name | Iced Earth |
---|---|
background | group_or_band |
origin | Tampa, Florida, United States |
genre | Power metal, thrash metal |
years active | 1984–present |
label | Century Media, SPV |
associated acts | Demons & Wizards, Into Eternity, Pyramaze, Charred Walls of the Damned, Judas Priest, Blind Guardian, Yngwie Malmsteen, Sons of Liberty |
website | |
current members | Jon SchafferStu BlockTroy SeeleBrent SmedleyFreddie Vidales |
past members | (See: list of former band members) }} |
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 the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Iced Earth has been known to have a volatile and often changing line-up. Founding member, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer is the only original member who has remained, handling nearly all of the songwriting and leading the band. Former vocalist Matt Barlow, and former lead guitarist Randall Shawver are the next longest-tenured members. They are 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 2001, 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. In 2010 Schaffer started another side project, Sons of Liberty, which has been opening for Iced Earth on their current tour.
On March 2, 2011, vocalist Matt Barlow announced his intentions to leave the band after their 2011 European tour, citing family reasons and the band's impending tour schedule. On March 16, 2011, Stu Block, from Into Eternity, was named as Iced Earth's new singer.
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. However, he was arrested a few months later under rape charges. In October 2006, Schaffer announced that Carletti would not be participating in Iced Earth, and would be replaced by Tim Mills. At the same time, drummer Brent Smedley was re-hired for the recording and touring of the new albums, replacing Bobby Jarzombek.
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 & Hell and Lamb of God on their British tour in November.
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 Warrior Project. 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. Tentative release dates for the box set, allegedly consisting of 5 CDs and DVD appeared in several issues of British magazine Record Collector in late 2009, but no further information can be found. It is assumed that the box set was initially planned for a late 2009 but has since been delayed due to Schaffer wishing to finish the DVD. 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.
On June 13, Iced Earth announced that the title of their upcoming album will be Dystopia. The album is scheduled to be released in Europe on October 17 and US October 18, 2011. Jon Schaffer stated: "We begin master tracking [the new album] in Florida in two weeks and will be traveling between Europe and the U.S. this summer to play festivals and finish the new album. I can honestly say that I haven't had this many songs give me goose bumps since we recorded ''Something Wicked This Way Comes'' way back in 1998, so this is also very exciting."
On July 29, Iced Earth revealed the cover art and track list of the upcoming album. Founder Jon Schaffer admitted to underlining themes on several of the songs are well as the return of their mascot Set Abominae. Durning a break from master tracking Iced Earth's forthcoming album Schaffer said, “I’ve always been fascinated by the darker side of life, movies like Metropolis, Brazil, and The Matrix resonate with me. The same for albums like 2112, The Wall, and of course Operation:Mindcrime. Their images of a soulless, repressive society stuck with me over the years. It must be the sci-fi fan in me.”
In much the same way Horror Show (Iced Earth’s tribute to classic characters from literature and movies) was born, Schaffer said his interest in dystopian themes in music and movies led him to try his hand at that genre as well. On the new album, the band pays homage to the movies Dark City, V For Vendetta, and Soylent Green. The end result is Iced Earth meets the nightmarish offspring of Brave New World and Blade Runner.
Of special interest to long-time fans are two songs on Dystopia (the title track and “Tragedy and Triumph”) that feature the return of the “Something Wicked” storyline and “Set Abominae” – who had taken his position as ruler of the world.
“The opening song is a step back timeline-wise from the ‘Come What May’ track,” said Schaffer. “‘Come What May’ [the last track on Crucible] sets the scenario that it’s up to us and the decisions we make that will determine the future of the human race. These two songs [on Dystopia] take place at a time when people are in highly controlled prison-like city states, and their eventual emancipation in the closer, ‘Tragedy and Triumph’."
On August 6th, Matt Barlow performed his farewell show with Iced Earth at the Wacken Open Air festival.
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.
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 album ''The Dark Saga'' features comic book character Spawn, drawn by the character's creator Todd McFarlane, whose stories and characters make up the album's narrative and concept.
Current members
Category:Heavy metal musical groups from Florida Category:American power metal musical groups Category:American thrash metal musical groups Category:Musical groups from Tampa, Florida Category:Musical groups established in 1984 Category:1984 establishments in the United States Category:Musical quintets
bs:Iced Earth bg:Iced Earth da:Iced Earth de:Iced Earth es:Iced Earth fa:آیسد ارث fr:Iced Earth hr:Iced Earth id:Iced Earth it:Iced Earth he:Iced Earth hu:Iced Earth nl:Iced Earth no:Iced Earth pl:Iced Earth pt:Iced Earth ru:Iced Earth sco:Iced Earth sr:Iced Earth fi:Iced Earth sv:Iced Earth tr:Iced EarthThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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