool to see my name in the digital booklet though. I sure as hell wasn't going to pay extra to put my name in Jon's book, but at least they threw that it on the EP.
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The debut may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this new remix and remaster sounds really good. They didn't take anything out of the mix this time, so I'm excited for Night of the Stormrider's eventual re-release.
Written on the Walls
https://youtu.be/t6UD3VoqiAo
Wow, that's excellent! :metal
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I've been listening again to the band's first albums, mainly Burnt Offerings and Stormrider..I forgot how much I used to love this band. Looking back I'm amazed by Schaffer and Shawver's writting, mainly Schaffer's..They through many intriguing elements into their songs, really good staff! :metal
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The 30th Anniversary debut remix sounds great and fully intact. No chopping or omitting like the 2002 remix. Can't wait to add it to the collection.
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This new remix of the debut record smokes! :metal I miss hearing those gallops so much.
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Recognize anybody?
Yes, that's him.
(https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/01/06/gettyimages-1230455089_custom-44987009c8a8ba07ac0ea912c9fd8bf07a13542d.jpg)
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What kind of protest is that?
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I have three CDs to put in the trash then. Haven’t listened to those in years anyway, so they’ll hardly be missed. What a moron.
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I'll still listen to a love the pre-Stu IE albums. I guess it's fortunate that I don't really like their music for the last few years anyway.
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What kind of protest is that?
Is this a joke? :lol
He was in the capitol, apparently. It’s on a lot of the metal news websites.
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What kind of protest is that?
Oh just a lovely day over here in the US :lol
I'm not really shocked, but pretty fucking bummed to see someone I actually met and have a signed ticket stub from actually there. What a sad day in American history and to see this guy is apart of it. No mask either which is actually the least offensive thing about what he's doing.
What kind of protest is that?
Is this a joke? :lol
He was in the capitol, apparently. It’s on a lot of the metal news websites.
Wolf is an Aussie, maybe just waking up? :lol
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What kind of protest is that?
Is this a joke? :lol
He was in the capitol, apparently. It’s on a lot of the metal news websites.
Hey mate, it's not a joke. I'm indeed an Aussie and don't really follow shit on what's going on over there, apologies. it's alright, I'll do some goggling.
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I'll do some goggling.
(https://static.greatbigcanvas.com/images/singlecanvas_thick_none/getty-images/chihuahua-wearing-goggles,1079896.jpg)
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What kind of protest is that?
Is this a joke? :lol
He was in the capitol, apparently. It’s on a lot of the metal news websites.
Hey mate, it's not a joke. I'm indeed an Aussie and don't really follow shit on what's going on over there, apologies. it's alright, I'll do some goggling.
Just google "What...." and it should fill in the rest accurately.
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Hmmm....I see it's pick on the Aussie day. :lol
Alright, Trump supportor, violent protests, got it.
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Hmmm....I see it's pick on the Aussie day. :lol
Alright, Trump supportor, violent protests, got it.
Get Blob back and you can share the brunt of it.
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So, this is how Tim feels everyday on here!? :lol
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Who's Tim?
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Who's Tim?
Oh, just this guy that we give shit to everyday for refusing to leave the 1980's.
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Jeez, reading more about it, these people are fucked. Disappointing that a musician we love would be involved in this shit.
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(https://i.imgflip.com/4suftv.jpg)
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Okay, what the hell does that hat say!?
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What a damn fool, but I already knew that when I read his takes on certain subject years back.
Also, will this get punished (meaning no more/less IE)? Breaching the federal government seems serious. Because he is in the Capitol building there, right?
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Okay, what the hell does that hat say!?
Googling Keepers (what I can read) and Trump led me to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_Keepers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_Keepers)
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Okay, what the hell does that hat say!?
Googling Keepers (what I can read) and Trump led me to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_Keepers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_Keepers)
That looks on the money mate.
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Yikes!
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Okay, what the hell does that hat say!?
Googling Keepers (what I can read) and Trump led me to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_Keepers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_Keepers)
Thank you!
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This picture surfaced in the Podcast in Stone group earlier, which is where I saw it, before it was deleted and before some of the metal news sites picked it up. I wasn't going to be the one to share it around online and am still trying to figure out how I feel.
They're my favorite band and I'm not unaware of Jon's political leanings - I have the Sons of Liberty album and EP. I don't really listen to them at all anymore. At times, his beliefs bother me enough to not want to listen to the band, like last year when Jon went on his pandemic conspiracy rants. Other times (like over the last 2 weeks), I binge on the band's albums and remember why i love them so much.
This is so disappointing to me to see him partake in such a dumb thing. The guy has been waiting for a reason to go 1776 on the government, and here it is on a silver platter. He's such an idiot - he's a famous person who was now caught on camera. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he gets arrested. He claims to be so smart and educated, yet goes and does the dumbest thing ever, breaking and entering into the US capitol.
:facepalm:
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I actually saw that picture from a news article and thought, "Holy shit is that who I think it is?" I quickly googled some pictures of him to match up the earrings. I also seemed to remember him wearing an Oath Keepers hat too in a past interview. I messaged my old friend who I met Iced Earth with that I unfortunately rarely talk to anymore and who literally just texted me yesterday for the first time in at least half a year to ask if I heard about their Christmas album. We briefly chatted.
Then I saw this had already been posted at metalsucks.net
Fucking surreal.
Also I'm assuming he is lashing out at the police on the other side of that photographer. His brother in law, Matt Barlow, is a police officer. WTF?
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... What the fuck, Jon? What the fuck?
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God, this is so unsurprising to see... and yet it's still so incredibly disappointing to see too. What the actual hell, Jon?
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I hope he has a day job...
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I hope he has a day job...
Yeah, this is a career suicide! What a damn shame.
I have to wonder if Hansi Kurch decides to axe Demons & Wizards over this..
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No chance of Barlow ever rejoining then I guess? Jk
I wonder if IE's record label would have anything to say about this, even boot the band.
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Yeah, I guess it's a good thing Iced Earth hasn't done anything I enjoy in a while so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.
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Yeah, I guess it's a good thing Iced Earth hasn't done anything I enjoy in a while so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.
This is a shame really as the last one I found really good.
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No chance of Barlow ever rejoining then I guess? Jk
I wonder if IE's record label would have anything to say about this, even boot the band.
I'm actually wondering how this impacts the relations with the other band mates. Jake Dreyer especially, considering that Jon produced the upcoming Witherfall album.
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No chance of Barlow ever rejoining then I guess? Jk
I wonder if IE's record label would have anything to say about this, even boot the band.
I'm actually wondering how this impacts the relations with the other band mates. Jake Dreyer especially, considering that Jon produced the upcoming Witherfall album.
Potentially could be massive ramifications from all angles really.
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This puts Gettysburg in a new light... I mean, that trilogy is a masterpiece and as far as I can judge it's even historically accurate, and I thought that ending it from Lee's point of view upon defeat was a brilliant way to underline the horror of the civil war (way better than some cheesy triumphant theme about "war is over, we will be united again"), but dunno, maybe he ended it like that because he was a whiny sore loser.
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Jeez, that photo of Schaffer heads up the Guardian's main article about the carnage: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/06/trump-capitol-american-carnage-washington
I lost interest in Iced Earth but I do still like a few of their older albums (Dark Saga through to Glorious Burden). I don't think this will stop me liking those albums and occasionally listening to the mp3s (and one CD) I already own, but I will definitely avoid giving the band any of my money via streaming or future purposes.
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I saw that photo earlier today and thought the dude looked familiar. Jesus christ, Jon.
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No chance of Barlow ever rejoining then I guess? Jk
I wonder if IE's record label would have anything to say about this, even boot the band.
I'm actually wondering how this impacts the relations with the other band mates. Jake Dreyer especially, considering that Jon produced the upcoming Witherfall album.
Stu seems to be in support of what happened and/or Jon also being involved. He's spent enough time with Jon over the last 9 years to absorb some of those political beliefs.
(https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/137202903_10102055325897535_5412504129820275528_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=2&_nc_sid=dbeb18&_nc_ohc=VDnVrFWLAo4AX9cs5fK&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-2.xx&oh=3b9ae9721e561557618097d02c728877&oe=601B1057)
I'm just hoping this doesn't delay the kickstarter books that I backed. I'll be pissed if Jon gets arrested and then the books aren't mailed out. :lol I'm usually pretty good about separating the art from the artist, but this one is proving much harder to swallow. I could see enough of a backlash that it affects the band's success or other band members incomes via the band.
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I stopped following their social media channels. It would've been easy enough with their rather mediocre recent musical output but this pushed me over the edge.
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Yeah, wow.
Yesterday crossed the line for me in sooooo many ways. Probably ended a friendship or two, and now, I will add Iced Earth to that list.
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Yeah, wow.
Yesterday crossed the line for me in sooooo many ways. Probably ended a friendship or two, and now, I will add Iced Earth to that list.
Honestly, I try not to let the political stuff get in the way of my life too much, but I agree, yesterday crossed the line for me as well. I'm not sure I'm losing friends because of it, but I'm definitely thinking differently about people who support this or who give excuses for it.
I'd probably just rip my ticket stub Jon signed, but Hansi also signed it so kind of gives me the good/evil vibe of that.
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Yeah, wow.
Yesterday crossed the line for me in sooooo many ways. Probably ended a friendship or two, and now, I will add Iced Earth to that list.
Honestly, I try not to let the political stuff get in the way of my life too much, but I agree, yesterday crossed the line for me as well. I'm not sure I'm losing friends because of it, but I'm definitely thinking differently about people who support this or who give excuses for it.
I'd probably just rip my ticket stub Jon signed, but Hansi also signed it so kind of gives me the good/evil vibe of that.
I'm with you man. I've towed the 'politics separate from music' line for years, but things have just spiraled beyond anything I could've ever imagined.
I went through a similar thing with Ted Nugent earlier this year. I am/was a HUGE fan of his seminal 70's work, but it got to the point where I just couldn't listen to those classics without getting pissed.
I want music to be an escape, and at this point, there's a couple of artists where that's just no longer possible for me.
To each his own, of course, but for me, I feel like this past year is forcing me to re-evaluate myself and my personal responsibility when it comes to things like where I choose to invest my time, energy and money. And as a musician and fan, it's almost impossible at this point to separate music from the bigger picture.
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Stu-pid Block
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One thing I consider too, is actions vs. words. Jon saying stupid shit might annoy me and make me think negatively of him, but doesn't make me hate him or anything. I know plenty of people who say stupid shit but are good people still. But when you take action, it's a bit different. The guy committed a crime against the USA. He should be jailed at minimum IMO.
I've never really got into Iced Earth and I don't plan on giving them any listens to try to at this point. I've enjoyed Demons and Wizards, but their last album wasn't that great so I've got no issue just dropping my support for them too. I don't want to give someone who is anti democracy my money.
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One thing I consider too, is actions vs. words. Jon saying stupid shit might annoy me and make me think negatively of him, but doesn't make me hate him or anything. I know plenty of people who say stupid shit but are good people still. But when you take action, it's a bit different. The guy committed a crime against the USA. He should be jailed at minimum IMO.
I've never really got into Iced Earth and I don't plan on giving them any listens to try to at this point. I've enjoyed Demons and Wizards, but their last album wasn't that great so I've got no issue just dropping my support for them too. I don't want to give someone who is anti democracy my money.
Man, that is such a good point! Thank you for that...sums up my thoughts exactly!
Talk is talk, but getting in your car and driving somewhere with the expressed intent of, well, God know what they were thinkinhg, but either way, it obviously got out of hand.
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One thing I consider too, is actions vs. words. Jon saying stupid shit might annoy me and make me think negatively of him, but doesn't make me hate him or anything. I know plenty of people who say stupid shit but are good people still. But when you take action, it's a bit different. The guy committed a crime against the USA. He should be jailed at minimum IMO.
I've never really got into Iced Earth and I don't plan on giving them any listens to try to at this point. I've enjoyed Demons and Wizards, but their last album wasn't that great so I've got no issue just dropping my support for them too. I don't want to give someone who is anti democracy my money.
I have a feeling that if Jon were to be jailed, he would consider it a source of immense pride.
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One thing I consider too, is actions vs. words. Jon saying stupid shit might annoy me and make me think negatively of him, but doesn't make me hate him or anything. I know plenty of people who say stupid shit but are good people still. But when you take action, it's a bit different. The guy committed a crime against the USA. He should be jailed at minimum IMO.
I've never really got into Iced Earth and I don't plan on giving them any listens to try to at this point. I've enjoyed Demons and Wizards, but their last album wasn't that great so I've got no issue just dropping my support for them too. I don't want to give someone who is anti democracy my money.
I have a feeling that if Jon were to be jailed, he would consider it a source of immense pride.
I don't know about him enough to say I agree or not, but if that is the case, guy is seriously coocoo
https://www.yahoo.com/news/sedition-us-capitol-breach-almost-105557135.html (https://www.yahoo.com/news/sedition-us-capitol-breach-almost-105557135.html)
Could get up to 20 years in prison. If that gives him pride, so be it, enjoy your stay in prison. And I really really do hope the FBI comes down hard on these people.
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A lot of those people believe they were fighting to preserve democracy against tyranny. Being jailed by a tyrannical regime for the fight for freedom will probably give a dude like Jon a feeling of pride. At least for a while before he realizes how awful prison is. Though I doubt, if he goes to jail, it will be for more than a month or so. Likely just given a small fine and sent on his way.
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One thing I consider too, is actions vs. words. Jon saying stupid shit might annoy me and make me think negatively of him, but doesn't make me hate him or anything. I know plenty of people who say stupid shit but are good people still. But when you take action, it's a bit different. The guy committed a crime against the USA. He should be jailed at minimum IMO.
I've never really got into Iced Earth and I don't plan on giving them any listens to try to at this point. I've enjoyed Demons and Wizards, but their last album wasn't that great so I've got no issue just dropping my support for them too. I don't want to give someone who is anti democracy my money.
Yeah, this is where I find myself at on the matter. Jon's said stupid things over the years that I've disagreed with for quite a long time. This time though he committed a federal crime in a mob's collective attempt to coerce Congress to throw out the results of a presidential election on the eve of the incoming president's inauguration. Jon may think he was doing this all for the sake of liberty, but if anything his actions and the others that participated in this with him are the exact opposite. Those actions will almost certainly come with heavy consequences, as they should.
As for Stu's response... Ugh. I hope we're all somehow misreading that post and he's actually not okay with what Jon did. But I suspect that would be unlikely at this rate.
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and while it may not be directly his fault, the mob mentality that he was involved with lead to 4 deaths yesterday. Truly an embarrassment and the fact these people seem proud is disgusting.
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I am honestly still completely baffled that a bunch of people were able to breach the Capitol Hill, which houses current and future world leaders. And that they were nicely escorted out and able to turn home as if it was nothing. And yes, I get that these people really believe they are/were doing something for the greater good. But really, so do many behind some of the biggest atrocities in human history, including terrorists. So when then, does "they believe they are doing good" stop being an excuse for me? Personally, after reflecting upon it, this is beyond that point, as I think these movements are dangerous. I genuinely believe that if enough people keep catering so much to people with extremist views and continue to excuse them with all kinds of mental gymnastics, you will eventually reach a point where shit does really hit the fan. History has shown that time and time again.
Jon's own words from last november:
"They will go down. They're messing with the wrong people, believe me," Schaffer was quoted as saying by Die Welt, referring to the American political establishment.
(Blabbermouth)
That very much sounds like a threat to me. Combined with him actually breaching the capitol? Yeah... I will spend my money on other bands.
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Yeah, this one is rough. I always knew Jon was Ted Nugent loony, but never thought he would take it this far. That OathKeepers hat does not help his cause either.
I've never let a musicians douchey-ness or craziness impact my enjoyment of their music, but this is another level. I texted 2 of my buddies who have both been to IE shows with me and they were righteously pissed. I think this pushed them both over the edge with him.
Need to give this one some time to fully set in, but Jon really screwed the pooch. I am seeing him taking a beating in many comment sections from the metal community. This could be a major detriment to his career. You reap what you sow.
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Jon's own words from last november:
"They will go down. They're messing with the wrong people, believe me," Schaffer was quoted as saying by Die Welt, referring to the American political establishment.
(Blabbermouth)
That very much sounds like a threat to me. Combined with him actually breaching the capitol? Yeah... I will spend my money on other bands.
Another outtake from the Blabbermouth article which quotes a recent Facebook Live chat:
"I think part of it is the currency system and the way they just print money out of thin air, and it's not backed by anything, it's allowed people to have this illusion of wealth, which tends to keep people soft. But at the end of the day, it's all debt based, so that's another form of slavery. And if you're living in that kind of system, it's a way to keep people calm, because they think everything is okay. It's not okay. It hasn't been okay for a very long time. It's just now you're starting to see everything come to a head.
Not to turn this into a P/R thread, but for context, much of this is like quoting and interpreting the banking segment of the Four Horsemen documentary, which I find great as well. Like cram said, in the end it's actions vs. words. He calls the congress "fucking criminals" yet stoops down to their level.
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Not to turn this into a P/R thread, but for context, much of this is like quoting and interpreting the banking segment of the Four Horsemen documentary, which I find great as well. Like cram said, in the end it's actions vs. words. He calls the congress "fucking criminals" yet stoops down to their level.
Jon's beliefs revolve around the Federal Reserve Bank and a conspiracy that the "Fed" controls the government. I haven't put too much thought or research into it. He claims to have been "awakened" into this line of thinking back in 2008 or so, right around the time of the US financial crisis. He wrote the Sons of Liberty album and gave it away for free at the time, spreading his message and thoughts about tyrannical governments.
Ultimately, he was looking for a reason to be part of a revolution against the government. His opinion on the pandemic response/government shutdowns likely drove his need to be a part of this, just raging against authority that's holding him back from touring and recording.
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Not surprising coming from Jon. He has said lots of stupid things through the years, especially lately being an anti-masker and pandemic negationist. But as you guys said, now he stepped out of talking and went into action. He commited a crime, even.
As lots of people said here, i usually can separate art and artist, but this may be too much for me.
Today a friend i had from high school who stayed in touch with me (mostly through social media) because he is also a metal head texted me saying something like "Jon Schaffer invaded the Capitol, this is awesome!" or something like that...i could not even respond to it, i just blocked him.
Crazy fucking times....
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Well the police are looking for him...
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/police-are-looking-for-iced-earths-jon-schaffer-for-unrest-related-offenses/ (https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/police-are-looking-for-iced-earths-jon-schaffer-for-unrest-related-offenses/)
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"I've never been prouder to Know Jon S.keep him in your prayers hes a true patriot and Son of liberty." - John Greely
I've been a fan of Iced Earth for 17 years. The music Jon and co. wrote is very special to me. While I'm incredibly disappointed, I'm also not surprised, but then I am surprised because holy shit, Schaffer is front and center at this crazy ass protest breaking the fucking law. I knew he was cookoo for cocoa puffs, but this is beyond insane. I think he's truly brainwashed by all the conspiracy nuts he surrounds himself with. Our government sucks, but this isn't the way. And for some reason, even with all his anti mask, anti vaccine rhetoric, for some reason I had it in my head that he wasn't a Trump supporter.
Maybe I'll take a break from Iced Earth for a while. Jon may be stupid, and crazy, and a criminal, but he hasnt killed anyone nor has he molested any kids, and even if he did, I honestly don't know what I would do, besides probably cry. He's a musical hero of mine. His music changed my life. It sucks that he has gone so far off the deep end with this bullshit that he may have ruined the rest of his life.
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Yeah, at the moment it all feel surreal, I'm not grasping yet that there's a storng and concrete possiblity that he might agtually get arrested and incarcerated for many years.
I missed the last two tours because the concerts happened relatively far from me, so the last time I saw Iced Earth was for the Dystopia tour, had a lot of fun... and the 2002 show, the Horror Show one that was a 3 hours concert in three sets, will forever remain one of the best concerts I've ever seen. There was a time when Iced Earth was one of my absolutely favorite bands, and I thoiught Incorruptible was quite good.
If he really goes to jail for a long time, it's absolutely sad, so many musicians are dying because of bad health or sheer bad luck (Jeff Hanneman and the spider, Steve Gottard and the bike incident), he's alive and kicking and ends his carrer because....... conspiracy theories? meh. What a way to let it all go to waste.
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"I've never been prouder to Know Jon S.keep him in your prayers hes a true patriot and Son of liberty." - John Greely
I've been a fan of Iced Earth for 17 years. The music Jon and co. wrote is very special to me. While I'm incredibly disappointed, I'm also not surprised, but then I am surprised because holy shit, Schaffer is front and center at this crazy ass protest breaking the fucking law. I knew he was cookoo for cocoa puffs, but this is beyond insane. I think he's truly brainwashed by all the conspiracy nuts he surrounds himself with. Our government sucks, but this isn't the way. And for some reason, even with all his anti mask, anti vaccine rhetoric, for some reason I had it in my head that he wasn't a Trump supporter.
Maybe I'll take a break from Iced Earth for a while. Jon may be stupid, and crazy, and a criminal, but he hasnt killed anyone nor has he molested any kids, and even if he did, I honestly don't know what I would do, besides probably cry. He's a musical hero of mine. His music changed my life. It sucks that he has gone so far off the deep end with this bullshit that he may have ruined the rest of his life.
How did it change your life if you dont mind me asking?
Also wasn't Greely fired in part because he was anti-Semitic and continued to make shitty comments even after they went to some concentration camps while on tour to teach him why he was an asshole?
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"I've never been prouder to Know Jon S.keep him in your prayers hes a true patriot and Son of liberty." - John Greely
I've been a fan of Iced Earth for 17 years. The music Jon and co. wrote is very special to me. While I'm incredibly disappointed, I'm also not surprised, but then I am surprised because holy shit, Schaffer is front and center at this crazy ass protest breaking the fucking law. I knew he was cookoo for cocoa puffs, but this is beyond insane. I think he's truly brainwashed by all the conspiracy nuts he surrounds himself with. Our government sucks, but this isn't the way. And for some reason, even with all his anti mask, anti vaccine rhetoric, for some reason I had it in my head that he wasn't a Trump supporter.
Maybe I'll take a break from Iced Earth for a while. Jon may be stupid, and crazy, and a criminal, but he hasnt killed anyone nor has he molested any kids, and even if he did, I honestly don't know what I would do, besides probably cry. He's a musical hero of mine. His music changed my life. It sucks that he has gone so far off the deep end with this bullshit that he may have ruined the rest of his life.
How did it change your life if you dont mind me asking?
Also wasn't Greely fired in part because he was anti-Semitic and continued to make shitty comments even after they went to some concentration camps while on tour to teach him why he was an asshole?
Iced Earth changed my life or had a huge impact on me the same way Dream Theater did or even Disturbed. Their music was special to me, and opened the door to so many more amazing bands. I'm not a musician or anything, but Iced Earth's music has helped me through hard times, just as much as any of my other favorite bands. I consider Iced Earth a very important part of my life.
I never really called myself a metalhead even though I liked Metallica and Megadeth. They were popular radio bands. It wasn't until Chris Jericho was promoting his second album with Fozzy that I was exposed to other 80s metal. I discovered Iron Maiden around the same time as Iced Earth, both of which I heard at a local comic store.
That was one of the stories that's been going around. I think the other one was he stole money or something. They've since patched it up. Jon and Ripper are even cool now... Well, I don't know about now. Then again, Ripper might be like Stu.
I wonder if Matt will share his feelings on the matter.
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(https://i1.wp.com/metalinjection.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/iced-earth-jon-schaffer-meme-1.jpeg?resize=750%2C750&ssl=1)
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He's not a flat earther too is he?
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He's not a flat earther too is he?
I don't know for sure, but it's within the realm of possibility.
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"I've never been prouder to Know Jon S.keep him in your prayers hes a true patriot and Son of liberty." - John Greely
I've been a fan of Iced Earth for 17 years. The music Jon and co. wrote is very special to me. While I'm incredibly disappointed, I'm also not surprised, but then I am surprised because holy shit, Schaffer is front and center at this crazy ass protest breaking the fucking law. I knew he was cookoo for cocoa puffs, but this is beyond insane. I think he's truly brainwashed by all the conspiracy nuts he surrounds himself with. Our government sucks, but this isn't the way. And for some reason, even with all his anti mask, anti vaccine rhetoric, for some reason I had it in my head that he wasn't a Trump supporter.
