I just a few minutes ago submitted this news myself, guess I was too late

Loving the new song! And Stu is great! xD

Written by Angelic Storm on 06.10.2011 at 17:26

I just a few minutes ago submitted this news myself, guess I was too late

Loving the new song! And Stu is great! xD

Panzer is too fast... I submitted bout their coming to Cyprus the day I learned it and he had already submitted the news. :| Otherwise the song is nice.

Great song! Stu suits really well with IE.

The singer suits perfectly, I've never been too big about the band in general though but I'll probably listen to the album at some point.

Stu's such a boss.

I knew he would fit to the Iced Earth sound, thinking about how he sounded on The Scattering Of Ashes

Stu is a great fit with the band... Im damn impressed and I can't wait for this one to drop!

Can't help but want him in "my band", Into Eternity. Oh, well, I do still wish him the best, of course.

I find nothing interesting in this song..singer is ok!

Those high pitched vocals are unacceptable for me, rest vocals are not so bad. Overall music is strongly average, there were better times for IE.

Doesn't sound too bad. Will be interesting to listen to the whole album

Written by Baz Anderson on 06.10.2011 at 18:10

The singer suits perfectly, I've never been too big about the band in general though but I'll probably listen to the album at some point.

Same here...

Written by KMR on 06.10.2011 at 21:55

Those high pitched vocals are unacceptable for me, rest vocals are not so bad. Overall music is strongly average, there were better times for IE.

Well, they aren't as good as Ripper Owens' high vocals, (which have more depth and aggression) but I think they're adequate enough. He combines the styles of Matt and Tim without being as great as either at what they do best. But it's a good compromise still, and I think he's a good choice. Stu has incredible range, if he could just improve his depth, he'd be awesome. If he keeps working on it, he could be really great cos he is showing the promise that he could one day make a classic metal vocalist.

The music is only average if you're comparing it with the likes of "Travel In Stygian", or "Burnt Offerings". But then again, that is a very high level of greatness that I think Jon needs to work at getting back to. But even so, compared to most of IE's recent material, the new stuff Ive heard so far is a lot better, so it's a step in the right direction imo.


@Paradox: Panzer sure is fast!

I like it. Not amazing but definitely not bad. Getting a scent of Anthrax Fight-Em syndrome though, the rest of the album might not be as good.

Written by KMR on 06.10.2011 at 21:55

Those high pitched vocals are unacceptable for me, rest vocals are not so bad. Overall music is strongly average, there were better times for IE.

I feel kinda the same.
I really dislike the high-pitched vocals parts.
Musically, it easily beats anything on TCOM but it still feels like "generic standard metal" to me. Rather boring.

But I have to be honest here: I must admit that I have completely lost interest for Heavy Metal with time and stopped listening to what I would call 'standard metal'. I listen only to Black Metal nowadays + a bit of Thrash and Death.
I think my opinion is biased and no 'standard metal' with clean vocals can apply to my tastes. That's why I usually try to avoid commenting on this kind of stuff now. I enjoy extreme metal a lot but I would say that the Heavy Metal fan in me is dead, if you know what I mean.

Sounds kinda boring, but still makes me wanna listen to it, after all, Jon's riffs are always cool shit.

Just listened to it, man what a great sound, Stu is awesome with IE. It sounds like he was just the injection the band needed to reinvigorate their sound. I want the album, 'cause that song was excellent.

And how about that scream at the beginning... hell yeah!

Kickass as hell, I could only listen to half of it before my home computer crashed, but i loved it: energized, heavy as shit, and Bloc's vocals slay on a massive level.

Schaffer just blasted Iced Earth back to the forefront of the melodic metal scene.

Written by Valentin B on 07.10.2011 at 09:17

Kickass as hell, I could only listen to half of it before my home computer crashed, but i loved it: energized, heavy as shit, and Bloc's vocals slay on a massive level.

Schaffer just blasted Iced Earth back to the forefront of the melodic metal scene.

Yep, agreed! Stu has a massive range, and whilst he may slightly lack the soul of Matt's low cleans, he sounds far more comfortable in high vocal ranges than Matt did, even when he was at his best. I prefer his overall range of sounds to Ripper's, even if his highs aren't quite as powerful. So he's a great blend of Ripper and Matt, and he has a bit of his own style too, so he's a great choice!

I think this will be Iced Earth's best album since "Horror Show". <3


@Ravenking: Your honesty is very refreshing. A lot of people mindlessly bash this sort of metal as if it is crap just because they don't like it. You admit you're not the best placed to be judging this sort of metal as it isn't to your tastes anymore, which is awesome. xD And it's sadly an attitude that isn't held by most people who are exclusively fans of more extreme metal.

