Iced Earth - Dystopia

Written by Risto on 25.10.2011 at 14:50

Written by LichBorne on 25.10.2011 at 14:43

and that other screaming voice... is that Tim Owens or what?

Erm... Stu Block?

Thats not his voice Before chorus there is some screaming voice which reminds a lot on Tim Owens. somewhere about 2:40.
Just listen to it!!! that cant be stu block.

Written by LichBorne on 25.10.2011 at 15:23

Written by Risto on 25.10.2011 at 14:50

Written by LichBorne on 25.10.2011 at 14:43

and that other screaming voice... is that Tim Owens or what?

Erm... Stu Block?

Thats not his voice Before chorus there is some screaming voice which reminds a lot on Tim Owens. somewhere about 2:40.
Just listen to it!!! that cant be stu block.

The falsetto is definitely Stu Block and the low backing vocals could be Jon Schaffer. The falsettos aren't any different on the rest of the album really.

I hated that part in the song Dystopia. It just gets so boring and the high pitch vocals didn't work there imo. When the chorus starts i love the song though. On the other hand, i love when those vocals come in on Dark City, it works there.

I figured out what i don't like about the album, mainly in terms of production. The double bass. It is too 'tappy' - as in the sound. It sounds like he is hitting it with his pinky finger. I'm not trying to be a downer about it, i just can't help thinking this when i listen to it.

Whilst I liked the heavier, more old school IE sound, it all sounds a bit less dynamic than before: Whilst still pretty catchy, memorable and enjoyable, I found the songwriting to be pretty much on par with Crucible, to be honest: the melodies are the least identifiable the band has thrown out, even the older heavier stuff used to have much more defined songs: Did like the new vocalist: good range, that guy, but he isnt ever going to be my favourite IE vocalist: he doesn't just sound quite similar to Barlow, but quite clearly apes his voice entirely some times: even the smallest of vocal tics the guy puts out sounds like Barlow, which sort of weirded me out a bit, and took a bit of time to get used to and he doesnt quite have the emotional power barlow did: so a watered down barlow, but still a good, fitting singer, and I have the feeling if the next album actuallly allows his vocals through a bit more in the production, in a clearer way, he'll grow on me

Written by DylanFan61 on 31.10.2011 at 18:44

Did like the new vocalist: good range, that guy, but he isnt ever going to be my favourite IE vocalist: he doesn't just sound quite similar to Barlow, but quite clearly apes his voice entirely some times. Even the smallest of vocal tics the guy puts out sounds like Barlow, which sort of weirded me out a bit, and took a bit of time to get used to

I found it striking too at first, particularly the deep lower range of his voice. Schaffer said that Block hadn't even really used that kind of vocal style before so it was a pretty good "scout" from him. With time I started to notice more and more differences between him and Barlow though.

Written by Risto on 31.10.2011 at 18:57

Written by DylanFan61 on 31.10.2011 at 18:44

Did like the new vocalist: good range, that guy, but he isnt ever going to be my favourite IE vocalist: he doesn't just sound quite similar to Barlow, but quite clearly apes his voice entirely some times. Even the smallest of vocal tics the guy puts out sounds like Barlow, which sort of weirded me out a bit, and took a bit of time to get used to

I found it striking too at first, particularly the deep lower range of his voice. Schaffer said that Block hadn't even really used that kind of vocal style before so it was a pretty good "scout" from him. With time I started to notice more and more differences between him and Barlow though.

Same, actually: I still think the growling, deep stuff sounds way too similar, but when its just his clear voice, it can be fairly emotive and powerful, I just felt the production never allowed that style any prominence, if that makes sense

Also hope the net albums songs, like his vocals, will be more defined: the old albums were never as samey as this

OH man I loved this album. Best album they did since Horror Show or Something Wicked.

Written by BloodFireDeath on 02.11.2011 at 07:54

OH man I loved this album. Best album they did since Horror Show or Something Wicked.

If not the best...

Written by Vikcen on 03.11.2011 at 21:56

Written by BloodFireDeath on 02.11.2011 at 07:54

OH man I loved this album. Best album they did since Horror Show or Something Wicked.

If not the best...

Yeah I gotta say this album has a certain magic to it. The combination of most of the band being the same line up since 2007, new singer, good songwriting, and a REALLY sharp and relavant concept to the album it really fires on all thrusters.

I'm not a gigantic Iced Earth fan but it's nice to see the new guy is getting on well with minimum flak from the fanboy battalion.

Like many Iced Earth albums its main weakness is an overall feeling of blandness from some of the songs. However, I'd say most of the tracks are fucking kick-ass and the last track ''Tragedy and Triumph'' is what really makes it special.

I'd probably give it an 8 or a 9 if it wasn't for some of the middle tracks; again they were a bit too dull to get me interested.

Ok lived with the album for a while now. know it well. F**king love it. Second only to TGB Imo. Voice too similer to Barlows for me to rate it higher but Stu is amazing. cant wait for a tour then more albums.

First off I need to say, Into Eternity is one of my favorite bands, so I am a little biased about Stu's vocals, and I was hoping for something different then we have here on Dystopia.

Stu Block is a great vocalist and I was disappointed that he did not use many of his vocal ranges he has access to as he did on Into Eternity - I did not expect Into Eternity vocals all throughout the album but I was hoping during choruses and more key moments he would use his high falsetto voice more.

I was really looking forward to Iced Earth music with Stu's vocal range used to make the songs more interesting, but as some people posted, Stu is emulating Matt Barlow a lot on this album, a casual listener probably would not even know the difference between Matt and Stu from this album.

The songs are good, very Iced Earth, but I wish that Stu's vocal range was used more on this album, it would have made the album much more interesting (to me anyway).

1:03 into Equilibrium, the song either skips or moves on to the next song:mad:

I find myself repeating this over and over again, so I'll just paste from my 2011 list (too lazy to dig up the review/rant):

Oh how the mighty have fallen. This is basically Something Wicked Part III: The Weakest One Yet. And it's not the new vocalist's fault. Stu Block does a good job, sometimes sounding eerily barlowesque. Schaffer got lazy. The songwriting is poor, and it all feels so damn old in the heard before sense. Biggest disappointment of the year. 4/10.

Not an awful album, but i have to admit that i didn't really enjoy it ...i'll give it a few more listens, maybe its one of those albums who need some getting used to first, but this definitely mean that it isn't "Catchy" by any means.
i like megadeth Th1rt3en more than this album when i listen to it ,,,i really enjoy it

This album certainly deserves a few more listens before rating it. It's definitely not the best, but it's not an average album either. Its main quality, if you ask me, is the consistency. I haven't heard that since Something Wicked This Way Comes if you want. Personally, I feel Horror Show is closest in terms of music value, but since Something Wicked This Way Comes, I missed a "compact" IE album, where melodies are put together carefully, even though, in this case, not all of them are masterpieces. I really feel that if IE could have pulled some Dante's, Travel in Stygian, or Question of Heaven type song here, this would have been a well-deserved mass acclaimed album. Eh, we have Tragedy and Triumph instead, which really makes the difference. A great song, but a rather "playful" one, nothing compared to the epic masterpieces mentioned above. Still, a solid 8.5 from me, pushing to 9 due to a great vocal performance by Stu, who, as a debut, is really encouraging. Looking forward to the next one, as usual! See you guys in Bucharest for the first time in just a few days!

@Gabytzud: I totally agree with everything you've said. The only thing that "Dystopia" is missing to elevate it to a classic status is a dramatic, epic type song like the ones you mentioned. Which is the one thing that all the classic Iced Earth albums have. Even "The Glorious Burden" is without doubt elevated considerably due to the prescence of "The Gettysburg Trilogy". But all things considered, new singer, and a previous album that was very dissappointing, "Dystopia" is certainly a very good album, and a lot better than I was expecting. Just some minor improvements here and there should mean that the next album can be placed alongside their greats.

Waaay better than I expected it to be!

Very solid album all around. Dark City is one of the best songs I've heard all year long.

Wow! I'm shocked to say I'm really enjoying this album. I'm the ultimate Matt Barlow fan and was really ready to not like Stu (especially after the Owens debacle). Well, hot damn. He's amazing. He does sound a lot like Barlow but I don't feel like he's trying to. He just seems to have a similar timbre at times but really brings his own special energy and drama to this.