Maybe I'll take a break from Iced Earth for a while. Jon may be stupid, and crazy, and a criminal, but he hasnt killed anyone nor has he molested any kids, and even if he did, I honestly don't know what I would do, besides probably cry. He's a musical hero of mine. His music changed my life. It sucks that he has gone so far off the deep end with this bullshit that he may have ruined the rest of his life.
Schaffer should be judged on his actions, not on his words.
He obviously crossed a border yesterday but isn't the music business full of people that have been involved in and/or convicted for violence, drugs related issues and all sort of crimes. A conservative political opinion seems to a rare phenomenon in the progressive entertainment business which obviously affects the way people are judging.
As a European I may have a different view of what's happening right now in your country but from the outside it feels like there's some different judgement based on the political side someone is supporting.
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I don't think Jon is a Trump supporter. He loves the American Revolution, 1776, and the idea of citizens standing up to tyrannical governments.
I think he was itching to take on the government due to pandemic response and economic shutdowns, so he got wrapped up in this idiocy.
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"I've never been prouder to Know Jon S.keep him in your prayers hes a true patriot and Son of liberty." - John Greely
I've been a fan of Iced Earth for 17 years. The music Jon and co. wrote is very special to me. While I'm incredibly disappointed, I'm also not surprised, but then I am surprised because holy shit, Schaffer is front and center at this crazy ass protest breaking the fucking law. I knew he was cookoo for cocoa puffs, but this is beyond insane. I think he's truly brainwashed by all the conspiracy nuts he surrounds himself with. Our government sucks, but this isn't the way. And for some reason, even with all his anti mask, anti vaccine rhetoric, for some reason I had it in my head that he wasn't a Trump supporter.
Maybe I'll take a break from Iced Earth for a while. Jon may be stupid, and crazy, and a criminal, but he hasnt killed anyone nor has he molested any kids, and even if he did, I honestly don't know what I would do, besides probably cry. He's a musical hero of mine. His music changed my life. It sucks that he has gone so far off the deep end with this bullshit that he may have ruined the rest of his life.
Schaffer should be judged on his actions, not on his words.
He obviously crossed a border yesterday but isn't the music business full of people that have been involved in and/or convicted for violence, drugs related issues and all sort of crimes. A conservative political opinion seems to a rare phenomenon in the progressive entertainment business which obviously affects the way people are judging.
As a European I may have a different view of what's happening right now in your country but from the outside it feels like there's some different judgement based on the political side someone is supporting.
I don't care of his or anyone's political leanings. I don't think it's about that. It's about treason. Trying to stop or delay an election. It's really way beyond political ideals. Now, if we are comparing to other felonies, sure, I guess I'd say a murderer is worse, but lots of other crimes are things of stupidity that might not define a person. I've got a disorderly conduct charge for example. I don't think anyone thinks differently of my character because I did something stupid that was of no harm to anyone. But you try to stop a country from certifying it's presidential election? That's pretty damn radical and illegal. Not only that, it's all over world news. It's pretty big and important, more so than your typical metalhead arrest. And it's not really a case of he said she said either.
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I don't think Jon is a Trump supporter. He loves the American Revolution, 1776, and the idea of citizens standing up to tyrannical governments.
I think he was itching to take on the government due to pandemic response and economic shutdowns, so he got wrapped up in this idiocy.
1 - I am not an American, so i might be off.
2 - were they not "protesting" the election results because Trump lost? Seems like something a Trump supporter would do.
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They were. Its just my gut and knowing Jon's beliefs a little. Hes generally anti-government and is a Liberatarian. He was wearing. Trump shirt though. I just feel like he wanted to take on the government, regardless of the election.
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They were. Its just my gut and knowing Jon's beliefs a little. Hes generally anti-government and is a Liberatarian. He was wearing. Trump shirt though. I just feel like he wanted to take on the government, regardless of the election.
You might be right. I dont know his beliefs well enough besides what I've read today and last night. Apparantly he has stated he is not a pro-trump, but also has been going to Trump rallies so I'm not sure what he believes. I can say, as someone who aligns more with libertarian values, that I don't believe what he did yesterday aligns with those values. I think he's just gone off the deep end from what I can tell. Too deep in conspiracy theories and we know Trump loves that too.
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"I've never been prouder to Know Jon S.keep him in your prayers hes a true patriot and Son of liberty." - John Greely
I've been a fan of Iced Earth for 17 years. The music Jon and co. wrote is very special to me. While I'm incredibly disappointed, I'm also not surprised, but then I am surprised because holy shit, Schaffer is front and center at this crazy ass protest breaking the fucking law. I knew he was cookoo for cocoa puffs, but this is beyond insane. I think he's truly brainwashed by all the conspiracy nuts he surrounds himself with. Our government sucks, but this isn't the way. And for some reason, even with all his anti mask, anti vaccine rhetoric, for some reason I had it in my head that he wasn't a Trump supporter.
Maybe I'll take a break from Iced Earth for a while. Jon may be stupid, and crazy, and a criminal, but he hasnt killed anyone nor has he molested any kids, and even if he did, I honestly don't know what I would do, besides probably cry. He's a musical hero of mine. His music changed my life. It sucks that he has gone so far off the deep end with this bullshit that he may have ruined the rest of his life.
Schaffer should be judged on his actions, not on his words.
He obviously crossed a border yesterday but isn't the music business full of people that have been involved in and/or convicted for violence, drugs related issues and all sort of crimes. A conservative political opinion seems to a rare phenomenon in the progressive entertainment business which obviously affects the way people are judging.
As a European I may have a different view of what's happening right now in your country but from the outside it feels like there's some different judgement based on the political side someone is supporting.
I don't think it is fair to paint this as a partisan issue. The republicans had to evacuate just like the democrats.
This is not at all the same as some guy posting love letters about Trump or something and getting flak on twitter, this was a serious breach of national security.
Not US either, but a shit action remains a shit action, ocean between it or not. For me at least.
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They were. Its just my gut and knowing Jon's beliefs a little. Hes generally anti-government and is a Liberatarian. He was wearing. Trump shirt though. I just feel like he wanted to take on the government, regardless of the election.
If he wanted to take on the government, then why did he attack Congress? Congress is not the government.
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"I've never been prouder to Know Jon S.keep him in your prayers hes a true patriot and Son of liberty." - John Greely
I've been a fan of Iced Earth for 17 years. The music Jon and co. wrote is very special to me. While I'm incredibly disappointed, I'm also not surprised, but then I am surprised because holy shit, Schaffer is front and center at this crazy ass protest breaking the fucking law. I knew he was cookoo for cocoa puffs, but this is beyond insane. I think he's truly brainwashed by all the conspiracy nuts he surrounds himself with. Our government sucks, but this isn't the way. And for some reason, even with all his anti mask, anti vaccine rhetoric, for some reason I had it in my head that he wasn't a Trump supporter.
Maybe I'll take a break from Iced Earth for a while. Jon may be stupid, and crazy, and a criminal, but he hasnt killed anyone nor has he molested any kids, and even if he did, I honestly don't know what I would do, besides probably cry. He's a musical hero of mine. His music changed my life. It sucks that he has gone so far off the deep end with this bullshit that he may have ruined the rest of his life.
You know, I found myself thinking about this earlier.
For a long time, the line I drew fell on the side of 'talking is one thing, but a 'crime' against another human being is where I draw the line'...a la Lost Prophets, Tim Lambesis, etc.
As far as I know, Jon just walked around a building yesterday, so, in a way, you're right...he didn't kill anyone or molest anyone. BUT, people did die yesterday...it was a needless, silly thing, and as a person with a huge mouthpiece, his being there didn't help.
Ughhhh...such a complicated issue, but in my heart, it's pretty cut and dry. Sorry Jon, been a fan since '96, but I am a fan no longer.
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;D Never heard of them. No intention of correcting that.
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;D Never heard of them. No intention of correcting that.
They used to be one of the best trash metal bands in the world. If you like good thrash metal, I’d check out their 2nd-8th albums. Plus their first live album is among the best live metal albums.
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Iced Earth : Thrash
John Schaffer : Trash
;D ;D
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Iced Earth : Thrash
John Schaffer : Trash
;D ;D
Can’t disagree. Still some amazing music.
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Plus their first live album is among the best live metal albums.
Alive In Athens is the Frampton Comes Alive of metal. You really don't need anything else by them.
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Plus their first live album is among the best live metal albums.
Alive In Athens is the Frampton Comes Alive of metal. You really don't need anything else by them.
That's not true. They have many excellent songs post-AiA.
Also, there's no way Kowtow has never heard of this band. Maybe never heard them, but he must have seen the name several times while browsing this forum over the years.
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Plus their first live album is among the best live metal albums.
Alive In Athens is the Frampton Comes Alive of metal. You really don't need anything else by them.
That's not true. They have many excellent songs post-AiA.
That's fair. I was thinking of their previous albums.
I love the Gettysburg Trilogy.
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Plus their first live album is among the best live metal albums.
Alive In Athens is the Frampton Comes Alive of metal. You really don't need anything else by them.
That's not true. They have many excellent songs post-AiA.
That's fair. I was thinking of their previous albums.
I love the Gettysburg Trilogy.
Yeah, AiA is an almost perfect best of album. I would have added a few more songs though.
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Iced Earth : Thrash
John Schaffer : Trash
;D ;D
Can’t disagree. Still some amazing music.
He's playing on your typo. You called IE a trash band by accident.
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Iced Earth : Thrash
John Schaffer : Trash
;D ;D
Can’t disagree. Still some amazing music.
He's playing on your typo. You called IE a trash band by accident.
Whatever works. Not the most rare typo to make. Especially on a phone.
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They were a trash band in 2011.
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They were a trash band in 2011.
Trash band from Stu joining.
I actually hope this causes Stu to quit and find a band he can really be amazing in. The best he’s been in Iced Earths is fine. But the man is capable of greatness.
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They were a trash band in 2011.
Trash band from Stu joining.
I actually hope this causes Stu to quit and find a band he can really be amazing in. The best he’s been in Iced Earths is fine. But the man is capable of greatness.
I pretty much agree. He sounds pretty good most of the time in studio, but live he's god awful. I see this being it for Iced Earth. Jon was semi retired anyway, so this seals the deal. Sucks that he finally found an amazing lead player and we likely will never hear what he can really do in IE. Jon desperately needed a co songwriter like Randy.
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I don't think Jon is a Trump supporter. He loves the American Revolution, 1776, and the idea of citizens standing up to tyrannical governments.
I think he was itching to take on the government due to pandemic response and economic shutdowns, so he got wrapped up in this idiocy.
That's actually why some of them are there. Those people saw Trump as that person, and held a belief in that.
Belief is a son of a bitch, isn't it?....
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Plus their first live album is among the best live metal albums.
Alive In Athens is the Frampton Comes Alive of metal. You really don't need anything else by them.
That's not true. They have many excellent songs post-AiA.
Also, there's no way Kowtow has never heard of this band. Maybe never heard them, but he must have seen the name several times while browsing this forum over the years.
You both kind of have a point really. AIA is indeed the platnium, but Horrow Show, TGB and even FA are terrific albums.
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(https://i1.wp.com/metalinjection.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/iced-earth-jon-schaffer-meme-8.jpg?resize=750%2C750&ssl=1)
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:lol
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I've always thought IE as second tier band, they have never done anything for me at all.
A friend bought me 'Athens' and that is pretty good, but everything else has always left feeling that they are average.
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(https://i1.wp.com/metalinjection.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/iced-earth-jon-schaffer-meme-8.jpg?resize=750%2C750&ssl=1)
:rollin
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I'm hardly much of a fan, but I've known about them and Schaffer through others for years.
You see him speak in this video from a few years ago, and it's strange to fathom he'd be involved
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMJfsgrWQto
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I don't think I've ever seen this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW00Vfl3cFI
Jon talking about a rigged and stolen election in 2016 and some thoughts on Trump back then. He must be all-in on Trump, though he did endorse a Libertarian for Indiana's governor. He also talks about being a freedom guy and generally agreeing about citizens rising up.
This whole thing just makes my head spin trying to understand it. I still feel like a lot of this is his reaction to the pandemic shutdowns and finally having a chance to say "enough is enough", though I do now understand that he may truly believe that this election was rigged, based on this video.
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All I see from this is. Social Media has given us access to an even deeper window into a musicians personal life. That when they act like a normal human being with faults and a mind of their own, it can easily be known. Obviously, as shown, Shaffer is a person who will speak his mind, and say whatever he wants to say regardless.
What is more revealing is, he felt more passionate about this, and took this to heart, more than making music itself. He felt, that this was what was right. As did many of those people did.
Very, very, unfortunate for fans of his music.
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Jon has always been a bit... out there, but now he's apparently gone off the deep end.
"People die all the time"? WTF Jon?
WTF indeed.
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Schaffer was not the only musician there yesterday.
https://twitter.com/i/events/1347266135264137217
Musician Ariel Pink says he went to Wednesday's Trump rally on the White House lawn, but says he wasn't part of the mob.
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JS pic has made our main evening news bulletin in Australia, I wonder how long before he is arrested?
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JS pic has made our main evening news bulletin in Australia, I wonder how long before he is arrested?
I'm wondering how long it'll be before we hear anything from the other band members aside from Stu.
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Transcript of a video interview from November 2020 during a different march in Washington. This is not going to help him once the FBI catches up to him:
(https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/137507926_10226215532794719_1552688024585320628_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=2&_nc_sid=dbeb18&_nc_ohc=-h3ZGQEgss0AX-e5w34&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&oh=7dc2d7b1706b41a12a226e9cd74dca94&oe=601FE016)
Actual video interview: https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/video223960882/Metal-Musiker-Jon-Schaffer-Die-kruden-Verschwoerungstheorien-der-Trump-Fans.html
:(
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Wow, he's actually insane.
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Yeah, that is real bad. Many of these militia-esque people were going there with aim. I see way too many people on the internet handhaving this away as just some angry protestors. Read the shit they are saying. They have shown it isn't just words anymore. Thankfully, all the leaders were gone and returned to do their duty to their country.
Also, he is on the fbi's wanted site. I checked and he is indeed on their list.
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Considering that Matt is a police officer, I wonder if he will comment on this or if his relationship with Jon will be damaged.
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Yeah, that is real bad. Many of these militia-esque people were going there with aim. I see way too many people on the internet handhaving this away as just some angry protestors. Read the shit they are saying. They have shown it isn't just words anymore. Thankfully, all the leaders were gone and returned to do their duty to their country.
Also, he is on the fbi's wanted site. I checked and he is indeed on their list.
Considering his name is already all over the news, I guess they'll have him arrested soon.
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Considering that Matt is a police officer, I wonder if he will comment on this or if his relationship with Jon will be damaged.
I'm not expecting him to comment at all. He's married to one of Jon's family members, so they literally are brothers. I think he'll just stay silent about it and support Jon however he can.
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Considering that Matt is a police officer, I wonder if he will comment on this or if his relationship with Jon will be damaged.
I'm not expecting him to comment at all. He's married to one of Jon's family members, so they literally are brothers. I think he'll just stay silent about it and support Jon however he can.
Yeah thats what I'm thinking will happen. Best to remain silent on this one.
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What is more revealing is, he felt more passionate about this, and took this to heart, more than making music itself. He felt, that this was what was right. As did many of those people did.
For all the nonsense, for all the lying, for all the misinformation, for all the delusion, this sentence - and the spirit behind it - always sticks with me. To be that passionate about something speaks, even if I don't always know what it says.
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Considering that Matt is a police officer, I wonder if he will comment on this or if his relationship with Jon will be damaged.
I'm not expecting him to comment at all. He's married to one of Jon's family members, so they literally are brothers. I think he'll just stay silent about it and support Jon however he can.
Except Jon passively called for violence. In other words he said, "Hey if you guys are violent then we'll be violent right back." Gee, who do you think he's going to be fighting? The very people he pretends to care about, namely the police. If my brother in law called for violence against people in my occupation, and one of them ended up dying, I would like to think I would cut ties with him.
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I feel bad for the police officers in the US........day in and day out they are overwhelmed beyond belief.
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Even if Jon is completely 'right,' he is, and has been going about it the completely wrong way.
Giving incendiary interviews and marching alongside a bunch of GIJoe wanna-be's is hardly the most the effective way to inspire change.
Honestly, when he had his 're-awakening' ten years ago, a more effective path might've been to, dare I say, run for office (a la Jessy 'the Body').
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Considering that Matt is a police officer, I wonder if he will comment on this or if his relationship with Jon will be damaged.
I'm not expecting him to comment at all. He's married to one of Jon's family members, so they literally are brothers. I think he'll just stay silent about it and support Jon however he can.
Except Jon passively called for violence. In other words he said, "Hey if you guys are violent then we'll be violent right back." Gee, who do you think he's going to be fighting? The very people he pretends to care about, namely the police. If my brother in law called for violence against people in my occupation, and one of them ended up dying, I would like to think I would cut ties with him.
You are assuming, Jon is against any and all cops, as long as they are cops.
What if, Jon knows that there are good people that are cops, and that they are doing the best they can do. What if, Stu, understands that there are bad people that are cops, and he can't say much at all or else he risks his job, and income, that bad cop could be his higher authority he answer to. If someone enjoys what they do and are passionate about it, they will do stuff in order to keep from losing it.
Even if Jon is completely 'right,' he is, and has been going about it the completely wrong way.
Giving incendiary interviews and marching alongside a bunch of GIJoe wanna-be's is hardly the most the effective way to inspire change.
Honestly, when he had his 're-awakening' ten years ago, a more effective path might've been to, dare I say, run for office (a la Jessy 'the Body').
Again, he felt passionately about his belief that this is the only way that "the change" can start to be put into action.
Funny thing about groups, is if you were to really talk to each individual, you will find something that they all do not agree with, and due to passion of belief, they will end up fighting each other over that one difference that no one knew about, until someone asked them all how they feel about something. It's a way to infiltrate the group and let it destroy itself from within. I bet you anything, if you were to do that on both sides, these extremist people will then start to turn on each other.
I am not a psychologist, but I do find human psychology fascinating enough to notice certain qualities all humans are capable of being.
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Heard of them, never listened to them, and never will now. He’s a piece of shit
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Honestly, when he had his 're-awakening' ten years ago, a more effective path might've been to, dare I say, run for office (a la Jessy 'the Body').
He always said that he's a rabblerouser and not a politician and using music was a more effective way of getting his message out.
I really think he felt that the pandemic shutdowns equated to tyranny, and he was ready to charge into battle to fight it. It saddens me to know how deeply he got sucked into this way of thinking.
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I forgot that he had masks for sale back in March. He's anti mask, but was selling IE themed masks. What a guy.
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I wonder how much chit chat he did with other people before the assault. Can you imagine him casually describing the story behind the Something Wicked saga and stopping midway because wait, there's an opening, it's time to storm the Capitol? :lol
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I forgot that he had masks for sale back in March. He's anti mask, but was selling IE themed masks. What a guy.
Always a capitalist. The more I think about this situation, the angrier I get at the kickstarter campaigns. Both have been significantly delayed, the book he explained was due to the size - it grew by 100 pages by the time it was done. The CD, Matt was signing them as of the last update.
Now, who knows where they stand. I'm out $100 and waiting for products, while he was probably screwing around on Parler and traveling to DC, and now either in hiding or in jail. He raked in $178,000 from those campaigns and all of his fans are stuck waiting, yet again.
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I wonder how much chit chat he did with other people before the assault. Can you imagine him casually describing the story behind the Something Wicked saga and stopping midway because wait, there's an opening, it's time to storm the Capitol? :lol
While singing the Stormrider chorus over and over.
I bet he was having a killer time.
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Considering that Matt is a police officer, I wonder if he will comment on this or if his relationship with Jon will be damaged.
I'm not expecting him to comment at all. He's married to one of Jon's family members, so they literally are brothers. I think he'll just stay silent about it and support Jon however he can.
Except Jon passively called for violence. In other words he said, "Hey if you guys are violent then we'll be violent right back." Gee, who do you think he's going to be fighting? The very people he pretends to care about, namely the police. If my brother in law called for violence against people in my occupation, and one of them ended up dying, I would like to think I would cut ties with him.
You are assuming, Jon is against any and all cops, as long as they are cops.
What if, Jon knows that there are good people that are cops, and that they are doing the best they can do. What if, Stu, understands that there are bad people that are cops, and he can't say much at all or else he risks his job, and income, that bad cop could be his higher authority he answer to. If someone enjoys what they do and are passionate about it, they will do stuff in order to keep from losing it.
Even if Jon is completely 'right,' he is, and has been going about it the completely wrong way.
Giving incendiary interviews and marching alongside a bunch of GIJoe wanna-be's is hardly the most the effective way to inspire change.
Honestly, when he had his 're-awakening' ten years ago, a more effective path might've been to, dare I say, run for office (a la Jessy 'the Body').
Again, he felt passionately about his belief that this is the only way that "the change" can start to be put into action.
Funny thing about groups, is if you were to really talk to each individual, you will find something that they all do not agree with, and due to passion of belief, they will end up fighting each other over that one difference that no one knew about, until someone asked them all how they feel about something. It's a way to infiltrate the group and let it destroy itself from within. I bet you anything, if you were to do that on both sides, these extremist people will then start to turn on each other.
I am not a psychologist, but I do find human psychology fascinating enough to notice certain qualities all humans are capable of being.
Famously, Bono took a picture shaking hands with George W. Bush, embracing the idea that even if I disagree with him, maybe we can talk and find common ground.
The Edge was PISSED. Seriously.
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https://www.metalsucks.net/2021/01/09/iced-earth-members-release-statement-regarding-jon-schaffers-involvement-in-capitol-mob/
The four members of Iced Earth who are not Jon Schaffer — vocalist Stu Block, guitarist Jake Dreyer, bassist Luke Appleton, and Brent Smedley — have released a statement which is, in essence, a response to Schaffer’s participation in the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday (Schaffer is never specifically named in the statement). You can read it below.
We want to thank those of you who have sent words of support in recent days. Some of you have been concerned by our silence, which we understand. We needed some time to properly process the information and find out some facts before we made a statement.
“First and foremost we absolutely DO NOT condone nor do we support riots or the acts of violence that the rioters were involved in on January 6th at the US Capitol building. We hope that all those involved that day are brought to justice to be investigated and answer for their actions.
“With broken hearts we are sending our love and compassion to everyone who has felt pain from the events on January 6th. We are deeply saddened and our hearts go out to the families of the lives lost that day. There are really no proper words to console. Just know we are with you in your shock, grief and pain. Much love to you all.
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Just a polite way of saying "Yeah, we know, he's a dick, but.... what do you want us to say? it's not that we egged him to do it or something" (but they say they hope everyone involved is brought to justice).
I don't really envy their position right now, it's like asking to family members what they feel about their relatives involved in the insurrection... I'll just give them a pass on this one.
EDIT: I've just seen the video where he identifies himself and I learnt that I've always pronounced his surname wrong. And so every other people I know in real life and had the occasion to speak his surname while talking :lol
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That's about all they can say without completely breaking from Jon. We're all in the same boat, waiting to see if/when he gets arrested and what the charges and eventual sentence will be. I have a feeling that the current band isn't going to be able survive this and Jon will eventually be all that's left of Iced Earth at some point.
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That's about all they can say without completely breaking from Jon. We're all in the same boat, waiting to see if/when he gets arrested and what the charges and eventual sentence will be. I have a feeling that the current band isn't going to be able survive this and Jon will eventually be all that's left of Iced Earth at some point.
I think he just informally retired Iced Earth. Although he seems to be getting some support on Facebook, I'm not sure the majority of the fanbase feel that way, and his Kickstarter projects are going to take a hit. No action figures, comics, and I'm sure we won't be getting another Barlow colab.
I'm bummed we'll likely never get the new remixes of NOTS and BO, but remixing the original BO won't help it. He'd have to remix the other remix.
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From what he said on some of the Facebook live chats, 2020 was a year off, after 2019 was spent with Demons & Wizards. He was going to go on his desert hiking vacation to prep his mind for Iced Earth songwriting ( :\) when the pandemic hit. Then he flipped his shit over the pandemic, not being able to travel, economic shut downs and conspiracies. I watched a few of his Facebook live chats this past summer and he went on some big rants over wearing a mask and the pandemic being a government conspiracy for control over its citizens before getting into stuff about the kickstarter book and answering fan questions.
His general response to Iced Earth activity last year was "well, we're an international band and I can't fly Luke or Stu into the US to write/record" because of the pandemic. I think the pandemic triggered and he equated it to tyranny, where governments were telling people what they can and can't do, where they can and can't go, etc. So the band was just on standstill until the world righted itself. Not sure why he couldn't just sit and write music without having to go to the desert, but whatever.
