Iced Earth

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Iced Earth

Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band that combines influences from thrash metal, power metal, progressive metal and NWOBHM. Their leader and songwriter Jon Schaffer teamed up with Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kürsch to form a side project called Demons & Wizards.


History

The central figure of Iced Earth is rhythm guitarist and songwriter Jon Schaffer, who formed the band under the name Purgatory in Indiana in 1984. After moving to Florida and changing their name to Iced Earth, the group's Enter the Realm demo was popular enough that they released an eponymous debut LP with Century Media Records. Gene Adam was originally going to perform on the follow-up record, Night of the Stormrider. However, Schaffer was concerned that Gene wouldn't be able to handle the vocal melodies for the new material and asked him to take singing lessons. Adam refused and as a result he was replaced by John Greely.

Since then, the band has gone through numerous lineup changes, with only Jon Schaffer and ex-guitarist Randall Shawver lasting at least 9 years with the group. Vocalist Matt Barlow joined the band (after a three-year band hiatus following Night of the Stormrider) for Burnt Offerings, largely based on Dante's Inferno. Barlow's vocals proved extremely popular and he remained with the band for many years, even though Barlow was not vocally trained until The Dark Saga by Jon Schaffer's sister who appears as the female vocalist in The Dark Saga. Recording the albums The Dark Saga, Days of Purgatory, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Alive in Athens, Horror Show and Tribute to the Gods. Barlow eventually parted amicably with the band in June 2003 to pursue a career with the United States Department of Homeland Security. Schaffer wanted him to try and see if he could do The Glorious Burden before leaving, but he soon realized that Barlow had lost his enthusiasm, so he let Barlow go.

Conveniently, singer Tim 'Ripper' Owens soon left Judas Priest (to make room for returning original vocalist Rob Halford) and became Iced Earth's new vocalist. His first album with the band, The Glorious Burden, is an examination of many aspects of warfare and military figures who have shaped the modern world. Its topics range from the Declaration of Independence to 9/11 to Napoleon Bonaparte, and there are three songs dealing with the Battle of Gettysburg. There is a limited edition where the Gettysburg Trilogy is moved to a second disc and the songs Waterloo and the unplugged version of When the Eagle Cries are added to the first disc. The album's theme became the centre of a controversy after Schaffer gave an interview to Canadian heavy metal magazine Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. After the interview was published, Schaffer accused the magazine of taking him out of context and of pushing an anti-American bias, and subsequently announced that the band would boycott the magazine in the future. However, Schaffer granted Mark Gromen, also of BW&BK and a friend, an interview in issue 101 (Jan/Feb '07) effectively ending the boycott.

Together with Hansi Kürsch - lead singer and former bass player of Blind Guardian - Schaffer is also part of a side project called Demons & Wizards.

In 2005, lead vocalist Tim Owens and some friends of his started a new heavy metal band called Beyond Fear, which featured future Iced Earth bassist Dennis Hayes as well.

Iced Earth is currently working on their new album, which is due for release in 2007. Schaffer has stated in interviews that the new album will be a double CD, and will continue the "Something Wicked" story he started on the Something Wicked This Way Comes album. [1]

In June 2006, Ernie Carletti became the new guitarist, and was to handle most of the guitar solos on Iced Earth's upcoming album. [2]. However, he was arrested a few months later under rape charges [3]. In October 2006, Schaffer announced that Carletti would not be participating in Iced Earth, and would be replaced by Tim Mills. [4] At the same time, drummer Brent Smedley was re-hired for the recording and touring of the new albums, replacing Bobby Jarzombek. [5]

In December 2006, Jon announced information about the two upcoming Something Wicked albums.[6] He also announced that the bass guitar duties on the new albums will be handled by James "Bo" Wallace, as well as that the original "Something Wicked Trilogy" of the 1998 album "Something Wicked This Way Comes" would be re-recorded as an EP.[7] On March 16, 2007, Jon Schaffer sent an update to Blabbermouth, with confirmed track listings for both of the new albums and the new single, and the news that Bo Wallace had to leave the band due to family health issues, and will be replaced by Dennis Hayes, of Ripper Owens' side project, Beyond Fear.[8]

Sound

Iced Earth's music is often described as Iron Maiden combined with 1980s thrash metal. The most distinctive element of the band's sound is the stuttering 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, sped up tremendously and varied rhythmically. Overtop of this gallop are typically laid strong melodic hooks, sometimes doubled by two guitars playing in harmony. The vocals are often high-pitched, but express a full range of emotion, while the rhythm section uses thrash and power metal techniques such as double-bass-drumming to keep the speed and energy high. Iced Earth's drumwork 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).

In some songs (such as "Dante's Inferno," "Angels Holocaust," "Damien," and "The Coming Curse") Iced Earth uses the technique of Gregorian chant. Two Iced Earth songs contain female vocals: "A Question of Heaven" and "The Phantom Opera Ghost," in addition to a remake of "Burnt Offerings" on the Days of Purgatory album.

Discography

Studio Albums

Cover Date of Release Title Label
File:Iced Earth Album.jpg
 1991 Iced Earth Century Media
File:NOTSR.jpg
 1992 Night of the Stormrider Century Media
1995 Burnt Offerings Century Media
1996 The Dark Saga Century Media
1998 Something Wicked This Way Comes Century Media
File:IEHS.jpg
 2001 Horror Show Century Media
2004 The Glorious Burden SPV GmbH
2007 Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1) SPV GmbH
2008 Revelation Abomination (Something Wicked Part 2) SPV GmbH

Singles/EPs

Cover Date of Release Title Label
File:Iced Earth Melancholy.jpg
 1999 The Melancholy E.P. JVC Japan
File:Iced Earth The Reckoning.jpg
 2003 The Reckoning Hunter
2007 Overture of the Wicked SPV

Compilations

Cover Date of Release Title Label
File:D1184345y0j.jpg
 1997 Days of Purgatory Century Media
File:IEAIA.jpg
 1999 Alive in Athens Century Media
File:IcedEarth-DarkGenesis.jpg
 2002 Dark Genesis Century Media
2004 The Blessed and the Damned Century Media

DVDs

Cover Date of Release Title Label
File:Iced Earth Gettysburg (1863).jpg
 2005 Gettysburg (1863) Steamhammer/SPV
File:Aliveinathensdvd.jpg
 2006 Alive in Athens DVD Century Media

Album cover art

The covers of Something Wicked This Way Comes, Alive in Athens, Horror Show, and Tribute to the Gods depict a fictional character named Set Abominae created by Jon Schaffer. The next two albums for the band (2007's Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1) and 2008's Revelation Abomination (Something Wicked Part 2)) will be centered on this character. According to Schaffer, the story told over both albums will span 10,000 years.

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 to Blind Guardian and Aria.

Band members

Iced Earth personnel
(1984-1986)
(1986-1988)
(1988-1989)
(1989-1991)
(1991-1992)
(1992-1995)
(1995-1996)
(1995-1996)
(1997-1998)
(1998-2003)
(2003-2004)
(2004-2006)
(2006-2007)
(2007-Present)


Current Members

Former Members

Vocals

Lead Guitars

Bass Guitars

Drums

References

  1. ^ Jon Schaffer's message can be found here
  2. ^ Jon Schaffer announces Ernie Carletti on Iced Earth Message Board
  3. ^ Blabbermouth.Net: ICED EARTH Guitarist Waives Extradition, Returns To Delaware To Face Rape Charges - Sep. 18, 2006
  4. ^ Blabbermouth.net: ICED EARTH Mainman Announces New Guitarist - Oct. 12, 2006
  5. ^ Blabbermouth.Net: ICED EARTH: Drummer BRENT SMEDLEY Rejoins The Fold - Oct. 9, 2006
  6. ^ Jon Schaffer's announcement about the two upcomining Something Wicked album
  7. ^ Blabbermouth.Net: ICED EARTH To Enter Studio In February - Dec. 31, 2006
  8. ^ Blabbermouth.Net: ICED EARTH Completes Work On New Single; More Album Details Revealed

External links

Iced Earth at online databases

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