Iced Earth

Invader said:
The Dimension Gauntlet and Crown of the Fallen are great songs, though I think they should be one song since they blend so well together.
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Agreed.


Invader said:
And I'm pretty sure the Epilogue is supposed to be a rehashed version of another song; of Overture, in fact, which is the first song on the previous album.
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I realize that.
 
I really don't like how there isn't much instrumental work on this album.  I mean, they have the best guitarist since Randall Shawvyer, and there's only 3 solos?????


They could've extended at least 5 or so songs to add solos and more riffs.  Some songs are criminally under-developed.
 
Invader said:
You seemed to disregard it, so just checking. :)
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I realized it after you posted it ;)

I forgot it was the opening track of the previous album (it clearly showes I didn't play it often).  :blush:
 
Forostar said:
I forgot it was the opening track of the previous album (it clearly showes I didn't play it often).  :blush:
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I also wasn't able to point it out immediately and I had to check.  The first album is definitely a grower, though.  I didn't listen to it that much when it came out, but this new album re-sparked my interest in the old one. 
 
Alright. Fair enough. I kept playing this album and I must conclude that the 2nd half is growing stronger and stronger. There are indeed some kick ass riffs which deserve to be repeated. Besides, as told earlier, there is a lot of variation on the first half of the album to make up for the lack of melodies. I hope the same positive vibe will happen with some of you guys (e.g. when we talk about the first half of the album. ;) ).

Conclusion:

My favourite Iced Earth is the material of the first 4 albums. But when I look at the 5th, the 6th, the 7th, 8th and this new 9th album, then I rate this one very high.

Higher than SWTWC. To know my reasons for not caring much for SWTWC, click here. I find the new record a tiny bit worse than Horror Show, but that might still change.

So at this point, apart from Horror Show, I find it Iced Earth's strongest album since The Dark Saga.
 
I'll give everyone a report on what the new tour sounds like after I get back tonight.

Only 10 more hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
How would you Iced Earth fans rate their studio albums (not counting their tribute one and also not Days of Purgatory, which is more of a compilation, though nonetheless a vital part in any IE-collection)?

Right now I go for:

1. Burnt Offerings
1. Night of the Stormrider
3. The Dark Saga
4. Iced Earth  (very close after 3!)
5. Horror Show
6. The Crucible of Man
7. Framing Armageddon
8. Something Wicked This Way Comes
9. The Glorious Burden
 
Since I only heard the recent one once, I'm not including it..

1. Dark Saga
2. Burnt Offerings
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes
4. Night Of The Stormrider
5. Iced Earth
6. Horror Show
7. Framing Armageddon
8. Glorious Burden
 
crap, I've never heard the first and don't own the last two :( ANYWAY here goes:

1. Burnt Offerings
2. Dark Saga
3. Night of the Stormrider
4. Horror Show
5. Something Wicked
6. Glorious Burden
 
Of the ones I have, plus Something Wicked.  I don't have it, but most of the songs are on Alive in Athens, so I'm guessing it's pretty good.

1. Something Wicked
2. Horror Show
3. The Crucible of Man
4. Framing Armageddon
5. The Glorious Burden
6. Burnt Offerings

Never heard Iced Earth, Night of the Stormrider, or The Dark Saga, but TDS must be pretty damn good based on AiA.  Same goes for Night of the Stormrider.  No idea about Iced Earth. 

Probably everyone will hate me for having Burnt Offerings last, but I just don't like it very much (even after I got the full album instead of just AiA).  Dante's Inferno is the best Iced Earth track ever made but the rest of the album just seems fairly boring, even live.
 
:S

*trying to restrain himself and in the end decides to say this*

The Glorious Burden: great opening song, great finale - BUT: MANY BORING tracks in between (apart from perhaps The Reckoning). How on earth can this huge quantity of duh?!-music be more enjoyable than BO?


:)
I won't hate you mate! As a matter of fact, I'm glad and relieved that you were not involved in that shooting in Finland.

Now get your ass to the store to get Night of the Stormrider. This is going to kick your ass tremendously.
 
1. I like Ripper in TGB, but I don't like Matt's vocal performance on the studio songs of BO.
2. TGB was the first IE album I bought.
3. I've had it for longer so I guess time plays a role too (2 years vs a few months).
4. Gettysburg comes right after Dante's Inferno in epicness (guess that's not a word) and quality.
 
AiA is a great album and I do like some songs better (violate :D), than their studio counterpart, but I still think the albums as a whole are better to get and give a good listen too. I don't like Night of the Stormrider all that much do to the vocalist, but the story and songs are still amazing, LOVE Barlow's rendition of them in AiA and DoP.
 