I get hopeful and think that the band will ride it out, then I think that his career is just completely fucked between whatever legal problems he has to face, jail time, cancel culture and any after effects restricting his travel. He threw away 30 years of his life over this.
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From what he said on some of the Facebook live chats, 2020 was a year off, after 2019 was spent with Demons & Wizards. He was going to go on his desert hiking vacation to prep his mind for Iced Earth songwriting ( :\) when the pandemic hit. Then he flipped his shit over the pandemic, not being able to travel, economic shut downs and conspiracies. I watched a few of his Facebook live chats this past summer and he went on some big rants over wearing a mask and the pandemic being a government conspiracy for control over its citizens before getting into stuff about the kickstarter book and answering fan questions.
His general response to Iced Earth activity last year was "well, we're an international band and I can't fly Luke or Stu into the US to write/record" because of the pandemic. I think the pandemic triggered and he equated it to tyranny, where governments were telling people what they can and can't do, where they can and can't go, etc. So the band was just on standstill until the world righted itself. Not sure why he couldn't just sit and write music without having to go to the desert, but whatever.
I get hopeful and think that the band will ride it out, then I think that his career is just completely fucked between whatever legal problems he has to face, jail time, cancel culture and any after effects restricting his travel. He threw away 30 years of his life over this.
Sometimes, the muse hits and sometimes it doesn't.
He seems like the musician that needs to clear his mind before making an album, and if taking a hike helps, then why not. For some people, creating music comes naturally, for others, it doesn't and they have other priorities or things in life that take over them being able to create the music, or go into the space to create music.
Not everyone has the knowledge or know all to record onto a laptop and make music that way. I am sure some of the older musicians have someone there to help them get that stuff set-up and connected. Kudos to those whom know how to set that up alone.
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Apparently Stu's removed Iced Earth from his job section on his Facebook page and is listing his career as a "Freelance Band Singer/Vocalist."
So yeah, my guess is that Stu's initial comment supporting Jon was before he fully realized the scope of what actually happened at the Capitol. Either that or his manager sat him down and explained how much trouble Jon is actually in here.
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Honestly, any of those guys staying in the band would probably do more harm than good to their career, assuming the band even exists anymore. Jon could end up blacklisted by promoters and who knows what else.
It's like watching a car crash in slow motion.
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Honestly, any of those guys staying in the band would probably do more harm than good to their career, assuming the band even exists anymore. Jon could end up blacklisted by promoters and who knows what else.
It's like watching a car crash in slow motion.
Yeah, I'm particularly curious how this is going to play out for Jake in particular, since he's also a member of Demons & Wizards- and Jon produced the upcoming Witherfall album. That in particular could result in some major ramifications for Witherfall.
Are they going to delay the album so they have time to hire someone else to remix the album? If they do, what about the three singles they've already released off the album? Do they take down the original versions of those songs and replace them?
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Honestly, any of those guys staying in the band would probably do more harm than good to their career, assuming the band even exists anymore. Jon could end up blacklisted by promoters and who knows what else.
It's like watching a car crash in slow motion.
Yeah, I'm particularly curious how this is going to play out for Jake in particular, since he's also a member of Demons & Wizards- and Jon produced the upcoming Witherfall album. That in particular could result in some major ramifications for Witherfall.
Are they going to delay the album so they have time to hire someone else to remix the album? If they do, what about the three singles they've already released off the album? Do they take down the original versions of those songs and replace them?
I am just baffled why any of the other members are even getting thrown info the fire by this. It’s not like Hansi or Jake were there with Schaffer at the Capitol. They are business partners. I feel bad for these guys. I highly doubt Witherfall or Century Media is going to pay for a re-record of COA. The fact that people won’t listen to it because Jake worked with Schaffer just seems unfair. IMHO
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Honestly, any of those guys staying in the band would probably do more harm than good to their career, assuming the band even exists anymore. Jon could end up blacklisted by promoters and who knows what else.
It's like watching a car crash in slow motion.
Yeah, I'm particularly curious how this is going to play out for Jake in particular, since he's also a member of Demons & Wizards- and Jon produced the upcoming Witherfall album. That in particular could result in some major ramifications for Witherfall.
Are they going to delay the album so they have time to hire someone else to remix the album? If they do, what about the three singles they've already released off the album? Do they take down the original versions of those songs and replace them?
I am just baffled why any of the other members are even getting thrown info the fire by this. It’s not like Hansi or Jake were there with Schaffer at the Capitol. They are business partners. I feel bad for these guys. I highly doubt Witherfall or Century Media is going to pay for a re-record of COA. The fact that people won’t listen to it because Jake worked with Schaffer just seems unfair. IMHO
To be fair, I'm only speculating here. That said, I agree that I don't see the band re-recording the album. That'd cost far too much money.
However I'm not entirely sure if the band and the record label might decide to have the album remixed to minimize Jon's involvement on the album now, seeing as how his role as the producer was initially a big part of the promotion for Curse of Autumn up to now.
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Honestly, any of those guys staying in the band would probably do more harm than good to their career, assuming the band even exists anymore. Jon could end up blacklisted by promoters and who knows what else.
It's like watching a car crash in slow motion.
Yeah, I'm particularly curious how this is going to play out for Jake in particular, since he's also a member of Demons & Wizards- and Jon produced the upcoming Witherfall album. That in particular could result in some major ramifications for Witherfall.
Are they going to delay the album so they have time to hire someone else to remix the album? If they do, what about the three singles they've already released off the album? Do they take down the original versions of those songs and replace them?
I am just baffled why any of the other members are even getting thrown info the fire by this. It’s not like Hansi or Jake were there with Schaffer at the Capitol. They are business partners. I feel bad for these guys. I highly doubt Witherfall or Century Media is going to pay for a re-record of COA. The fact that people won’t listen to it because Jake worked with Schaffer just seems unfair. IMHO
To be fair, I'm only speculating here. That said, I agree that I don't see the band re-recording the album. That'd cost far too much money.
However I'm not entirely sure if the and the record label might decide to have the album remixed to minimize Jon's involvement on the album now, seeing as how his role as the producer was initially a big part of the promotion for Curse of Autumn up to now.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they distance themselves from Schaffer. I would imagine everyone behind the scenes of anything regarding this IE, Witherfall D&W CM etc etc is probably super pissed off and trying to navigate the situation because to them it’s a business. This is not good for business. I just hope more people can see that side and not clump every one Schaffer has encountered as a supporter. It’s like if your drunk uncle during the holidays starts spewing stupid philosophies. It doesn’t mean everybody at the table or in the family agrees. I wish more people understood this.
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If this is the potential end of Iced Earth, it's gonna be sad.
Some thinking aloud (well, typing what I'm thinking :D)... I wonder how much bigger the band could have become, and in retrospect which were the elements that damaged the band.
Up until Horror Show, Iced Earth were on the rise. Finally found the perfect singer with a godlike voice, a series of critically acclaimed albums, a more "lighter" and power metal oriented sound that took away a bit of the thrash of the earlier records and made them more accessible, nothing could stop them in becoming one of the very top bands of the genre.
Then 9/11 happened.... and Matt Barlow felt the need to change his life, dunno what happened with Jon and if that was the first big event that sent him on his path. Of course there's no recovering from losing Matt Barlow, and yet Ripper was the best replacement he could possibly find back then. Would Matt Barlow's presence make a difference for The Glorious Burden?
And then of course, came his magnus opus, or what he wanted it to be. The album to end all albums, his masterpiece, the Something Wicked album, which eventually became two. He set out to write his Scenes from a Memory..... but in the end he wrote The Astonishing (just an example - I personally love the album, but again, it's not SFAM), and the clusterfuck of changing singers midway through the project didn't help either.
By then, the musical landscape had changed, the situation had become what we all know (no more money made from records, all incomes basically come from touring), and Matt left AGAIN and for good, and Jon finally settled with Stu opening a new and more stable phase of Iced Earth (I love Dystopia, mildly enjoy Babylon and quite like Incorruptible), that however has to face the reality of the current musical landscape, with them being just another mid-to-big band.
I believe Jon had the intention of making Iced Earth the next Iron Maiden. Or at least, as big as Iron Maiden and even that is an hyperbole - more realistically, I expect that for the longest time, his ultimate goal and vision was of making Iced Earth so big that - to give a pratical example - they could have headlined festivals that Maiden themselves headlined. Big as Avenged Sevenfold ad their peak, big as Ghost who were playing big venues in their last tour.
Could this have ever happened under different circumstances? what went wrong? I think the most important defining moments in Iced Earth's path to world domination were:
- Matt Barlow leaving
- The Something Wicked album(s) not being the absolute masterpiece Jon desperately wanted it to be
Horror Show was released in 2001, Matt Barlow left in early 2003. By the time Jon came out of the turmoil with all the Ripper / Matt comes back / whops nevermind, he's gone again, it was 2011 (the year of Dystopia). 10 years "wasted", kinda like Maiden's popularity waned in the '90s, but there was no reunion with Bruce dickinson to pull out of the hat. And of course, by 2011 it was cleary that nobody was buying records anymore and that income would have had to come from touring and merchandise.
So... do you think that with just some more fortunate circumstances Iced Earth could have been, in relative terms, "as big as Iron Maiden" (or at the very least, a band that would fill sports stadium all over Europe, kinda like Nightwish is doing now), or the creative plateau would have been reached anyway and Jon had no longer utter masterpieces left in him, regardless of who was the singer?
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I think the biggest detriment was the revolving door line-up. Blind Guardian have had one change in 30 years, and they're much more successful for it. People like to follow the members of a band, and if the members are constantly changing, there's nothing to hold on to besides the music. One album Bob is ripping solos, the next Bill is, and then Jim, and Frank. In the end, no one cares. Then you have people with particular tastes in singers, and if the singer isn't to their liking, they might drop off completely. Iron Maiden have had a mostly a consistant line up. It helps.
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At least this means Stu might find a new project to really showcase what he can do. The dude has a ridiculous range and I feel like Jon really underutilized him by sticking with the usual Iced Earth formula.
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I'm sad that this is probably the end of the band. I don't give a damn what he did - I enjoy music for the music, I can generally separate everything else. I have little interest, or likely agreement, with the views of the artists that I listen to. I do find it ironic that his last released music might be Christmas songs.
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Honestly, any of those guys staying in the band would probably do more harm than good to their career, assuming the band even exists anymore. Jon could end up blacklisted by promoters and who knows what else.
It's like watching a car crash in slow motion.
Yeah, I'm particularly curious how this is going to play out for Jake in particular, since he's also a member of Demons & Wizards- and Jon produced the upcoming Witherfall album. That in particular could result in some major ramifications for Witherfall.
Are they going to delay the album so they have time to hire someone else to remix the album? If they do, what about the three singles they've already released off the album? Do they take down the original versions of those songs and replace them?
I am just baffled why any of the other members are even getting thrown info the fire by this. It’s not like Hansi or Jake were there with Schaffer at the Capitol. They are business partners. I feel bad for these guys. I highly doubt Witherfall or Century Media is going to pay for a re-record of COA. The fact that people won’t listen to it because Jake worked with Schaffer just seems unfair. IMHO
To be fair, I'm only speculating here. That said, I agree that I don't see the band re-recording the album. That'd cost far too much money.
However I'm not entirely sure if the and the record label might decide to have the album remixed to minimize Jon's involvement on the album now, seeing as how his role as the producer was initially a big part of the promotion for Curse of Autumn up to now.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they distance themselves from Schaffer. I would imagine everyone behind the scenes of anything regarding this IE, Witherfall D&W CM etc etc is probably super pissed off and trying to navigate the situation because to them it’s a business. This is not good for business. I just hope more people can see that side and not clump every one Schaffer has encountered as a supporter. It’s like if your drunk uncle during the holidays starts spewing stupid philosophies. It doesn’t mean everybody at the table or in the family agrees. I wish more people understood this.
This exactly.
They're seeing it with their business eyes, and are just fist pounding their desks saying "Dammit, Schaffer", as they scramble to figure out what to do, and have to wait and see what the legalities are with Schaffer. It all depends too, on how much Iced Earth, and his other projects, he was involved with in the business aspect. If Jon owns a lot of Iced Earth, Then they're shit out of luck until he gets his stuff in check, that is if the contracts and all that are messy.
I am just glad I went to see them, although I mainly went to see Floor with Revamp.
Also...This situation brings the "Boiling Point" lyrics to a new light. And Days of Rage... :lol :corn
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The Podcast in Stone group is awesome when it comes to seeing past members of the band talk about their experiences. But this situation makes it so eye opening to see so many of them defending Jon.
I get that "you" knew him years ago and grew up with him. That doesn't make it right to storm into to a secured, federal building while our nations lawmakers are at work, the top three individuals in the line of succession are in attendance, and the majority of the crowd are attempting a coup.
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If this is the potential end of Iced Earth, it's gonna be sad.
Some thinking aloud (well, typing what I'm thinking :D)... I wonder how much bigger the band could have become, and in retrospect which were the elements that damaged the band.
Up until Horror Show, Iced Earth were on the rise. Finally found the perfect singer with a godlike voice, a series of critically acclaimed albums, a more "lighter" and power metal oriented sound that took away a bit of the thrash of the earlier records and made them more accessible, nothing could stop them in becoming one of the very top bands of the genre.
Then 9/11 happened.... and Matt Barlow felt the need to change his life, dunno what happened with Jon and if that was the first big event that sent him on his path. Of course there's no recovering from losing Matt Barlow, and yet Ripper was the best replacement he could possibly find back then. Would Matt Barlow's presence make a difference for The Glorious Burden?
And then of course, came his magnus opus, or what he wanted it to be. The album to end all albums, his masterpiece, the Something Wicked album, which eventually became two. He set out to write his Scenes from a Memory..... but in the end he wrote The Astonishing (just an example - I personally love the album, but again, it's not SFAM), and the clusterfuck of changing singers midway through the project didn't help either.
By then, the musical landscape had changed, the situation had become what we all know (no more money made from records, all incomes basically come from touring), and Matt left AGAIN and for good, and Jon finally settled with Stu opening a new and more stable phase of Iced Earth (I love Dystopia, mildly enjoy Babylon and quite like Incorruptible), that however has to face the reality of the current musical landscape, with them being just another mid-to-big band.
I believe Jon had the intention of making Iced Earth the next Iron Maiden. Or at least, as big as Iron Maiden and even that is an hyperbole - more realistically, I expect that for the longest time, his ultimate goal and vision was of making Iced Earth so big that - to give a pratical example - they could have headlined festivals that Maiden themselves headlined. Big as Avenged Sevenfold ad their peak, big as Ghost who were playing big venues in their last tour.
Could this have ever happened under different circumstances? what went wrong? I think the most important defining moments in Iced Earth's path to world domination were:
- Matt Barlow leaving
- The Something Wicked album(s) not being the absolute masterpiece Jon desperately wanted it to be
Horror Show was released in 2001, Matt Barlow left in early 2003. By the time Jon came out of the turmoil with all the Ripper / Matt comes back / whops nevermind, he's gone again, it was 2011 (the year of Dystopia). 10 years "wasted", kinda like Maiden's popularity waned in the '90s, but there was no reunion with Bruce dickinson to pull out of the hat. And of course, by 2011 it was cleary that nobody was buying records anymore and that income would have had to come from touring and merchandise.
So... do you think that with just some more fortunate circumstances Iced Earth could have been, in relative terms, "as big as Iron Maiden" (or at the very least, a band that would fill sports stadium all over Europe, kinda like Nightwish is doing now), or the creative plateau would have been reached anyway and Jon had no longer utter masterpieces left in him, regardless of who was the singer?
So many good points above!
My thoughts:
-'Horror Show' was a creative peak (in my opinion)
-Barlow leaving was a huge blow, BUT I'm not sure that if he stayed the course, they would've been 'Maiden' big...either way, they would've remained A-listers in the genre.
-I like Ripper (hell, I'm from Cleveland...I'm pretty sure I've shared the stage with him at some point), and I like Stu...but for me, Barlow IS the voice. And while I've checked out everything they've done since Burnt Offerings (that's how far back I go), the albums where Matt doesn't sing often fail to sustain my interest.
-I agree that there's probably more to Matt leaving back in 2001/2002 than we even know, and I've never bought the 'his heart wasn't in the Glorious Burden' excuse that Jon peddled at the time.
-Lastly, as both a fan and a US citizen, I am just so bummed by everything that happened this past week.
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Night of the Stormrider didnt catch your interest. Greely is no Barlow but that album is a thrash masterpiece.
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Now Stu is getting it. I missed his early post where he seems to have backed Jon and what he was doing. Now he is dropping the ban-hammer as people call him on his possible hypocrisy.
https://www.metalsucks.net/2021/01/10/iced-earths-stu-block-is-banning-fans-for-asking-his-opinion-on-pro-trump-riots/
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I own one album. SWCtW and I found it underwhelming. I spun it many times and then relegated it to the shelf permanently. Perhaps I should try some of the earlier albums recommended here.
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Night of the Stormrider didnt catch your interest. Greely is no Barlow but that album is a thrash masterpiece.
It absolutely is.
I meant to say Burnt Offerings was my introduction. Of course, I checked out the self titled and NOTS, but kinda like Fates and Alder, Barlow was my guy and to his records I compare all the others.
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I heard about this earlier today, and while I'm shocked, at the same time I can say that I wasn't really that surprised.
I do feel sorry for his bandmates, as this is pretty much the end of IE in any meaningful form. It's a shame since IE has had a pretty stable lineup for the last decade or so, which of course is pretty unusual. But unless Schaffer cuts a deal, he will almost certainly do serious jail time. Furthermore, as others have pointed out, it's hard to imagine mainstream record companies wanting anything to do with him, let alone most reputable concert promoters, and if you can't put out records or tour, you are dead as a professional musician .
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https://youtu.be/rrXs1RPrINU
Anybody in need of a good cringe? If his opening rant isn't bad enough, he goes over the top and aggressively waves the dont tread on me flag to the beat of the music like hes in high school color guard.
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That, and coupled with the brilliant point made by CrimsonE (which major label or promoter would want their business associated to an insurrection?), makes me think that if Jon comes out of this relatively unscathed (I mean with the law, let's say he doesn't get 10 years in prison), all he will probably be able to do is to put together a version of Sons of Liberty with people that don't mind to work with him and be an obscure political band that plays rallies or whatever.
We have to see how it all plays out but, regardless of how, when and if Jon will face the law, and how dire the consequences will be, I think CrimsonE is right, Iced Earth as we knew it is over.
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I guess he was ready 12 years ago:
Sons of Liberty - Tree Of Liberty
[Music / Lyrics : Jon Schaffer]
It's time to act quickly
Face what's ahead, Revolution's at hand
You must see
I pray it's with ballots
If they push us too far, bullets will rain....
We ll bring down the tyrants
Forcing their hand, bringing them down to their knees....
The clash of free and tyranny will soak the Earth
With the blood of patriots and tyrants...
:facepalm:
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It's crazy that the same guy who wrote most of Iced Earth's lyrics wrote that cringey ass shit. Not to say Iced Earth hasn't had the occasional stinker *cough*Hollowmandaysofragedividedevour*cough* but Sons of Liberty is on a while other level. I've never liked any of that shit.
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What hurts the most, in a sense, is that there is method to his madness.
Have you seen the video posted some messages ago where he identifies himself saying he's Jon Schaffer from Indiana? he's calm and polite to the person interviewing him, he's expressing normally his point of view and he's also quite articulate with it. He's not a lunatic spewing almost nonsensical slogans. He's very lucidly and rationally explaining what he thinks, hardly a "crazy extremist". It gives a lot of food for thought that someone who is clearly not ignorant can come to believe alternate versions of reality to the point that he takes place in a violent insurrection (which is the whole point, if he was spotted with the crowds outside of the Capitol but then he would just stay the hell away from the riots and the attacks, we'd have already forgotten about by now, "Eh, Schaffer's gonna Schaffer, we knew his ideas, he has a right to protest like everybody else, let's listen to The Coming Curse and pretend this didn't happen").
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Stu clarifies his screenshot and social media drama. My respect for him increased and he's slyly distancing himself from Jon without naming him, by lumping him in with the other protesters.
First I want to thank everyone for the amazing support you have shown. Unfortunately It has come to my attention in recent days about a screenshot someone made. There were some very obsessive hateful people posting the screenshot that I did have to remove from my social media. I do want to extend my apologies for the poor way I worded two Facebook posts on January the 6th. I’m human and I make mistakes. My wording was absolutely misunderstood and not properly thought out on my part and I know people and media can interpret things differently. At that moment I saw a historical thing happening that perhaps would cause divide amongst people everywhere so I sent love out to everyone as well. I quickly took the post down after I realized that the post I put up with good intentions to encourage discussion about what was happening at that moment was severely misinterpreted by some. This was all happening before I found out about the horrible line that was crossed that day by protesters. I also carelessly misread a comment someone posted on my official Facebook page and replied incorrectly and for that I am sorry. I was in the heat of the moment. In the post, the commenter said: “Are you condemning what happened today Stu?” I replied: “and where in my statement would you get that impression?” In the craziness of responding to so many comments, some very hateful in nature which were also coming at me in rapid fire, I read the word as “condoning” which I DO NOT!! I see that this inaccurate misinterpreted screenshot has been shared on various social media pages and I want to go on record to say this AGAIN:
I absolutely DO NOT condone nor do I support ANY acts of violence or anything else that ANY protester or rioter was involved in on January 6th at the US Capitol building.
If you follow me, you know I am generally a man of Peace, Kitties and Music. I do believe in peaceful protest and expressing your grievances , I believe in questioning authority when it’s appropriate, but I also believe that it should be done in a peaceful, respectful and intellectual manner and within the confines of the law. Again I apologize for any confusion. That’s it that’s all. I have been and will be taking a social media break and this is the only time I will ever address this inaccurate misinterpreted screenshot. Much Love and Stay Strong. ❤️
Stu Block ❤️
I just wish Jon would get arrested soon so fans can start to move past this. The longer it goes without any word from him or about him just seems to keep everyone on edge. Sad that I even have to say that about one of my favorite musicians.
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Man, Stu is all class. I will definitely be checking out whatever his next project is.
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Well, I'd say he wrote it brilliantly.
Maybe he got legal / social networking advice about how to spin it. Maybe he's 100% sincere about it. Still, he addressed the problem head on, and he clearly said it - "I'm human and I make mistakes", just for that alone he deserves some respect.
I feel for him, he's between the hammer and the anvil - his bandmate and de facto employer commited domestic terrorism and now he has to navigate himself in muddy waters while being a public figure, with people out there waiting to dissect every word he writes. It must not be easy and I don't know what I would do in his shoes. I hope he will not get dragged down in the mud by Schaffer's actions.
About Jon - where the hell he is? he's laying low at home? did he made it out of DC? is he sleeping in abandoned cars like he did in Florida when he was young? who knows?
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To be fair, I read it as condoning as well.
Is it possible that Jon has already been arrested? Has anyone checked the mugshot websites?
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Well, I'd say he wrote it brilliantly.
Maybe he got legal / social networking advice about how to spin it. Maybe he's 100% sincere about it. Still, he addressed the problem head on, and he clearly said it - "I'm human and I make mistakes", just for that alone he deserves some respect.
I feel for him, he's between the hammer and the anvil - his bandmate and de facto employer commited domestic terrorism and now he has to navigate himself in muddy waters while being a public figure, with people out there waiting to dissect every word he writes. It must not be easy and I don't know what I would do in his shoes. I hope he will not get dragged down in the mud by Schaffer's actions.
About Jon - where the hell he is? he's laying low at home? did he made it out of DC? is he sleeping in abandoned cars like he did in Florida when he was young? who knows?
Jon slept in abandoned cars when he was young? Where'd you hear that?
Oh, every single interview he's ever done.
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About Jon - where the hell he is? he's laying low at home? did he made it out of DC? is he sleeping in abandoned cars like he did in Florida when he was young? who knows?
His friends in the Podcast group have said that they text him daily to check in on him and they haven't heard from him at all - they're not sure if that's good or bad. He's either on the lam/in hiding, or was arrested.
The FBI still has his picture on their "Most Wanted" page, though I'd imagine they've had thousands of tips received that identify him. I suspect that he hasn't been arrested yet. That would probably make national news.
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Well, I'd say he wrote it brilliantly.
Maybe he got legal / social networking advice about how to spin it. Maybe he's 100% sincere about it. Still, he addressed the problem head on, and he clearly said it - "I'm human and I make mistakes", just for that alone he deserves some respect.
