Iced Earth

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albums

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- Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1
- Released 2007

- Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Released 1998

- Horror Show
- Released 2001

- The Crucible Of Man (Something Wicked, Part 2)
- Released 2008

biography

Fashion trends may come and go, but Florida's Iced Earth has remained steadfastly committed to championing the cause of heavy metal through thick and thin. After years of laboring in obscurity and undergoing countless lineup changes, they have slowly emerged as one of the greatest hopes for classic metal in America.

Originally formed as Purgatory by guitarist Jon Schaffer in 1984, the band spent five years in a constant state of flux while paying their dues on the Florida live circuit. They slowly honed their sound by combining '80s thrash influences with the classic metal approach of Iron Maiden. Their 1988 Enter the Realm demo was an underground favorite, and after changing their name to Iced Earth, the band recorded their eponymous 1990 album with a lineup consisting of guitarists Schaffer and Randall Sawver, singer Gene Adams, bassist Dave Abell, and drummer Mike McGill.

Further personnel changes saw the arrival of singer John Greely and drummer Richey Secchiari for 1991's Night of the Stormrider, an ambitious concept album which nevertheless fell on deaf ears. Disheartened, Greely decided to call it quits, but Iced Earth would re-emerge three years later with 1995's Burnt Offerings, released on Century Media Records, and featuring vocalist Matthew Barlow and drummer Rodney Beasley. Constant touring saw Barlow prove himself as the band's first reliable singer, and the band hit their stride with the following year's The Dark Saga. Despite the arrival of a new rhythm section (bassist Keith Menser and drummer Mark Prator), the album showcased the ever-improving consistency and quality of Schaffer and Sawver's songwriting, as well as excellent cover artwork from Spawn comic book creator Todd MacFarlane.

So happy was the band with their current lineup that they returned to the studio in 1997 to re-record the best of their early material with Barlow on vocals, resulting in the appropriately titled Days of Purgatory collection. Schaffer also decided to relocate Iced Earth to Indiana for "strategic reasons," prompting the departure of longtime cohort Sawver before the first sessions of 1998's Something Wicked This Way Comes. The album repeated the successful formula of its predecessors, and with new guitarist Larry Tarnowski and new bassist James MacDonough in tow, the band embarked on their most ambitious American and world tour yet. Their performances in Greece (one of the band's largest markets) yielded the double album Live in Athens, released in 1999. Horror Show appeared in summer 2001. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide

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comments

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- - If it's too loud...!!!!
 - - By Hexen575
 - 5/24/2009 11:38:25
 - <bows in honor of Iced Earth>
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- - metal beyond metal
  - - By Nuked Potato
    - 5/10/2009 19:16:14
  - with the return of Matt Barlow to the role of lead vocals, Jon and him and the rest of band are going to produce some great albums. Burnt Offerings ftw \m/
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- - These guys fuckin rule!!
  - - By Billyboy2269
    - 12/31/2008 23:54:05
  - One of the most awesome bands in the history of metal!!! HERES TO THESE GUYS KICKIN ASS FOR ANOTHER 20 YEARS!!! \m/
  - 2 out of 2 people
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- - Review: Concert: May 2, 2008
 - - By Diabolos
 - 5/14/2008 05:40:32
 - This was Iced Earth's first reunion show with Matt Barlow back on vocals, headlining the first night of Chicago Powerfest at The Pearl Room in Mokena, Illinois. In a word: Incredible. The crowd alternated between chants of "Iced Earth, Iced Earth" "Barlow, Barlow" and "Welcome back, Welcome back" between songs and you could tell that Barlow was a bit overwhelmed with the reception. He's definitely glad to be back, and we're glad to have him. For spending a few years away, Barlow was totally on point. He did quite well with Ripper's songs off Burden (of course they were originally his songs) and Framing, as well as Adam's and Greely's classics off the Iced Earth and Stormrider albums. Of course he was incredible on his own songs, doing three or four off of Something Wicked, and a handful off his other albums including Dracula, and Vengeance Is Mine. The new single from Something Wicked Pt 2 was pretty good, too. Can't wait to hear more. Apparently the EP will have three or four songs from Framing retracked with Barlow on vocals. Based on his performance at this show, they should be pretty damned good. Other highlights from the evening included mosh pits forming for several tracks from Slayer and a crowd sing-a-long to Dio's Rainbow In The Dark which were both prerecorded filler music before Iced Earth took the stage. Also, one of the opening acts Epicurean is one to keep an eye on. See more at .
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