Written by Angelic Storm on 07.10.2011 at 10:50

@Ravenking: Your honesty is very refreshing. A lot of people mindlessly bash this sort of metal as if it is crap just because they don't like it. You admit you're not the best placed to be judging this sort of metal as it isn't to your tastes anymore, which is awesome. xD And it's sadly an attitude that isn't held by most people who are exclusively fans of more extreme metal.

I think the song is not bad at all. If it would have been released 15 years ago, I believe I would have been pleased with it.
I heard little of the new album but my guess is it will be good to very good for fans of melodic metal.

As for being honest, I guess I have no other choice than to admit that Heavy Metal (well, the kind of music most people have in mind when thinking about metal - not extreme stuff) is simply not my cup of tea anymore. When you realize that you enjoy more hearing old pop songs (Pat Benatar, Cindy Lauper, etc) than Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and the likes, or let's say Powermetal, it does nothing good to deny that your tastes changed and you lost interest for 'standard Heavy Metal'. I'd be a fool to deny it just to look more 'metal' and 'Tr00'.
That being said, it doesn't mean I lost interest for all kinds of metal. I still enjoy the kind of extreme stuff I'm listening to a hundred times more than pop. It only means that my tastes in metal are really selective and if it doesn't correspond to what I like or want, I won't do any effort to like it.
I think I mentioned it already: in my mind, music must come to you and grab you, not the opposite. Of course, sometimes, new albums or new bands need some time to get used to, some investment. But you need to have a strong interest for this kind of music right from the start. Otherwise, it is forcing music through you.
I'm pretty sure I will always listen to metal, just of a more restricted and defined kind.
If it makes me look like a poser or elitist to some, my bad. I stay true to myself and that's what matters to me. The metal I'm listening to, I really enjoy. And, Imo, that's the most important.

The only downside is it can make some of my comments on metal boards insignificant, not important. So, I believe it is better to keep my own opinion for myself sometimes. It partly explains my low level of activity on metal forums recently. Other reason is being too busy at times.

Written by RavenKing on 07.10.2011 at 22:59
I think the song is not bad at all. If it would have been released 15 years ago, I believe I would have been pleased with it.
I heard little of the new album but my guess is it will be good to very good for fans of melodic metal.

It's amazing that you're able to able to seperate your current views of this music to be objective as to how a fan of this type of metal would view it. Objectivity is a rare thing when it comes to analysing music, I myself can also do it, but not many people can. It's refreshing to hear your views on the new Iced Earth.

Written by RavenKing on 07.10.2011 at 22:59
As for being honest, I guess I have no other choice than to admit that Heavy Metal (well, the kind of music most people have in mind when thinking about metal - not extreme stuff) is simply not my cup of tea anymore. When you realize that you enjoy more hearing old pop songs (Pat Benatar, Cindy Lauper, etc) than Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and the likes, or let's say Powermetal, it does nothing good to deny that your tastes changed and you lost interest for 'standard Heavy Metal'. I'd be a fool to deny it just to look more 'metal' and 'Tr00'.
That being said, it doesn't mean I lost interest for all kinds of metal. I still enjoy the kind of extreme stuff I'm listening to a hundred times more than pop. It only means that my tastes in metal are really selective and if it doesn't correspond to what I like or want, I won't do any effort to like it.
I think I mentioned it already: in my mind, music must come to you and grab you, not the opposite. Of course, sometimes, new albums or new bands need some time to get used to, some investment. But you need to have a strong interest for this kind of music right from the start. Otherwise, it is forcing music through you.
I'm pretty sure I will always listen to metal, just of a more restricted and defined kind.
If it makes me look like a poser or elitist to some, my bad. I stay true to myself and that's what matters to me. The metal I'm listening to, I really enjoy. And, Imo, that's the most important.

Again, it's great that you can say that you just don't like certain metal just because it's not to your tastes, rather than just saying it's crap in an absolute way. I myself, can sometimes appreciate things like talent and musicianship even in music I don't personally like. Just because I don't like it, doesn't make it crap. It's rare for me to hear music with no redeeming factors to it at all, but on those rare ocassions, I will just say it's awful. I completely agree with everything you're saying, and I definitely don't see you as an elitist or a poser. You just like what you like, and there's nothing wrong with that. An elitist will just mindlessly bash everything they don't like, whilst you're able to look at music in a more objective way, and wont say something's terrible just because it's not to your own tastes. I'm similar, in that I can tell the difference when music is just horrible on every level, or that it has merit but is just not to my own personal tastes. And you seem to be able to do likewise.

