Written by Valentin B on 07.09.2011 at 21:49
I don't doubt Schaffer's ability to churn out mindblowing and very catchy and heavy, complex songs, but i doubt this can top Night of the Stormrider or Burnt Offerings. I also find the new Anthrax (at least the songs i've listened to so far) way too fluffy and "safe".

I think I can safely assume that it won't top either of those albums, though I'll just be happy if it's an improvement over the last one! lol

Oh, what did you think of Stu singing on "Dante's Inferno"?

Well, the new Anthrax is extremely melodic, at least for the most part... But I find the hooks and melodies extremely catchy, which just means that the one moment when they really let loose with a vicious thrash attack, ("Earth On Hell") that it truly stands out, and sounds especially great. It is a very diverse album, and diverse albums usually have a habit of polarising opinion. And it's great hearing Joey sing with them again... his voice is in great shape! <3

Written by Angelic Storm on 07.09.2011 at 22:29

I think I can safely assume that it won't top either of those albums, though I'll just be happy if it's an improvement over the last one! lol

Oh, what did you think of Stu singing on "Dante's Inferno"?

couldn't listen to it yet, i'm at work and streaming media is blocked. will listen to it tomorrow or later or something

Written by Valentin B on 07.09.2011 at 22:52
couldn't listen to it yet, i'm at work and streaming media is blocked. will listen to it tomorrow or later or something

Oh, I see... Well, thank you for the info anyways, I dont know when Id have found out about that if it wasn't for you lol

HOLY SHIT. What a great move to release a re-recording of such a classic song, if not the most classic one not counting the Schaffer-sung Stormrider. Really gives you a feel of how Stu compares to Barlow on every damn frequency of his voice. His low clean's are probably where I miss Barlow the most but I think once we hear some original Stu material he'll convince most parts of the fanbase. Don't get me wrong, though, the re-recording is not even half as good as the one from Alive in Athens but as we all know that one is metal history and probably the most intense moment in their discography. To wrap this accolade up I have to say I'm positively surprised by the vocals, especially the gritty parts.

Yup, the low cleans are definitely Barlow's strong point. then again, i gotta say Stu does a good job too (his voice reminds me of Sammett in some points though). the whole sound of the recording doesn't please me too much (a bit too hollow at some points) but overall it's safe to say that Iced Earth is on the right track. the drum work though is where i'm quite impressed, it's spectacular and very VERY technical.

Written by Angelic Storm on 07.09.2011 at 21:36

Written by Risto on 07.09.2011 at 21:24
There's a reviewer on a big Finnish metal site saying "Dystopia" is the best Iced Earth album... sounds like it won't be terrible

I would be absolutely amazed if "Dystopia" turns out to be the best Iced Earth album... Especially when the last album wasn't very good at all. Then again, Anthrax far surpassed my expectations with their latest album, so we'll see... lol

Well, now there's two of them journalists saying it's a great record! One of them sheds some light on why especially "The Crucible of Man" possibly wasn't up to par:

"I had a few words with Schaffer the other week and he quite openly admitted the dense release schedule was pretty tough. Not because of the band, but because he lost his father and two siblings in a short space of time. Not giving up can take its toll sometimes."

Written by Risto on 08.09.2011 at 01:06
Well, now there's two of them journalists saying it's a great record! One of them sheds some light on why especially "The Crucible of Man" possibly wasn't up to par:

"I had a few words with Schaffer the other week and he quite openly admitted the dense release schedule was pretty tough. Not because of the band, but because he lost his father and two siblings in a short space of time. Not giving up can take its toll sometimes."

Well, if that is the case, then that certainly would have had a very negative effect... He really should have taken some time off to come to terms with all that. Here's hoping those journalists are right about it being great! xD

@Valentin: I know what you mean about the sound on the re-record. And I didn't like the solos much either. But I've never really been a fan of Troy Seele anyways. I think both Randy Shawver and Larry Tarnowski were better guitarists for Iced Earth. :\ As for the drums... well, the last two live performances of Iced Earth I've seen, Brent Smedley has been amazing, so Im not too surprised at that... hehe

Written by Angelic Storm on 08.09.2011 at 01:24

@Valentin: I know what you mean about the sound on the re-record. And I didn't like the solos much either. But I've never really been a fan of Troy Seele anyways. I think both Randy Shawver and Larry Tarnowski were better guitarists for Iced Earth. :\ As for the drums... well, the last two live performances of Iced Earth I've seen, Brent Smedley has been amazing, so Im not too surprised at that... hehe

yeah, really i have no idea how in the name of fuck he will be able to follow Schaffer's insane triplets on that song (and other very difficult drum tracks like Violate, Iced Earth or Stormrider) every other night for a month and a half. on the original version though the drumming was quite minimalistic (to not say lazy), so imo it's a great improvement.

