Iced Earth
is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida that combines influences from thrash metal, power metal, progressive metal, opera, speed metal and NWOBHM. Iced Earth has been known to have a volatile and oft changing line-up. Founding member, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer being the only original member who has remained, handling nearly all of the songwriting and leading the band. Current vocalist Matt Barlow and former lead guitarist Randall Shawver are the next longest-tenured members, the only people besides Schaffer to have spent a full decade in the band. Shawver, the first lead guitarist to record with the band, joined in 1988 and remained until 1998. Barlow joined in 1994 and remained until 2003, when he was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S. to leave the band and become a law enforcement officer. However, he returned to the group in late 2007, making his live return at the 2008 Chicago Powerfest. In 1999 Jon Schaffer teamed up with Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kürsch to form a side project called Demons & Wizards and have released two albums to date.
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ICED EARTH TICKETS
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History
Formation and debut
The central figure of Iced Earth is rhythm guitarist and songwriter
Jon Schaffer. Schaffer originally founded the band under the name Purgatory while he was living in Columbus, Indiana, but after Schaffer relocated the band to Florida, he was forced to change the name due to another group already using the name Purgatory. He would rename the band Iced Earth in tribute to a longtime friend who had died in a motorcycle accident; Schaffer would later write the song "Watching Over Me" on the
Something Wicked This Way Comes
album for this same friend. The group set out and recorded their first demo titled
Enter the Realm
, which sparked enough interest that they were signed by Century Media Records. In 1991 they recorded and released their first album titled
Iced Earth
.
Night of the Stormrider
Vocalist Gene Adam was originally going to perform on the follow-up record,
Night of the Stormrider
but was fired from the band after refusing to take singing lessons when Schaffer was concerned that he would not be able to handle the vocal duties for the new album. He was replaced by John Greely. Since then, the band has gone through numerous lineup changes, with Jon Schaffer remaining the only permanent member. Greely was kicked out of the band, allegedly for stealing money from other band members and making
anti-semitic comments on the European tour with
Blind Guardian in Germany.
Burnt Offerings
, The Dark Saga
, Something Wicked...
, Horror Show
, and tribute
Vocalist
Matt Barlow joined the band (after a three-year band hiatus following
Night of the Stormrider
) in 1995 for
Burnt Offerings
. Barlow's vocals proved extremely popular, even though he refrained from any vocal training until 1996. Barlow lasted eight years in the band, providing vocals on the original studio albums
The Dark Saga
,
Something Wicked This Way Comes
and
Horror Show
, along with the covers album
Tribute to the Gods
and the live album
Alive in Athens
which was recorded in 1999. Following the events of
9/11, Barlow was inspired to part ways with the band, but was talked out of the idea by Schaffer, However, Schaffer decided in June 2003 that Barlow's vocals were "not what they used to be" and chose to fire him after all. Barlow went on to pursue a career in law enforcement, and would not return to the band until late 2007.
The Glorious Burden
Vocalist
Tim "Ripper" Owens had recently parted ways with
Judas Priest (to make room for the return of former vocalist
Rob Halford) and became Iced Earth's new vocalist. His first album with the band,
The Glorious Burden
, is an examination of many aspects of warfare and military figures who have shaped the modern world. Its topics range from the
Declaration of Independence to
9/11 to
Napoleon Bonaparte. The final three songs collectively titled
Gettysburg (1863)
are a 30+ minute journey through
The Battle of Gettysburg which took place during the American Civil War.
Gettysburg (1863)
would also feature what would be Barlow's final recordings with the band until 2008, as he was a featured musician on the album, providing backing vocals. Originally,
The Glorious Burden
was released as a limited edition that features the songs "Waterloo" and "When the Eagle Cries (Unplugged)" to the first disc and moves the three songs that comprise
Gettysburg (1863)
to a second disc.
The album's theme became the center of a controversy after Schaffer gave an interview to
Canadian heavy metal magazine
Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles
. After the interview was published, Schaffer accused the magazine of taking him out of context and of pushing an
anti-American bias, and subsequently announced that the band would
boycott the magazine in the future. However, Schaffer granted Mark Gromen, also of
Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles
and a friend, an interview in issue 101 (January-February 2007) effectively ending the boycott.
During a break of touring the US drummer
Richard Christy left the band to join
The Howard Stern Show in mid-2004. He was replaced by Bobby Jarzombek to finish the remainder of touring duties for
The Glorious Burden
.
In June 2006,
Ernie Carletti became the new guitarist, and was to handle most of the guitar solos on Iced Earth's upcoming album.
[1]. However, he was arrested a few months later under rape charges.
[2] In October 2006, Schaffer announced that Carletti would not be participating in Iced Earth, and would be replaced by Tim Mills.
