Band:	Iced Earth
Album:	Dystopia
Style:	Heavy metal, US power metal
Release date:	October 17, 2011
Guest review by:	Tristus Scriptor

01. Dystopia
02. Anthem
03. Boiling Point
04. Anguish Of Youth
05. V
06. Dark City
07. Equilibrium
08. Days Of Rage
09. End Of Innocence
10. Soylent Green [limited edition bonus]
11. Iron Will [limited edition bonus]
12. Tragedy And Triumph
13. Anthem [string mix version] [limited edition bonus]
14. The Mob Rules [Black Sabbath cover] [iTunes bonus]

Once again, Jon Schaffer's vehicle of pure METAL does a dust-stirring figure-eight around all of our dizzied heads, screeching to a halt directly in front of us. I can't think of a time when a new Iced Earth release was a humdrum occasion. Be it Schaffer's knack for incessant line-up changes, anticipated concepts, re-recorded classics (both original and covered), and...MORE line-up changes; one cannot deny that curiosity almost always surrounds every release with the Iced Earth moniker. This one is no different. Come to think of it, for many reasons, Dystopia might just be the most significant case of raised eyebrows yet.

I won't start with the obvious, which would be the particular changes and contemporary nuances of this release; instead opting for the rhetoric: What does the listener always expect when approaching an Iced Earth output? Many absolute answers sprout with immediate confidence: melodic, near-thrash power metal compositions, severely emotive vocals, a weighty ballad or two, conceptual lyrics, machine-like rhythms, and so on, and so forth. That being said, none of these ingredients are missing here. The question is, how well is it done this time?

The job that we metalheads have commissioned the band to do with our minds, ears, and hearts is getting done, and well. As mentioned before, all of our favorite ingredients are included in this dish. I'll even throw out a surprise grand-statement to get your undivided attention. Dystopia, in many ways, seems like the album that could have come after Night of the Stormrider. So, how's those eyebrows doin'?

This being a case of stepping backward in order to progress forward, one must not be concerned with a lack of advancement. The lessening of grandiose, cinematic Blind Guardian influence (that had begun to seem the way of the band's future) is a good thing. A true love for classic metal staples has replaced the bombast almost entirely, paving the way for memorable, powerful songs. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest on steroids, anyone?

The focus of most of this album's controversy is obviously Stu Block, the band's fifth(!) official vocalist. That numerical point should be an eye-opening incentive to just plain deal with it, listen to his voice for Iced Earth-isms, and realize that everything needed is undoubtedly there. The man's voice is both flawlessly adequate for every (and I do mean EVERY) vocal detail ever called for on a Schaffer tune, yet also easily dismissible as mere impersonations. Well, seeing as people typically scream out their Taco Bell order in a Halford-esque wail, it can be viewed that all singing is purposeful and sometimes unnatural tonal manipulation. So, let's cut the negative critical analysis, and support the guy's uncanny ability to hit the Bar-lows (see what I did there?), the Owens highs, the Greely unobtrusiveness- thankfully, however, leaving out the Adams tones of awkwardness, filling that spot with a natural aggressive quality that is obviously derived from his death-growl ability (which is thankfully absent here, as to not fully alienate most Iced Earth fans), yet tamed to a raspy thrash metal midrange.

Songwriting here is of a premium quality, as a single spin will tattoo pieces of the album into your skull. This concerned me at first, since most immediately infectious tunes wear off and sink into the swamps of tedium very quickly. Rest assured, however, each spin just garners this release more and more points toward the legendary. Guitar solos stay tasteful, all the while providing the shred in which to raise thy horns. The rhythm section is tight as ever, and the lyrics conceptual and meticulously crafted. This is pure METAL glory, people. Just accept it.