I feel for him, he's between the hammer and the anvil - his bandmate and de facto employer commited domestic terrorism and now he has to navigate himself in muddy waters while being a public figure, with people out there waiting to dissect every word he writes. It must not be easy and I don't know what I would do in his shoes. I hope he will not get dragged down in the mud by Schaffer's actions.
About Jon - where the hell he is? he's laying low at home? did he made it out of DC? is he sleeping in abandoned cars like he did in Florida when he was young? who knows?
Jon slept in abandoned cars when he was young? Where'd you hear that?
Oh, every single interview he's ever done.
I thought it was houses.
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"A typical day would start with waking up in his car, which was serving as his bed at the time".
Copied from the Dark Saga boxset booklet (yes, I am / was a big enough fun to purchase the boxset and I will never regret it, the remixes are badass).
So he was sleeping in the car, but it was his own.
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I'm gonna have to listen to that Horror Show interview CD again. I could have sworn he said houses. Maybe it was both at one point.
I wish I had the money for that box set. I certainly didn't and don't need it, but it's really cool. I only have the NOTS individual CD from it.
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What hurts the most, in a sense, is that there is method to his madness.
Have you seen the video posted some messages ago where he identifies himself saying he's Jon Schaffer from Indiana? he's calm and polite to the person interviewing him, he's expressing normally his point of view and he's also quite articulate with it. He's not a lunatic spewing almost nonsensical slogans. He's very lucidly and rationally explaining what he thinks, hardly a "crazy extremist". It gives a lot of food for thought that someone who is clearly not ignorant can come to believe alternate versions of reality to the point that he takes place in a violent insurrection (which is the whole point, if he was spotted with the crowds outside of the Capitol but then he would just stay the hell away from the riots and the attacks, we'd have already forgotten about by now, "Eh, Schaffer's gonna Schaffer, we knew his ideas, he has a right to protest like everybody else, let's listen to The Coming Curse and pretend this didn't happen").
DELETED. Mirror Mask, can I copy your post to P/R and respond?
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Why not, go ahead.
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Think I'll get around to checking out some more Iced Earth.
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Think I'll get around to checking out some more Iced Earth.
TL;DR rundown:
- Debut album nice but VERY raw, with an average singer
- Second album, Night of the Stormrider, kickass thrash album, a new and better singer that suited more the music
- Third album, Burnt Offerings, is where the god Matt Barlow comes in and starts a less aggressive and more power-ish era for the band, with the following Dark Saga, Something Wicked this Way Comes and Horror Show being the "classic" era of the band
- Matt goes, Ripper freshly off Judas Priest comes in for the historical-themed The Glorious Burden
- That "Something Wicked" thing expands in two albums - the first has Ripper and the second has Matt again
- Matt leaves AGAIN and for good, in comes the current singer, Stu Block, who has made three albums: Dystopia, Plagues of Babylon and the last one, Incorruptible. Dystopia is quite good an Incorruptible is quite acceptable I'd say.
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Incurruptible
Plagues of Babylon
Dystopia
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This is how I'd do my rating.
Though I suppose Incorruptible (that's the last one, right?) isn't bad.
Also, I wouldn't classify Burnt Offerings as less aggressive, it's a SUPER aggressive album. Though I'd agree it became a bit less aggressive after that, but IE has historically been a pretty aggressive band either way. It's not like they sound like Kamelot or Sonata Arctica or anything.
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Oh yeah, that goes without question.
It's just that Matt's voice is more melodic, if there was no change of singer between Stormrider and Burnt Offerings, they would sound even more similar.
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Robb Flynn made this video after Phil Anselmo yelled "white power" at the end of Dimebash...
Racism in Metal (https://youtu.be/fCBKzWg4WYo)
I think it's relevant. He says how no one in the metal community calls out these guys like him and Schaffer.
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Think I'll get around to checking out some more Iced Earth.
I'd start with Alive in Athens and follow it up with Live in Ancient Kourion. Both are excellent representations of the Barlow and Block eras.
From there, here are the albums to check out:
Something Wicked This Way Comes: Arguably their best album and one of the few that has absolutely no filler.
Dark Saga: Perhaps my favorite album from IE, this is a concept album based on the comic Spawn (with cover art drawn by Todd McFarlane)
Horror Show: Another concept album, this one based on monsters (werewolf, Dracula, mummy, etc). It's a hit & miss album, but when it works, it really works (Dracula, Damien, Jack).
Glorious Burden: Their first album with Tim Owens, this one revolves around the theme of U.S. wars. As with Horror show, there is plenty of filer, but enough works to make this one worth listening. In particular, check out Declaration Day and Gettysburg (1863), the latter of which is a nearly 30 minute epic.
Dystopia: Their first album with Stu Block, this one marks a return to form after its mediocre predecessors.
Incorruptable: Their latest (and possibly last) album, this is the first one since Something Wicked that doesn't have a main theme, and the freedom makes for some very good songs. While it does have a few filler songs (Brothers), it also has some awesome tracks (Black Flag, Raven Wing, Clear the Way) and is a fine album to go out on if it does turn out to be the swan song of this band.
BTW, if you like Iced Earth, you absolutely must check out Demons and Wizards, the side project of Jon Shaffer, with Blind Guardian singer Hani Kursch. The S/T debut album is arguably one of the best albums of 2000, if not the entire decade, it is that good.
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Thanks for the info. My brother loaned me his copy of the glorious burden years ago. I really like it but for whatever reason I didn't bother to hear more.
This whole insurgency thing seems to be a cause for renewed interest.
I feel like I should state that I only ever checked out as I lay dying after the hitman fiasco.
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Jon turned himself in today.
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https://bravewords.com/news/iced-earth-jon-schaffer-arrested-by-fbi-for-role-in-capitol-riot-facing-six-charges
Fucking bear spray??
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The FBI Indianapolis Field Office released the following statement regarding Schaffer's arrest: "Jon Schaffer, Columbus, IN, has been arrested in connection to Jan 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol. Schaffer faces 6 charges including engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building. Schaffer was allegedly among rioters who sprayed Capitol police with 'bear spray.'"
1) Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority
2) Disrupting the Orderly Conduct of Government Business
3) Knowingly Engaging in an Act of Physical Violence Against any Person or Property in any Restricted Building or Grounds
4) Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building
5) Engaging in an Act of Physical Violence in a Capitol Building
6) Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
I just saw a video where Jon is visible in a group where mace was being used, though it is unclear what was happening. I wouldn't doubt that the FBI has more on him than the one picture we've seen.
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https://bravewords.com/news/iced-earth-jon-schaffer-arrested-by-fbi-for-role-in-capitol-riot-facing-six-charges
Fucking bear spray??
Why would they think John Petrucci would be in there?
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(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/80c7dc0f-2190-44c0-8526-0e7aa5243249/d1jaqm6-3880a146-efda-4ba1-92af-388ab3a09f65.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvODBjN2RjMGYtMjE5MC00NGMwLTg1MjYtMGU3YWE1MjQzMjQ5XC9kMWphcW02LTM4ODBhMTQ2LWVmZGEtNGJhMS05MmFmLTM4OGFiM2EwOWY2NS5qcGcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.hqPKHxkxOQ6DoyNIL4zcH-HmeKhMkA7NvuBe6Q-fxpQ)
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(https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/wikiality/images/a/a9/Petrucci.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070325065516)
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:lol
Please tell me you did that yourself Tim?
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:lol
Google Images ;D
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Ah! It's so shit that it's fucking amazing.
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That evolution of Petrucci pic is ancient. Are you guys just now seeing it? Someone here drew it and even got it signed.
Back to Schaffer, I can't help but think it isn't long before he starts believing his Something Wicked story.
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That evolution of Petrucci pic is ancient. Are you guys just now seeing it? Someone here drew it and even got it signed.
:lol that's brilliant. Yeah I don't think I've ever seen it before.
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https://bravewords.com/news/iced-earth-jon-schaffer-arrested-by-fbi-for-role-in-capitol-riot-facing-six-charges
Fucking bear spray??
Is it sad that when I read the be.. spray, my mind immediately thought beer spray and that when I searched for the word beer in the article and came up short, I was thinking, "Wait, where's the beer in all of this?"
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On the bright side, maybe Stu will go back to Into Eternity.
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So he turned himself in? I imagined him running from the law and living in abandoned houses / cars like in his glory youth days, the last one standing after all the other insurrectionists were already arrested :lol
Joking aside, is this the official nail in the coffin for IE's carrer or the label will wait for sentences to drop him and the other guys having no choice that distancing themselves from him?
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Maybe he wants to get a shot at getting a pardon from his leader, Trump?
Also, that Petrucci drawing is hilarious :lol
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Maybe he wants to get a shot at getting a pardon from his leader, Trump?
Also, that Petrucci drawing is hilarious :lol
Considering the murmurs that Trump's planning on signing around a hundred pardons and commutes on Tuesday, I wouldn't be surprised if folks who participated in the riot are hoping one of those is some sort of blanket pardon for anyone involved.
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Maybe he wants to get a shot at getting a pardon from his leader, Trump?
Also, that Petrucci drawing is hilarious :lol
Considering the murmurs that Trump's planning on signing around a hundred pardons and commutes on Tuesday, I wouldn't be surprised if folks who participated in the riot are hoping one of those is some sort of blanket pardon for anyone involved.
Whether he's planning to do it or not, the fact that it's even possible and (as far as I understand it?) requires no checks or balances is ridiculous and makes a mockery of the USA's law and politics. But that's probably more a conversation for the P/R threads.
It'll be interesting to see what happens to Schaffer, and then whatever happens to him, what then happens to Iced Earth.
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Until Schaffer is either convicted or set free, I think the label won't do anything. If he gets a sentence, I can totally see Century Media dropping Iced Earth and the other guys having no other option than walk away, effectively dissolving the band.
Burzum actually killed a person and was still making albums, even though for a much restricted and selected market. Who will collaborate with Jon on the "next Iced Earth album" if the band is gone? would he still continue to write music but for Sons of Liberty instead?
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FBI's charging document against Jon. They detail his affiliation with the Oathkeepers, his statements made in video interviews and his activities that day. So far, he appears to be the only person charged with "an act of physical violence." Most people have a few charges, yet he faces up to 6. It's not looking good for him, for now at least.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/page/file/1356006/download?fbclid=IwAR1m64Sled7UAojdJIzXsg-2DGGi8bdfFsHIFqC5XzbzeE81ztz3_7gc1oI
:eek
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"SCHAFFER is a person of some celebrity in the heavy metal music industry, and was identified by numerous individuals
when his photograph was published by the FBI seeking identification of individuals who
participated in the events of January 6, 2021"
"Person of some celebrity", like "yeah, he plays in a band or whatever, it seems people go to their concerts" :lol
I mean, it's factually correct, he is a celebrity and he's not Bono or Springsteen, but it's funny to see his carrer described in such a casual way :D
EDIT: also later:
"SCHAFFER, who is the front man of the heavy metal band “Iced Earth...” "
Stu Block: https://www.samaa.tv/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sarim-Akhtar.jpg
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Maybe he wants to get a shot at getting a pardon from his leader, Trump?
Also, that Petrucci drawing is hilarious :lol
Considering the murmurs that Trump's planning on signing around a hundred pardons and commutes on Tuesday, I wouldn't be surprised if folks who participated in the riot are hoping one of those is some sort of blanket pardon for anyone involved.
Whether he's planning to do it or not, the fact that it's even possible and (as far as I understand it?) requires no checks or balances is ridiculous and makes a mockery of the USA's law and politics. But that's probably more a conversation for the P/R threads.
It'll be interesting to see what happens to Schaffer, and then whatever happens to him, what then happens to Iced Earth.
IMO, if Trump pardons any of the rioters, he only increases his odds of a conviction in the Senate, and possible even criminal charges from the Biden administration. Granted, the act of pardon itself may not be a criminal act, but there will be the perception of Trump's culpability in the riot itself, along with increasing anger within the administration and the Senate.
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At the risk of pointing this thread towards P/R territory; if Trump has any good advisors left, they're probably going to withhold him from doing such a thing, for the exact reasons you mentioned.
And yeah, the whole idea of 'presidential pardons' is absolutely ridiculous (but if I'm wrong, please do enlighten me, though probably in a P/R thread).
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I'm not a mod, and I can't move posts, but I'll start a thread if you'd like. This is going to be a topic of convo as the pardons flow, but I can already see a lot of misleading information.
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At the risk of pointing this thread towards P/R territory; if Trump has any good advisors left, they're probably going to withhold him from doing such a thing, for the exact reasons you mentioned.
And yeah, the whole idea of 'presidential pardons' is absolutely ridiculous (but if I'm wrong, please do enlighten me, though probably in a P/R thread).
The idea of pardons sort of started back when people thought the position of president would be relatively non-partisan. Washington was the only president ever elected unanimously and that did not belong to a political party (although he aligned himself with the Federalists for the most part). So this pardon power kind of stems from the idea that the president could stay about the fray and pardon those who may have gotten a raw deal.
So yeah, pardon power is pretty outdated.
On a side note, I started listening to some Iced Earth to see if I could even still enjoy it. Surprisingly I did with the exception of the Something Wicked albums.
I was so underwhelmed by those albums and the rotating lineup and Jon's blowhard views at the time that I basically stopped caring. My opinion stands. Those albums are just boring.
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Yeah, that was meant to be his magnum opus but he fell flat on those. Even Matt Barlow from the beginning couldn't save those albums.
Framing Armageddon is quite cool all things considered, it's a standard IE album with some fat to be trimmed here and there. Crucible of Man is plain boring, it drags on and on and the best song, Come What May, is a total wimping out storyline wise. You promise for years the destruction of mankind and the antichrist incarnated at the end says "Uh well, I guess I'll give you another chance but behave, m'kay?". D'uh.
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Jon admitted that he lost 3 members of his family during the Framing/Crucible years and that his heart wasn't in those albums. Looking back on them and knowing that explains why the songwriting isn't up to his usual standards.
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Yeah, that was meant to be his magnum opus but he fell flat on those. Even Matt Barlow from the beginning couldn't save those albums.
Framing Armageddon is quite cool all things considered, it's a standard IE album with some fat to be trimmed here and there. Crucible of Man is plain boring, it drags on and on and the best song, Come What May, is a total wimping out storyline wise. You promise for years the destruction of mankind and the antichrist incarnated at the end says "Uh well, I guess I'll give you another chance but behave, m'kay?". D'uh.
I could barely follow the story because it was so boring.
I looked up a synopsis online and couldn't even find a very detailed one.
Jon admitted that he lost 3 members of his family during the Framing/Crucible years and that his heart wasn't in those albums. Looking back on them and knowing that explains why the songwriting isn't up to his usual standards.
After hyping it up for 10 years, I kind of find that a poor excuse. I mean, I feel bad saying that because obviously that's a terrible thing to happen but if he just shit out what was supposed to be his signature opus, that he had been talking up for a decade, then it's gotta be more than just that.
The lineup changes really make the album suffer too.
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(https://i.lensdump.com/i/0bnLw5.jpg)
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(https://i.lensdump.com/i/0bnLw5.jpg)
Should've been titled "Sons of Liberty" :lol
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(https://i.lensdump.com/i/0bnLw5.jpg)
Should've been titled "Sons of Liberty" :lol
Yeah that would have been more fitting, but I wanted to reference something good.
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Disciples Of The Lie would've been more appropriate.
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Disciples Of The Lie would've been more appropriate.
Gold!
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Disciples Of The Lie would've been more appropriate.
:rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin
This is it, right here.
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They were talking about arrests on the NBC (national) news, and they listed a couple with their occupations. They listed Jon Shaffer as "Heavy metal rocker".
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And so it begins.
https://loudwire.com/iced-earth-demons-wizards-removed-century-media-online-roster/
Century Media no longer lists Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards in their roster, nor the merchandise for the bands is available.
Hansi Kursch will be very happy, I assume.
Basically 2019's tour was Demons & Wizards' farewell tour, now I regret even more not seeing the show (they didn't play in my country, ironically one of the very few that got the early D&W shows in 2000).
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I guess that makes their last performance at ProgPower somewhat legendary (not for the right reasons).
(https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/136109349_10124501428727314_5491831855571949559_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=2&_nc_sid=dbeb18&_nc_ohc=p43aeptBfHMAX8r3M8T&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=600f8959ae224c924e8ce8262b43504d&oe=602DD872)
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Well, I'm glad I got to see IE on the Gettysburg tour (or whatever it was called) and SUPER glad I flew from LA to Chicago to see their first show with Barlow when he rejoined the band.
Not sad I didn't see them with Stu.
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I'm glad I caught D&W on their 2019 tour. Seeing Fiddler of the Green live was amazing.
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And so it begins.
https://loudwire.com/iced-earth-demons-wizards-removed-century-media-online-roster/
Century Media no longer lists Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards in their roster, nor the merchandise for the bands is available.
Hansi Kursch will be very happy, I assume.
Basically 2019's tour was Demons & Wizards' farewell tour, now I regret even more not seeing the show (they didn't play in my country, ironically one of the very few that got the early D&W shows in 2000).
Wow. I wonder if Hansi will comment.
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Well, I'm glad I got to see IE on the Gettysburg tour (or whatever it was called) and SUPER glad I flew from LA to Chicago to see their first show with Barlow when he rejoined the band.
Not sad I didn't see them with Stu.
I was at that Chicago show too!
I'm wondering if Century Media just quietly removed them from the website, as opposed to dropping them in full. Iced Earth's contract was completed with Incorruptible, though CM still distributes merchandise I believe.
Demons had re-signed for 2 studio albums and a live album.
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And so it begins.
https://loudwire.com/iced-earth-demons-wizards-removed-century-media-online-roster/
Century Media no longer lists Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards in their roster, nor the merchandise for the bands is available.
Hansi Kursch will be very happy, I assume.
Basically 2019's tour was Demons & Wizards' farewell tour, now I regret even more not seeing the show (they didn't play in my country, ironically one of the very few that got the early D&W shows in 2000).
Was to be expected. I know jackshit about the US legal system, but surely he will face time? Looking at the charges and evidence, along with his rants showing intention of violence.
I wonder what IE members are going to do.
God, this is so dumb.
And I will say that in that I did in fact really enjoy modern Iced Earth, especially their latest.
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I hope Jon got to watch the inauguration in prison. :'(
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I remembered that on the last album there's a song called "The Relic (part 1)".
WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET PART 2 NOW, JON? DIDN'T YOU THINK ABOUT THE RELIC BEFORE DECIDING TO FIGHT SET ABOMINAE'S PLAN?? >:(
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I remembered that on the last album there's a song called "The Relic (part 1)".
WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET PART 2 NOW, JON? DIDN'T YOU THINK ABOUT THE RELIC BEFORE DECIDING TO FIGHT SET ABOMINAE'S PLAN?? >:(
:lol
Hey, it's risky marketing....Builds anticipation as people will expect a Part 2. And still leaves interest in the band itself and keeps people talking about them. :biggrin:
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BAM!
https://bravewords.com/news/hansi-kursch-quits-demons-wizards-my-collaboration-with-jon-schaffer-is-over
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Plus, Jon is still in jail in Indiana. Still waiting on extradition to DC. Yeah, he can probably call it a career.
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Yeah, I think Shaffer's career is done. I hope the Iced Earth members will be able to continue their career in some form.
BAM!
https://bravewords.com/news/hansi-kursch-quits-demons-wizards-my-collaboration-with-jon-schaffer-is-over
Well, that is clear.
I do feel for Blind Guardian as well, especially Hansi, on top of the Iced Earth members. In the BG discography cd boxset there is actually a section dedicated to Iced Earth, due to their longstanding friendship, with photos from back in the 90's of them having a good time.
As someone who has experienced that, losing friends to insanity sucks.
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BAM!
https://bravewords.com/news/hansi-kursch-quits-demons-wizards-my-collaboration-with-jon-schaffer-is-over
(https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/74165001/just-look-at-everyone-whos-surprised.jpg)
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BAM!
https://bravewords.com/news/hansi-kursch-quits-demons-wizards-my-collaboration-with-jon-schaffer-is-over
Short and to the point. Hansi seems like a real smart, down to earth guy. They were great friends but he seems fine with wiping his hands of him. Great, smart move and shows Hansi's strong character.
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In one of Jon's last interviews he says he refuses to wear a diaper on his face (I mean, I would too...that's gross...ohhhh, wait, you mean a fucking mask?) and when the interviewer said if given the choice he would choose to try to reduce spread of covid or whatever Jon responded, "...and I choose freedom!"
What I'm saying is I so want to see him led from his cell to the courtroom in handcuffs with a "diaper" on his face and see how the freedom is treating him.
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Hansi "leaving" D&W is just a formal way to put it. The band was him and Jon and there is no sense whatsoever for Jon to do another D&W album with a different singer.
A longtime friendship built upon music and touring together, two albums, 15 damn years to wait for a new tour and a new album, and when we finally get new stuff, Jon goes full conspiracy mode and becomes a domestic terrorist. Meh. What a sad, sad end for such a cool project and great musical partnership, and I can't even imagine what it's like for Hansi to see a friend throw his carrer and life down the drain.
BTW, Iced Earth is doomed the same, we just don't know it yet... I assume the other guys in the band are waiting for a formal sentencing of Jon to announce what to do.
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Hansi "leaving" D&W is just a formal way to put it. The band was him and Jon and there is no sense whatsoever for Jon to do another D&W album with a different singer.
A longtime friendship built upon music and touring together, two albums, 15 damn years to wait for a new tour and a new album, and when we finally get new stuff, Jon goes full conspiracy mode and becomes a domestic terrorist. Meh. What a sad, sad end for such a cool project and great musical partnership, and I can't even imagine what it's like for Hansi to see a friend throw his carrer and life down the drain.
BTW, Iced Earth is doomed the same, we just don't know it yet... I assume the other guys in the band are waiting for a formal sentencing of Jon to announce what to do.
Yep, all of this! I would have been very surprised if Hansi wouldn't have dropped out of D&W.
I'm not an American citizen, and perhaps I'm not qualified to answer, but I suspect Jon will be doing some serious time in prison. He's charges seem pretty serious. Iced Earth is done for good. As is he's musical career. What a damn shame...
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Hansi "leaving" D&W is just a formal way to put it. The band was him and Jon and there is no sense whatsoever for Jon to do another D&W album with a different singer.
A longtime friendship built upon music and touring together, two albums, 15 damn years to wait for a new tour and a new album, and when we finally get new stuff, Jon goes full conspiracy mode and becomes a domestic terrorist. Meh. What a sad, sad end for such a cool project and great musical partnership, and I can't even imagine what it's like for Hansi to see a friend throw his carrer and life down the drain.
BTW, Iced Earth is doomed the same, we just don't know it yet... I assume the other guys in the band are waiting for a formal sentencing of Jon to announce what to do.
While nothing official has been said, I think based on everything, everyone pretty much knows IE is done.
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Hansi "leaving" D&W is just a formal way to put it. The band was him and Jon and there is no sense whatsoever for Jon to do another D&W album with a different singer.
A longtime friendship built upon music and touring together, two albums, 15 damn years to wait for a new tour and a new album, and when we finally get new stuff, Jon goes full conspiracy mode and becomes a domestic terrorist. Meh. What a sad, sad end for such a cool project and great musical partnership, and I can't even imagine what it's like for Hansi to see a friend throw his carrer and life down the drain.
BTW, Iced Earth is doomed the same, we just don't know it yet... I assume the other guys in the band are waiting for a formal sentencing of Jon to announce what to do.
While nothing official has been said, I think based on everything, everyone pretty much knows IE is done.
He still needs to face trial, so while it all seems pretty obvious with the pictures, until he's proven guilty, it's hard to say how long he will be locked up. I do expect it to be at least a year personally, but I'm not entirely sure it'll be long enough to say he couldn't come out and make more music. However, landing a record deal with his bad publicity may be more difficult.
Hansi did the easy and right thing IMO, but it was pretty damn obvious for him to do that.
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Sad to see Hansi's statement, but everyone has to make that separation for business reasons.
iced Earth was finished with their Century Media contract, though I've read that they were still using them for distribution, such as the re-issues of the self-titled record. I really think Jon's was going to use Kickstarter as a primary means of funding future releases, music or otherwise. Until he makes bail, not much will happen, and even then, he has a trial and sentence to deal with.
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He might need a kickstarted for lawyer fees. Going to be a very expensive defense.
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He might need a kickstarted for lawyer fees. Going to be a very expensive defense.