i'm quite pumped about the new album and the subsequent tour now and can't wait for it to leak

Written by Valentin B on 08.09.2011 at 17:03
yeah, really i have no idea how in the name of fuck he will be able to follow Schaffer's insane triplets on that song (and other very difficult drum tracks like Violate, Iced Earth or Stormrider) every other night for a month and a half. on the original version though the drumming was quite minimalistic (to not say lazy), so imo it's a great improvement.

i'm quite pumped about the new album and the subsequent tour now and can't wait for it to leak

Well, from what I've been hearing from him lately, I wouldn't put it past him to be able to follow those insane rhythms! I've definitely been very impressed with his drumming recently. I actually saw him live with Iced Earth when I seen them supporting Heaven & Hell, and I remember being blown away by his drumming on "Ten Thousand Strong"! \m/ Freddie Vidales is a great bass player too. In fact, Troy is only weak link in the current IE lineup IMO... :\

I've listened to the new Dante's Inferno a few times now, and I still feel Stu's low cleans aren't as strong as Matt's, but overall, I think he gave a very good performance on it. Hehe, Im pumped too! The fact Matt chose that song to re-record (and in it's original tuning...) is hopefully a good sign for the direction of the new album... as for the tour, I just hope they play near me so I can see them play Dante's Inferno live! lol

Seele seems to add more of a pentatonic touch to the more sinister minor scale shredding. I have no probs with that because he is damn good at it. I've always thought Tarnowski's soloing on Athens was quite.. I don't know... ugly. In a good way, though! THere's something really primal and evil about every lead he does which is why he fit Iced Earth so well.

Written by Risto on 07.09.2011 at 21:24

Written by Daniell on 07.09.2011 at 20:49

Another way to see it would be: they are trying to cash in their old glory.

I really hope the new album will be decent.

That recording is free of charge though

Yes, it's true, but I meant to say that I'd rather listen to a new song

Written by Storchillarn on 08.09.2011 at 22:44

Seele seems to add more of a pentatonic touch to the more sinister minor scale shredding. I have no probs with that because he is damn good at it. I've always thought Tarnowski's soloing on Athens was quite.. I don't know... ugly. In a good way, though! THere's something really primal and evil about every lead he does which is why he fit Iced Earth so well.

My problem with Troy, is none of his solos are memorable... Randy and Larry both did many solos that stick in the memory, and are key parts in some of Iced Earth's greatest songs. Even in Ralph Santolla's very brief time with the band, he created a stunning and memorable solo in an Iced Earth song! ("Valley Forge") lol Troy's solos just seem soulless in comparison...

I've just this moment heard two new songs from "Dystopia"! And if these 2 songs are any indication of the quality of the album itself, I think I can safely say it's going to be a lot better than the last album. "Anthem" has more than a hint of "Declaration Day" about it with it's simmering quality, and empassioned chorus. Whereas the skullcrushing "Days Of Rage" instantly brought "Violate" to my mind, with it's violent palm muted riff savagery! I just wish it was a little bit longer... lol

I'm now totally sold on the choice of Stu Block for Iced Earth vocalist! At times, his voice at times sounds very reminiscent of Matt Barlow, whereas when he hits the high notes in "Days Of Rage" you'd swear it was Ripper Owens. I really was unsure how he'd fit in with Iced Earth, but all my doubts are now gone, he totally kills it! xD

There's also been some behind the scenes footage of the making of the album posted on Iced Earth's official website: http://www.icedearth.com/

Those two songs are on a some kind of promo release bundled with a few live performances and an interview, it seems.

Written by Risto on 17.09.2011 at 18:44

Those two songs are on a some kind of promo release bundled with a few live performances and an interview, it seems.

Correct! It's a "Rock Hard" special, featuring those 2 new songs, plus 3 live songs from Wacken 2007 with Ripper on vocals. There's also an interview on it, although I haven't seen that yet. xD

Iced Earth is definitely back in the game. hearing those two tracks, i can say my hopes are up for this album.

My hopes are dead. I just think it sounds generic.. nothing interesting is going on at all. Stu does a good job, though.

I didn't like the songs either, they're far from being interesting to me. But I can't judge their job until I listen to the complete album, so let's wait.