1. The Glorious Burden
2. Horror Show
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes
4. Dark Saga
5. Night of the Stormrider
6. Framing Armageddon
7. Burnt Offerings
8. Iced Earth

And yes, I do love The Glorious Burden.  Ripper is amazing on it and Gettysburg is a perfectly epic track.  I also enjoy most of the middle tracks, some are less, but there isn't another IE album that is 100% solid.  They all have a turd or two.
 
OK, just got back from the IE show in Montreal.
I wasn't aware that Savior and Into Eternity were actually opening, because on the IE webpage it had the shows they were (supposedly) supporting marked with asteriks.  Montreal wasn't one of them.  Anyways, Saviour was decent; OK thrash with incomprehensible vocals punctuated with lots of good riffs.

Into Eternity was next, and I was surprised at how many people knew them; the crowd seemed really into the songs and knew them pretty well.  One could describe them as half the time Arch Enemy, half the time power metal with tons of riffs and transitions between moods.  A (funny?) part of their set was when the singer was talking about their new album, a concept album about someone dying from cancer, and had the entire crowd yell "Fuck cancer!" Good stuff.  Both support acts played about 30 minute sets.

Then, Iced Earth.  First of all, the set:

In Sacred Flames
Behold The Wicked Child
Motivation Of Man
Setian Massacre
Burning Times
Vengeance Is Mine
Declaration Day
Ten Thousand Strong
Stormrider
Watching Over Me
I Walk Alone
Come What May
Dracula
Hold At All Costs
High Water Mark


Melancholy (Holy Martyr)
My Own Savior
Iced Earth

A rather unconventional set, with (6! count 'em, 6!) Ripper songs.  But it was damn good.

The show started with the great intro In Sacred Flames, which led right into Behold the Wicked Child.  The crowd was going fucking nuts.  Big mosh pit behind me (I was second row from the barrier!), but not too bad.  The distortion, drums, and bass were crushing from the get go.  There were some sound issues, but I'll get to that later.  Motivation of Man just works so well as a crowd warmer-upper and segue to Setian Massacre.  It should be a part of all their sets.  Then we got to Burning Times, which was amazing, with the crowd doing a very good singing job, absolutely deafening.  Vengeance Is Mine was next, and although it's not my favourite song, it was still good.  After that, a great version of Declaration Day, which worked a lot better than I thought it would with Matt on vocals, and live in general.  Then there was Ten Thousand Strong, which was just phenomenal.  Interesting thing happened in Stormrider: someone spit on Jon in the instrumental section.  Jon stopped playing at started yelling at the guy, causing the entire band to stop.  Then the crowd cheered as the guy was hauled over the railing and carried away by security.  They just restarted Stormrider mid-riff, and the crowd intensity actually went up.  This was good, because it made the singing on Watching Over Me extra loud.  Then two COB songs, back-to-back; I Walk Alone and Come What May, both better than their studio version (and faster too).  Dracula was just fucking amazing, pure class.  Awesome song, and everyone was singing along.  Then came a bit of a surprise: I was not expecting to hear any Gettysburg tracks, but they played both Hold at All Costs and High Water Mark.  Matt did really well on both, and High Water Mark was especially epic.

For the encores, there was the obligatory Melancholy, which had some great crowd singing, My Own Savior (which is actually way better live than in studio or on Alive in Athens) and Iced earth.  Good way to end the show, but I would've killed for some more Night of the Stormrider or Burnt Offerings stuff.

So, I mentioned there were some sound issues, because Matt's mic was pretty low in the mix (prompting "turn up the mic!" chants from the audience) and some of Seele's guitar solos were inaudible.  But otherwise, the crowd was nuts and the band played great.  I was especially delighted with the new bassist, who was an absolute monster on stage, just tearing it up on the bass.  Also, Smedley's back where he should be, and his drumming on Gettysburg absolute slayed Richard Christy's.

Awesome show!
 
Invader said:
1. I like Ripper in TGB, but I don't like Matt's vocal performance on the studio songs of BO.
2. TGB was the first IE album I bought.
3. I've had it for longer so I guess time plays a role too (2 years vs a few months).
4. Gettysburg comes right after Dante's Inferno in epicness (guess that's not a word) and quality.
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Well, I also like the Ripper on TGB, that's not the problem. The rest of the songs are just so forgettable that they haven't been in the setlist for years, neither will they return. Of course that goes the same for Burnt Offerings, since Schaffer himself doesn't appreciate his own album, but AiA truly proved the power of those BO songs and the non AiA tracks are way stronger than the fillers from most other studio albums which are not on AiA.

Imo Night of the Stormrider is really an album with "drive". So energetic and well produced, a rare gem in the history of metal. Probably also one of the (if not THE) best collection of guitar riffs ever.

@GuineaPig: thanks for the review!
 
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