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

[bl5150]

I came in here expecting album news.

me too - the lack of news really gets my goat.

[wolfking]

I came in here expecting album news.

me too - the lack of news really gets my goat.

[jjrock88]

 

[seasonsinthesky]

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.

[Zook]

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.

[seasonsinthesky]

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!

[Zook]

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.

[seasonsinthesky]

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.

[Zook]

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

[Scorpion]

Beware the Judas Goat

[wolfking]

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

Yeah, I hope that stays as the actual title.

[MirrorMask]

A quick googling reveals that Clear the Way is about the Civil War in the USA, a prequel to the Gettysburg trilogy basically?

[wolfking]

Yeah, that's the year before, it must be.  Makes sense considering it's Schaffer and all.

[Evermind]

Seven Headed Whore sounds like something taken straight out from A Song of Ice and Fire.

[bl5150]

Steel Panther are taking legal action.

[Zook]

Aaaaaaaaaaand Troy's out. Family responsibilities.

[Art]

I hope Brent Smedley is really on the new record, because the drumming on Babylon is awful.

[Adami]

Aaaaaaaaaaand Troy's out. Family responsibilities.

Was Troy the guitarist? If so, good.

[TAC]

I totally skipped the last IE album.

[Tomislav95]

I totally skipped the last IE album.

I think you should check it out. Minus 2 or 3 songs it's really good.

[TAC]

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".

[wolfking]

Aaaaaaaaaaand Troy's out. Family responsibilities.

Thank God.

[Zook]

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.

[wolfking]

I overall really liked the production on Plagues, sounds dynamic and crisp.

[Adami]

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"

[Zook]

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...

[ChuckSteak]

No offense, but this band died when Matt Barlow left.

[Zook]

No offense, but this band died when Matt Barlow left.

Which time?

[ChuckSteak]

No offense, but this band died when Matt Barlow left.

Which time?

The first.

[Adami]

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.

[Zook]

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.

[Samsara]

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.

[Zook]

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).

[Samsara]

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. 

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.

[TAC]

  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.