Quote:
The only downside is it can make some of my comments on metal boards insignificant, not important. So, I believe it is better to keep my own opinion for myself sometimes. It partly explains my low level of activity on metal forums recently. Other reason is being too busy at times.

I can see exactly what you're saying here, as Id also feel it wouldn't really be right for me to comment on bands in a genre that I hate as I have a predisposed bias to it. Hence why I stay out of all threads on "symphonic metal" fronted by females, because there's no point in me airing my opinion there as it's too one sided so no reasonable debate couldn't take place with me having that point of view. I have noticed you posting far less than you used to... which is a shame, because I always enjoy chatting about metal with you. xD

Pretty good song, that easily beats anything on the previous 2 albums.

Written by Angelic Storm on 08.10.2011 at 14:32

It's amazing that you're able to able to seperate your current views of this music to be objective as to how a fan of this type of metal would view it. Objectivity is a rare thing when it comes to analysing music, I myself can also do it, but not many people can. It's refreshing to hear your views on the new Iced Earth.

Again, it's great that you can say that you just don't like certain metal just because it's not to your tastes, rather than just saying it's crap in an absolute way. I myself, can sometimes appreciate things like talent and musicianship even in music I don't personally like. Just because I don't like it, doesn't make it crap. It's rare for me to hear music with no redeeming factors to it at all, but on those rare ocassions, I will just say it's awful. I completely agree with everything you're saying, and I definitely don't see you as an elitist or a poser. You just like what you like, and there's nothing wrong with that. An elitist will just mindlessly bash everything they don't like, whilst you're able to look at music in a more objective way, and wont say something's terrible just because it's not to your own tastes. I'm similar, in that I can tell the difference when music is just horrible on every level, or that it has merit but is just not to my own personal tastes. And you seem to be able to do likewise.

I can see exactly what you're saying here, as Id also feel it wouldn't really be right for me to comment on bands in a genre that I hate as I have a predisposed bias to it. Hence why I stay out of all threads on "symphonic metal" fronted by females, because there's no point in me airing my opinion there as it's too one sided so no reasonable debate couldn't take place with me having that point of view. I have noticed you posting far less than you used to... which is a shame, because I always enjoy chatting about metal with you. xD

I try to separate my own views from the views of a fan of the genre, indeed. It's not always easy and I don't pretend to succeed at all times. Concerning melodic metal, I think what matters is what the fans really think of an album. Not what I think.
As long as the fans are pleased by the material, that's what really matters and my own opinion doesn't matter.
It's kinda like those people who come on threads bashing Black Metal bands I like. I just ignore their comments, as I know they don't like the genre. I like them and that's what matters to me. They can say it sucks as much as they want, the music is still good to me.

By the way, my last statement was a bit imprecise. I will still enjoy more hearing an Iron Maiden album from the 80s or, let's say, "Painkiller" or "Defenders Of The Faith" than pop music. However, I will probably prefer some pop music to any post-1988 stuff. It really depends on albums and songs and needs to be nuanced.

The fact that I don't like something doesn't mean it's crap, indeed. I'm not one who believes that "I don't like it, so it sucks".

As for making the difference between not liking something and musicianship, I think it is important. For example, I don't like bands like Nile but I will never say that they're not talented musicians. The musicianship is out of this world.

I know that you're able to make the difference between your tastes and crap. We both are over 35 (almost 40 in my case), so we're no children at all. I guess we have enough maturity and experience to make the difference and nuance our opinions.

I always enjoyed discussions with you and I still do.
As for me posting less, the main problem is being too busy with work and other hobbies.

Concerning the new Iced Earth, I'm not sure if the band will be really back on track with the new album but what I heard until now leads me to believe that it's surely a step in the right direction.
Also, I've been taken by surprise by the new singer. When I heard him in Into Eternity, I thought that he would not fit in Iced Earth at all. In the IE songs I heard, I like some parts and don't like others but, to me, he never sounds awful. The guy definitely has a lot of range and I think he can manage to sound decent in all ranges, which is something not many metal singers can pretend to do. Most metal singers have only one range where they are very good but tend to suck as soon as they try something out of their comfort zone. As much as I thought he would not fit IE at first, I think now that he could well fit nicely.
And Barlow never struck me as a very good singer, anyway.
Me not liking the new songs enough to buy the album is a matter of tastes, I believe. However, I think my utter dislike of TCOM is not only a matter of tastes. I sincerely think the album sucked and was very boring.

