Matt Barlow has rejoined Iced Earth, according to the following statement posted on www.icedearth.com:

"Hello Dear Friends!

Once again the winds of change are upon us, and this time I can say that I am very happy about the result.

While out on the European tour I had several in depth discussions with many loyal Iced Earth fans. A common theme of these discussions was how much Matt is missed. I agreed with the fans that things were not the same and that it was a very special period in Iced Earth's history.

When I heard several months ago that Matt was going to be doing a project in music again, I was thinking about contacting him and seeing what his intentions were. I didn't act on this because I was so focused on the writing of the new epic, and frankly, it just didn't seem realistic.

Well, after getting out on the road and speaking with many of you directly, I decided to call Matt and see how he was doing and if he was interested in working together again. I am proud to say that he is coming back to Iced Earth and we will be getting back to work in the studio very soon.

Matt will be singing on Part 2 of the Something Wicked concept CD and we will be looking forward to getting out on tour and delivering a series of Iced Earth shows that will rival any in the history of the band. And there will be a proper DVD filmed from this period, something we've all been waiting for.

I want you all to know that it was you who made this a reality. I have missed Matt's presence onstage and in my personal life in a big way over the past few years, so I appreciate your honesty in our discussions. It did help me realize the decision to move forward with pursuing this. The fans have spoken and we have delivered!

You true fans know that I'm a straight shooter, I say what I mean and mean what I say. And though I value your opinions greatly, you must believe that this is a decision that comes completely from the heart and is not motivated by anything other than what feels the best for Iced Earth. This is the way that things have always been dealt with, for better or for worse, but always honestly and from the heart.

Tim Owens is a great and talented singer and I wish the best for him and his future on a personal and professional level.

There will be more news soon as to further developments and plans. This will push back the release of Part 2 a bit. Not because we couldn't be ready to record in time, but because of a new addition to Matt's family in early 2008!

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Source:	icedearth.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

As posted on the official Annihilator forum, Annihilator will return to Europe starting early October as "very special guest" to Iced Earth.

Guitarist/Mainman Jeff Waters says "We are looking forward to another great tour through Europe and, this time, courtesy of metal warriors Iced Earth. Ripper and I have been good friends for years and it was an honor to be asked to join them on this tour, spreading more METAL through Europe. See you all again real soon!"

Iced Earth + Annihilator:
Oct. 08 - Köln, Germany - Live Music Hall
Oct. 09 - München, Germany - Backstage Werk
Oct. 10 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
Oct. 12 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Razzmatazz 1
Oct. 13 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
Oct. 15 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
Oct. 16 - Graz, Austria - Orpheum
Oct. 17 - Wien, Austria - Planet Music
Oct. 18 - Brno, Czech Republic - Fleda
Oct. 19 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
Oct. 21 - Malmö, Sweden - Kulturbolaget
Oct. 22 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
Oct. 23 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Tradgarn
Oct. 25 - Stockholm, Sweden - Tirol
Oct. 26 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpenhuset
Oct. 28 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
Oct. 30 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
Nov. 01 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Club 013
Nov. 02 - Antwerpen, Belgiium - Hof Ter Lo

This tour follows a 2 month European tour with Trivium and shows in Tokyo, Japan (Club Citta-Thrash Domination Festival) with old friends Nevermore and Destruction (+Nuclear Assault) on Sept. 22 and 23, 2007.

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Source:	annihilatormetal.com
Band profile:	Annihilator
Event:	Iced Earth + Annihilator: Wicked European Tour

Audio samples of all the tracks that are set to appear on Iced Earth's new album, "Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part I", have been posted at this location (by clicking on each songs on the tracklisting).

"Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part I" will be released on September 7 (Germany), September 10 (Rest of Europe) and September 11 (North America).

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Source:	icedearth.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

Iced Earth will embark on a European tour this fall. Confirmed dates so far are as follows:

8 Okt 2007 D Köln Live Music Hall
9 Okt 2007 D München Backstage Werk
10 Okt 2007 I Milan Alcatraz
12 Okt 2007 E Barcelona Sala Razzmatazz 1
13 Okt 2007 E Madrid La Riviera
15 Okt 2007 CH Pratteln Konzertfabrik Z7
16 Okt 2007 A Graz Orpheum
17 Okt 2007 A Wien Planet Music
18 Okt 2007 CZ Brno Fleda
19 Okt 2007 D Berlin Columbia Club
21 Okt 2007 S Malmö Kulturbolaget
22 Okt 2007 N Oslo Rockefeller
23 Okt 2007 S Gothenburg Tradgarn
25 Okt 2007 S Stockholm Tirol
26 Okt 2007 DK Kopenhagen Pumpenhuset
28 Okt 2007 D Hamburg Markthalle
30 Okt 2007 D Stuttgart LKA Longhorn
1 Nov 2007 NL Tilburg Club 013
2 Nov 2007 B Antwerpen Hof Ter Lo

Metal Storm can exclusively confirm from a very reliable source Gothenburg-act Dark Tranquillity will be co-headlining this tour and that there'll be a third support act added to the line up.

