And I think that's why I don't pay much attention to personnel as far as Iced Earth are concerned, other than vocalist and the boss himself. Same with Sabaton, come to think of it. Two key personnel and the rest come and go.
Iced Earth
- Thread starter Forostar
- Start date
Well at this point the vocalist hardly matters either because Schaffer is going to make him imitate Barlow.
I will not hear a bad word said about Stu. 
He's a chameleon vocalist, though, he does imitate Barlow reasonably well (and his version of Painkiller was scarily accurate too), but it would be good to hear him sing in his own style.
He's a chameleon vocalist, though, he does imitate Barlow reasonably well (and his version of Painkiller was scarily accurate too), but it would be good to hear him sing in his own style.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
I also like Stu. He's not Barlow, but a giant step up from Ripper.
LOL, I never noticed that before! "Hey guys, want a drummer for a few years? Can I pop back in?"
LOL, I never noticed that before! "Hey guys, want a drummer for a few years? Can I pop back in?"
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Yup.
It's really the same with all those "dictatorship" bands -- Megadeth, Sabaton, Iced Earth, etc. The latter is a bit unique in that the dictator isn't the vocalist, but as Mosh said, that hardly matters when he's forcing the frontman to imitate someone else.
Why isn't Black Sabbath ever considered a dictatorship? They went through more changes than Megadeth and Iced Earth I'm pretty sure 
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Why isn't Black Sabbath ever considered a dictatorship? They went through more changes than Megadeth and Iced Earth I'm pretty sure
Sabbath could be considered a dictatorship.
If we're comparing Sabbath to IE, Ozzy would be those singers on the first two records and Dio would be Barlow.
And no cares about the rest.
Well it's important to say that dictatorship bands aren't inherently bad. Steven Wilson's band is a dictatorship band and they're doing great. Maiden borders on one but Steve has become more and more benevolent over the years. And yea Sabbath for sure. Also Opeth. There are tons of bands out there that are totally controlled by one or two members and that usually works out fine. The opposite extreme is a band that falls apart because of too many cooks in the kitchen.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Exactly, bands like Opeth and Maiden still feel unified as a whole despite being spearheaded by one guy. Maiden is definitely more collaborative than Opeth, but I think it's still similar. Bands like Metallica and Dream Theater (until Portnoy's departure) managed to survive quite long having two band members constantly vying for control.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
I should clarify that by "dictatorship" I meant bands where the reason people are constantly leaving is because the dictator is difficult to deal with, opinionated, and generally disliked. Sabaton doesn't fit my dictatorship definition, but since they've written so many songs about them I just threw them in there.
Bands with strong leaders -- that's a whole different ballgame. Opeth and Symphony X are good examples of these. The music is often led by one man, but the others add their pieces of flavor here and there (outside of just solos) for a more unified sound.
Bands with strong leaders -- that's a whole different ballgame. Opeth and Symphony X are good examples of these. The music is often led by one man, but the others add their pieces of flavor here and there (outside of just solos) for a more unified sound.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Although Megadeth fits your description, it seems like Jon Schaffer has cooled down over the years. If anything, I'd assume people leaving at this point would probably be due to Schaffer being semi-annoying in his leadership, but moreso putting in a grueling amount of work for little pay, zero glory, and zero writing credits.
Smedley and Seele both left due to family problems (altho Smedley came back), Barlow left because he didn't want to tour much. Freddie Vidales left because he wasn't allowed to write much, I think. I mean, at this point if you end up in the band you should really know what to expect.
Went to Barlow's FB page to see what he's been up to lately. Apparently he was best man at the wedding of Schaffer's brother who's also Barlow's brother-in-law, since Barlow married Schaffer's sister.
Dude looks like a de-metal-led version of Jon Schaffer
Went to Barlow's FB page to see what he's been up to lately. Apparently he was best man at the wedding of Schaffer's brother who's also Barlow's brother-in-law, since Barlow married Schaffer's sister.
Dude looks like a de-metal-led version of Jon Schaffer
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
And Waters-led Pink Floyd, The Final Cut notwithstanding. They even fit into Detective's definition.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
From Freddie's own mouth, he disliked virtually everything about his time in the band: the old basslines he was told to play, the lack of writing ability, the leadership system, the actual performances themselves. Just not a good fit in any way.
They're a good example, because it took a very long time for Waters to gain total control and even by that point he left the band shortly after. But listening to the early Floyd albums after Syd Barrett, it's clear that they needed someone to take charge in that way.
Love Final Cut btw.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Waters growing dictatorship led in the end... to his own end. He underestimated what the others could do, and their role in the band. Thankfully it blew up and we got a great new era. Can't see this happening soon with other bands though. Their dictators know how not to cross the line.
Collin
Chasing Ponce De Leon's Phantoms
http://loudwire.com/iced-earth-part-ways-guitarist-troy-seele-accepting-audition-tapes-fans/
I'll send in a video. Why wouldn't I?!?
I'll send in a video. Why wouldn't I?!?