Cant say i liked either songs...but, like stated earlier, in the context of a full release they could sound totally different

Samples of Dystopia are now available on the iTunes US store with a duration of 1:30.

Written by Risto on 04.10.2011 at 18:29

Samples of Dystopia are now available on the iTunes US store with a duration of 1:30.

Im from the UK, but for some reason when I go to my itunes store, it's the Japanese one.... have no idea how that happened. lol

Edit: I was able to get to the US Stores, and the samples have increased my expectations... definitely sounds like this will be a more exciting and dynamic album than the last 2 or 3 albums. "Boiling Point" sounds awesome, as does "Dark City", and I love the Maiden-ism's in "Equilibrium". "End Of Innocence" (written by Stu about his mother's terminal cancer) sounds like it's going to be a total classic ballad up there with the immortal "Watching Over Me". It must have been so hard for Stu to sing that... And there's a cover of Mob Rules on the special edition too!

Note: The songs "Soylent Green" and "Iron Will" don't seem to be available on itunes, and must be available only on a physical limited edition version. So I couldnt hear either of those songs...

Just from the 3 tracks (Anthem, Days of Rage and Dystopia) released already and the iTunes samples, I already get the feeling this could be the best Iced Earth album since Horror Show. Stu Block has really nailed it vocally (Not better than Barlow or Owens outright, but a good competent mix of the two and his own thing) and the music itself sounds alot better than the last 3 albums. Will need to hear the whole thing before I make a final judgement though but for now colour me excited. I've pre-ordered the Special Edition Digipack in faith

I've just finished listening to the whole album, and it's great! It definitely blows TCOM out of the water anyways. The two bonus tracks are awesome, although "Soylent Green" feels a little unfinished without a solo. The album overall is surprisingly melodic, with huge triumphant choruses in most of the songs, this might actually be the most overtly "power metal" album they've ever done. "Boiling Point" is a great thrasher, but could have done with being a bit longer and having a solo. "Days Of Rage" is similar, but the short length feels okay for this one! And the album version of "Anthem" contains a clean guitar intro which wasn't on the pre-release version of the track. I really have to mention "Dark City", which blew me away, and is every inch a classic Iced Earth song! xD

TCOM was the first Iced Earth album I didn't buy, but I'll definitely be buying this one! It's a little flawed, and isn't perfect, but the high points well outweigh the bad. And Stu does us IE fans proud with his great performances on the album. Welcome back boys!

Written by Angelic Storm on 10.10.2011 at 19:14

I've just finished listening to the whole album, and it's great! It definitely blows TCOM out of the water anyways. The two bonus tracks are awesome, although "Soylent Green" feels a little unfinished without a solo. The album overall is surprisingly melodic, with huge triumphant choruses in most of the songs, this might actually be the most overtly "power metal" album they've ever done. "Boiling Point" is a great thrasher, but could have done with being a bit longer and having a solo. "Days Of Rage" is similar, but the short length feels okay for this one! And the album version of "Anthem" contains a clean guitar intro which wasn't on the pre-release version of the track. I really have to mention "Dark City", which blew me away, and is every inch a classic Iced Earth song! xD

Pretty much this. I really liked the intro to 'Anthem', links it to the Something Wicked saga nicely (Both 'Anthem' and 'Tragedy and Triumph' are continuations of the story for those who don't know yet). 'Anguish of Youth' really grabbed my attention as well. A genuine 'Barlow who?' moment for a while! Stu Block has pulled this off nicely though there are parts where I do miss Matt Barlow. Easily the best album since Horror Show for sure but I still think the song writing and music in general could do with a step up. Eitherway its definitely better than the last two releases as a whole.

Written by Silent Jay on 10.10.2011 at 21:30
Pretty much this. I really liked the intro to 'Anthem', links it to the Something Wicked saga nicely (Both 'Anthem' and 'Tragedy and Triumph' are continuations of the story for those who don't know yet). 'Anguish of Youth' really grabbed my attention as well. A genuine 'Barlow who?' moment for a while! Stu Block has pulled this off nicely though there are parts where I do miss Matt Barlow. Easily the best album since Horror Show for sure but I still think the song writing and music in general could do with a step up. Eitherway its definitely better than the last two releases as a whole.

It's actually the title track along with "Tragedy And Triumph" that are continuations of the Set Abominae story.

