Iced Earth
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![](http://www.metaltome.com/images/avatar/thumb_0fef8eae8e9e5bd9249c208c.jpg "ed thrasher::" KEEP IT LOUD,,KEEP IT HEAVY \,,/ ! ! ! ! "<br/><hr noshade=\"noshade\" height=\"1\"/><img style=\"vertical-align:middle;padding: 0px 4px;\" src=\"http://www.metaltome.com/components/com_community/assets/status_offline.png\" />Offline | <img style=\"vertical-align:middle;padding: 0px 4px;\" src=\"http://www.metaltome.com/components/com_community/assets/default-favicon.png\" />10 friends"){kind=small}
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Announcements
Iced Earth is set to release the new album "Dystopia" on October 17th, 2011 (EU) and October 18th, 2011 (North America) through Century Media Records. The band has now posted a new teaser trailer for the album online, which can be viewed below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrbqTDahRFs
Track listing for "Dystopia" is as follows:
1. Dystopia
2. Anthem
3. Days of Rage
4. Soilent Green
5. V
6. Boiling Point
7. Anguish of Youth
8. Iron Will
9. Dark City
10. End of Innocence
11. Equilibrium
12. Tragedy & Triumph
Discussions
Wall
I think Stu Block is totally gonna own Dystopia.
luke on Monday, 07 November 2011 20:26
luke on Monday, 07 November 2011 20:26Stu sounds perfect for iced earth,even though Barlow is the man I'm happy with Dystopia
Wednesday, 05 October 2011 18:15
luke,
seeing iced earth at wacken this summer,i must say that these guys are probably one of the most well rounded metal bands i ever heard,they play so many different styles so it's hard to label what genre there in.
Wednesday, 01 June 2011 14:49
Iced Earth has been known to have a volatile and often changing line-up. Founding member, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer is the only original member who has remained, handling nearly all of the songwriting and leading the band. Current vocalist Matt Barlow, and former lead guitarist Randall Shawver are the next longest-tenured members. They are the only people besides Schaffer to have spent a full decade in the band.
Shawver, the first lead guitarist to record with the band, joined in 1988 and remained until 1998. Barlow joined in 1994 and remained until 2001, when he was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S. to leave the band and become a law enforcement officer. However, he returned to the group in late 2007, making his live return at the 2008 Chicago Powerfest.
In 1999 Jon Schaffer teamed up with Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kursch to form a side project called Demons & Wizards, and have released two albums to date.
In 2010 Schaffer started another side project, Sons of Liberty, which has been opening for Iced Earth on their current tour.
On March 2, 2011, vocalist Matt Barlow announced his intentions to leave the band after their 2011 European tour, citing family reasons and the band's impending tour schedule.
The central figure of Iced Earth is rhythm guitarist and songwriter Jon Schaffer. Schaffer originally founded the band under the name Purgatory while he was living in Columbus, Indiana, but after Schaffer relocated the band to Florida, he was forced to change the name due to another group already using the name Purgatory. He would rename the band Iced Earth in tribute to a longtime friend who had died in a motorcycle accident; Schaffer would later write the song "Watching Over Me" on the Something Wicked This Way Comes album for this same friend. The group set out and recorded their first demo titled Enter the Realm, which sparked enough interest that they were signed by Century Media Records. In 1991 they recorded and released their first album titled Iced Earth.
According to Schaffer, Iced Earth's musical style is influenced by many traditional heavy metal and NWOBHM groups such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. The most distinctive element of the band's sound is the stutter-like right-hand gallop of rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer, which sounds something like the 'eighth-note, two-sixteenth-notes' gallop made famous by Iron Maiden's bass player/songwriter Steve Harris. "The music is heavy, melodic, dark, fast, and complex. Schaffer plays true rhythm guitar, giving the band its trademark sound. Iron Maiden's 'galloping' rhythm is quite evident. " Other artists known to use this style of guitar playing are power metal band Seven Kingdoms
Strong melodic hooks are typically laid over the top of this gallop, sometimes doubled by two guitars playing in harmony, such as in "The Reckoning." They often vary rhythms by using the two dotted eighth note followed by a quarter note or four dotted eighth notes followed by two quarter notes, known as the clave or chopped clave pattern. This is often used by Judas Priest.
During Barlow's period in the band, the vocals were often low-pitched but with occasional high-pitched screams, however after Owens joined the band the emphasis shifted to the higher-pitched spectrum. Common throughout since the release of Something Wicked This Way Comes is the practice of recording multiple vocal tracks to simulate the sound of a small choir.
Schaffer claims that this is probably due to his work with Blind Guardian. A common element of the band's sound is the frequent usage of double-bass-drumming. Iced Earth's drum work is often highlighted by frequent use of drags and flams on the bass drum, usually intended to complement Schaffer's rhythm guitar.
Iced Earth lyrics tend to deal with theological issues such as punishment and sin, destiny, heaven and hell, the Antichrist and the apocalypse.
Many of the band's recent albums have been concept albums written around a theme, e.g. the antihero Spawn (The Dark Saga), horror movies (Horror Show), and historical wars (The Glorious Burden).
Jon Schaffer also created original stories for concept albums, most notably on Night of the Stormrider, Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1) and its sequel The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part 2). Much of Iced Earth's lyrics currently deal with Jon Schaffer's fictional character Set Abominae.
In some songs (such as "Dante's Inferno," "Angels Holocaust," "Damien," and "The Coming Curse") Iced Earth uses the technique of Gregorian chant. Multiple Iced Earth songs contain female vocals: "A Question of Heaven", "The Phantom Opera Ghost", "Melancholy", "Watching Over Me", "The Awakening", "In Sacred Flames", "Harbinger Of Fate", "Behold The Wicked Child", in addition to a remake of "Burnt Offerings" on the Days of Purgatory album.
