I have been into Iced Earth close to 10 years now. As a teenager discovering the world of metal, somehow i ended up stumbling across Iced Earth. After hearing Melancholy I believe I went out on a limb and purchased Something Wicked This Way Comes, the rest is history. For quite a while I was obsessed with Jon's amazing triplet riffing and Matt's effective addictive vocals. As I bought more albums I was impressed at how prolific and consistent they were, forming a very unique distinctive sound and enough variety in their music to keep one interested. I spent hours trying to play Jon's rhythm's on my guitar, but my right hand would always end up crippled.
I will just list the songs here. I am not judging based on any reworkings or live versions. I will mention throughout if I like a live version or a re-recording but overall I am not ranking those versions, my choices are based on the strength of the songs. There are some odd choices and odd rankings.
30. Angels Holocaust
EPIC intro!! Sets up the mood of the album perfectly. Nice acoustic section then half way through it really kicks into gear. Classic Schaffer riffing and a choir which adds an amazing atmosphere. I love the version done by Barlow but to be honest I really don't mind John Greely's vocals, IMO he did a good job. Amazing riff towards the end followed by a decent solo.
29. Dracula
I like how this one starts with quite a mellow, somber piece which is really quite relaxing. Nice melodies and then about a minute and a half through Barlow lets out some shrieks. Enter Jon with a very groovy melodic riff. Barlow doesn't let up from here on, firing hatred and venom. A very strong chorus on this one.
28. The Reckoning (Don't Tread on Me)
I remember when Tim was first announced as the replacement vocalist. Since his split with Priest was around the same time, a lot of us predicted it. This song was the first we all heard from The Glorious Burden. I remember hearing the intro and knowing that Ripper was going to be a very good fit for IE. A classic chorus intro which Tim sounded just a epic as Barlow IMO. Brutal song, classic riffing, classic chorus. Tim does some good work in the middle too, great buildup.
27. Slave to the Dark
I love the tempo of this song, it just grooves along really nicely. Nothing really new here, this song was basically the prototype for the Something Wicked Trilogy, it's pretty similar, but that's no big deal with me. I like the consistent double kicking in the chorus. Barlow sings a wonderful melody in the chorus also. Great guitar solo section which has an excellent break in the middle mimicking the chorus melody. I especially like how the tempo kicks back in once the last verse kicks in.
26. Dark Saga
A great opener, I loved this song from the moment I heard it. I knew the whole album was going to be great, this just sets up a wonderful atmosphere. I agree with Myke, I do remember this song getting a bit of a hard time because of it's simplicity, but that really doesn't bother me. A nice chug through the verse and Barlow is sounding excellent. A beautiful quieter section in the middle, great song with nothing to prove.