Ha! I was thinking of that as I typed my last post. If he makes bail, I wouldn't be surprised to see him churn out some kickstarter projects to help fund his defense.
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He might need a kickstarted for lawyer fees. Going to be a very expensive defense.
Ha! I was thinking of that as I typed my last post. If he makes bail, I wouldn't be surprised to see him churn out some kickstarter projects to help fund his defense.
It'll be interesting to see how much he can raise if so. There's definitely a set of people who like what he did and probably has their support, but what about the general masses? It seems most don't want anything to do with him anymore, but I'm sure there's plenty who while not supporting what he did, might still support his music.
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The Podcast in Stone guys just called it quits.
I wonder if Jon even considered the consequences of his actions.
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I've been amazed at the outright support some of the people in the Podcast group have for Jon and the election fraud theories. :angel:
They're right though...the band's future is very much in doubt right now, so what is there to talk about on a podcast?
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Aaaaaannd Stu's out.
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And Luke as well.
Jon was on a libertarian podcast last fall and said only 2 of the five guys would want the COVID vaccine. I guess we just found out which two he was referring to. :lol
Sadly, I expected some of the guys in the band to leave.
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I'm barely aware of how prisons work in Italy and how much contact is allowed between inmates and the outside world, so I definitively don't know how prisons work in the USA.
How much of this is Jon currently aware of? does the fact that he is a musician and a "famous" person makes any difference whatsoever in how he's being dealt with? beside family, is he allowed business contacts? does he truly know that Hansi and Stu publicly turned their backs on him? and most of all, but this is a rethorical question.... did he realize that he committed carrer suicide? oh, how I would like to know if he thinks of himself as a martyr for the cause, a slave in the evil system that one day will be torn down and we'll get rid of our oppressors blah blah blah, or if he had the post-nut, ehm, post-arrest clarity of having killed his own carrer and tarnished his legacy.
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Hey All,
Well, there are times and events when you have to take stock and re evaluate your life, work, and trajectory for the future. That being said I have informed Jon and his current management that I must announce my resignation from Iced Earth with immediate effect.
Before I made any personal decision I needed the last few weeks to process the situation as well as respect others in our camp processing the situation. I thank you all very much for respecting this. It’s the best decision in many ways for my personal/ professional growth going forward. Time to move on, heal and prosper.
Much love and respect to you all. Don’t fret! Stay tuned for some exciting things to come! Time to embark upon a new chapter. Be good to each other.
Stu Block ✌️❤️ 🤘😻
Somehow he spoke to Jon. Maybe he made bail? Maybe he's too embarrassed to make a statement yet, or can't.
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I would be VERY surprised if we'd hear any statement from Jon himself. Again, I don't know how the law works there, but I can't imagine his lawyers allowing him to speak online, or release a statement in his place ("our client wishes to inform his fans that....").
Furthermore, what's there to say anyway? until he will be formally condemned / acquitted the whole thing is in a limbo, and if you take away all the stuff you obviously cannot say, you'd have a statement so neutered that it would be hardly interesting to read.
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I'm sure messages may be passed through Jon's mangement lawyer, since prisons can't restrict legal visits.
Jon is smart enough to not make any public statement that can be used against him in court. Admitting to his involvement or explaining his actions would harm him legally.
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I'm barely aware of how prisons work in Italy and how much contact is allowed between inmates and the outside world, so I definitively don't know how prisons work in the USA.
How much of this is Jon currently aware of? does the fact that he is a musician and a "famous" person makes any difference whatsoever in how he's being dealt with? beside family, is he allowed business contacts? does he truly know that Hansi and Stu publicly turned their backs on him? and most of all, but this is a rethorical question.... did he realize that he committed carrer suicide? oh, how I would like to know if he thinks of himself as a martyr for the cause, a slave in the evil system that one day will be torn down and we'll get rid of our oppressors blah blah blah, or if he had the post-nut, ehm, post-arrest clarity of having killed his own carrer and tarnished his legacy.
You'd be amazed at what lengths people will go through for their beliefs.
Jon felt his belief (whatever that is, I don't know) was worth dying for when he went out to that capital building. I am sure they were well aware of that choice and consequence. If not then they're just plain retarded, stupid, foolish, whatever word you choose to use.
There's songs saying this very thing of "Fight for what you believe in?", That's the entire point of Illumination Theory in Live, Die, Kill. And in The Pursuit of Truth, it's showing what cause they will lay down their life for. "Mothers for their students...a junkie for the high....Rebels for their freedom.... tyrant for the praise."
"Consider this question, open your eyes, examine your own reflection, what are you willing to die for?"
And we won't know Jon's belief and why he chose to risk his career unless someone actually ask him this question.
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"It's been a killer 30 years, but it is with a heavy heart that I must retire Iced Earth. The world is changing, and we can change with it or bury our feet in the mud and stay true to ourselves. Stay safe and stay killer.
Yours killerest,
Jon"
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I would be VERY surprised if we'd hear any statement from Jon himself. Again, I don't know how the law works there, but I can't imagine his lawyers allowing him to speak online, or release a statement in his place ("our client wishes to inform his fans that....").
Furthermore, what's there to say anyway? until he will be formally condemned / acquitted the whole thing is in a limbo, and if you take away all the stuff you obviously cannot say, you'd have a statement so neutered that it would be hardly interesting to read.
And that's likely why Stu and the others left. Not because Jon did what he did. Stu said himself, he and the others had to spend weeks reflecting on the situation. And that is reflecting on everything. I actually don't envy them and feel sorry for them to be in this situation, but I am sure they knew of Jon's beliefs and views on things. It'd be hard to ignore, knowing that Jon actually went, shows me that he likely talked about it a lot and mentioned these things to them during their down times.
The best, wisest thing to do is leave and end that contract. So you can still live out your career. Now, you also won't say anything else related to Jon, until that case is finalized and we know his punishment (if he is found guilty), because you don't want to be labelled you associate with the belief that Jon does as well.
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I would be VERY surprised if we'd hear any statement from Jon himself. Again, I don't know how the law works there, but I can't imagine his lawyers allowing him to speak online, or release a statement in his place ("our client wishes to inform his fans that....").
Furthermore, what's there to say anyway? until he will be formally condemned / acquitted the whole thing is in a limbo, and if you take away all the stuff you obviously cannot say, you'd have a statement so neutered that it would be hardly interesting to read.
And that's likely why Stu and the others left. Not because Jon did what he did. Stu said himself, he and the others had to spend weeks reflecting on the situation. And that is reflecting on everything. I actually don't envy them and feel sorry for them to be in this situation, but I am sure they knew of Jon's beliefs and views on things. It'd be hard to ignore, knowing that Jon actually went, shows me that he likely talked about it a lot and mentioned these things to them during their down times.
The best, wisest thing to do is leave and end that contract. So you can still live out your career. Now, you also won't say anything else related to Jon, until that case is finalized and we know his punishment (if he is found guilty), because you don't want to be labelled you associate with the belief that Jon does as well.
why wouldn't he be found guilty?
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"It's been a killer 30 years, but it is with a heavy heart that I must retire Iced Earth. The world is changing, and we can change with it or bury our feet in the mud and stay true to ourselves. Stay safe and stay killer.
Yours killerest,
Jon"
is that an actual statement or just a bit of comedy? :D
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I would be VERY surprised if we'd hear any statement from Jon himself. Again, I don't know how the law works there, but I can't imagine his lawyers allowing him to speak online, or release a statement in his place ("our client wishes to inform his fans that....").
Furthermore, what's there to say anyway? until he will be formally condemned / acquitted the whole thing is in a limbo, and if you take away all the stuff you obviously cannot say, you'd have a statement so neutered that it would be hardly interesting to read.
And that's likely why Stu and the others left. Not because Jon did what he did. Stu said himself, he and the others had to spend weeks reflecting on the situation. And that is reflecting on everything. I actually don't envy them and feel sorry for them to be in this situation, but I am sure they knew of Jon's beliefs and views on things. It'd be hard to ignore, knowing that Jon actually went, shows me that he likely talked about it a lot and mentioned these things to them during their down times.
The best, wisest thing to do is leave and end that contract. So you can still live out your career. Now, you also won't say anything else related to Jon, until that case is finalized and we know his punishment (if he is found guilty), because you don't want to be labelled you associate with the belief that Jon does as well.
why wouldn't he be found guilty?
I don't know. I am not saying, I think he isn't guilty. I think he is and should be held accountable for it. Which is what I am saying, I also feel he knows darn well what he was doing and what those consequences are.
Each person involved is being questioned individually or charged for their role, and what their intent was for going inside that building. Who knows what Jon's intent and role was, that's what they're doing for everyone they caught.
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Some weird musings about unindented ironies about Schaffer's "last words" in music....
The last song on an Iced Earth albun so far, and very possibly the last IE song ever, is Clear the Way, about a 1862 battle with the decisive help of an irish brigade, whose chorus goes:
Intrepid sons with heads held high
Go where glory awaits you
Your absolution under fire
If the lord above takes you
Fight, stand tall, prevail
Your brothers surround you
Fight, stand tall, prevail
Your courage defines you
I wonder if Jon thought of the song while he was committing an act of domestic terrorism, and thought of himself in the situation descibed in the lyrics, courageous brothers standing tall and "prevailing" :lol :facepalm: I mean, the meaning of the song is obvious and it's an historical song, but for whatever reason I picture Jon singing it to himself to get some courage in the action.
Now, on to Demons & Wizards, the last song on the third and last D&W album is Children of Cain, which has this stanza towards the end:
This deed we must condemn
For you delete all innocence
No earthly punishment
You’re banned from heaven’s shore
How could you deceive?
These rites of old
Your father’s law
Can’t control it, you can’t control it
Dismiss the illusion
All mercy’s denied
The mark’s set upon you
You’re no son of mine
I am falling, oh, I am falling
We’re living a lie, a lie
I am calling
Grace, I’m falling
A precious moment so bright
But it’s now out of sight
Father, oh father
There’s no redemption
For what I have done
With a little bit of fantasy and maybe changing some key words here and there, we could adapt it to Jon's situation upon realizing he killed his musical carrer, and Hansi turning his back on him, "you're no brother of mine".
I know, wacky thoughts :D but hey, these are the last words Schaffer left us in music, and I find it a bit ironic that one set of lyrics could be seen as a completely distorted meaning of going into battle, while the other one is about condemnation and realization of guilt.
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"It's been a killer 30 years, but it is with a heavy heart that I must retire Iced Earth. The world is changing, and we can change with it or bury our feet in the mud and stay true to ourselves. Stay safe and stay killer.
Yours killerest,
Jon"
is that an actual statement or just a bit of comedy? :D
I think the word killerest gives it away.
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And Luke as well.
Jon was on a libertarian podcast last fall and said only 2 of the five guys would want the COVID vaccine. I guess we just found out which two he was referring to. :lol
Sadly, I expected some of the guys in the band to leave.
I don't know if we can be sure that the two who wanted the vaccine were definitely Stu and Luke. Jake's saying he was employed by Iced Earth "from 2016 to 2018." :lol So he's basically out too.
So basically it's just Jon and Brent. The band's done.
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Brent just started a band not too long ago, and he's always been in and out of Iced Earth. Jon was hinting at retiring the band in the near future anyway, but if he did try for one more album, I wonder who he could find for a singer... John Greely is just as crazy as he is. Maybe we could see a return?
The Relic Part 1 will be the biggest tease in music history.
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I'm glad Stu quit. Hopefully he can do something better. The rest of the guys honestly just don't matter.
If Jon doesn't spend significant time in jail, and if he wants to keep doing IE, he can do it with no issues.
All he has to do is look for red neck metal heads who can learn his songs. I feel like he won't be in short supply. Will any of us like it? No idea, but he can find new members whenever he wants. Hell, he probably has dozens of guys trying to send in audition tapes just because they admire what he did on the Capital Hill.
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I'm glad Stu quit. Hopefully he can do something better. The rest of the guys honestly just don't matter.
If Jon doesn't spend significant time in jail, and if he wants to keep doing IE, he can do it with no issues.
All he has to do is look for red neck metal heads who can learn his songs. I feel like he won't be in short supply. Will any of us like it? No idea, but he can find new members whenever he wants. Hell, he probably has dozens of guys trying to send in audition tapes just because they admire what he did on the Capital Hill.
But will that and the remaining fans be enough to actually support the band? Trapt says "not really" so...
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I'm glad Stu quit. Hopefully he can do something better. The rest of the guys honestly just don't matter.
If Jon doesn't spend significant time in jail, and if he wants to keep doing IE, he can do it with no issues.
All he has to do is look for red neck metal heads who can learn his songs. I feel like he won't be in short supply. Will any of us like it? No idea, but he can find new members whenever he wants. Hell, he probably has dozens of guys trying to send in audition tapes just because they admire what he did on the Capital Hill.
But will that and the remaining fans be enough to actually support the band? Trapt says "not really" so...
Oh definitely not.
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Also, which label and which promoter will want to associate themselves with a domestic terrorist? granted, if Burzum can still have a carrer after having BURNT CHURCHES AND KILLED A MAN, so can Jon, but black metal is a very niche market anyway, Iced Earth were relatively "mainstream" in the world of metal.
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Lets ressurect the thread in 2031 when Jon gets out of prison, gathers up a whole new line up and releases the first new Iced Earth album in 15 years. :lol
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The third member in a row has now left too. (only two people left in the band now, I don't think they will continue)
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From the Blabbermouth article about the lead guitarist leaving, which answers some previous questions:
"Schaffer must prove to the federal magistrate that he is not a threat to himself or the public before being released on bail. Others who have been charged for insurrection at the Capitol have been given bail but ordered to surrender their firearms, avoid contact with other alleged Capitol rioters and stay away from all state capitol buildings. Some other alleged rioters have been prohibited from using social media and participating in any political rallies."
It's gonna be a looooong time before we hear anything coming from Jon, or even in his place by his lawyers I assume.
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The third member in a row has now left too. (only two people left in the band now, I don't think they will continue)
Yeah. His statement was humorously vague. It basically said, "hey I was hired to play leads until 2018 and now I'm just going to focus on my own band."
So in other words he retroactively quit effective 3 years ago.
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Jake selectively ignored that he was hired again to work for Jon in 2019 for Demons & Wizards and then hired Jon himself in 2020 to produce the new Witherfall after his contract in Iced Earth was up. :biggrin:
He wisely stuck to explaining only his role in Iced Earth, which as a band was inactive after 2018.
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Yeah, Schaffer produced the new Witherfall record. Also when CM dropped D&W and Hansi cut ties it probably put an end to the fact of the rumored Wacken live album. So Jake was probably pissed. I can’t even find a statement though it’s just a quote from TMZ out of all places.
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The band would be pissed that Schaffer produced their album too I reckon. That would leave a sour taste releasing new material.
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Oh, this is funny. I run a Plex server at home for music and video. I was doing some tweaking to my music library and for some reason I clicked on Iced Earth and took a look at the options for artist cover photos. Someone added the now infamous photo of Jon pointing during the run on the capital as an option for the bands photo. Gave me a real good laugh.
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Oh, this is funny. I run a Plex server at home for music and video. I was doing some tweaking to my music library and for some reason I clicked on Iced Earth and took a look at the options for artist cover photos. Someone added the now infamous photo of Jon pointing during the run on the capital as an option for the bands photo. Gave me a real good laugh.
Haha the internet always wins, that’s unfortunately hilarious.
Good on Jake to clearly set his limited role and exit. Witherfall has a future I don’t want to see caught up here.
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Oh, this is funny. I run a Plex server at home for music and video. I was doing some tweaking to my music library and for some reason I clicked on Iced Earth and took a look at the options for artist cover photos. Someone added the now infamous photo of Jon pointing during the run on the capital as an option for the bands photo. Gave me a real good laugh.
:lol
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New band, Flattened Earth!
Flattened Earth is the world’s first historic reenactment band. It is NOT a tribute. We were inspired by the story of Jon Schaffer, confederate flag guitar enthusiast and leader of mid-to-low tier metal band Iced Earth. Now that his band and the events at the capitol are history, this is our musical conception of his experience.
https://youtu.be/7oS4th3nTQ0
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That's funny. Musically and vocally it's dead on.
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That's fantastic :rollin
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Perfect...Now Shaffer's name lives on in parody. :lol
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Felt a little Dragonforce at the beginning but those were some great Stu vocals.
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BEAR SPRAY!
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And the evil clown from SPPPAWWWWNNN!!!!
:lol I liked that part.
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So funny and sadly on-point, lyrically.
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Man, that is a high-quality pun—'A' for effort all the way!
I love the 'bear spray' shout out!
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I didn't find it funny, but they captured the sound perfectly.
I kinda laughed at "they know my band".
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So Schaffer tries to get his charges thrown out and instead gets held without bond until trial. That doesn't sound great for him.
https://bravewords.com/news/jon-schaffer-held-without-bond-on-capitol-riot-charges
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I guess we'll hear that Stormrider remix in 20 years.
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He is accused of a violent crime and is being treated like a violent criminal. Not a surprise. His own words are coming back to haunt him...all of the anti government beliefs and endorsement of the Oathkeepers aren't good for him.
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I don't think he's a violent criminal and I don't think that he would be a danger to others if released. But hey, the law is meant to be equal for everyone, metal musicians don't get a bye. Also, I would have never thought he would take active part in an insurrection, so what do I really know of a guy I know only through his songs. The law will do what they have to do and his lawyers too, obviously.
Now imagine the hypothetical scenario in which he gets acquitted or he gets away with a slap on the wrists for being until then a model citizen that just got carried away in the heat of the moment (I read that his lawyers claim that he had indeed bear spray on him, but he didn't use it, so basically he "just" entered the Capitol, shouted at cops in the mob, then got sent away and went home). Do you think he could pick up a carrer from then, or his public image is forever shot and no label or promoter will want to work with him again?
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If he got out, he would still have his followers. I rarely let a musicians persona get in the way of me enjoying their music. I mean, I am a fan of Ted Nugent the musician, but I think Ted Nugent the person is a whack-job loudmouth that I disagree with on every level. Difference here is, Motormouth Ted has always been just that, all talk. I am not aware of him doing anything remotely close to what Jon did. What Jon did probably would have me rethink supporting him going forward. I won't throw out my IE stuff over this, I'll still enjoy it but it will have a slight bad taste, admittedly.
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He'll always have his fans - there are a lot that blatantly support what he did and/or don't care for the cancel culture aspect of it.
I'll always love the music (though I'm totally done with any Sons of Liberty material he writes), though I don't think I'll ever contribute to another kickstarter project of his. I have a feeling he's going to spend a few years in jail, so that doesn't really matter.
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I don't think he's a violent criminal and I don't think that he would be a danger to others if released. But hey, the law is meant to be equal for everyone, metal musicians don't get a bye. Also, I would have never thought he would take active part in an insurrection, so what do I really know of a guy I know only through his songs. The law will do what they have to do and his lawyers too, obviously.
Now imagine the hypothetical scenario in which he gets acquitted or he gets away with a slap on the wrists for being until then a model citizen that just got carried away in the heat of the moment (I read that his lawyers claim that he had indeed bear spray on him, but he didn't use it, so basically he "just" entered the Capitol, shouted at cops in the mob, then got sent away and went home). Do you think he could pick up a carrer from then, or his public image is forever shot and no label or promoter will want to work with him again?
Which would be a shame; if he was acquitted, that would mean a jury of his peers didn't see enough beyond a reasonable doubt to find him guilty. Anything you or I think from our mom's basement pales in comparison to that.
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Band photos were changed to cat pics for April fools at the Metal Archives. Here's Iced Earth's:
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/cats/1.jpg)
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:lol badass looking cat.
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It looks like Schaffer, too. ;D
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Band photos were changed to cat pics for April fools at the Metal Archives. Here's Iced Earth's:
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/cats/1.jpg)
LoL, that's too perfect! :rollin
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My copy of Jon's Wicked Words book arrived today. I'm glad that it showed up and I'm not out $85. My wife keeps badgering me about continuing to support him and I laughed and told her that I contributed to this last summer before any recent events. :)
I'll give him credit - he put together a really neat book. The thing is HUGE and heavy, with thick covers and pages. There was a nice foreword with some testimonials from former band members and other musicians. Each album has a synopsis page explaining the lyrical concept and where Jon was in his life at the time. What I found surprising was that any song with a co-written lyrics was pulled, so the only lyrics in the book are songs written solely by him.
The artwork in the book is absolutely stellar.
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It looked like a quality product, I'll say that.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/05/prosecutors-oath-keeper-capitol-assault-479080
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Taking a plea is the best thing Jon can do for himself. I'm glad he's not fighting it and saying he's not guilty.
I'm interested to see if any of the information that he provides is released publicly - the Oathkeepers have denied his affiliation, so if he's flipping on them or flipping on individuals that had more involvement in planning the riots or what he saw, it could be huge news in the investigation.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/05/prosecutors-oath-keeper-capitol-assault-479080
The article: "Jon Schaffer, frontman with a band called Iced Earth..."
Stue Block: "Am I a joke to you? uh well, nevermind, I left the band anyway"
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-jon-schaffer-pleads-guilty-to-two-charges-for-his-role-in-capitol-riot/?fbclid=IwAR1jNjSwW_s5UbzSl-zBU5sGg-LX5qg25tockbkYVWLyjd-O-lLTsKLtzZQ
Jon pleads guilty two to of the six charges, with a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. In turn, he is now a criminal informant for the government. CNN is reporting that his sentence will be 3.5 to 4.5 years in prison, depending on the information that he can provide.
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-jon-schaffer-pleads-guilty-to-two-charges-for-his-role-in-capitol-riot/?fbclid=IwAR1jNjSwW_s5UbzSl-zBU5sGg-LX5qg25tockbkYVWLyjd-O-lLTsKLtzZQ
Jon pleads guilty two to of the six charges, with a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. In turn, he is now a criminal informant for the government. CNN is reporting that his sentence will be 3.5 to 4.5 years in prison, depending on the information that he can provide.
And he says he is a founding life long member of the oath keepers. What an idiot IMO. :lol and now he's a snitch too. So much for keeping his oath eh?
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Fuck. Well... Fuck. What a maroon. It's been fun. I was really looking foward to the new remix of Stormrider since it would have been fully intact.
That being said, if it ever happens, I'd rather they just remix the 2002 remix of Burnt Offerings. The drums on the original are too awful.
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-jon-schaffer-pleads-guilty-to-two-charges-for-his-role-in-capitol-riot/?fbclid=IwAR1jNjSwW_s5UbzSl-zBU5sGg-LX5qg25tockbkYVWLyjd-O-lLTsKLtzZQ
Jon pleads guilty two to of the six charges, with a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. In turn, he is now a criminal informant for the government. CNN is reporting that his sentence will be 3.5 to 4.5 years in prison, depending on the information that he can provide.
And he says he is a founding life long member of the oath keepers. What an idiot IMO. :lol and now he's a snitch too. So much for keeping his oath eh?
I saw something where the government agreed to sponsor him for witness protection - informing on a bunch of armed militia members is certainly going to be bad for him. My favorite band is done. Certainly for 3-5 years ( :lol) likely for good. There's no way he can have a music career and be in witness protection.
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-jon-schaffer-pleads-guilty-to-two-charges-for-his-role-in-capitol-riot/?fbclid=IwAR1jNjSwW_s5UbzSl-zBU5sGg-LX5qg25tockbkYVWLyjd-O-lLTsKLtzZQ
Jon pleads guilty two to of the six charges, with a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. In turn, he is now a criminal informant for the government. CNN is reporting that his sentence will be 3.5 to 4.5 years in prison, depending on the information that he can provide.
And he says he is a founding life long member of the oath keepers. What an idiot IMO. :lol and now he's a snitch too. So much for keeping his oath eh?
I saw something where the government agreed to sponsor him for witness protection - informing on a bunch of armed militia members is certainly going to be bad for him. My favorite band is done. Certainly for 3-5 years ( :lol) likely for good. There's no way he can have a music career and be in witness protection.
Have you heard of this new band, Chilled Terrain? Their guitarist, Jim Chafer is bad ass.
Also, I wasn't aware he was a founding member of The Oath Keepers. Ugh.
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Have you heard of this new band, Chilled Terrain? Their guitarist, Jim Chafer is bad ass.
Also, I wasn't aware he was a founding member of The Oath Keepers. Ugh.
:lol
He admitted to being a "founding lifetime member." Maybe he didn't found them specifically with the guy that actually is known as their founder, but I would bet that if he didn't, he was there from the beginning, funding them by paying for a lifetime membership. Who knows what that term means, but it proves that Jon knows a lot of significant information about the group and the capitol riot. So damn sad.