The covers of Something Wicked This Way Comes, Alive in Athens, Horror Show, Tribute to the Gods, and Festivals Of The Wicked depict a fictional character named Set Abominae created by Jon Schaffer. 2007's Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1 and 2008's The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2, are centered on this character.
According to Schaffer, the story told over both albums span over 12,000 years and tell the story of invasion of humanity, and the fall of humanity by the hand of Set Abominae. The story is a narrative known as the Something Wicked Saga. The concept of re-using a character for album art is likely a tribute to Iron Maiden and their famous Eddie mascot.
Schaffer also plans to write a graphic novel about Set Abominae.
The cover art to The Glorious Burden was painted by Leo Hao, a Russian artist famous for drawing covers for Blind Guardian and Aria.
The cover art for the album The Dark Saga features comic book character Spawn, drawn by the character's creator Todd McFarlane, whose stories and characters make up the album's narrative and concept.
Shawver, the first lead guitarist to record with the band, joined in 1988 and remained until 1998. Barlow joined in 1994 and remained until 2001, when he was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S. to leave the band and become a law enforcement officer. However, he returned to the group in late 2007, making his live return at the 2008 Chicago Powerfest.
In 1999 Jon Schaffer teamed up with Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kursch to form a side project called Demons & Wizards, and have released two albums to date.
In 2010 Schaffer started another side project, Sons of Liberty, which has been opening for Iced Earth on their current tour.
On March 2, 2011, vocalist Matt Barlow announced his intentions to leave the band after their 2011 European tour, citing family reasons and the band's impending tour schedule.
The central figure of Iced Earth is rhythm guitarist and songwriter Jon Schaffer. Schaffer originally founded the band under the name Purgatory while he was living in Columbus, Indiana, but after Schaffer relocated the band to Florida, he was forced to change the name due to another group already using the name Purgatory. He would rename the band Iced Earth in tribute to a longtime friend who had died in a motorcycle accident; Schaffer would later write the song "Watching Over Me" on the Something Wicked This Way Comes album for this same friend. The group set out and recorded their first demo titled Enter the Realm, which sparked enough interest that they were signed by Century Media Records. In 1991 they recorded and released their first album titled Iced Earth.
According to Schaffer, Iced Earth's musical style is influenced by many traditional heavy metal and NWOBHM groups such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. The most distinctive element of the band's sound is the stutter-like right-hand gallop of rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer, which sounds something like the 'eighth-note, two-sixteenth-notes' gallop made famous by Iron Maiden's bass player/songwriter Steve Harris. "The music is heavy, melodic, dark, fast, and complex. Schaffer plays true rhythm guitar, giving the band its trademark sound. Iron Maiden's 'galloping' rhythm is quite evident. " Other artists known to use this style of guitar playing are power metal band Seven Kingdoms
Strong melodic hooks are typically laid over the top of this gallop, sometimes doubled by two guitars playing in harmony, such as in "The Reckoning." They often vary rhythms by using the two dotted eighth note followed by a quarter note or four dotted eighth notes followed by two quarter notes, known as the clave or chopped clave pattern. This is often used by Judas Priest.
During Barlow's period in the band, the vocals were often low-pitched but with occasional high-pitched screams, however after Owens joined the band the emphasis shifted to the higher-pitched spectrum. Common throughout since the release of Something Wicked This Way Comes is the practice of recording multiple vocal tracks to simulate the sound of a small choir.
Schaffer claims that this is probably due to his work with Blind Guardian. A common element of the band's sound is the frequent usage of double-bass-drumming. Iced Earth's drum work is often highlighted by frequent use of drags and flams on the bass drum, usually intended to complement Schaffer's rhythm guitar.
Iced Earth lyrics tend to deal with theological issues such as punishment and sin, destiny, heaven and hell, the Antichrist and the apocalypse.
Many of the band's recent albums have been concept albums written around a theme, e.g. the antihero Spawn (The Dark Saga), horror movies (Horror Show), and historical wars (The Glorious Burden).
Jon Schaffer also created original stories for concept albums, most notably on Night of the Stormrider, Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1) and its sequel The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part 2). Much of Iced Earth's lyrics currently deal with Jon Schaffer's fictional character Set Abominae.
In some songs (such as "Dante's Inferno," "Angels Holocaust," "Damien," and "The Coming Curse") Iced Earth uses the technique of Gregorian chant. Multiple Iced Earth songs contain female vocals: "A Question of Heaven", "The Phantom Opera Ghost", "Melancholy", "Watching Over Me", "The Awakening", "In Sacred Flames", "Harbinger Of Fate", "Behold The Wicked Child", in addition to a remake of "Burnt Offerings" on the Days of Purgatory album.
The covers of Something Wicked This Way Comes, Alive in Athens, Horror Show, Tribute to the Gods, and Festivals Of The Wicked depict a fictional character named Set Abominae created by Jon Schaffer. 2007's Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1 and 2008's The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2, are centered on this character.
According to Schaffer, the story told over both albums span over 12,000 years and tell the story of invasion of humanity, and the fall of humanity by the hand of Set Abominae. The story is a narrative known as the Something Wicked Saga. The concept of re-using a character for album art is likely a tribute to Iron Maiden and their famous Eddie mascot.
Schaffer also plans to write a graphic novel about Set Abominae.
The cover art to The Glorious Burden was painted by Leo Hao, a Russian artist famous for drawing covers for Blind Guardian and Aria.
The cover art for the album The Dark Saga features comic book character Spawn, drawn by the character's creator Todd McFarlane, whose stories and characters make up the album's narrative and concept.
Tuesday, 08 March 2011 09:40
