The Official Iced Earth Thread v. "Tastes Like Treason!"

[wolfking]

That Purgatory song sounds like old school Mercyful Fate, not bad!

[wolfking]

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.

[Adami]

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.

[Mister Gold]

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.

[Grappler]

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. 

[Samsara]

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

[ProfessorPeart]

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.

[Samsara]

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.

[Zook]

Not really caring for the new Ashes of Ares. Very samey, and I think Matt is capable of doing way better than this.

[Grappler]

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

[Samsara]

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.

[Cyclopssss]

A bit off topic, but does anyone else think Barlow sounds like Paul Stanley in his hayday in his mid range?

[Zook]

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.

[Samsara]

I can hear that, yeah.

[Art]

A bit off topic, but does anyone else think Barlow sounds like Paul Stanley in his hayday in his mid range?

Yes

[jjrock88]

A bit off topic, but does anyone else think Barlow sounds like Paul Stanley in his hayday in his mid range?

Definitely

[Grappler]

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.

[wolfking]

4 hour interview, WTF?

[Zook]

4 hour interview, WTF?

The last one was 3 hours. Went by super quick.

[Grappler]

Lyric video for Jon Schaffer's Purgatory - In Your Dreams.  https://youtu.be/MlpWHZeA61U

FREDDY'S GONNA GET YA!   

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."      I do like the tune musically - it's not a straight-forward banger like Dracula was.

[Zook]

Lyric video for Jon Schaffer's Purgatory - In Your Dreams.  https://youtu.be/MlpWHZeA61U

FREDDY'S GONNA GET YA!   

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."      I do like the tune musically - it's not a straight-forward banger like Dracula was.

Maybe Gene Adam wrote that one.

[Grappler]

Lyric video for Jon Schaffer's Purgatory - In Your Dreams.  https://youtu.be/MlpWHZeA61U

FREDDY'S GONNA GET YA!   

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."      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.

[Zook]

Lyric video for Jon Schaffer's Purgatory - In Your Dreams.  https://youtu.be/MlpWHZeA61U

FREDDY'S GONNA GET YA!   

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."      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.

[Grappler]

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.

[Zook]

New FOUR HOUR Jon Schaffer interview from Podcast in Stone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2qKsdLxx4c

[Grappler]

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.

[Samsara]

Thanks for the recap, Grapp. Very cool news.

Had my first full listen to the Purgatory EP this morning. Great stuff. Very well done.

[ErHaO]

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.

[Grappler]

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.

[Samsara]

Agreed on Live in Athens. Glad it will get a proper vinyl release.

[Zook]

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.

[Madman Shepherd]

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.

[wolfking]

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.

[Madman Shepherd]

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?

[Grappler]

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.