[3] At the same time, drummer Brent Smedley was re-hired for the recording and touring of the new albums, replacing Bobby Jarzombek.
[4]
Something Wicked Part 1
In December 2006, Schaffer announced information about the two upcoming
Something Wicked
albums.
[5] He also announced that the bass guitar duties on the new albums would be handled by James "Bo" Wallace, and that the original "Something Wicked" trilogy of the 1998 album
Something Wicked This Way Comes
would be re-recorded for an EP, which would also include a new track, titled "
Ten Thousand Strong".
[6] On
March 16,
2007, Schaffer sent an update to
Blabbermouth, with confirmed track listings for both of the new albums and the new single, and the news that Bo Wallace had to leave the band due to family health issues, and would be replaced by
Dennis Hayes, of
Tim Owens's side project,
Beyond Fear.
[7]. Just 12 days later, Schaffer updated Blabbermouth again, with the announcement that
Tim Mills had to leave the band as well, due to employee problems with his company, Bare Knuckle Pickups. On
May 20, Schaffer announced that his friend
Troy Seele was the new lead guitarist.
[8] Framing Armageddon
, the band's ninth studio album, was released on
September 11,
2007.
Iced Earth began their 2007 Wicked European Tour on
June 9,
2007, at the
Sweden Rock Festival. Following appearances at the RockWave Festival and
Wacken Open Air, the band backed up
Heaven and Hell and
Lamb of God on their British tour in November.
Something Wicked Part 2
On
December 11,
2007, Schaffer announced that Barlow had returned to the band.
[9] He revealed this would considerably push back the release date of
Something Wicked Part 2
, due to an addition in Matt's family; but that when the band released the album, they were planning to tour and make an appropriate DVD release of live footage from it. This marks the end of Tim Owens's tenure with Iced Earth. While Owens is a talented vocalist, many Iced Earth fans did not embrace him as they had with Matt Barlow. Dennis Hayes's name was removed from the band's bio, signaling a bassist change as well.
As a result of Barlow's return, Iced Earth's live playing schedule has been drastically altered. Schaffer has stated that Iced Earth will probably no longer do massive tours. Instead they will focus on large scale music festivals and small tours. Though many fans doubt this is the right course of action, Schaffer has stated that "these upcoming Iced Earth shows will be the best in the band's history, and having the band's schedule like this is the best way for it done."
Iced Earth headed two tours in 2008.
Progpower USA IX and
Chicago Powerfest in
Mokena, Illinois from
May 1 to
May 3 in 2008. Chicago Powerfest was the first show with vocalist Matt Barlow. They also now held bassist auditions to fill in for touring line-up and
Something Wicked Part 2
. Recently, Schaffer and former Iced Earth guitarist
Ralph Santolla teamed up to auction off two
Gibson Les Paul guitars that were painted with the
United States Of America and
Confederacy flags. These two guitars were used by Schaffer and Santolla when the
Gettysburg trilogy songs were played live. The profits of the two guitars will go to the
wounded warriors fund. Gear-Box Records LTD. will release a 10-track career retrospective in 2008 limited to 2,000 copies.
On
March 16, Iced Earth confirmed the release date for their new single,
I Walk Among You
. The release dates for the single were June 13 for Germany, June 16 for the rest of Europe, and June 17 for the United States. The band also stated that their follow-up to
Framing Armageddon
, will be released in Autumn 2008. A few days earlier, Iced Earth also announced that
Freddie Vidales would be joining the band for their upcoming tours in 2008. On
April 5,
2008, Iced Earth released samples from all four songs appearing on the band's single
I Walk Among You
.
In several interviews, Schaffer has stated that Iced Earth will re-record 2007's
Framing Armageddon
with Barlow on vocals and be packaged as a box set along with a slightly expanded 2008's
The Crucible of Man
and a live CD/DVD of the upcoming 2008/2009 tour. Schaffer has not confirmed a release date as of yet, he plans for a 2009 release at the earliest. In February 2009, the band announced that they were cancelling the final three dates of their European co-headlining tour with
Saxon, due to scheduling conflicts.
[10]
Sound
According to Schaffer, Iced Earth's musical style is influenced by many traditional heavy metal and
NWOBHM groups such as
Black Sabbath,
Iron Maiden, and
Judas Priest. The most distinctive element of the band's sound is the
stutter-like right-hand gallop of rhythm guitarist
Jon Schaffer, which sounds something like the '
eighth-note, two-
sixteenth-notes' gallop made famous by
Iron Maiden's bass player/songwriter
Steve Harris, sped up tremendously and varied rhythmically. "The music is heavy, melodic, dark, fast, and complex. Schaffer plays true rhythm guitar, giving the band its trademark sound. Iron Maiden's 'galloping' rhythm is quite evident, except that Iced Earth is a much faster horse.
