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Iced Earth - Vocalist And Bassist Quit The Band


In the wake of the ongoing controversy surrounding the group's guitarist and founding member Jon Schaffer, Iced Earth vocalist Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton have decided to quit the band. Statements from both of them can be read below.

Stuart's statement reads: "Hey all, well, there are times and events when you have to take stock and re evaluate your life, work, and trajectory for the future. That being said I have informed Jon and his current management that I must announce my resignation from Iced Earth with immediate effect.

"Before I made any personal decision I needed the last few weeks to process the situation as well as respect others in our camp processing the situation. I thank you all very much for respecting this. It's the best decision in many ways for my personal/ professional growth going forward. Time to move on, heal and prosper. Much love and respect to you all. Don't fret! Stay tuned for some exciting things to come! Time to embark upon a new chapter. Be good to each other."

Comment from Luke: "In response to recent events & circumstances, I have notified Iced Earth's management and Jon that I will be resigning as the Iced Earth bassist with immediate effect. I would like to thank everyone who has sent me their support and love during this difficult time. Thank you!"

Source: facebook.com
Band profile: Iced Earth
Posted: 15.02.2021 by HyperDrifter


Comments

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Comments: 70   [ 1 ignored ]   Visited by: 429 users
15.02.2021 - 20:25
WorpeX
Made of Metal
Go make Into Eternity relevant again Stu!
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15.02.2021 - 20:26
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
End of a great band, because of fools movement and action. Price is high. Lesson to small street rebels.
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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15.02.2021 - 20:33
@zgarol

I believed metal is above cancel culture.
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15.02.2021 - 20:54
omne metallum

I wouldn't call their decisions to leave cancel culture, their label dropped them (that bit could be argued as cancel culture) and the main man in the operation looks likely to be going away for awhile; can't exactly blame them for leaving and moving on with their careers.
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Just because I'm not listening doesn't mean I don't care
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15.02.2021 - 21:00
EloZ

I understand members of the band must find a new job because of the situation; moreover, Iced Earth is Jon Schaffer alone: he is the composer and the mind behind the band... I'm just sad that nobody, in their statements, never mention Jon and thank him or wish him good luck with all the things he has to pass. A man can be wrong, he can fail, but you see friendship in the hard times. This goes out to everybody who abandoned Jon in the most difficult moment of his life (right Hansi?). Jon will pay the price of his ideas and acts, but now he knows he is alone. Real friends are so hard to find! At least you have a lot of fans, listening to your fantastic music. Good luck Jon, really, from the heart. Iced Earth will never die!
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15.02.2021 - 21:02
Liquid

From what I've heard, Stu is pretty much caught up in Jon's brand of crazy anyways. He got caught trying to backpedal from full support of the insurrection to now distancing himself from the band... Jon hasn't been canceled and Iced Earth wasn't exactly canceled, but Stu is in danger of it. I'm not surprised he's trying to step away from that particular association.
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15.02.2021 - 21:12
Maco
Pvt Funderground
Both will be cancelled eventually. Trust me on that one.
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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15.02.2021 - 21:12
WorpeX
Made of Metal
Written by Liquid on 15.02.2021 at 21:02

From what I've heard, Stu is pretty much caught up in Jon's brand of crazy anyways. He got caught trying to backpedal from full support of the insurrection to now distancing himself from the band...


Yeah, this is exactly right. He had to go through some serious gymnastics to bend himself out of the first few posts he made about it. They essentially boiled down to "oh no, I type and read bad, haha my bad". Still, he has the benefit of not having done anything wrong and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Hopefully he took the time to re-evaluate his own beliefs.
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15.02.2021 - 21:27
Callisto

I'm at the exact opposite political side from Schaffer, but this does not feel right.
They all should know Schaffer ideas and brand of crazy, so they're just leaving for personal gain. Not cool...

Has Matt Barlow said anything?
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15.02.2021 - 21:28
Maco
Pvt Funderground
Wonder what will the patriot Jon do after he gets released.
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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15.02.2021 - 21:57
Starvynth
i c deaf people
Written by Maco on 15.02.2021 at 21:28

Wonder what will the patriot Jon do after he gets released.

Queue up at the nearest public soup kitchen.
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signatures = SPAM
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15.02.2021 - 22:10
Maco
Pvt Funderground
Written by Starvynth on 15.02.2021 at 21:57

Queue up at the nearest public soup kitchen.

Like a Vietnam War Veteran. True american patriotism.
----
Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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15.02.2021 - 22:21
Aries Rising

I wonder if Brent and Jake will leave as well. Such a shame as this was the best lineup IE had in a long time, but I guess you learn who your true friends are when shit hits the fan.
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15.02.2021 - 22:36
Aries Rising

Written by Liquid on 15.02.2021 at 21:02

From what I've heard, Stu is pretty much caught up in Jon's brand of crazy anyways. He got caught trying to backpedal from full support of the insurrection to now distancing himself from the band... Jon hasn't been canceled and Iced Earth wasn't exactly canceled, but Stu is in danger of it. I'm not surprised he's trying to step away from that particular association.