Written by RavenKing on 08.10.2011 at 22:38
I try to separate my own views from the views of a fan of the genre, indeed. It's not always easy and I don't pretend to succeed at all times. Concerning melodic metal, I think what matters is what the fans really think of an album. Not what I think.
As long as the fans are pleased by the material, that's what really matters and my own opinion doesn't matter.
It's kinda like those people who come on threads bashing Black Metal bands I like. I just ignore their comments, as I know they don't like the genre. I like them and that's what matters to me. They can say it sucks as much as they want, the music is still good to me.

By the way, my last statement was a bit imprecise. I will still enjoy more hearing an Iron Maiden album from the 80s or, let's say, "Painkiller" or "Defenders Of The Faith" than pop music. However, I will probably prefer some pop music to any post-1988 stuff. It really depends on albums and songs and needs to be nuanced.

You're right, it's not always easy. Sometimes it's difficult to not allow my own personal biases against a genre to not brand a band "bad". However, in general I do succeed most of the time I think. I tend to find that things like talent and musicianship aren't too difficult to spot, even if a band is in a genre that I don't particularly like.

Hehee, I did think that was a bit of an extreme comment, even for you! Yep, I'd have been very surprised if it actually was the case that you'd prefer hearing pop music than say "Powerslave" or "Keeper Of The 7 Keys", so hearing you back track a bit on that makes more sense to me. However, I kinda see what you mean to an extent at least. I remember making a comment about Queensryche's new album, and saying that I'd rather listen to certain Robbie Williams' songs than that album. And it wasn't a joke. So in a sense at least, I can see where you're coming from. haha

Written by RavenKing on 08.10.2011 at 22:38
The fact that I don't like something doesn't mean it's crap, indeed. I'm not one who believes that "I don't like it, so it sucks".

As for making the difference between not liking something and musicianship, I think it is important. For example, I don't like bands like Nile but I will never say that they're not talented musicians. The musicianship is out of this world.

I know that you're able to make the difference between your tastes and crap. We both are over 35 (almost 40 in my case), so we're no children at all. I guess we have enough maturity and experience to make the difference and nuance our opinions.

I always enjoyed discussions with you and I still do.
As for me posting less, the main problem is being too busy with work and other hobbies.

Totally agreed on your first point.

Yep, there are some bands with female vocals that I would like if not for the vocals, so I can still appreciate the musical talents in some of those bands. And certain bands even in genres I do like aren't really to my tastes, but I can still spot good musicianship and talent if it's there. A band like Anal Cunt however, have absolutely no talent whatsoever. Of course people can like them if they want, but saying they have no talent isn't just because they aren't to my tastes, it's a fact.

I'm actually not 35 yet, I have over a year to go yet before I reach that "milestone". But anyway, your point is still valid. And thank you. xD

Written by RavenKing on 08.10.2011 at 22:38
Concerning the new Iced Earth, I'm not sure if the band will be really back on track with the new album but what I heard until now leads me to believe that it's surely a step in the right direction.
Also, I've been taken by surprise by the new singer. When I heard him in Into Eternity, I thought that he would not fit in Iced Earth at all. In the IE songs I heard, I like some parts and don't like others but, to me, he never sounds awful. The guy definitely has a lot of range and I think he can manage to sound decent in all ranges, which is something not many metal singers can pretend to do. Most metal singers have only one range where they are very good but tend to suck as soon as they try something out of their comfort zone. As much as I thought he would not fit IE at first, I think now that he could well fit nicely.
And Barlow never struck me as a very good singer, anyway.
Me not liking the new songs enough to buy the album is a matter of tastes, I believe. However, I think my utter dislike of TCOM is not only a matter of tastes. I sincerely think the album sucked and was very boring.

From what I've heard of it so far, it definitely is a step in the right direction. I was also very pleasantly surprised by Stu Block's performances on the new Iced Earth material. When I heard he was going to be the new singer for IE, I immediately went to listen to Into Eternity... after I did that, I had severe doubts that he would fit in with IE's style of metal. As he only seemed to have two ways of singing: High pitched, and death growls. However, I have heard Jon and Stu say in interviews that it wasn't till he joined IE that he realised he had these different ranges, and could sing in mid-lower ranges. Stu discovered he could sing in ways that he'd never done before, and he actually has huge range. And like you say, he sounds comfortable in all ranges, which is an ability that most metal vocalists don't have. Matt's weakness was always in the high ranges, which was always very apparent when he tried to sing on Ripper Owens' era material. And while I feel Stu lacks a bit of the aggression and power that Ripper possessed in that range, he still has no problems singing in it, so he should have no trouble singing the Tim era stuff unlike Matt. He definitely surprised me, and I think he is the right choice for the band now.