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Didn’t the group deny any affiliations with him?
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Didn’t the group deny any affiliations with him?
That's standard operating procedure for these groups. Deny, deny, deny.
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Didn’t the group deny any affiliations with him?
Jon also denied any involvement when he was arrested, saying that "he bought the hat from a fan." They both knew that he had a prominent involvement with the group and sought to initially distance themselves from each other.
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iced-earths-jon-schaffer-pleads-guilty-to-two-charges-for-his-role-in-capitol-riot/?fbclid=IwAR1jNjSwW_s5UbzSl-zBU5sGg-LX5qg25tockbkYVWLyjd-O-lLTsKLtzZQ
Jon pleads guilty two to of the six charges, with a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. In turn, he is now a criminal informant for the government. CNN is reporting that his sentence will be 3.5 to 4.5 years in prison, depending on the information that he can provide.
Wow!
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So with Jon going to prison, would my Iced Earth collection increase or decrease in value?
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So with Jon going to prison, would my Iced Earth collection increase or decrease in value?
Yes. From nothing to nothing plus a head shake.
Is he even going to jail? I doubt it if he turns snitch.
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Is he even going to jail? I doubt it if he turns snitch.
Still TBD, but it seems very possible even if snitching. The snitching might just significantly lower his time and then a lot of people don't do the full time as well. He may be free in a couple years, but if he goes into witness protection, that certainly seems like it ends his music career. But maybe he won't do that.
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Is he even going to jail? I doubt it if he turns snitch.
Still TBD, but it seems very possible even if snitching. The snitching might just significantly lower his time and then a lot of people don't do the full time as well. He may be free in a couple years, but if he goes into witness protection, that certainly seems like it ends his music career. But maybe he won't do that.
Based on Jon's charges and his plea, the FBI is using the two charges Jon pled guilty to as a tool - they come with a 20 year and 10 year sentence. So the rioters are faced with 30 years....unless they start talking. So he'll get 3-5 years in prison because it has been "negotiated down," though I'm sure that's what he'd have gotten normally. It just seems like a better deal now. He was too prominent in the front of the charge and has too close of an association with the Oath Keepers to be let off easily with just time served.
Jon's Plea Deal (including his signature): https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000178-dc28-d112-a97e-ffa88cc40000&fbclid=IwAR08N-I06zcEmMhVisTvggVopo0RCemMkg9St9mIqA7Pgd6doqCwMoJCMzU
Specific Facts Agreed to: https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000178-dc33-d112-a97e-ffbb918d0000&fbclid=IwAR2iYr6bFN9D1m64wTRviy69iZTHk2egv6qAEX_xQgL4xnTPGZMT3bc3LHwamAOt4H8SosBoOYPRLuWvU3RLvNQOGfRZi0GQhtoecyESMbRrNER9zV-etMG7VaDphWtX5EOPp2S1thQ5iGHF6L73OV1YzhkdSIBmGA&__tn__=R]-R&c[0]=AT0frgFNBnSbXOCydD-afDIQpL9v6k84-Lns4YT4WqXf3_llE_FKepzbS7_mHEDgZOU_dFMewMbH7Ld5VR6TRaLGCEbYxEKdTgiAjD00whecsUw9HA9do5OhFNXlgcZyLHdEa1uqmIjm0UcXDuVOsqxXyPg1
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If anyone's interested to put a face to Jon's lawyers....
https://attorneysforfreedom.com/
I get a "Better Call Saul" vibe from the site :D
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That law office is 23 miles from me.
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So with Jon going to prison, would my Iced Earth collection increase or decrease in value?
What about my signed Glorious Burden special edition CD not only signed by the first person to plead guilty in the capitol insurrection case, but also signed by Ralph Santolla (RIP), James MacDonough who hasnt been heard from since leaving Megadeth, Ripper Owens that had a shitty movie called Rock Star oh so loosely based on a few events of his life, and Richard Christy who I'm told is a pretty important member of the Howard Stern show?
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Ok I get it, my collection ain't worth shit.
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So with Jon going to prison, would my Iced Earth collection increase or decrease in value?
What about my signed Glorious Burden special edition CD not only signed by the first person to plead guilty in the capitol insurrection case, but also signed by Ralph Santolla (RIP), James MacDonough who hasnt been heard from since leaving Megadeth, Ripper Owens that had a shitty movie called Rock Star oh so loosely based on a few events of his life, and Richard Christy who I'm told is a pretty important member of the Howard Stern show?
I have the Horror Show booklet signed by the lineup ictured there (Schaffer, Barlow, Christy, Tarnowski), and I have a picture with Jon taken in 2002.
To date, it's the only photo I have with a terrorist (domestic or otherwise).
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To date, it's the only photo I have with a terrorist (domestic or otherwise).
:lol
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I got my copy of the 30th Anniversary debut today. The lazy bastard at Amazon couldn't even put it by my front door, not even at the end of the steps, but another ten feet away at the corner of my house. This isn't even the first time they've done this.
Anyway, it may be the last Iced Earth CD I ever buy. Who knows if anymore retailers are gonna stop selling anything from the band. I guess rappers go to prison all the time and still have their shit sold everywhere, so maybe it was just the label. Still, I want it for my collection as it's a reminder of better days, and a damn good remix. His involvement in the insurrection didn't impact me as bad as others, but I'm still a bit iffy on supporting him going forward. I guess it depends on if he does his time and realizes what a colossal asshat he was. I doubt it. Iced Earth is probably done. Maybe in a 10 years we'll get the other remixes, or he'll find a way to get them out there sooner. Did the Zeus guy cut ties as well?
Am I being selfish for wanting these remixes?
I don't know what it is about this band. Dream Theater currently holds the number 1 spot, but I don't have a mini ZeppelinDT collection of their output. Iced Earth is the only band where I own multiple copies of the same albums. Having different artwork and track lists plays a big part in that, but still. The Jon Schaffer Band is very special to me. Jon has written his fair share of stinkers, but the music just resonates with me. When I discovered the band in 2004, things weren't going so well in my life, so Jon's music helped me escape. It's also nice to have a favorite band that still puts out enjoyable music for the most part unlike another band I used to love. *cough*theoffspring*cough* their last decent album was 18 fucking years ago.
Yeah, Iced Earth was just a mediocre band with a laughable amount of line up changes and a batshit crazy asshole guitarist/founder/bear spray enthusiast, but that asshole entertained me for close to 20 years, so i thank him for that.
There's a 19 year old thread on the Ultimate Metal Forum simply called Nevermore vs Iced Earth. Nevermore may be more talented, but Iced Earth still wins. I like some Nevermore, but they are mostly boring, and Warrel Dane never 100% clicked with me. Tolerable, but I couldn't listen to him for a long period of time.
Anyway, that's all I got for today.
Go away now!
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I don't know what it is about this band. Dream Theater currently holds the number 1 spot, but I don't have a mini ZeppelinDT collection of their output. Iced Earth is the only band where I own multiple copies of the same albums. Having different artwork and track lists plays a big part in that, but still. The Jon Schaffer Band is very special to me. Jon has written his fair share of stinkers, but the music just resonates with me. When I discovered the band in 2004, things weren't going so well in my life, so Jon's music helped me escape. It's also nice to have a favorite band that still puts out enjoyable music for the most part
You keep enjoying the music that means so much to you. All good, brother.
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I don't know what it is about this band. Dream Theater currently holds the number 1 spot, but I don't have a mini ZeppelinDT collection of their output. Iced Earth is the only band where I own multiple copies of the same albums. Having different artwork and track lists plays a big part in that, but still. The Jon Schaffer Band is very special to me. Jon has written his fair share of stinkers, but the music just resonates with me. When I discovered the band in 2004, things weren't going so well in my life, so Jon's music helped me escape. It's also nice to have a favorite band that still puts out enjoyable music for the most part
You keep enjoying the music that means so much to you. All good, brother.
:tup
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I got my copy of the 30th Anniversary debut today. The lazy bastard at Amazon couldn't even put it by my front door, not even at the end of the steps, but another ten feet away at the corner of my house. This isn't even the first time they've done this.
Anyway, it may be the last Iced Earth CD I ever buy. Who knows if anymore retailers are gonna stop selling anything from the band. I guess rappers go to prison all the time and still have their shit sold everywhere, so maybe it was just the label. Still, I want it for my collection as it's a reminder of better days, and a damn good remix. His involvement in the insurrection didn't impact me as bad as others, but I'm still a bit iffy on supporting him going forward. I guess it depends on if he does his time and realizes what a colossal asshat he was. I doubt it. Iced Earth is probably done. Maybe in a 10 years we'll get the other remixes, or he'll find a way to get them out there sooner. Did the Zeus guy cut ties as well?
Am I being selfish for wanting these remixes?
I don't know what it is about this band. Dream Theater currently holds the number 1 spot, but I don't have a mini ZeppelinDT collection of their output. Iced Earth is the only band where I own multiple copies of the same albums. Having different artwork and track lists plays a big part in that, but still. The Jon Schaffer Band is very special to me. Jon has written his fair share of stinkers, but the music just resonates with me. When I discovered the band in 2004, things weren't going so well in my life, so Jon's music helped me escape. It's also nice to have a favorite band that still puts out enjoyable music for the most part unlike another band I used to love. *cough*theoffspring*cough* their last decent album was 18 fucking years ago.
Yeah, Iced Earth was just a mediocre band with a laughable amount of line up changes and a batshit crazy asshole guitarist/founder/bear spray enthusiast, but that asshole entertained me for close to 20 years, so i thank him for that.
There's a 19 year old thread on the Ultimate Metal Forum simply called Nevermore vs Iced Earth. Nevermore may be more talented, but Iced Earth still wins. I like some Nevermore, but they are mostly boring, and Warrel Dane never 100% clicked with me. Tolerable, but I couldn't listen to him for a long period of time.
Anyway, that's all I got for today.
Go away now!
Don't let this shit make you lose your love for Iced Earth. Separate the artists from the art. I still love Ozzy's output even though he is an objectively bad person whose wife is objectively worse. I won't spend anymore money on him which is made an easier decision by the fact that he hasn't put out anything good since 1995, I guess with the exception of 13 which I resisted buying for two years and even then bought from a used seller.
I did a little experiment myself. After the capitol crap I tracked down a copy of Incorruptible which I never bothered to buy since Schaffer annoyed the shit out of me. I used to love the band but even disregarding his politics I got so sick of him not only claiming whatever the current lineup was was the best, he would go out of his way to disparage past lineups. I'm thinking, "Wow, you're a pretty poor judge if you used to say that lineup was awesome and now you're actively saying they were crap." It's one thing to say, "This is the best lineup yet! We keep getting better and better," to contradicting yourself in order to talk shit about people you don't like. Anyway, I was curious to see if I would like Incorruptible and....I did. It was actually pretty awesome.
We all have to decide where we draw our line in the sand. I'm fine with anyone drawing it wherever they want. I just want it to be consistent. There are lots of bad people in the music business. I'm not going to throw out all their albums or even apologize for liking them.
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I got my copy of the 30th Anniversary debut today. The lazy bastard at Amazon couldn't even put it by my front door, not even at the end of the steps, but another ten feet away at the corner of my house. This isn't even the first time they've done this.
Anyway, it may be the last Iced Earth CD I ever buy. Who knows if anymore retailers are gonna stop selling anything from the band. I guess rappers go to prison all the time and still have their shit sold everywhere, so maybe it was just the label. Still, I want it for my collection as it's a reminder of better days, and a damn good remix. His involvement in the insurrection didn't impact me as bad as others, but I'm still a bit iffy on supporting him going forward. I guess it depends on if he does his time and realizes what a colossal asshat he was. I doubt it. Iced Earth is probably done. Maybe in a 10 years we'll get the other remixes, or he'll find a way to get them out there sooner. Did the Zeus guy cut ties as well?
Am I being selfish for wanting these remixes?
I don't know what it is about this band. Dream Theater currently holds the number 1 spot, but I don't have a mini ZeppelinDT collection of their output. Iced Earth is the only band where I own multiple copies of the same albums. Having different artwork and track lists plays a big part in that, but still. The Jon Schaffer Band is very special to me. Jon has written his fair share of stinkers, but the music just resonates with me. When I discovered the band in 2004, things weren't going so well in my life, so Jon's music helped me escape. It's also nice to have a favorite band that still puts out enjoyable music for the most part unlike another band I used to love. *cough*theoffspring*cough* their last decent album was 18 fucking years ago.
Yeah, Iced Earth was just a mediocre band with a laughable amount of line up changes and a batshit crazy asshole guitarist/founder/bear spray enthusiast, but that asshole entertained me for close to 20 years, so i thank him for that.
There's a 19 year old thread on the Ultimate Metal Forum simply called Nevermore vs Iced Earth. Nevermore may be more talented, but Iced Earth still wins. I like some Nevermore, but they are mostly boring, and Warrel Dane never 100% clicked with me. Tolerable, but I couldn't listen to him for a long period of time.
Anyway, that's all I got for today.
Go away now!
Don't let this shit make you lose your love for Iced Earth. Separate the artists from the art. I still love Ozzy's output even though he is an objectively bad person whose wife is objectively worse. I won't spend anymore money on him which is made an easier decision by the fact that he hasn't put out anything good since 1995, I guess with the exception of 13 which I resisted buying for two years and even then bought from a used seller.
I did a little experiment myself. After the capitol crap I tracked down a copy of Incorruptible which I never bothered to buy since Schaffer annoyed the shit out of me. I used to love the band but even disregarding his politics I got so sick of him not only claiming whatever the current lineup was was the best, he would go out of his way to disparage past lineups. I'm thinking, "Wow, you're a pretty poor judge if you used to say that lineup was awesome and now you're actively saying they were crap." It's one thing to say, "This is the best lineup yet! We keep getting better and better," to contradicting yourself in order to talk shit about people you don't like. Anyway, I was curious to see if I would like Incorruptible and....I did. It was actually pretty awesome.
We all have to decide where we draw our line in the sand. I'm fine with anyone drawing it wherever they want. I just want it to be consistent. There are lots of bad people in the music business. I'm not going to throw out all their albums or even apologize for liking them.
Yeah, it would take a lot more for me to get rid of my IE CDs. He hasn't done anything as heinous as the Lost Prophets guy. He's just a misinformed and misguided dumbass.
In related news:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/dee-snider-jon-schaffer/
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Wow!
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You disobey my rules, you don't care at all
You don't give a damn about protocol
You don't belong here, get out of our lives (https://youtu.be/29tpbjYAzd0)
:lol :lol
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You disobey my rules, you don't care at all
You don't give a damn about protocol
You don't belong here, get out of our lives (https://youtu.be/29tpbjYAzd0)
:lol :lol
That was cheesy, but not bad.
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I'm over the shock of Jon's situation. I'm just more angry that his actions caused the band to break up and certainly brought his career to a halt for the time being.
I haven't listened to Iced Earth for three months. I have the itch to, but it's more like a contest now - how long can I go without playing the music? I haven't gone 3 months without listening to them in the entire 23 years that I've been a fan. Reading the Wicked Words book reminded me how much I love Jon's music and Iced Earth, despite the entire book being one giant ego stroke for Jon.
I'm sure I'll listen to them again sometime. I just needed to come to terms with this whole thing.
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I'm over the shock of Jon's situation. I'm just more angry that his actions caused the band to break up and certainly brought his career to a halt for the time being.
I haven't listened to Iced Earth for three months. I have the itch to, but it's more like a contest now - how long can I go without playing the music? I haven't gone 3 months without listening to them in the entire 23 years that I've been a fan. Reading the Wicked Words book reminded me how much I love Jon's music and Iced Earth, despite the entire book being one giant ego stroke for Jon.
I'm sure I'll listen to them again sometime. I just needed to come to terms with this whole thing.
I went a long stretch (over 2 years apparently) without listening to Disturbed after I got in a little argument with David Draiman on Twitter. Which, by the way only happened because he mistook a sarcastic comment I made as serious, which was a reply to a sarcastic comment he made. I was also attacked by some fans. He eventually blocked me after giving me 3 strikes.
Joking aside, I think Mike Wengren is an excellent drummer, and is wasting his potential with Disturbed and his new project, Fight or Flight.
Oh, and David blocked me on Twitter, but I provoked it after he was being a condescending douchebag. Basically, he posted an article and put "wow, mother of the year". A lot of his followers are idiots, and as a joke mocking those who always take him too seriously, I put "mother of the year? That's awful, David. You should be ashamed! :P" To which he replied, "it's sarcasm, genius, don't you get it? i was merely testing him as I knew he wouldn't get that I too was being sarcastic. I even had the damn emoticon at the end.
Oh then he said I was being "butthurt" (I hate that fucking word) because I tried being a smartass and he called me out on my bullshit. It may have been in bad taste, but I think he was the only one upset that he couldn't tell I was joking with him, even with that damn smiley. The guy is a tool, and it's not the first time he snapped at me. Telling me to butt out of a conversation on fucking twitter. Last time I checked, Twitter wasn't a private messaging service. And I was trying to joke with him that time too.
I don't remember the conversation I was told to butt out of unfortunately, but I know with absolute certainty that I wasn't the only one who commented on it. I completely forgot that happened until I found this post.
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I'm over the shock of Jon's situation. I'm just more angry that his actions caused the band to break up and certainly brought his career to a halt for the time being.
I haven't listened to Iced Earth for three months. I have the itch to, but it's more like a contest now - how long can I go without playing the music? I haven't gone 3 months without listening to them in the entire 23 years that I've been a fan. Reading the Wicked Words book reminded me how much I love Jon's music and Iced Earth, despite the entire book being one giant ego stroke for Jon.
I'm sure I'll listen to them again sometime. I just needed to come to terms with this whole thing.
Yeah, I'll still listen and enjoy the music. I don't really care about this whole thing, but being over here in Oz probably makes it less personal. Just hope he learns from it and I kind of hope he avoids jail time truthfully. Again though it's not a personal matter for me so he very well may deserve jail time.
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I'm over the shock of Jon's situation. I'm just more angry that his actions caused the band to break up and certainly brought his career to a halt for the time being.
I haven't listened to Iced Earth for three months. I have the itch to, but it's more like a contest now - how long can I go without playing the music? I haven't gone 3 months without listening to them in the entire 23 years that I've been a fan. Reading the Wicked Words book reminded me how much I love Jon's music and Iced Earth, despite the entire book being one giant ego stroke for Jon.
I'm sure I'll listen to them again sometime. I just needed to come to terms with this whole thing.
Yeah, I'll still listen and enjoy the music. I don't really care about this whole thing, but being over here in Oz probably makes it less personal. Just hope he learns from it and I kind of hope he avoids jail time truthfully. Again though it's not a personal matter for me so he very well may deserve jail time.
Honestly, I think he does deserve jail time. 30 years is way too extreme, but maybe so is 5. He did break the law though, and probably did spray people with bear mace, which I'm told is like 100 times worse than regular mace for obvious reasons, so he needs to be held accountable. What would he have done had he made it further inside? What would any of them had done? They wanted to "stop the steal" but what does that mean exactly? How were they going to "stop the steal"? Did they even know? Mob mentality is a dangerous thing.
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All true. Lucky he didn't kill anyone really.
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I'm over the shock of Jon's situation. I'm just more angry that his actions caused the band to break up and certainly brought his career to a halt for the time being.
I haven't listened to Iced Earth for three months. I have the itch to, but it's more like a contest now - how long can I go without playing the music? I haven't gone 3 months without listening to them in the entire 23 years that I've been a fan. Reading the Wicked Words book reminded me how much I love Jon's music and Iced Earth, despite the entire book being one giant ego stroke for Jon.
I'm sure I'll listen to them again sometime. I just needed to come to terms with this whole thing.
Yeah, I'll still listen and enjoy the music. I don't really care about this whole thing, but being over here in Oz probably makes it less personal. Just hope he learns from it and I kind of hope he avoids jail time truthfully. Again though it's not a personal matter for me so he very well may deserve jail time.
Honestly, I think he does deserve jail time. 30 years is way too extreme, but maybe so is 5. He did break the law though, and probably did spray people with bear mace, which I'm told is like 100 times worse than regular mace for obvious reasons, so he needs to be held accountable. What would he have done had he made it further inside? What would any of them had done? They wanted to "stop the steal" but what does that mean exactly? How were they going to "stop the steal"? Did they even know? Mob mentality is a dangerous thing.
Do you remember the joke / comment "The Flat Earth Society has members all around the globe" with the super voted comment saying "read that again, but slowly"? this is one of those situations, we have a P/R forum so I won't make it long but this is definitively one of those cases when the more you spell out the plan and the expectations about the outcome, the more it sounds stupid.
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So I heard on Maddow that part of his plea deal may involve witness protection...now that would be the end of the band for sure. Granted I didn't care for the band before it was cool not to. :p
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So I heard on Maddow that part of his plea deal may involve witness protection...now that would be the end of the band for sure. Granted I didn't care for the band before it was cool not to. :p
It's at Jon's discretion and choosing. If he feels that he needs to enter witness protection, the government will help him do that. I don't see him doing that - he looked rather confident walking out of jail.
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So I heard on Maddow that part of his plea deal may involve witness protection...now that would be the end of the band for sure. Granted I didn't care for the band before it was cool not to. :p
It's at Jon's discretion and choosing. If he feels that he needs to enter witness protection, the government will help him do that. I don't see him doing that - he looked rather confident walking out of jail.
There's footage of him leaving jail?
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Jon leaving jail, presumably with his girlfriend(?): https://www.facebook.com/JoeKhalilpage/videos/476861176798418/
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So after asking the first question and being clearly ignored, why does that parasite continue asking questions?
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So after asking the first question and being clearly ignored, why does that parasite continue asking questions?
I had the same exact thought. I mean, I guess everyone's gotta make a living, but that dude totally just disrupted an incredibly emotional moment. I dunno, I realize that this is the culture we live in, but a simple headline or still photo showing his release would have more than satisfied me. Making a living trying to goad someone into having a public meltdown for financial gain seems like the type of job you couldn't pay enough to do.
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I would generally agree but it's all worth it just to get some footage of him showing the "diaper" on his face that he swore he would never wear because it infringed on his precious freedom.
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I haven't listened to Iced Earth for three months. I have the itch to, but it's more like a contest now - how long can I go without playing the music?
The answer is 10 and a half months. I listened to a song here or there over the summer from Iced Earth or Demons & Wizards, but I just wasn't feeling it. The other day, I felt like listening to some Iced Earth - I put it on and the riffs just blasted me in the face. :metal
After the January 6th stuff, I needed a break to reconcile my love of the music with all of the news and drama.
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In the last couple of months, I've buzzed through Something Wicked, Horror Show, and The Glorious Burden.
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This is something that people online found funny enough to repost it, so I will share it here as well.... when a music FB page posted a song from Horror Show, I reminesced about those glorious three hours concerts they did - at least in Europe - for the tour, and that it would soon be the 20th anniversary since those shows happened in 2002, imagine someone traveling back in time to that era and talking with an ecstatic fan after one of those shows, in a time when it seemed that Iced Eearth were on the contast rise and nothing would stop them....
"So, how was the show?"
"Incredible! amazing!!! what a powerhouse band!!! Matt Barlow is a god walking the earth!!!"
"Yeah, pity that next year he will leave the band..."
"WHAT???"
"He will, but don't worry, he will come back in a few years..."
"Ah, ok, at least we're getting him back..."
"Yeah, but then he will leave again, and this time for good"
"WHAT???"
"At least they will find a suitable replacement and the band will carry on, they will do overall good albums"
"Ok then, at least we'll have another version of the band to enjoy..."
"Yeah, but it's all gonna end when Jon Schaffer will assault the Capitol in the aftermath of Donald Trump losing the re-election"
"WHAT - THE - F"
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That's a good sketch right there. :lol
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/racine-jan-6-lawsuit/2021/12/14/4e581d00-5c51-11ec-bda6-25c1f558dd09_story.html
Jon Schaffer was named as an individual defendant in a new civil lawsuit filed by the DC attorney general. This is the first lawsuit to hold individual members of the Proud Boys and Oathkeepers liable for the attack on the US capitol.
Collectively, the "individual defendants" are alleged to have planned the attack, including Jon. The lawsuit doesn't share much of his involvement, other than grouping him with the other defendants.
In other news, the Iced Earth merch store has been reopened for the first time since Jon's arrest. Coincidence? :lol
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As I Lay Dying seems to be doing alright after Tim went nuts, so I have hope for Iced Earth.