Afterwards, Iced Earth will support Heaven And Hell on a UK tour beginning on November 4 in Newcastle.

SPV Records has set the following release dates for Iced Earth's new studio album "Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part I":

Germany: September 7
Rest of Europe: September 10
North America: September 11

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Source:	spv.de
Band profile:	Iced Earth
Event:	Iced Earth + Annihilator: Wicked European Tour

Iced Earth mastermind Jon Schaffer has announced the addition of the band's latest guitarist with a brief band personnel update:

"Our new guitar players name is Troy Seele. Troy did a few solos on the new record and will be touring with us. He's been a friend of mine for about 10 years and is from the Indianapolis (indy) area. He's by far the best guitar player in Indy and will be bringing some cool vibes to the table. - Jon"

More details will be posted on the official Iced Earth website as they become available.

Source:	icedearth.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

As Blabbermouth.net first reported last night, Heaven And Hell ? the band featuring Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, singer Ronnie James Dio, and drummer Vinny Appice ? will tour the U.K. in November 2007 with support from none other than Lamb Of God and Iced Earth. Tickets for the dates are expected to go on sale at the end of this week. The dates are as follows:

Nov. 04 - UK - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Nov. 06 - UK - SECC, Glasgow
Nov. 07 - UK - Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield
Nov. 09 - UK - Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester
Nov. 10 - UK - Wembley Arena, London
Nov. 11 - UK - Centre, Brighton
Nov. 13 - UK - NEC, Birmingham
Nov. 14 - UK - International Arena, Cardiff
Nov. 15 - UK - Arena, Nottingham
Nov. 17 - UK - Pavilions, Plymouth
Nov. 18 - UK - BIC, Bournemouth

In other Iced Earth news, the band has parted ways again with guitarist Tim Mills, who joined the band in October last year. More info about his departure can be found at this location.

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Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth
Event:	Heaven And Hell + Iced Earth: UK Tour

Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth, has posted the following message concerning the band's new albums on the message boards of the bands official site:

"I just wanted to give you an update of what's happening in Iced Earth world."

"We just finished mixing and mastering the single which will be titled "Overture of the Wicked" and should be released in late May or early June. The 4 songs that will be featured on this are as follows:

1.) Ten Thousand Strong
2.) Prophecy
3.) Birth of the Wicked
4.) The Coming Curse

"Ten Thousand Strong will be the song that we will be filming a video for in the following months, most likely in June right around the Sweden Rock festival."

"I'm very happy with the results of our efforts, we've been really working hard on delivering something special to you guys and this single is just a hint of things to come, and it's freakin' awesome."

"We will be finishing the rest of production for Part 1 over the course of the next few weeks, with plans to mix in the early part of May.
The title of the full release is "Framing Armageddon" (Something Wicked Part 1) and should be out in the late August/September time frame."

The "Framing Armageddon" tracklist will appear as follows:

1.) Overture
2.) Something Wicked (Part 1)
3.) Invasion
4.) Man's Motivation
5.) The Setian Massacre
6.) A Charge to Keep
7.) Reflections
8.) Ten Thousand Strong
9.) Execution
10.) Order of the Rose
11.) The Clouding
12.) Infiltrate and Assimilate
13.) Retribution Through the Ages
14.) Something Wicked (Part 2)
15.) The Domino Decree
16.) Framing Armageddon
17.) When Stars Collide (Born is He)
18.) The Awakening

The working title of Part 2 is "Revelation Abomination" Something Wicked (Part 2) and the tracklist is as follows:

1.) The Sacred Flames
2.) Behold the Wicked Child
3.) Minions of the Watch
4.) A Gift or a Curse
5.) I Walk Among You
5.) Harbinger of Fate
6.) Ancient Rage of the High Priest
7.) A Gathering Threat / Time Marches On
8.) Sacrificial Kingdoms
9.) Something Wicked (Part 3)
10.) Divide Devour
11.) Conspiracy / Pilgrimage In Guile
12.) Come What May

"The final tracking and mixing for Part 2 will take place between the festivals and world tour and will have a targeted release in February/March of 2008."

"Due to family health issues Bo Wallace will not be able to be involved with Iced Earth. I played the bass guitar parts on the single and we will be bringing Dennis Hayes, who worked with Tim on his "Beyond Fear" side project, in to play on parts of the remainder of the recording. He will be doing the live shows as well."