Well, I still love the genre IE are in, and am still very much a big fan of the band. But even for me, TCOM was a hugely disappointing album, and for the most part was painfully average, or just plain bad. The fact the the previous album was hardly a classic but was still miles better than TCOM I think says a lot. At the very least, the new album seems like it's going to be a lot better than the last album, which is all I really wanted from it. Maybe Jon can restore Iced Earth to their former glory after all.. I certainly hope so!

Written by Angelic Storm on 09.10.2011 at 14:25


1.You're right, it's not always easy. Sometimes it's difficult to not allow my own personal biases against a genre to not brand a band "bad". However, in general I do succeed most of the time I think. I tend to find that things like talent and musicianship aren't too difficult to spot, even if a band is in a genre that I don't particularly like.

2.Hehee, I did think that was a bit of an extreme comment, even for you! Yep, I'd have been very surprised if it actually was the case that you'd prefer hearing pop music than say "Powerslave" or "Keeper Of The 7 Keys", so hearing you back track a bit on that makes more sense to me. However, I kinda see what you mean to an extent at least. I remember making a comment about Queensryche's new album, and saying that I'd rather listen to certain Robbie Williams' songs than that album. And it wasn't a joke. So in a sense at least, I can see where you're coming from. haha

3.Yep, there are some bands with female vocals that I would like if not for the vocals, so I can still appreciate the musical talents in some of those bands. And certain bands even in genres I do like aren't really to my tastes, but I can still spot good musicianship and talent of it's there. A band like Anal Cunt however, have absolutely no talent whatsoever. Of course people can like them if they want, but saying they have no talent isn't just because they aren't to my tastes, it's a fact.

4.I'm actually not 35 yet, I have over a year to go yet before I reach that "milestone". But anyway, your point is still valid. xD

5.From what I've heard of it so far, it definitely is a step in the right direction. I was also very pleasantly surprised by Stu Block's performances on the new Iced Earth material. When I heard he was going to be the new singer for IE, I immediately went to listen to Into Eternity... after I did that, I had severe doubts that he would fit in with IE's style of metal. As he only seemed to have two ways of singing: High pitched, and death growls. However, I have heard Jon and Stu say in interviews that it wasn't till he joined IE that he realised he had these different ranges, and could sing in mid-lower ranges. Stu discovered he could sing in ways that he'd never done before, and he actually has huge range. And like you say, he sounds comfortable in all ranges, which is an ability that most metal vocalists don't have. Matt's weakness was always in the high ranges, which was always very apparent when he tried to sing on Ripper Owens' era material. And while I feel Stu lacks a bit of the aggression and power that Ripper possessed in that range, he still has no problems singing in it, so he should have no trouble singing the Tim era stuff unlike Matt. He definitely surprised me, and I think he is the right choice for the band now.

6.Well, I still love the genre IE are in, and am still very much a big fan of the band. But even for me, TCOM was a hugely disappointing album, and for the most part was painfully average, or just plain bad. The fact the the previous album was hardly a classic but was still miles better than TCOM I think says a lot. At the very least, the new album seems like it's going to be a lot better than the last album, which is all I really wanted from it. Maybe Jon can restore Iced Earth to their former glory after all.. I certainly hope so!

1.We, humans, judge things according to our own point of view. Thus, it is not easy to put our own personal perceptions aside, if not impossible at times. It's the human nature. However, I totally agree: spotting good musicianship is usually not very hard, as long as you try to be objective and not allow your dislike of a genre to blind you.

2.My comment needed a correction because it sounded like an absolute. It wasn't my intention but after re-reading myself, I realised it sounded like an absolute. I had the nuance in mind when I wrote the comment but I thought it was kinda logical and didn't need to be mentioned. However, I realised after that people are not in my mind, so my comment could raise confusion.

3.See #1. also, concerning Anal Cunt, I agree. Imo, this kind of noise, I would not even call music. Of course, people are free to like it if they want but it doesn't give it any musical quality.

4. Makes no difference. I mean, 33? 34? 38? Around this age, a few years more or less is nothing. My point was that we are adults, not teenagers. Though sometimes teenagers can be as reasonable as grown-ups. I have no inherent bias at younger people. The only thing is that older people are more experienced, so they tend to analise more and put things into context. They can more easily make the difference between their tastes and see quality even in something they don't like themselves.

5.Not much to add. Barlow was a singer with a naturally low-pitched voice and most of those singers tend to struggle with high-pitched vocals, unlike a singer such as Owens, because high notes are more natural for him.

6.For me, FA was much better than TCOM in every department. Imo, it was a good melodic metal album. Not a masterpiece but a very decent album.