It wasn't an insurrection and people need to stop calling it that.
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15.02.2021 - 22:54
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by Maco on 15.02.2021 at 21:28

Wonder what will the patriot Jon do after he gets released.

Well when he will be out, it's hard quastion, maybe after 20 years, we dont know.
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
15.02.2021 - 22:57
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Jon is also, hard to find good solid line up now, play live gigs, travel. This is bad, but 4 band members can start new band and play good uspm, how hard is find new guitarist.
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
15.02.2021 - 23:19
Aries Rising

Written by Bad English on 15.02.2021 at 22:57

Jon is also, hard to find good solid line up now, play live gigs, travel. This is bad, but 4 band members can start new band and play good uspm, how hard is find new guitarist.


More like how hard is it to find a new, talented songwriter.
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15.02.2021 - 23:20
HyperDrifter

Thread lock in 4...3...2...1....
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15.02.2021 - 23:23
LordFezzington
Lost To Apathy
Not at all surprising. And let's face it, if you want people to respect Schaffer's 'right' to do stupid shit, then you've also got to respect his bandmates' (and Hansi's) decision to drop him for it.
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"Pay no heed to anyone and do what seems right to yourself." - Franz Kafka, The Trial
2022 List: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=7001
2021 List: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=6742
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16.02.2021 - 00:53
Aries Rising

Apparently Jake left as well.
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16.02.2021 - 01:26
IBlackened

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. What's so surprising?
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Their old stuff is better.
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16.02.2021 - 03:15
tominator
At best deranged
I mean... I think we all saw this coming from a mile away, no? Whatever you want to call Jon's shenanigans, at the end of the day what he did isn't the best kind of publicity (to put it mildly...). The uncertainty of what would happen to Iced Earth and the not so positive public image that's been created by this event, all lead to this.

So, it's not surprising that they distance themselves and leave the band. The only thing I am surprised about, is the fact that they waited pretty long to announce it. Might be because they needed time to think. I don't know.
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16.02.2021 - 05:29
Coconut Racecar

Hope they get shot.
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16.02.2021 - 06:59
Metal Spartan

Written by LordFezzington on 15.02.2021 at 23:23

Not at all surprising. And let's face it, if you want people to respect Schaffer's 'right' to do stupid shit, then you've also got to respect his bandmates' (and Hansi's) decision to drop him for it.

Yep, just like people should respect others' decision to not support anything Stu and Luke do in the future for being such pussies.
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16.02.2021 - 08:11
Joppe
Steelemeister
Bring back Night of the Stormrider line-up, then?
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My vision is augmented
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16.02.2021 - 10:13
Zap
Guest
Band members leaving Iced Earth? Like that has never happened to Jon before.

I wonder why...
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16.02.2021 - 10:20
Valentin B
Iconoclast
Jon went to the Capitol "Come What May" thinking it was "1776" all over again, but like in any half-normal country now he is facing the "Consequences" as it was "Written on the Walls", hehe.

There is a difference between thinking these things (Stu) and actually doing it (Jon) - this is where I draw the line tbh, there is always a way to come back from even the craziest of reality-bending conspiracy theories. Remember Mustaine rambling on stage that Obama staged mass shootings or Phil Anselmo doing the nazi salute and shouting "white power" on stage? while these things were said/done on stage (and Anselmo got a lot of flak for it and apologized for it) what Schaffer did crossed a very dangerous line and shows that he has gone full crazy.

Even though I was (still am?) a big Iced Earth fan, I am not comfortable going to an Iced Earth concert and showing my enjoyment of the songs, throwing horns, shouting "we love you Jon" like I did, and the labels are aware there are many people in this situation. If I were Jon now I would do a Varg: accept the legal consequences, take some years off, cool my head down, then maybe get back into music, possibly a different style. He already turned himself in so he is on the correct path I guess.

We as metalheads and people should hold musicians to a higher standard than this. this is not cancel culture, this is people shooting themselves in the foot by saying / doing repugnant things and getting a reaction, in short: fucked around & found out.
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16.02.2021 - 10:36
LordFezzington
Lost To Apathy
Written by Metal Spartan on 16.02.2021 at 06:59

Yep, just like people should respect others' decision to not support anything Stu and Luke do in the future for being such pussies.

Look, I can't tell you or anyone else how to spend your money, but I am curious about what line someone would have to cross so that people wouldn't get labelled as 'pussies' for disassociating themselves with them...
----
"Pay no heed to anyone and do what seems right to yourself." - Franz Kafka, The Trial
2022 List: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=7001
2021 List: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=6742
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16.02.2021 - 11:55
Maglor

It's the end of one the greatest bands of Heavy/Power Metal.
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Maglor
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16.02.2021 - 12:26
Illusion's_Void

Written by @zgarol on 15.02.2021 at 20:33

I believed metal is above cancel culture.

That would be great, mate, but hell no.
Labels dropping artists because of personal beliefs, social beliefs or accusations. Festivals doing the same, sometimes even cancelling fans. Band members turning off each other by exact reasons. And the whole thing against certain music genres like NSBM... (well, even here in MS we are to blame for that)
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