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Source:	icedearth.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

Posted by Jon Schaffer on 2006-12-30 14:08:33:

Hello All,

Again I have to apologize for the delay in updates. I've been extremely busy with writing and preproduction for the new IE CD's.

I also lost the one person that was my true mentor and inspiration throughout my life, which was very difficult. My Father, Tom Schaffer, died unexpectedly of a massive stroke in October. He was 67, and died two weeks before his 68th birthday. It's hard to imagine what my life would have been like without my Dad's influence. I would not be who I am today, that's for sure. Fortunately, he was able to travel with the band a few times, and he really enjoyed meeting and talking with the fans. He was there for the Alive in Athens recording and was dubbed Papa Earth by some of the fans in Greece. I will miss him very much.

Obviously, this had a huge impact on me and brought the writing to a halt for about a month.

I'm back on track and we are going to start recording on February 1st. We will be releasing a single/EP in June '07 that will feature the Something Wicked trilogy re-recorded and a track that will be an alternate edit of a song that will be on Something Wicked Part 2 that now has a working title of "Come What May." The label was wanting me to do something with the original trilogy to reintroduce the story. So, what we have in store for you is very cool. You will hear "Prophecy," "Birth of the Wicked," and "The Coming Curse" in a new way that will be a very killer way to kick off this massive epic.

I don't want to give you any details to spoil the surprise, but trust me, it's going to be awesome.

"Something Wicked (Part 1)" will be released in the September/October '07 time frame and Part 2 will follow in January/February '08.

This is by far the most epic task I've ever taken on as a songwriter and I really feel like it will be worth all the sacrifice when it's finished. I've been working nonstop for over a year now and it's coming together in a very special way. I've just about finished all the musical arrangements and am now focusing on writing the lyrics/vocal melodies. I'm in the final stretch now........

Tim Mills has contributed a few really cool pieces of music and has shown a real interest in the whole "Something Wicked" story, and a real passion for being involved with the band. All this while owning and operating his own company (Bare Knuckle Pickups). I'm impressed, it's a rare quality, believe me.

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Source:	icedearth.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

The just released DVD by Power/Heavy Metallers Iced Earth now has a trailer available. The DVD 'Alive In Athens - The DVD' is a video recording of the band's 1999 Greek concert and live album 'Alive In Athens'. You can view the trailer in .rm or .wma formats here.

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Source:	centurymedia.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

Iced Earth founder/guitarist Jon Schaffer has issued the following update on his search for a new guitarist:

"Greetings,

The new Iced Earth guitar player is an absolutely fantastic player from the UK named Tim Mills. Tim is the owner/founder/visionary of Bare Knuckle Pickups, which is an incredible company providing state of the art handwound pickups from England, which is how I met him. I highly recommend any and all serious players to check out his website and try a few of his p/ups, they absolutely rule.

As for his playing, it's awesome, very melodic, very tasty and he has great original ideas and songwriting abilities as well. He's here now and we're really inspiring each other and coming up with some great parts together. It's been a very long time since I've felt this kind of chemistry and I'm very psyched about it. It's an ingredient that's been missing for a very long time, so it should bring some very cool results.

It's a good thing I always call Tim Owens 'T'; that will help with the two guys in the band named Tim factor........ ;-)

There's more good news coming soon!

Jon Schaffer"

The search for a new guitarist began last month when Iced Earth axe Ernie Carletti was arrested on charges of rape.

As reported a few days ago (here), old drummer Brent Smedley, (drummer for Iced Earth in the later 90's) has rejoined the band.

Iced Earth current line up goes as follows:
Jon Schaffer - Guitars
Tim 'Ripper' Owens - Vocals
Tim Mills - Guitars
Brent Smedley - Drums

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Source:	icedearth.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

Brent Smedley, drummer for Iced Earth in the later 90's has rejoined the band. He will be the drummer for Iced Earth's upcoming tours, and on the band's recording of their upcoming concept album the "Something Wicked" saga Parts 1 & 2. He will then remain as their drummer in the future. Smedley originally left the band due to 'personal issues'.

Here is a posting by Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer on Iced Earth's official website:

"For those of you not familiar you can hear Brent's amazing drumming on the 'Alive in Athens' CD, which in my opinion is the best thing about the recording. I can tell you that on a personal level this makes me very happy. Brent left the band about 7 years ago due to personal issues and I've missed him ever since. WELCOME BACK BROTHER!! The machine gun tight rhythm section is back!!!!

I wish Bobby Jarzombek the best of luck in his future endeavors, it was a pleasure jamming with him in the short time that we did.