Jon's gotta spend some time in jail though.
It sucks that this all went down after Jon decided to rerecord their earlier stuff. Would love to have heard Burnt Offerings rerecorded.
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It sucks that this all went down after Jon decided to rerecord their earlier stuff. Would love to have heard Burnt Offerings rerecorded.
I never understood why the band (or the fans) are never satisfied with that album's production. There are already 3 versions of it. The original album with good, meaty guitar tone and great, rocky-sounding drums. Then the "reworked" versions which appeared on Days of Purgatory. And lastly the Remixed & Remastered versions where they butchered the artwork but nailed the guitar tone. They're not gonna get a nicer guitar & bass tone than this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfajZs_RW34 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfajZs_RW34)
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It sucks that this all went down after Jon decided to rerecord their earlier stuff. Would love to have heard Burnt Offerings rerecorded.
I never understood why the band (or the fans) are never satisfied with that album's production. There are already 3 versions of it. The original album with good, meaty guitar tone and great, rocky-sounding drums. Then the "reworked" versions which appeared on Days of Purgatory. And lastly the Remixed & Remastered versions where they butchered the artwork but nailed the guitar tone. They're not gonna get a nicer guitar & bass tone than this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfajZs_RW34 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfajZs_RW34)
The remix is probably the best it's going to get, and much improved over the horrible original. The drums kinda ruin the original release. The drummer for Burnt Offerings was certainly better than the drummer from the debut, but still sloppy as all hell. I was curious to hear what the re-recorded albums would have sounded like, but they wouldn't come close to the originals, and Stu, as great as a singer he is, would have likely further hurt the songs. Plus, we have further proof in Dante's Inferno 2011 and Overture of The Wicked that completely rerecording old songs is bad and Jon should feel bad.
I know that DI 2011 was rushed to get the click for the keyboard tracks on tour, and they'd have likely done it more justice, but I doubt it would have been much better. And Stu just can't hold a candle to Matt. Stu has incredible range, but lacks the presence and bombast of Matt.
If Jon ever does remix the original BO for the anniversary, he'd still have to do some trickery with the drums if he wants it to sound good. The debut drummer was very limited, but as far as I can tell listening all these years, no work was ever done to the drums. There's a chance the drums on BO were completely rerecorded for the remix. That's how bad they were.
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If I remember correctly from who knows which interview, Jon said that "it took every engineering trick in the book to make the drums work on Burnt Offerings", implying - or flat out saying? - that they were recorded in a sloppy way and that they had to do the equivalent of autotune for the voice all over the drummer's performance to make it acceptable.
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The remix is probably the best it's going to get, and much improved over the horrible original. The drums kinda ruin the original release. The drummer for Burnt Offerings was certainly better than the drummer from the debut, but still sloppy as all hell. I was curious to hear what the re-recorded albums would have sounded like, but they wouldn't come close to the originals, and Stu, as great as a singer he is, would have likely further hurt the songs. Plus, we have further proof in Dante's Inferno 2011 and Overture of The Wicked that completely rerecording old songs is bad and Jon should feel bad.
I know that DI 2011 was rushed to get the click for the keyboard tracks on tour, and they'd have likely done it more justice, but I doubt it would have been much better. And Stu just can't hold a candle to Matt. Stu has incredible range, but lacks the presence and bombast of Matt.
If Jon ever does remix the original BO for the anniversary, he'd still have to do some trickery with the drums if he wants it to sound good. The debut drummer was very limited, but as far as I can tell listening all these years, no work was ever done to the drums. There's a chance the drums on BO were completely rerecorded for the remix. That's how bad they were.
I think the original Burnt Offerings drums are ok. They do sound a bit... weird! Not bad, just unnatural & different. The toms in particular sound otherworldly and dark, like clicking rocks together. Perfectly fits the album's dark & hellish atmosphere. For me, the drums make that album memorable in a good way, for others, it's the total opposite.
This is why I generally dislike the idea of remixes. There is a magic in the original recording which creates a nostalgia which is a huge part of what makes someone like an album. You change one thing, now you lost something else...
imo:
The Remix has way better guitar & bass tone, better drums (except toms), better bass & vocals mix. But it's sterile & generic sounding mix (sounds like most other bands' mix).
The original has a better album cover and a more convincing / darker atmosphere. Unique sounding mix which stands out from other bands.
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Jon's been releasing anything to pay his legal bills. The latest is hot sauce. The Facebook comments have been funny. "hotter than bear mace" "tastes like treason"
He just released a new live album as well. Bang Your Head 2016. It sounds ok, but Stu ruins it. Such a wasted opportunity he was. Unfortunately he's still singing like that for other bands. Not all the time but he hasn't dropped it.
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Most of the merchandise was limited-run things from prior to 2021 that are now being re-released. I have no ambition to support his legal defense, but plenty of fans still do.
I listened to Bang Your Head and it's alright - it's nice to have live versions of the songs from Plagues, and Stu's version of a couple songs from Dark Saga, but it's not really a necessary release when you have Alive in Athens and Ancient Kourion.
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None of their releases are necessary if you have Alive In Athens.
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Most of the merchandise was limited-run things from prior to 2021 that are now being re-released. I have no ambition to support his legal defense, but plenty of fans still do.
I listened to Bang Your Head and it's alright - it's nice to have live versions of the songs from Plagues, and Stu's version of a couple songs from Dark Saga, but it's not really a necessary release when you have Alive in Athens and Ancient Kourion.
Man, I hated this one, sounded awful IMO.
None of their releases are necessary if you have Alive In Athens.
Truth.
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I still like plenty of the studio tracks better than on AiA.
Ancient Kourion was garbage.
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I still like plenty of the studio tracks better than on AiA.
I agree. It's one of the best live albums I've heard, but it doesn't replace the studio versions, and while it has a lot of songs, it doesn't have all of them. And obviously it doesn't have anything from Horror Show, which is arguably their best album.
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I still like plenty of the studio tracks better than on AiA.
I agree. It's one of the best live albums I've heard, but it doesn't replace the studio versions, and while it has a lot of songs, it doesn't have all of them. And obviously it doesn't have anything from Horror Show, which is arguably their best album.
Man, Horror Show is sooooo good!
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Hmmm.....yes Horror Show is definitely up there.
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Good to see some love for Horror Show. I didn't think it had many fans? Always really enjoyed that album.
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Another fan here. Horror Show is my favorite IE album.
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Good to see some love for Horror Show. I didn't think it had many fans? Always really enjoyed that album.
I thought it was one of the most liked amongst fans. I rarely hear negative things about it.
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I listened to Dracula the other day. Still amazing. Horror Show is awesome, but there are a few weaker tunes. Although Imhotep finally clicked a few years ago. I always thought it was kinda boring. Dragons Child and Frankenstein are the other two that don't get as much play from me. Oh and Ghost of Freedom. I played the shit out of this album back in the day though.
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I think Horror Show is below average compared to the Barlow CDs that came before it. In fact I like all the Barlow predecessors better. But I still like it, Dracula especially. But the early Barlow CDs are just that good.
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Yeah, I like Horror Show and think it is a great album but I have always through that the previous Barlow albums were more highly regarded which is why I was a little surprised at the love for Horror Show here. Don't get me wrong through, I think it is awesome it has so many fans on the forum. Personally I love Horror Show and the previous Barlow albums pretty much equally. All have some awesome highs and a couple of weaker tracks.
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Freddie and Matt are doing a little Ashes of Ares podcast with 20 minute chats about the band and music industry. The last 2 episodes feature some friends of theirs - Andrew Peters (ex-Iced Earth, current Queensryche soundman) and Ripper Owens.
The episode with Ripper was fun as he and Matt talked about show they approach singing another singer's songs, or each other's songs.
https://www.youtube.com/user/ashesofaresofficial/videos
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The latest Ashes of Ares album is really good, and the track "Monster's Lament" with Ripper guesting is easily my favorite.
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The latest Ashes of Ares album is really good, and the track "Monster's Lament" with Ripper guesting is easily my favorite.
Yes, the new Ashes album is very good. The one before was a disappointment but they bounced back with this one.
Also, funny thought I had, but Zook should change the thread title to The Official Iced Earth Thread v. Insurrection or something like that. Funny, but also equally not funny. It's a weird topic.
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Yeah, I don't really enjoy talking about it online, it's impossible to have any nuance to it.
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Ha! Looks like he heard me. Like I said before, funny but also not. I like it.
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I had a morbid thought. Do you think Jon's friend who Watching Over Me was based on was a conspiracy theorist like him? I wonder if Jon thinks he was guiding him to commit treason.
Speaking of Something Wicked, I was mixing up the track order again, and although jarring at first because I've heard them in the same order for almost 20 years, I think I finally put them in an order that makes more sense than the heavy, light format. I'm sure I've posted this before and maybe it's the exact same order, but I couldn't find it. Maybe it was further back than I thought. It doesn't matter, I'm bored and there's nothing else to talk about with this band. Unless we do a favorite song from each album list which we probably did already too.
Burning Times
Stand Alone
Disciples of the Lie
Melancholy (The Holy Martyr)
Consequences
My Own Savior
Watching Over Me
Reaping Stone
1776
Blessed Are You
Prophecy
Birth of the Wicked
The Coming Curse
With this order we have the first 3 tracks heavy, and keeping in tradition with most metal albums, the first ballad at track 4.
Consequences isn't really a ballad, but it has some heaviness to it, so we aren't hit with back to back sappiness. All the ballads have heavy elements, really. We go back to heavy again, and then our second true ballad, Watching Over Me. This song could be track 4, but I like that the first 4 songs have a common theme.
Then it's the mid tempo Black Sabbath love letter which is plenty heavy and I don't think will bore the audience at this point in the album, especially with that mid section.
After that, the album plays as it originally did.
I like the original track order just fine. It never even occured to me that the songs are heavy, light, until it was pointed out. Like I said, I'm bored. I did this with The Glorious Burden too, incorporating Waterloo into the main tracklist, and removing Hollow Man because it's garbage. I had to do some editing and fade outs, because some songs crossfade into others, so I used both the tracks from the Japanese release and US.
Declaration Day
When the Eagle Cries
The Reckoning
Greenface
Valley Forge
Waterloo
Attila
Red Baron Blue Max
The Devil to Pay
Hold at All Costs
High Water Mark
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Interesting food for thought! yeah, I could see that SW tracklist work.
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I still like plenty of the studio tracks better than on AiA.
Ancient Kourion was garbage.
From what I understand, Alive in Athens is basically a studio album anyhow.
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I still like plenty of the studio tracks better than on AiA.
Ancient Kourion was garbage.
From what I understand, Alive in Athens is basically a studio album anyhow.
Care to elaborate? I've always held the record in high esteem—are you saying it was heavily overdubbed?
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I still like plenty of the studio tracks better than on AiA.
Ancient Kourion was garbage.
From what I understand, Alive in Athens is basically a studio album anyhow.
Care to elaborate? I've always held the record in high esteem—are you saying it was heavily overdubbed?
Yes, though this was only obvious when they released the DVD.
Personally - I don't care. Many of these songs best versions are the Alive in Athens versions, dubbing or not.
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So the DVD stuff is a bit misleading. From what I’ve read, they recorded two shows and that on the DVD, you might get the video from one and the audio from another.
I’ve read lots of people say that it’s basically a studio album but I’ve seen no evidence or statements from anyone involved. Whatever the album is, it’s amazing.
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So the DVD stuff is a bit misleading. From what I’ve read, they recorded two shows and that on the DVD, you might get the video from one and the audio from another.
I’ve read lots of people say that it’s basically a studio album but I’ve seen no evidence or statements from anyone involved. Whatever the album is, it’s amazing.
Exactly this. There's plenty of mistakes on it too. I can't remember if it was ever asked on Podcast in Stone, but maybe I'll listen back through to Schaffer's and the other band members interviews to see if that topic was brought up. I do remember him saying they played too fast and that's why Ancient Kurion is so slow/album tempo.
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AIA is the ultimate IE album.
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AIA is the ultimate IE album.
It's definitely a best of album.
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I decided to give Dante's Inferno 2011 another listen. It's been a few years. It still sucks. I knew it wasn't going to suddenly click or anything, but maybe it aged a little better. Nah, every decision was bad. Yeah, it was just thrown together to get a backing keyboard track for the live shows, but all those weird and awful changes made it to the live performance. Jon said he forgot to include the chants during the 4th and 5th circles, but they didn't do them live which makes me think he's full of shit. Even the drums are a mess, especially during the 4th and 5th circles, but it's pretty terrible during the 1st and 2nd. Then there's Stu... He's not too bad here, but it's still IE Stu, so he's not great either. I thought he was finally starting to come into his own on Incorruptible. Thanks Jon.
Not to toot my own horn, but I'm really proud of the Sounds of Hell version of Dante's Inferno I made. It might sound cheesy with the sound effects, but to me it adds to the experience. It doesn't need them though, but it's fun to listen to. Ultimately, the 2002 remix and remaster is the definitive version. 27 years old too. Crazy.
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I was so excited for the 2011 version. I loved Stu from Into Eternity and thought they'd go huge and epic for this new version.
But I was almost immediately let down. The ABANDON ALL HOPE part is pretty cool with the growls, but that's it. The drumming is bad, the mixing is bad, the changes are bad. It's just all such poor decision making
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he's full of shit...Thanks Jon.
That about summarizes it, and is as far as we need to go here.
IE Stu
This unfortunately isn't helpful.
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I remember listening to that version once, laughing my ass off and never listening to it again.
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I always thought Stu's vocal delivery was a tad odd during his time in IE. I literally never heard of him before that. I picked up Annihilator's Metal re-release with Stu on vocals and was blown away by his range and depth. Same reason why I thought Richard Christy was a crappy drummer, it had nothing to do with the talent and everything to do with how Jon made the talent perform.
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Huh, Christy felt like one of if not the most impressive drummer in IE, even just from Horror Show.
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Yeah, Christy is a beast, but I think I prefer Mark Prator. Horror Show probably wouldn't have sounded too different. Maybe just slower kick drums.
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I always thought Stu's vocal delivery was a tad odd during his time in IE. I literally never heard of him before that. I picked up Annihilator's Metal re-release with Stu on vocals and was blown away by his range and depth. Same reason why I thought Richard Christy was a crappy drummer, it had nothing to do with the talent and everything to do with how Jon made the talent perform.
I usually liked Stu's vocals in IE, but at times it felt like he was doing an over the top impression (kinda like Jack Black does in Tenacious D, though here the music is serious). Having just listened to that Annihilator release, I agree overall he is better there and ditches the quirkyness.
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I can't recall much about the show I saw on the Glorious Burden tour with Richard Christy, aside from being completely wowed by Ripper's vocals. Honestly, I really loved when Jon Dette was playing drums in the band for the Plagues tour in 2014 - he pounded the hell out of the drums and the double kicks were so perfect.
Also, the Burnt Offerings remix is perfect - that is the definitive version of Dante's Inferno, with Alive in Athens right behind it. I dug the 2011 version, but now I see what you're saying about the drums. They're all sped up compared to the original. I won't complain though, because I got to see the band play Dante's in 2012 on the final US show of the Dystopia run, so if it took a re-record to have that experience in seeing them play the song again, I'll take it.
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Yeah, Christy is a beast, but I think I prefer Mark Prator. Horror Show probably wouldn't have sounded too different. Maybe just slower kick drums.
I don't remember Prator doing anything as tasty as a song like "Wolf", for example.
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Yeah, Christy is a beast, but I think I prefer Mark Prator. Horror Show probably wouldn't have sounded too different. Maybe just slower kick drums.
I don't remember Prator doing anything as tasty as a song like "Wolf", for example.
Prator was pretty straight forward, nothing flashy or technical, but the overall sound of the whole band was just perfect to me. Richard Christy is definitely the better drummer though.
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I always thought Stu's vocal delivery was a tad odd during his time in IE. I literally never heard of him before that. I picked up Annihilator's Metal re-release with Stu on vocals and was blown away by his range and depth. Same reason why I thought Richard Christy was a crappy drummer, it had nothing to do with the talent and everything to do with how Jon made the talent perform.
Wowsers!
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I always thought Stu's vocal delivery was a tad odd during his time in IE. I literally never heard of him before that. I picked up Annihilator's Metal re-release with Stu on vocals and was blown away by his range and depth. Same reason why I thought Richard Christy was a crappy drummer, it had nothing to do with the talent and everything to do with how Jon made the talent perform.
Wowsers!
I know, I know. I knew nothing of him before his time in IE. I found his playing mostly boring in the band. Then he put out the first Charred Walls album and he blew my mind. Since then I have gotten into Death and Control Denied so I have realized my error and repented.
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I always thought Stu's vocal delivery was a tad odd during his time in IE. I literally never heard of him before that. I picked up Annihilator's Metal re-release with Stu on vocals and was blown away by his range and depth. Same reason why I thought Richard Christy was a crappy drummer, it had nothing to do with the talent and everything to do with how Jon made the talent perform.
Wowsers!
I know, I know. I knew nothing of him before his time in IE. I found his playing mostly boring in the band. Then he put out the first Charred Walls album and he blew my mind. Since then I have gotten into Death and Control Denied so I have realized my error and repented.
(https://c.tenor.com/9S8TpHnvtqkAAAAC/arnold-schwarzenegger-thats-better.gif)
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Speaking of 'Tastes Like Treason', Jon is hiding from the government now. Such a shame.
https://blabbermouth.net/news/district-of-columbia-attorneys-struggling-to-find-iced-earth-guitarist-jon-schaffer
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Maybe Matt Barlow can lure him out somehow......? :lol
Geez, the albums will remain and the enjoyment I had, or will have, in listening to them will remain intact, but what a way to ruin a legacy and effectively kill a band.
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I feel bad for Barlow. As a police officer, this whole thing casts a shadow on him, his career, and his entire extended family.
Jon acted like an idiot, and still is. I would have thought after accepting the plea deal that he'd cooperate. Guess he's decided to try and go off the grid and be a fugitive. Have fun with that.
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I feel bad for Barlow. As a police officer, this whole thing casts a shadow on him, his career, and his entire extended family.
Jon acted like an idiot, and still is. I would have thought after accepting the plea deal that he'd cooperate. Guess he's decided to try and go off the grid and be a fugitive. Have fun with that.
Earlier this year, the District Of Columbia asked federal law enforcement officials involved in an ongoing criminal case against Schaffer for "any information the Department of Justice is willing to share as to Schaffer's present location" but had not received help from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Among the addresses where the process server had attempts on record to locate Schaffer were three residences in the Columbus, Indiana area; a house near Orlando, Florida where Schaffer's mother lives; an address in Georgetown, Delaware; an apartment in Crystal City, Florida; and a gated mobile home community in Auburndale, Florida. At the Auburndale location, a process server noticed the name "J. Schaffer" written on a callbox and a Jeep and Dodge Charger with Indiana license plates parked outside the mobile home. However, nobody answered the door when she knocked.
"The District now believes that Schaffer is hiding from process servers in a mobile home in Auburndale, Florida," according to court filings. "Since locating that address, the District has attempted service there at least five times, yet Schaffer refuses to answer the door — thereby preventing effective service absent further relief from the court."
:lol :lol :lol I guess this is considered off the grid...
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I figured he was hiding from the crazy assholes he associated with.
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From living in abandoned cars and houses in his youth because he was broke and he had nothing but his hunger for heavy metal, to living in mobile houses to evade the government. Talk about going full circle....
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Every time I think about it I get mad. I think I have a fair tolerance for people with (wildly) differing perspectives in life. But I think people like Shaffer and the movements are incredibly dangerous if you let them fester. Plenty of horrid examples throughout history. The fact that they made or wanted to make a deal with him tells he was in and not a dumbass protestor bystander caught up in the moment. I personally just can't listen to IE with any joy at this point in time. Sorry if this ventures too much into PR, but this stuff makes me both angry and sad.
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Well, I can still listen to Iced Earth, the problem is that, with all the music that is out there and the natural cycles of interest for this or that band / subgenre (you can't listen to everything all the time), I'm currently in a down phase with Iced Earth.
And with no new album in sight and no concert to sparkle back the interest, not even a Demons and Wizards tour for obvious reasons, I can't see that interest coming back anytime soon.
Maybe in a month I'll eat my words, maybe something will happen that will remind me of Horror Show or Something Wicked and I will go "damn, it's been a while since I listened to IE" and go on a full dive again, but as of now, Iced Earth is very low on my list of musical priorities and as I said, I'm afraid nothing will happen in the foreseeable future that will change that.
On the musical side of things, while I don't think Jon "owed" us fans anything, I'd really like to know if he regrets killing his carrer over something stupid like this. Ok, he has a right to have opinions, to fight for what he believes is right, but come on Jon, FFS, you had a nice thing going on, a musical carreer countless musicians only dream of, you had your crowd and your space in the metal scene and even if you weren't the next Iron Maiden you were far from being a nostalgia act that only 100 diehards show up for at gigs.... was it really worth it to throw it all away like that?
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Every time I think about it I get mad. I think I have a fair tolerance for people with (wildly) differing perspectives in life. But I think people like Shaffer and the movements are incredibly dangerous if you let them fester. Plenty of horrid examples throughout history. The fact that they made or wanted to make a deal with him tells he was in and not a dumbass protestor bystander caught up in the moment. I personally just can't listen to IE with any joy at this point in time. Sorry if this ventures too much into PR, but this stuff makes me both angry and sad.
After January 6th, I didn't listen to any of Jon's music for 10 months and couldn't even wear my t-shirts. It just felt "icky." After some time passed, I learned that I could enjoy the music again. What bothers me is that my favorite band is all but done and over. We'll get some occasional releases like the Bang Your Head live set, but I don't see Jon taking the time to write and release new music. A relative of his in the Podcast in Stone group said that he "lost everything." I would imagine he had to sell a lot of his stuff, plus his income could certainly be garnished by the government.
We went from having a kickass band that I watched grow for 20 years, to having no band and no activity for a good period of time. I don't know if he'll ever write music again after this. That's what bums me out the most.
As to this new headline, it's just sad.
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I feel bad for Barlow. As a police officer, this whole thing casts a shadow on him, his career, and his entire extended family.
Jon acted like an idiot, and still is. I would have thought after accepting the plea deal that he'd cooperate. Guess he's decided to try and go off the grid and be a fugitive. Have fun with that.
Earlier this year, the District Of Columbia asked federal law enforcement officials involved in an ongoing criminal case against Schaffer for "any information the Department of Justice is willing to share as to Schaffer's present location" but had not received help from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Among the addresses where the process server had attempts on record to locate Schaffer were three residences in the Columbus, Indiana area; a house near Orlando, Florida where Schaffer's mother lives; an address in Georgetown, Delaware; an apartment in Crystal City, Florida; and a gated mobile home community in Auburndale, Florida. At the Auburndale location, a process server noticed the name "J. Schaffer" written on a callbox and a Jeep and Dodge Charger with Indiana license plates parked outside the mobile home. However, nobody answered the door when she knocked.
"The District now believes that Schaffer is hiding from process servers in a mobile home in Auburndale, Florida," according to court filings. "Since locating that address, the District has attempted service there at least five times, yet Schaffer refuses to answer the door — thereby preventing effective service absent further relief from the court."
:lol :lol :lol I guess this is considered off the grid...
Not sure if you're poking fun at me for using the term, or Jon. But if it's me, whatever man. Going from a musician in a nice house with a good living to a dude living in a trailer trying to stay away from anyone is the most "off the grid" you can get other than completely roughing it in the woods. And it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up that way if he doesn't want to get caught.
What bothers me is that my favorite band is all but done and over.
Mine has been effectively done since 1997 with a few glimpses since then. it sucks, but you get used to it.
I still listen to Iced Earth. It took several months, but I've had on Horror Show a couple of times, and likely will again on Halloween. So all that great music will still live on. Jon running from being served...again, skirting his responsibilities. Sucks. What he should have done was admit his guilt fully, and be punished accordingly. With those crazy groups he was allegedly part of...now he's probably running from them AND the feds. Not a life I'd want to live.
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Worst part is he finally found an amazing lead guitarist, and we may never get The Relic part 2.
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Worst part is he finally found an amazing lead guitarist
I really like Tim Mills' parts on the Overture of the Wicked EP. Definitely my favorite lead player they've had. Shame he couldn't retain him, and my favorite members were never all in the band at once. Horror Show is the best overall lineup, Tarnowski is the only weak link.
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Horror Show, for me, is hands-down the best album IE ever made. Just superb in every sense of the word. :metal
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I feel bad for Barlow. As a police officer, this whole thing casts a shadow on him, his career, and his entire extended family.
Jon acted like an idiot, and still is. I would have thought after accepting the plea deal that he'd cooperate. Guess he's decided to try and go off the grid and be a fugitive. Have fun with that.
Earlier this year, the District Of Columbia asked federal law enforcement officials involved in an ongoing criminal case against Schaffer for "any information the Department of Justice is willing to share as to Schaffer's present location" but had not received help from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Among the addresses where the process server had attempts on record to locate Schaffer were three residences in the Columbus, Indiana area; a house near Orlando, Florida where Schaffer's mother lives; an address in Georgetown, Delaware; an apartment in Crystal City, Florida; and a gated mobile home community in Auburndale, Florida. At the Auburndale location, a process server noticed the name "J. Schaffer" written on a callbox and a Jeep and Dodge Charger with Indiana license plates parked outside the mobile home. However, nobody answered the door when she knocked.
"The District now believes that Schaffer is hiding from process servers in a mobile home in Auburndale, Florida," according to court filings. "Since locating that address, the District has attempted service there at least five times, yet Schaffer refuses to answer the door — thereby preventing effective service absent further relief from the court."
:lol :lol :lol I guess this is considered off the grid...
Not sure if you're poking fun at me for using the term, or Jon. But if it's me, whatever man. Going from a musician in a nice house with a good living to a dude living in a trailer trying to stay away from anyone is the most "off the grid" you can get other than completely roughing it in the woods. And it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up that way if he doesn't want to get caught.
I am laughing at all of it. Especially where the DoC process server can't do anything because no one is answering the door, and also them not receiving any help from the U.S Attorney's Office.
The actual article Blabbermouth linked to is really hilarious to me and reads like some cop comedy. It's also like their playing Mario..."I'm sorry, but Jon Shaffer is in another mobile home."
https://www.therepublic.com/2022/10/02/searching-for-schaffer-attorneys-struggling-to-find-local-man-who-pleaded-guilty-to-storming-u-s-capitol-on-jan-6/
And after all that...this happens...
A federal judge on Friday issued an order to temporarily halt the civil action until the criminal trial against Rhodes, the found of the Oath Keepers, is concluded.
Horror Show, for me, is hands-down the best album IE ever made. Just superb in every sense of the word. :metal
I enjoy it a lot because it has Steve Di Giorgio on it. I also enjoy that the music style fits the horror theme.
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If he is in fact in a trailer in Auburndale, Florida, they might want to bring scuba gear when they come knocking next. Ian might have done their work for them.
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I enjoy it a lot because it has Steve Di Giorgio on it. I also enjoy that the music style fits the horror theme.
I remember Steve Di Giorgio commited in full to the band, and was announced as a band member. Then he changed his mind saying he would not be touring, so Schaffer got pissed off, deleted him from the booklet photos, and left him last in the credits with a generic mention he was the bass player.
Then again, maybe Steve was clear with Jon about wanting this to be just a studio collaboration, who knows at this time...
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Worst part is he finally found an amazing lead guitarist
I really like Tim Mills' parts on the Overture of the Wicked EP. Definitely my favorite lead player they've had. Shame he couldn't retain him, and my favorite members were never all in the band at once. Horror Show is the best overall lineup, Tarnowski is the only weak link.
That's crazy. I didn't like his solos at all, but I also didn't like the rerecordings in general. Jon's palm muting killed them especially. All the intensity was sucked out because of that. I thought Larry was a great lead guitarist.
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Horror Show, for me, is hands-down the best album IE ever made. Just superb in every sense of the word. :metal
It's a great album, and the first one that came out after I became a fan.
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Horror Show was my first album by them. Blew me away.
Not my favorite but damn is it amazing.
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Among the addresses where the process server had attempts on record to locate Schaffer were three residences in the Columbus, Indiana area; a house near Orlando, Florida where Schaffer's mother lives; an address in Georgetown, Delaware; an apartment in Crystal City, Florida; and a gated mobile home community in Auburndale, Florida.
Looks like Officer Barlow has been getting some visits.
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Among the addresses where the process server had attempts on record to locate Schaffer were three residences in the Columbus, Indiana area; a house near Orlando, Florida where Schaffer's mother lives; an address in Georgetown, Delaware; an apartment in Crystal City, Florida; and a gated mobile home community in Auburndale, Florida.
Looks like Officer Barlow has been getting some visits.
And Mrs. Barlow was not too happy about it, but I think it shows the complicated situation. Matt has never spoken about Jon's situation, aside to say that he's talked to him and that at the time, Jon was "ok." They're family though, and I don't think they're going to go out of the way to assist the process servers in finding him.
This is a great article that details the search for Jon's whereabouts.
https://www.therepublic.com/2022/10/02/searching-for-schaffer-attorneys-struggling-to-find-local-man-who-pleaded-guilty-to-storming-u-s-capitol-on-jan-6/
The search then headed north to Georgetown, Delaware, a town of around 6,400 located about 90 miles east of the U.S. Capitol. On April 28, a process server spoke to a woman at the property who said Schaffer did not live there. When he attempted to question her further, “she slammed the door in his face,” according to court filings. The process server made four additional attempts to locate Schaffer at the Delaware address over roughly the next month, but to no avail.
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Schaffer threw his entire life away, and now there's absolutely no hope for recovery.
Such an idiot. And now extended family has to put up with it.
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Yeah, I serious doubt Matt would be dumb enough to harbor a fugitive. His address probably popped up because they're related. Heather is his sister, right?
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This is pretty cool - ever since Ashes of Ares formed, Matt and Freddie said that they wouldn't cover Iced Earth songs when they would play live. I guess Jon's situation and Iced Earth's lineup dissolving changed that. They picked some badass songs to include in the set!
I Am the Night
Our Last Sunrise
The hunter
Gone
The Alien
Last December
Emperors and Fools
The reaping stone
By My Blade
Transcending
Dragon's child
This Is My Hell
Throne of Iniquity
Burning times
Blessed are you
The One-Eyed King
Burning Times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZo3X37d4u8
The Hunter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aysD969gUOQ
Blessed Are You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtHIkaWIVNw
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A few nice deep cuts there.
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Troy has got Matt style backing vocals down.
Always awesome to see Matt live.
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The Red Fucking Oppressor SLAYS. :metal
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Since this thread came back around, Jon is looking at possibly 3 years in jail followed by witness protection.
https://www.therepublic.com/2023/06/08/schaffer-seeks-a-sentencing-date-for-plea-bargain-in-jan-6-insurrection-case/
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Since this thread came back around, Jon is looking at possibly 3 years in jail followed by witness protection.
https://www.therepublic.com/2023/06/08/schaffer-seeks-a-sentencing-date-for-plea-bargain-in-jan-6-insurrection-case/
His plea deal includes an option for witness protection. I can see him taking it, simply because he's been hiding out for a while, last suspected to be living in a trailer park in Florida. His testimony was unsealed and used in the case against Stuart Rhodes, helping to convict him of seditious conspiracy.
A family member of his said in the Podcast in Stone group that he's lost "everything." It's really sad to see, and to know that he was one of the first 6 people inside of the capitol building that day, throwing away his career over it.
I'm glad that Matt and Freddie are playing some Iced Earth songs though.
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It's more maddening than sad. To completely destroy a legacy, a livehood and a band over.......... that.
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I have absolutely no sympathy or empathy for Jon Schaffer. I know this teeters on the political section of the board, but it's unavoidable when talking about Jon and Iced Earth. What Jon did was wrong. Deep down, he knew it was wrong. Sure, opinions about the state of the country and what is going on is one thing. Acting on it in the manner in which he did is inexcusable. I'm not here to argue political ideologies. But if Jon truly believed there was/is a conspiracy to take freedom and liberty away from the American people, and that Trump was being unfairly handled, there are other ways to go about it. He's not some Civil War hero. (Not saying anyone said that at all, just making a point.)
The fact is, yes, there are big problems in the country at EVERY governmental level. But there's no over-arching conspiracy, despite "research" done by certain groups. America isn't lily-white any longer. It really never was. America isn't conservative any longer, except at the Supreme Court level. The country is based on absorbing other cultures and their ways of thinking. We've assimilated a lot of more liberal-centric ideologies over the years. That creates issues - that should be obvious to anyone. Not just partisan issues, but cultural and societal obstacles. Particularly in this era of how connected the world is now, compared to say 75 years ago. The world has changed. America has changed. And you can run to the hills of West Virginia, Montana, or wherever (trailer parks in Florida) and try to ignore it, and spout off conspiracies about how so and so wants to take away freedoms, but at the end of the day, the melting pot that is America is deeply flawed. But the "answer" isn't insurrection based on conspiracy theories. Jon Schaffer got sucked in, still believes it all (at least from the last thing I read a while back), and frankly, he's lucky to be alive. However his sentencing turns out will be how it is. He's part of the problem and I wouldn't be surprised if the guy is not long for this world because of his actions.
Frankly, I hope Matt Barlow and his wife are doing okay. Obviously, he can't and shouldn't talk about Jon. But I am sure it weighs on them. It has to. Matt seems like a genuinely level-headed guy, and I absolutely respect his work in law enforcement (I'm determined to get pulled over by him one day). It's really nice to see the Iced Earth music live on through Ashes of Ares. I really hope Matt and Freddie embrace that catalog and use it as a springboard to make Ashes of Ares a more significant act moving forward in terms of live shows. If I saw a set that had a half dozen IE songs, and 10 or 11 AoA songs, I'd be all over that.
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That's how I feel. Regardless of politics, breaking into a secure, federal building is wrong. It is maddening to me to see a promising career and my favorite band and musician reduced to nothing over something like that.
As for Matt, one of the articles about how court process servers were trying to locate Jon mentioned how they were searching at an address in Delaware and there was no answer. I figured that was someone knocking on Matt's door asking about Jon's whereabouts and his family doing what they can to protect Jon.
My gut says that they're having to straddle the line between Jon being family and protecting them how they can against whatever feelings they have about how the day was an assault on the police brotherhood and/or the responsibilities of Matt being an officer and not breaking any laws in the process.
I'd love to see that setlist in the US - it was heavy on the newest Ashes record, which is their best so far, and a good dose of Iced Earth
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Since this thread came back around, Jon is looking at possibly 3 years in jail followed by witness protection.
https://www.therepublic.com/2023/06/08/schaffer-seeks-a-sentencing-date-for-plea-bargain-in-jan-6-insurrection-case/
His plea deal includes an option for witness protection. I can see him taking it, simply because he's been hiding out for a while, last suspected to be living in a trailer park in Florida. His testimony was unsealed and used in the case against Stuart Rhodes, helping to convict him of seditious conspiracy.
I was wondering if info he gave was used. Last I heard people were arguing about whether he was even associated with Stewart Rhodes. Obviously they're not too trustworthy and I don't know a lot about the Oath Keepers but I always wondered if Jon made himself out to be more important to the organization than he was.
Btw, does anybody know where to find all of his testimony?
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Since this thread came back around, Jon is looking at possibly 3 years in jail followed by witness protection.
https://www.therepublic.com/2023/06/08/schaffer-seeks-a-sentencing-date-for-plea-bargain-in-jan-6-insurrection-case/
His plea deal includes an option for witness protection. I can see him taking it, simply because he's been hiding out for a while, last suspected to be living in a trailer park in Florida. His testimony was unsealed and used in the case against Stuart Rhodes, helping to convict him of seditious conspiracy.
I was wondering if info he gave was used. Last I heard people were arguing about whether he was even associated with Stewart Rhodes. Obviously they're not too trustworthy and I don't know a lot about the Oath Keepers but I always wondered if Jon made himself out to be more important to the organization than he was.
Btw, does anybody know where to find all of his testimony?
His testimony was sealed and it took a court order to unseal it to be used in the trial. I never watched the Caldwell/Rhodes trial, but the info Jon provided helped to put those guys away.
I use this link for updates on his criminal court case, but it doesn't have specifics about testimony. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/59827948/united-states-v-schaffer/
He was also named in the civil case, where the US Government was suing members of the Proud Boys and Oathkeepers to be reimbursed for the financial costs of January 6th. The civil case is where he was dodging the process servers and they couldn't locate him.
Jon said he was a "founding lifetime member." At the time, people seemed to be confusing that with him being a founding member of the Oathkeepers. I took it to mean that he was there from the start, but a "lifetime" member is someone who paid like $10,000 to be a member of the Oathkeepers for life, as opposed to paying yearly dues. He may have been fairly close to the leadership, but I don't think he WAS leadership.
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He could have spent that money on an Iced Earth album.
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Burning Times from the second show of the tour in Thessaloniki. Those Greeks are CRAZY! I love the crowd in this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ejyLG1av5Y
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I know age has a lot to do with it, but Matt's highs aren't as strong anymore, but I think he's also just been out of the game too long and needs to practice.
I can also see Jon being really upset about them playing IE tunes.
His newest cash grab of rereleases isn't even licensed through his Platinum Dragon Entertainment, but Rock of Angels records. I wonder if he sold the copyright to Something Wicked. Fuck, what an idiot.
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I know age has a lot to do with it, but Matt's highs aren't as strong anymore, but I think he's also just been out of the game too long and needs to practice.
I can also see Jon being really upset about them playing IE tunes.
His newest cash grab of rereleases isn't even licensed through his Platinum Dragon Entertainment, but Rock of Angels records. I wonder if he sold the copyright to Something Wicked. Fuck, what an idiot.
Ashes of Ares is on Rock of Angels records, so I'm sure Matt pointed him in that direction. It's not like Jon can really afford to do all of this on his own like he was intending to prior to the pandemic, so having a label front the money for "new" product helps. He still has Platinum Dragon - he sued someone for bootlegging products within the last few years. He needs every penny he can get and bootleggers aren't helping him.
As much as I love Iced Earth, Jon can't say jack shit about another band covering his music, and I think he'd be glad that Matt and Freddie were in Iced Earth at least. Ripper has been playing When the Eagle Cries with his solo band for years.
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I can also see Jon being really upset about them playing IE tunes.
As much as I love Iced Earth, Jon can't say jack shit about another band covering his music, and I think he'd be glad that Matt and Freddie were in Iced Earth at least. Ripper has been playing When the Eagle Cries with his solo band for years.
I agree, he lost the rights to have a say about it when he became a domestic terrorist.
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I can also see Jon being really upset about them playing IE tunes.
As much as I love Iced Earth, Jon can't say jack shit about another band covering his music, and I think he'd be glad that Matt and Freddie were in Iced Earth at least. Ripper has been playing When the Eagle Cries with his solo band for years.
I agree, he lost the rights to have a say about it when he became a domestic terrorist.
I think Matt and Freddie are playing the songs now because Jon can't. While Iced Earth was active, they didn't play those songs. At least someone out there with ties to Iced Earth is keeping some of the music alive.
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Burning Times from the second show of the tour in Thessaloniki. Those Greeks are CRAZY! I love the crowd in this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ejyLG1av5Y
Bottom line - Ashes of Ares needs to recognize that they are sitting on a gold mine of a catalog. A slight rebrand of the band to take hold of that, and they will explode in a good way. Not sure Matt wants to go at it full time again, but with the right mgmt and booking, Ashes of Ares could easily vault up into the same bookings and venues that IE played on the last tour.
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Pretty sure Matt said in an interview that he is looking forward to retirement. He's got about 20 years in as a police officer and while I'm sure a lot of his desire to quit music came from wanting to do something good, let's not deny that for Americans, you don't get insurance without a stable job. Now that metal has picked up in popularity as opposed to when he quit and had to supplement his income working at Jon's family's restaurant in the off time, nd his kids are older, he's probably in a pretty good position to go at this full time again.
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Maybe a Pumpkins United kind of thing. Go on tour with Ripper and maybe Stu. Get Brent on drums, maybe James MacDonough on bass and a host of guitarists to chose from.
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Burning Times from the second show of the tour in Thessaloniki. Those Greeks are CRAZY! I love the crowd in this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ejyLG1av5Y
Bottom line - Ashes of Ares needs to recognize that they are sitting on a gold mine of a catalog. A slight rebrand of the band to take hold of that, and they will explode in a good way. Not sure Matt wants to go at it full time again, but with the right mgmt and booking, Ashes of Ares could easily vault up into the same bookings and venues that IE played on the last tour.
Pretty sure Matt said in an interview that he is looking forward to retirement. He's got about 20 years in as a police officer and while I'm sure a lot of his desire to quit music came from wanting to do something good, let's not deny that for Americans, you don't get insurance without a stable job. Now that metal has picked up in popularity as opposed to when he quit and had to supplement his income working at Jon's family's restaurant in the off time, nd his kids are older, he's probably in a pretty good position to go at this full time again.
You might be onto something here!
I agree that if he feels like so, Matt could and should continue to sing Iced Earth songs. There's enough good material in his albums to fill an entire set, of course the Stu album deserve praise but let's face it, Matt was the ultimate IE singer.
Also, RIP Demons & Wizards, it took Jon and Hansi 20 years to do a new album, they even made a tour, and that band died as well. Double shame, they could have done another tour with some of the new songs.
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Since this thread came back around, Jon is looking at possibly 3 years in jail followed by witness protection.
https://www.therepublic.com/2023/06/08/schaffer-seeks-a-sentencing-date-for-plea-bargain-in-jan-6-insurrection-case/
A worthwhile testimony to make a deal for and witness protection? That confirms how deep in the guy was. Sad to see, but also entirely his own doing.
I think some people underestimate the danger these type of terroristic/extremist movements pose to nations. I am glad the politicians, all of them, got away before the crowd reached them. It is one thing if a guy says they are messing with the wrong people and that there will be bloodshed, it is another thing when that same person actually invades the capitol. At some point you gotta believe they are not just talking shit and are there to do "something". That something likely being heinous in nature.
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Lots of clips are showing up online. Matt doesn't sound very smooth on Dragon's Child and Freddie actually handles the chorus. I wonder if that song just has some awkward melodies or it's a spot in his voice that he struggles with.
Athens - full show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJau9kZgBUI
It's fun to see the audience reactions to each Iced Earth song that they play. The crowd's vocals are louder than the PA during Burning Times.
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Burning Times from the second show of the tour in Thessaloniki. Those Greeks are CRAZY! I love the crowd in this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ejyLG1av5Y
Bottom line - Ashes of Ares needs to recognize that they are sitting on a gold mine of a catalog. A slight rebrand of the band to take hold of that, and they will explode in a good way. Not sure Matt wants to go at it full time again, but with the right mgmt and booking, Ashes of Ares could easily vault up into the same bookings and venues that IE played on the last tour.
Definitely, and especially across Europe. They could certainly do some shows in the US as well.
Maybe a Pumpkins United kind of thing. Go on tour with Ripper and maybe Stu. Get Brent on drums, maybe James MacDonough on bass and a host of guitarists to chose from.
I don't see Matt stepping on Jon's toes like that. Guest spots if a tour hit in each city? Sure - they'd have Brent or Ripper or Jimmy come up for a song, but you wouldn't see a full band lineup of ex-Iced Earth guys going on tour without Jon. I guess it depends on Jon taking witness protection or not - if he fully disappears from the scene, then something like that could be more likely, but I see something like Ashes playing some Iced Earth tunes to be more likely.
Also, RIP Demons & Wizards, it took Jon and Hansi 20 years to do a new album, they even made a tour, and that band died as well. Double shame, they could have done another tour with some of the new songs.
At a minimum, we were supposed to get a live album/DVD of the Demons show from Wacken, which would have been amazing, and they had another studio album contracted.
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Burning Times from the second show of the tour in Thessaloniki. Those Greeks are CRAZY! I love the crowd in this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ejyLG1av5Y
Bottom line - Ashes of Ares needs to recognize that they are sitting on a gold mine of a catalog. A slight rebrand of the band to take hold of that, and they will explode in a good way. Not sure Matt wants to go at it full time again, but with the right mgmt and booking, Ashes of Ares could easily vault up into the same bookings and venues that IE played on the last tour.
Definitely, and especially across Europe. They could certainly do some shows in the US as well.
Maybe a Pumpkins United kind of thing. Go on tour with Ripper and maybe Stu. Get Brent on drums, maybe James MacDonough on bass and a host of guitarists to chose from.
I don't see Matt stepping on Jon's toes like that. Guest spots if a tour hit in each city? Sure - they'd have Brent or Ripper or Jimmy come up for a song, but you wouldn't see a full band lineup of ex-Iced Earth guys going on tour without Jon. I guess it depends on Jon taking witness protection or not - if he fully disappears from the scene, then something like that could be more likely, but I see something like Ashes playing some Iced Earth tunes to be more likely.
Also, RIP Demons & Wizards, it took Jon and Hansi 20 years to do a new album, they even made a tour, and that band died as well. Double shame, they could have done another tour with some of the new songs.
At a minimum, we were supposed to get a live album/DVD of the Demons show from Wacken, which would have been amazing, and they had another studio album contracted.
That was an amazing show, D&W at Wacken. Thankfully the proshot stream is already fantastic. But man, what could've been....
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Maybe that's why Matt is growing his hair out again.
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What would people think if Ashes of Ares did an album of re-records of ICED EARTH material? Normally, I hate that idea. BUT, in this case, with IE done, because of Jon's stupidity, I kind of think it makes a lot of sense. Put 14 of those classic IE tunes on a new record, and then set up a big tour where they do a lot of them and AoA material together.
I am assuming the other musicians touring in Ashes of Ares are just touring personnel other than Matt and Freddie, right? If so, perhaps AoA does this ICED EARTH album idea with IE alumni.
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What would people think if Ashes of Ares did an album of re-records of ICED EARTH material? Normally, I hate that idea. BUT, in this case, with IE done, because of Jon's stupidity, I kind of think it makes a lot of sense. Put 14 of those classic IE tunes on a new record, and then set up a big tour where they do a lot of them and AoA material together.
I am assuming the other musicians touring in Ashes of Ares are just touring personnel other than Matt and Freddie, right? If so, perhaps AoA does this ICED EARTH album idea with IE alumni.
Not sure what that would do. They wouldn't own the rights. It would just put more money into Jon's or whomever owns the rights pockets and their recordings won't be any better than the original.
I'm happy if they put out a good live album with a lot of IE songs though.
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Well, it DOES put money in the songwriters' hands (and Matt did have a handful of credits), which means that Jon profits. BUT...having studio tracks out there under the AoA banner also HELPS AoA build a following, considering it is fronted by IE's classic era singer and one of IE's bass players. And if you bring on other IE alumni, performing IE songs on a AoA album, it creates huge marketing buzz for AoA, which translates into interest from promoters in having AoA. Yes, Jon profits. he wrote most of those IE songs. But Matt, Freddie and AoA will reap many rewards for the kind of exposure re-recordings of IE material would bring them.
Trust me, in most situations, I hate this idea. But for this specific band and scenario, it works big time.
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Yay, more Iced Earth re-records! :) How many more versions of Dante's Inferno do I need?
I get your idea, but Adami is right. They can't top Matt's original vocals from 25+ years ago and Jon's riffing. I'd accept an EP, especially if they got Ripper and Stu to contribute - that seems the most likely and would generate a lot of PR, with the three former singers uniting. Brent wouldn't go behind Jon's back, he seems loyal to him to the end. Luke has moved on. The Podcast in Stone group has a lot of ex members of the band from years past, but I don't know if they would get involved. They all respect him, some still seem irritated with how they ended up leaving and/or not making money. If they did participate, it would just end up turning into the Jon Schaffer relief fund with a bunch of old band members stumping for him.
I think playing the songs live seems to be the best option and with three full albums and 4 of IE's classic albums with Matt, they could definitely do a full live album. And invite Ripper and Stu for guest spots!
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I'd be all for the live album of IE songs. Adami isn't "right," really. IE is a profitable BRAND. It will sell. And Ashes of Ares, in some form or another, really needs to capitalize on it to help their own band and brand flourish. It's the perfect time.
I hear ya on the studio re-recording. As I said, normally, I'm against it. And I could absolutely get behind doing a live album of IE songs. But AoA HAS TO take advantage of the void left by no IE. It will increase their profile in a huge way.
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But AoA HAS TO take advantage of the void left by no IE. It will increase their profile in a huge way.
I definitely agree. It's just that Iced Earth and re-recording material became a bit of a joke, and there's not too much that Ashes can do to make it sound different. I would like to hear some of the songs re-imagined in the Ashes style, where Freddie can inject more death-metal into the riffing. But a straight cover? That doesn't have much use outside of creating a product to tour off of - and it all hinges on Matt putting more time into the road.