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

[Adami]

Burnt Offerings is my favorite, Something Wicken is kind of their Black Album.

[glaurung]

I think my favorite would be Horror Show. Something Wicked is a very good album though.

[MykeHavoc]

I tend to go between Rider, Horror and Framing.

[Zook]

I tend to go between Rider, Horror and Framing.

You're just saying Framing because Ripper is your friend.

[glaurung]

I can totally see Framing being a favorite of somebody's. I think it's great, definitely in the upper half of their albums.

[Vajra]

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.

[MykeHavoc]

I tend to go between Rider, Horror and Framing.

You're just saying Framing because Ripper is your friend.

Nah, its just a super strong release. Having the best singer in metal on it doesn't hurt though

[Adami]

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.

[wolfking]

Framing is definitely top 5 IMO, maybe even top 3.  Really great album.

[Zook]

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.

Nah, its just a super strong release. Having the best singer in metal on it doesn't hurt though

Now I wouldn't say that... Nah he's awesome.

[Vajra]

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.

Nah, its just a super strong release. Having the best singer in metal on it doesn't hurt though

Now I wouldn't say that... Nah he's awesome.

Check your pm's. You sparked my interest earlier!

[GuineaPig]

Burnt Offerings, then Horror Show.

[Zook]

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.

[Perpetual Change]

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.

[Zook]

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.

[Vajra]

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

[Adami]

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.

[Vajra]

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.

[Perpetual Change]

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.

[GuineaPig]

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.

[Jaq]

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. 

[Zook]

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. 

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.

[Jaq]

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. 

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 

[Zook]

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.

[Vajra]

Ya'll crazy. The Gettysburg trilogy is easily in Iced Earth's top 10 best songs.

[Zook]

<--- Ripper agrees

[wolfking]

I'm  also a huge fan of Gettysburg, one of IE's best pieces of work.

[Jaq]

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.

[MykeHavoc]

Well, if you hadn't noticed, nearly all Iced Earth material is soundtrack to either movies or comic books

That's part of the appeal for me.

[Zook]

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.

[Jaq]

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. 

[MykeHavoc]

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.

[Jaq]

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.  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. 

I just ordered the Festivals of the Wicked DVD...suddenly Iced Earth has taken me over again!

[MykeHavoc]

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.

[Jaq]

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.