Jon seems to be getting a little tired as a composer, though. Despite the EXCELLENT performances all around I can't say this will beat out their legendary albums.

Wow! I'm shocked to say I'm really enjoying this album. I'm the ultimate Matt Barlow fan and was really ready to not like Stu (especially after the Owens debacle). Well, hot damn. He's amazing. He does sound a lot like Barlow but I don't feel like he's trying to. He just seems to have a similar timbre at times but really brings his own special energy and drama to this.

Jon seems to be getting a little tired as a composer, though. Despite the EXCELLENT performances all around I can't say this will beat out their legendary albums.

Written by Susan on 04.12.2011 at 00:23

Wow! I'm shocked to say I'm really enjoying this album. I'm the ultimate Matt Barlow fan and was really ready to not like Stu (especially after the Owens debacle). Well, hot damn. He's amazing. He does sound a lot like Barlow but I don't feel like he's trying to. He just seems to have a similar timbre at times but really brings his own special energy and drama to this.

Jon seems to be getting a little tired as a composer, though. Despite the EXCELLENT performances all around I can't say this will beat out their legendary albums.

but it did seem to rekindle the fire a bit. I hope the next one would be better, because the good songs here are amazing. Like the title track. I listened to it so many time XD Anthem grew on me a lot too. I've always liked Stu as a vocalist, but I have to say he has exceeded my expectations in terms of fitting into Iced Earth and out performed himself when comparing his work with Into Eternity. That being said, I'm a bit pissed off Into Eternity's album recording progress seems to have stopped because of that...

Written by Ag Fox on 04.12.2011 at 02:48

but it did seem to rekindle the fire a bit.

I totally agree! Musically this album is way above the previous few. I've only listened once so hopefully my opinion will only continue to go up. It's just so nice to hear such a renewed energy with this band

Awesome album
\m/ - - \m/

This is the first Iced Earth album since "Horror Show" that I liked. Really, Stu Block has done a great job on this album, and some of his vocal lines are magnificent. Too bad the album starts with a few really great songs, but around the fifth or sixth track the album gets pretty boring. Thankfully, the band picks up the pace once again with Days of Rage and finishes the album with strong ballad (End of Innocence) and a pretty solid epic track (Tragedy and Triumph).
Oh, and the (unlucky) owners of the limited will have to listen to two bonus tracks, which aren't quite on the same level as the best tracks from this album.
All in all, I hope that the band will keep up the good work, and their next record is gonna be more of a killer.

I've been fan of Iced Earth since Something Wicked, and this really is the bands best work since The Glorious Burden. The whole Something Wicked concept albums had potential, but were a serious let down. I was gutted when Matt left, as to me he was the voice of Iced Earth so was excited for him to be back. However Something Wicked pt 2 was just as bad as part 1. I put this down to Matt having little or no influence, as Jon had this whole Something Wicked story in his head to tell. So for him not to be around for what was a totally different album annoyed me. It was all needless worrying though as Stu has given Iced Earth a great big kick up the ass and released an astounding thrash album. Sure it's a little bit mainstream thrash with the slow songs, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I only recently got this album (about 24 hours ago, now I think on it) and I've only really had one chance to listen through it, but I like it so far. I honestly like the title track the most at the minute, but their cover of "The Trooper" got a lot of plays when I finally got it. From what I remember of it, it's a strong album, but it suffers in that it tries to be consistently excellent, which can result in an album that has no weak track, but doesn't have anything that you want to keep re-hearing because it is daunting to try to return to.

Having said this, I'm not an Iced Earth fan and I listened to it when I was fighting sleep, so I might be being a bit harsh. I'd say it's a seven for now, with the potential to grow on me.

I start listen ita nd thing, why ppl wate it so much, but then I understand its blast, I cant say much, no one hit, but whole killer album, new vocalist seems inproves and he sounds like Mat and Tim , hard to talk about this album, werry powerfull opeing whit new one, hard to judge it , whole album is good you cant pic up song

Written by renai on 23.10.2011 at 05:57

Never listen to Iced Earth before but I think this album is cool!

Yeah, hearing a track from this album got me to buy two of their classics

I love Stu's perfect balance between Barlow and Owens. Best of both worlds into one.