Iced Earth's drummer Brent Smedley has announced his departure from the band, owing to personal responsibilities. After recording three albums in his third, seven-year-long stint with Iced Earth, Smedley will be departing to devote more time to his older family members in Jacksonville, Florida.
After announcing the first leg of their upcoming world tour, Iced Earth are in the news yet again this time with some details regarding their new album. Mastermind Jon Schaffer has released a new update revealing that the album will be called Plagues Of Babylon and you can expect it to come out in October 2013. You can see below some of the song titles confirmed so far.
Iced Earth have announced the first European leg of their 2014/2015 World Tour, kicking off on January 9th, 2014 in Saarbrücken, Germany. The band is currently writing a new studio album with a slated release date for late 2013 and has recently released Live In Ancient Kourion. The US metallers will be recording and mixing in between a string of European festivals this summer.
Unless you have been distracted, you know by now that Iced Earth will be releasing a new DVD next month. In preparation for this release, the band has now unveiled a live clip of the song "Dystopia" from Live In Ancient Kourion. Go ahead and take a peek at the new DVD below.
Since Dystopia was released in October of 2011, heavy metallers Iced Earth has been playing more shows in the past year than in the previous ten years combined. Their first officially filmed headline show Live In Ancient Kourion will hit stores on April 15th (and April 16th in the US) and you can get the first glimpse of this show on the trailer below.
Iced Earthhad previously announced the release of their new DVD Live In Ancient Kourion, which was filmed in Cyprus in August. It will be released in early April 2013. Now the band has unveiled its cover artwork which was created in collaboration between Nathan Perry and Felipe Machado Franco. You can check out the result below.
Jon Schaffer, the guitarist of Iced Earth, will be featured as guest vocalist on Syrian thrashers Anarchadia's upcoming album Let Us All Unite. Schaffer performs alongside the band's singer Nour on a track entitled "True World Order" which will be available as a free download.
Iced Earth will have a busy year in 2013. Guitarist Jon Schaffer has released an update confirming that the band has plans to release a new studio album next year in the fall and will work on their upcoming DVD Live In Ancient Kourion, which was filmed in Cyprus in August and will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and CD.
As part of the World Dystopia Tour, American heavy metallers Iced Earth will be coming back to Europe in December for some very select headlining shows. The support acts will be Evergrey (Sweden), Steel Engraved (Germany) and Deadshape Figure (Finland). The band also has some European summer festivals appearances scheduled before this tour.
Danish hard-rock/heavy metal band Volbeat will embark on a summer North American tour, dubbed Live From Beyond Hell/Above Heaven, in June/July with support from Iced Earth and Hellyeah.
US heavy metallers Iced Earth, currently in China for the first time with shows in Shanghai and Beijing this week, are adding on more shows to their massive World Dystopia Tour. The show in Bangalore, India, on June 16th is a first visit to India for the band and the show on August 19th in Limassol marks a much-clamored return to Cyprus, only 8 months after their last show there. The show is being filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD/CD release.
"Anthem", a brand new video from US power metallers Iced Earth has premiered exclusively at Revolvermag.com. The song comes off their latest output Dystopia, released last year. The video was shot in Cologne, Germany, during the European leg of Iced Earth's world tour and was produced and directed by Kosch Fabian Film.
US power metallers Iced Earth have hinted at the fact that they will give away a limited-edition deluxe box set of Dystopia this Saturday. The band also announced new South American tour dates for March, as part of the World Dystopia Tour 2011-2012.
Iced Earth's 2011-2012 World Dystopia Tour has new additions. Iced Earth announced last November 24th, 2011, that the band will perform for the first time ever in Australia. Jon Schaffer comments: "We are extremely happy to finally play in Australia for the first time. It is something that is way overdue and I am looking forward to kicking ass with one of the best metal audiences in the world!" The band will be performing in Melbourne and Sydney in April. Support acts will be announced later.
The dates are the following:
April 4th, 2012 - Billboards The Venue - Melbourne, Australia
April 5th, 2012 - The HiFi Sydney - Sydney, Australia
New Jersey's progressive metal juggernauts Symphony X will be returning to North America for a co-headlining tour with heavy metal stalwarts Iced Earth. Opening each night will be L.A. thrashers Warbringer.
The 32-show trek will launch in Hartford, Connecticut on January 31st, weave through the Great White North, then blow out the lights in Clifton Park, New York on March 11th.
