Iced Earth - The Dark Saga
Tracklist
01. Dark Saga02. I Died For You
03. Violate
04. The Hunter
05. The Last Laugh
06. Depths Of Hell
07. Vengeance Is Mine
08. The Suffering
1 - Scarred
2 - Slave To The Dark
3 - A Question Of Heaven
Line-up
Matt Barlow - vocals
Jon Ryan Schaffer - guitars, backing vocals
Randall Shawver - guitars
Mark Prator - drums
Dave Abell - bass
Guest musicians
Tom Morris - vocals
Kate Barlow - vocals
Jim Morris - guitars
Matt Barlow - vocals
Jon Ryan Schaffer - guitars, backing vocals
Randall Shawver - guitars
Mark Prator - drums
Dave Abell - bass
Guest musicians
Tom Morris - vocals
Kate Barlow - vocals
Jim Morris - guitars
Additional info
The last three songs make up "The Suffering" trilogy.The limited and numbered digipack version includes a cover of Judas Priest's "The Ripper" (2:42), which is also available on "The Melancholy". This album is based on the story of Todd McFarlane's Spawn comic book.
Although Dave Abell recorded all the bass tracks for this album before leaving the band, Keith Menser's picture is featured on the back cover and in the liner notes (although Abell recieves credit as the bassist). This is because Keith was intended to help the band on tour, and Century Media demanded the touring lineup on the back cover. However, Keith did not know any of the songs on the touring setlist, so he was forced to leave. James MacDonough and Brent Smedley ended up playing bass and drums, respectively, on the following two tours.
The limited and numbered Digipak was limited to 6,666 copies.
Also released on gatefold LP, limited to 2,000 copies.
Reissued by Century Media in 1998. The first standard edition has a CD painted violet. The standard reissue has a CD with a picture on it.
Staff review by
Sephiroth
Sephiroth
Rating:
8.5
8.5
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Rating:
8.5 |
Todd Mc Farlane is a genius. He has created the best american comic of all times and his character, Spawn, has became a legend. Sadness, evilness, violence, love?.are all inside the dark stories he lives in. So, who could grasp this feelings and put it into music? Jon Schaffer obviously! And who can sing with the voice of the tormented Hellspawn, suffer with him, making us hear deep melancholy or pure evilness through the notes of his throat?? Matthew Barlow of course. Read more ›› |
Rating:
8.8
8.8
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Rating:
8.8 |
'The Dark Saga' is a classic metal album, and is without doubt one of Iced Earths best albums. The album is based on the comic Spawn as the concept behind the music. The album depicts the story of a man who sell's his soul to the devil for love, an irony that few seem to grasp. 'The Dark Saga' represents also the coming of age of Mat Barlow, the emotive and charismatic vocalist of Iced Earth. This is an album of class by a band who's suffered numerous changes too their line up including three vocalists. The Dark Saga was the first time Iced Earth had produced an album with the same vocalist as the previous album and it truly paid dividends for the band as a final product. Read more ›› |
Top lists
Comments
Comments:
22
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890 users
 Posts: 64543 |
Posts: 64543
This shood be opening album whit Mat not Burnt Offerings, werry good powerful, exelent album whit great singing, Iced Eartish guitar riffs and also one beautiful ballad , this is when real Iced Eart era starts even 1th 3 albums was great for me us metalhead, but this is concert sell outer, when band reach HM heaven ..... a killer album
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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 Posts: 6675 |
Posts: 6675
This is an album that has some truly outstanding moments. The heartfelt emotion of "I Died For You" highlighted by a wonderful, impassioned vocal from Matt, is one of the highlights, as is the melodic power metal surge of "The Hunter", and the explosive "Slave To The Dark" too. Not to mention the tragic and searing finale, "A Question Of Heaven"... I do feel as a whole, it doesn't quite stand up to their previous 2 albums which are absolute classics. But it's still a mostly great album, and I love the whole Spawn concept. 