I do really like the intro to "Anthem". It adds something to it and makes it feel more complete. Feeling incomplete is a problem with 2 otherwise great songs on the album, ("Soylent Green" and "Boiling Point") and a song like "The End Of Innocence" really called for a more dramatic solo section than the one it actually has. However, none of the songs are bad, which is something Iced Earth haven't managed on an album since "Horror Show". The prescence of the "Gettysburg Trilogy" on TGB might just edge things in that album's favour, but take that song away, and "Dystopia" definitely beats it.

It's far and away better than the last album, and is a more cohesive, consistent effort than the at times explosive but overlong and patchy "Framing Armageddon". "V" is about as close to a filler as you'll find on the album, but it grew on me after a couple of plays, and the chorus really elevates the song and makes it quite great! Songs like the title track, "Dark City" and "Tragedy And Triumph" are all glaring examples of Jon's great and dynamic songwriting abilities that he only fleetingly showed on the last few albums, whilst "The End Of Innocence" has a huge emotive pull due to the subject matter, and Stu's heartfelt vocals on it bringing a true emotional quality to Iced Earth's music not seen since Matt's original time with the band. He still can't quite beat the master yet in that regard, but on that song he comes very close and is a more than adequate replacement. Elsewhere, his high pitched shrieking at the end of "Boiling Point" is another spine tingling moment that would make the metal god himself Rob Halford, proud! \m/

I said a while back, all I wanted from the new material was an album from Jon that was better than the last one, and in that respect he has delivered and far exceeded my expectations for a new IE album. Okay, it's not quite a "Burnt Offerings" or "Something Wicked" beater, but it's a huge step back in the right direction for the band. Here's to Jon and Stu making more great albums together!

Written by Angelic Storm on 10.10.2011 at 23:44

Written by Silent Jay on 10.10.2011 at 21:30
Pretty much this. I really liked the intro to 'Anthem', links it to the Something Wicked saga nicely (Both 'Anthem' and 'Tragedy and Triumph' are continuations of the story for those who don't know yet). 'Anguish of Youth' really grabbed my attention as well. A genuine 'Barlow who?' moment for a while! Stu Block has pulled this off nicely though there are parts where I do miss Matt Barlow. Easily the best album since Horror Show for sure but I still think the song writing and music in general could do with a step up. Eitherway its definitely better than the last two releases as a whole.

It's actually the title track along with "Tragedy And Triumph" that are continuations of the Set Abominae story.

I knew that. It was a silly moment and only realised my mistake after I had left my computer Maybe the intro reminded me too much of the last two albums, as it does kinda have that vibe to it. Thanks for correcting me though

I do find myself agreeing with everything your saying. Other than a few 'incomplete' moments, which have certainly become more apparent on the second and now third listen, its a pretty solid album. Probably not a high rater such as 'Stormrider or 'Offerings, but definitely one that has revitalised my faith in the band after the last few albums, but shall see after a few more listens how this new material sticks. Stu Blocks high shrieks are Tim Owens to a tee which im still trying to get over. Its shocking me every time! I just hope Stu can deliver the older material well live aswell as I'll be seeing them next month. I'm sure he will though.

I have the 2-disc version of 'The Glorious Burden', so i've always kinda seen The Gettysburg Trilogy as a separate entity than a real part of the album. But yes without that putting the album up a notch, 'Dystopia' is the best album since Horror Show.

I wonder why so many people seem to consider "Horror Show" as a good album. I've always found this album boring.
Imo, both "The Glorious Burden" and "Framing Armageddon" easily beat it.

Written by Silent Jay on 11.10.2011 at 03:07
I knew that. It was a silly moment and only realised my mistake after I had left my computer Maybe the intro reminded me too much of the last two albums, as it does kinda have that vibe to it. Thanks for correcting me though

I do find myself agreeing with everything your saying. Other than a few 'incomplete' moments, which have certainly become more apparent on the second and now third listen, its a pretty solid album. Probably not a high rater such as 'Stormrider or 'Offerings, but definitely one that has revitalised my faith in the band after the last few albums, but shall see after a few more listens how this new material sticks. Stu Blocks high shrieks are Tim Owens to a tee which im still trying to get over. Its shocking me every time! I just hope Stu can deliver the older material well live aswell as I'll be seeing them next month. I'm sure he will though.

I have the 2-disc version of 'The Glorious Burden', so i've always kinda seen The Gettysburg Trilogy as a separate entity than a real part of the album. But yes without that putting the album up a notch, 'Dystopia' is the best album since Horror Show.

Haha, that's okay..