[11]"
Strong melodic hooks are typically laid over the top of this gallop, sometimes doubled by two guitars playing in harmony, such as in "The Reckoning." They often vary rhythms by using the two dotted eighth note followed by a quarter note or four dotted eighth notes followed by two quarter notes, known as the clave or chopped clave pattern. This is often used by
Judas Priest.
During Barlow's period in the band, the vocals were often low-pitched but with occasional high-pitched screams, however after Owens joined the band the emphasis shifted to the higher-pitched spectrum. Common throughout since the release of
Something Wicked This Way Comes
is the practice of recording multiple vocal tracks to simulate the sound of a small choir. Schaffer claims that this is probably due to his work with
Blind Guardian. A common element of the band's sound is the frequent usage of double-
bass-drumming. Iced Earth's drum work is often highlighted by frequent use of
drags and
flams on the bass drum, usually intended to complement Schaffer's rhythm guitar.
Iced Earth
lyrics tend to deal with
theological issues such as
punishment and
sin,
destiny,
heaven and
hell, the
Antichrist and the
apocalypse. Many of the band's recent albums have been
concept albums written around a
theme,
e.g.
the antihero
Spawn (
The Dark Saga
), horror movies (
Horror Show
), and historical wars (
The Glorious Burden
). Jon Schaffer also created original stories for concept albums, most notably on
Night of the Stormrider
,
Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1)
and its sequel
The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part 2)
. Much of Iced Earth's lyrics currently deal with Jon Schaffer's fictional character Set Abominae.
In some songs (such as "Dante's Inferno," "Angels Holocaust," "Damien," and "The Coming Curse") Iced Earth uses the technique of
Gregorian chant. Multiple Iced Earth songs contain female vocals: "A Question of Heaven", "The Phantom Opera Ghost", "Melancholy", "Watching Over Me", "The Awakening", "In Sacred Flames", "Harbinger Of Fate", "Behold The Wicked Child", in addition to a remake of "Burnt Offerings" on the
Days of Purgatory
album.
Discography
- 1990: Iced Earth
- 1991: Night of the Stormrider
- 1995: Burnt Offerings
- 1996: The Dark Saga
- 1998: Something Wicked This Way Comes
- 2001: Horror Show
- 2004: The Glorious Burden
- 2007: Framing Armageddon
- 2008: The Crucible of Man
Album cover art
The covers of
Something Wicked This Way Comes
,
Alive in Athens
,
Horror Show
, and
Tribute to the Gods
depict a fictional character named
Set Abominae created by Jon Schaffer. 2007's
Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1
and 2008's
The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2
, are centered on this character. According to Schaffer, the story told over both albums span over 12,000 years and tell the story of invasion of humanity, and the fall of humanity by the hand of Set Abominae. The story is a narrative known as the
Something Wicked Saga. The Concept of re-using a character for album art is likely a tribute to Iron Maiden and their famous
Eddie mascot.
Schaffer also plans to write a
graphic novel about Set Abominae.
The cover art to
The Glorious Burden
was painted by
Leo Hao, a Russian artist famous for drawing covers for
Blind Guardian and
Aria.
The cover art for the
The Dark Saga
album features the character
Spawn, as it is the concept for the entire album.
Band members
Current members
- Jon Schaffer — rhythm guitar, vocals (1984 onward)
- Matthew Barlow — lead vocals (1994–2003, 2007 onward)
- Troy Seele — lead guitars, backing vocals (2007 onward)
- Freddie Vidales — bass, backing vocals (2008 onward)
- Brent Smedley — drums (1996–1997, 1998–1999, 2006 onward)
References
- Jon Schaffer announces Ernie Carletti on Iced Earth Message Board
- Blabbermouth.Net: ICED EARTH Guitarist Waives Extradition, Returns To Delaware To Face Rape Charges - September 18, 2006
- Blabbermouth.net: ICED EARTH Mainman Announces New Guitarist - October 12, 2006
- Blabbermouth.Net: ICED EARTH: Drummer BRENT SMEDLEY Rejoins The Fold - October 9, 2006
- Jon Schaffer's announcement about the two upcoming Something Wicked album
- Blabbermouth.Net: ICED EARTH To Enter Studio In February - December 31, 2006
- Blabbermouth.Net: ICED EARTH Completes Work On New Single; More Album Details Revealed
- http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=72909
- http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=86574
- Saxon and Iced Earth Forced To Cancel Spanish Leg Of Metal Crusade
- Official Iced Earth Website description. http://www.icedearth.com/discography/disc_ie.htm