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Great fucking riffs ... Matt Barlows voice .. thrash and power themes ... great lyrics ... what else do you need from iced earth this is pure metal \m/
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Posts: 64543 Written by deadone on 05.03.2014 at 04:48 I agree but still its great journey, and rest until last one still are decent albums
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 1672  |
Posts: 1672
The final track is sheer brilliance, a tragic epic that basically pinpoints what's so great about Spawn. The rest of the album does not reach the same level but there's many excellent tracks to find here, and just the fact that we got a metal album based on Spawn is fantastic!
---- Everything's twice as bright with money in your hands
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 Posts: 3333 |
Posts: 3333
IMO the vocals are on a higher level than the music as whole. I'd give it 6 unless Barlow didn't save this one, especially with these slow song performances of #2 and #8.
---- My vision is augmented
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| Metalheart35
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Metalheart35
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Best Iced Earth album in my opinion. Perfect melodies, perfect riffs & perfect voice. Classic for me. 
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 Posts: 1534 |
Posts: 1534 Written by No False Steele on 22.07.2016 at 23:05 Pretty much how I feel. I know they "simplified" their style on purpose for this one, but it only sort of worked. A couple of the songs too sort of meld into one and the songwriting isn't anywhere near as strong as Barlow's vocals. That dude's a beast, one of my all-time favorite vocalists.
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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 Posts: 2795 |
Posts: 2795
Great album, in particular for its consistency (in a sense that almost all songs are really good). For me, it primarily lacks originality. Back at the time, it had just happened that I deeply fell in love with the album's two awesome predecessors. Came along TDS, I was a bit disappointed at first (and never overcame this first impression). Still, from today's view, no IE after TDS could ever keep up with it.
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A new video of former ICED EARTH vocalist Matt Barlow performing an acoustic version of the band's song "I Died For You" can be seen below. The track originally appeared on ICED EARTH's fourth album, 1996's "The Dark Saga". Video https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/former-iced-earth-vocalist-matt-barlow-performs-acoustic-version-of-i-died-for-you-video/
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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 Posts: 8703 |
Posts: 8703
From time to time I come across a song that finds a way deep under my skin. I can't stop listening to it over and over again for some time and getting goose bumps each time I hear it. "A Question Of Heaven" is such a song. One of the best ballads I have ever heard. I am aware of Iced Earth for a long time, but took me long before I found this one.
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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 Posts: 6692 |
Posts: 6692
Indeed a good album, but "I Died For You" has to be one of the cheesiest metal songs of all time, but the vocals are incredibly passionate, so I will give Barlow that, there are some cool riffs in this album, but it's nothing particularly special.
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Posts: 64543 Written by AndyMetalFreak on 28.11.2021 at 11:32 Better as prev one, I think he sung better , even I like that song but I wonder who wrote lyrics I like A Question Of Heaven because if I recall firts and last time band use female back vocals and its mainman wife and singers sister I would say those are top songs here Dark Saga I Died For You Violate The Hunter A Question Of Heaven
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 6692 Written by Bad English on 25.08.2025 at 22:54 This is a very good album but not as consistent as NOTSR or the debut imo, I find it on par with Burnt Offerings. My highlighs are "Slave To The Dark", "A Question Of Heaven", and "The Hunter".
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Posts: 1831
I only ever liked The Hunter on this. Huge downgrade from Burnt Offerings.
---- Need a break from headbanging? Restore your street cred by visiting my hip-hop list! Tha Swagnum Opus: A Selection Of Hip-Hop For The Curious Metalhead
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Posts: 823  |
Posts: 823
It was a downgrade to BO and the first two albums but it´s still a damn good album! Again a good mix of Schaffers riffs and Barlows voice! No bad song to be find. Great artwork too (I liked the comics back then). Faves: All with a peak at Violate, The Hunter, Depths Of Hell and A Question Of Heaven
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Posts: 2801
This album has the best Iced Earth song: A Question of Heaven.
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
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