I still think Ripper has the slight edge over Stu in the high vocal range, mainly because he has that extra tinge of aggression in his voice. But Stu still does sound remarkably like him when he does those really high shrieks! And crucially, he sounds far more comfortable in that range than Matt did.

I also have the 2-disc version of TGB, and I always thought "The Gettysburg Trilogy" was only on a second disc because it wouldn't have fitted on the first disc with all the other songs. However, I know there is a version of the album available with only one disc and no "Gettysburg Trilogy" on it. So I guess depending on how you look at it, it is only a bonus and not part of the actual album itself. Without that track, the album is merely good. With it, it's amazing with only a couple of fillers dragging it down a bit. hehe xD

@Ravenking: I've just always loved "Horror Show"... there isn't a single song on it that I can say I dislike. Which is something I can't say about the 3 albums that followed it... Both FA and TGB have some amazing songs on them, but are also a bit patchy.

Written by Angelic Storm on 11.10.2011 at 13:43

Written by Silent Jay on 11.10.2011 at 03:07
I knew that. It was a silly moment and only realised my mistake after I had left my computer Maybe the intro reminded me too much of the last two albums, as it does kinda have that vibe to it. Thanks for correcting me though

I do find myself agreeing with everything your saying. Other than a few 'incomplete' moments, which have certainly become more apparent on the second and now third listen, its a pretty solid album. Probably not a high rater such as 'Stormrider or 'Offerings, but definitely one that has revitalised my faith in the band after the last few albums, but shall see after a few more listens how this new material sticks. Stu Blocks high shrieks are Tim Owens to a tee which im still trying to get over. Its shocking me every time! I just hope Stu can deliver the older material well live aswell as I'll be seeing them next month. I'm sure he will though.

I have the 2-disc version of 'The Glorious Burden', so i've always kinda seen The Gettysburg Trilogy as a separate entity than a real part of the album. But yes without that putting the album up a notch, 'Dystopia' is the best album since Horror Show.

I also have the 2-disc version of TGB, and I always thought "The Gettysburg Trilogy" was only on a second disc because it wouldn't have fitted on the first disc with all the other songs. However, I know there is a version of the album available with only one disc and no "Gettysburg Trilogy" on it. So I guess depending on how you look at it, it is only a bonus and not part of the actual album itself. Without that track, the album is merely good. With it, it's amazing with only a couple of fillers dragging it down a bit. hehe xD

There is European and a U.S. single disc versions, each omitting a track or 2 in favour of another that the other does not (The U.S. version has 'Star-Spangled Banner' and 'Greenface' whilst the European version has 'Waterloo'). The 2-disc has all tracks including the 'unplugged' version of 'When the Eagle Cries' not found on either of the single-discs (hense Gettysburg had to be put on a second disc due to space restriction) so I consider that to be the definitive version of 'The Glorious Burden'. I know many give it high praise but I've never really gotten along well with it save maybe a few tracks.

Written by RavenKing on 11.10.2011 at 03:12

I wonder why so many people seem to consider "Horror Show" as a good album. I've always found this album boring.
Imo, both "The Glorious Burden" and "Framing Armageddon" easily beat it.

It's not the best Iced Earth album, and I do agree it can be boring at times, but its far more consistant than anything thats come after it and even some that came before. It's solid and has some outstanding tracks. In particular 'Damien', 'Dracula', 'The Phantom Opera Ghost' and the great cover of 'Transylvania'. The only TGB tracks I really like are 'Declaration Day', 'The Reckoning', 'Greenface', 'Attila' (none of which I would consider anywhere near my favorite Iced Earth songs anyway) and ofcourse 'The Gettysburg Trilogy'. The others borderlines on decent to boring, more so than the others on 'Horror Show'. 'Framing Armageddon' I only really like about 6 tracks overall, too much filler and interludes ruins what could of been an awesome album. Same goes for 'The Crucible of Man'.

The Glorious Burden is quite boring. Owens makes a lot of the weaker tracks tolerable, though. The trilogy, however, is one of their finest moments and without it the album would probably end up in the bottom three. I agree about the Horror Show-hype not being quite understandable but as Silent Jay points out it's fairly consistent with a couple of really great tracks. What he fails to mention is 'Wolf' as one of those outstanding tracks. That track's basically what got me into the band, come to think of it.

On the topic of Dystopia: I seriously believe that Stu doesn't sound as good as he does in Into Eternity. I get no emotional response from any song, what so ever. The thrashier numbers are cool, though. It's definately a solid album but I'm kind of disappointed with the vocals.