Due to a personal situation Ernie Carletti will not be able to participate in band activities.

I will be making a significant announcement concerning the guitar and bass player positions very soon.

Also, the writing is going well and things are on track. I will post some details soon on www.icedearth.com. As challenging as this gigantic story is to tell in music, I have no doubt that it will be the pinnacle of Iced Earth's work thus far".

Source:	icedearth.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

Century Media Records has revealed more information about the upcoming Iced Earth "Alive In Athens" DVD. The set is believed to contain video footage recorded during the band's 1999 two-night appearance at the Rodon Club in Athens, Greece which previously resulted in a two-disc live CD of the same name.
The DVD will be released at the end of October.

"Alive In Athens" DVD , and track listing :

01. Intro
02. Burning Times
03. Vengeance Is Mine
04. Dark Saga
05. Last Laugh
06. Cast In Stone
07. Last December
08. Pure Evil
09. Desert Rain
10. Dante's Inferno
11. The Hunter
12. Melancholy (Holy Martyr)
13. Angels Holocaust
14. Stormrider
15. The Path I Choose
16. Watching Over Me
17. Diary
18. Blessed Are You
19. When The Night Falls
20. My Own Savior
21. Travel In Stygian
22. Violate
23. Stand Alone
24. Brainwashed
25. Disciples Of The Lie
26. I Died For You
27. Prophecy
28. Birth Of The Wicked
29. The Coming Curse
30. Epilog

Bonus:
31. Iced Earth Backstage
32. Jon Schaffer In Athens

For Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer's assessment of the upcoming "Alive In Athens" DVD, read his statement at this location.

Read more ››

Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Iced Earth

According to Amazon.com and Century Media Records' official release schedule, a new Iced Earth DVD, entitled "Alive in Athens", is slated for release on October 31. The set is believed to contain video footage recorded during the band's 1999 two-night appearance at at the Rodon Club in Athens, Greece which previously resulted in a two-disc live CD of the same name. More information will be made available soon.

As previously reported, Iced Earth recently officially launched the search for a new bassist. All interested parties are encouraged to send their bio packs to Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer's store at the following address:

Jon Schaffer
Spirit of 76 Collectibles, Inc.
1728 17th St
Columbus, IN 47448

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Source:	blabbermouth.net
Band profile:	Iced Earth

Iced Earth has officially launched the search for a new bassist. All interested parties are encouraged to send their bio packs to Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer's store at the following address:

Jon Schaffer
Spirit of 76 Collectibles, Inc.
1728 17th St
Columbus, IN 47448

Iced Earth recently announced the addition of Elkton, MD guitarist Ernie Carletti to the group's ranks.

Mastering his craft beyond 19 years and teaching guitar lessons to 100 students weekly in excess of 16 years, Carletti is equally versed in styles such as classical and jazz but his first love is heavy metal "shredding."

The central figure of Iced Earth is guitarist and songwriter Jon Schaffer, who originally formed the band as Purgatory in 1984. Though the band has undergone numerous lineup changes since its inception, Schaffer has remained steadfast in his passion to thrash. Schaffer officially announced the addition of Carletti on the band's message board on Friday, June 30.

Schaffer is currently working on a concept album based on the "Something Wicked This Way Comes" story that first appeared on Iced Earth's 1998 album of the same name. A 2007 release is expected.

Iced Earth's last release was the "Gettysburg (1863)" DVD, which came out in June 2005. The main program, a CGI-rendered video presentation of the epic "Gettysburg" trilogy from 2004's acclaimed album "The Glorious Burden", drew praise from fans and media alike. The DVD was also reportedly being used as a teaching tool in several high schools across the country.

Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

As posted on the official site by Jon Schaffer on 2006-06-30:

"Greetings!!!

I just wanted to make a quick but significant announcement. After auditioning some very good guitar players I've made a decision. The man who will be handling the majority of the guitar solos on the next record as well as touring with us on "The Wicked World Tour" is an awesome player named Ernie Carletti. As has been the case in the past we may have a few guests do a solo or two on the epic that this way comes, but the majority will be handled by Ernie. He is a world class player and truly one of the best guitarists I've had the pleasure of meeting and hanging with. We're going to make a good team, I'm sure. We were introduced through Bernie at Bernie Rico, Jr. Guitars who is the son of the BC Rich founder/legend Bernie Rico. If you want to see some amazing top quality hand built guitars go to www.ricojrguitars.com and see what this master builder has been up to the last few years.

I'll be auditioning bass players as well very soon so there will be announcements made in the not too distant future for that position.

The writing is moving along well and I'll have a few details for you on the next post, but for now I've gotta run.......so much to do, so little time.

Take care all!"

Source:	icedearth.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth