Metal Reviews

It still is a part of The Glorious Burden.

Miss. I'm an avid fan of Barlow's vocals, and was completely turned off by the dramatic change. Not to say Owens isn't a hell of a singer, just not someone I'd like seeing in Iced Earth.

Shaffer needs to realize that, if he's going to do this new 2CD sequel to Something Wicked This Way Comes, he needs to part with Owens, and see if the singer from Rebellion is up for mimicking Barlow's vocals.

I'm in between. On one hand, there are some really good songs, and, as a loyal Judas Priest fanboy, I love Ripper. On the other, there are some really bad songs (ie: When the Eagle Cries), and Gettysburg doesn't hold up to repeated listens.

miss
I agree mostly with what husker said
personal all the latest iced earh sounds the same, even D&W sounds just like iced earth with a diffrent singer. whats the point of having a side band that sounds the same?

even if barlow was still in the band it would be a miss

something wicked this way comes is far better i personaly find the album to have more energy.

All the latest Iced Earth sounds the same? Are you insane? First off, Horror Show sounds nothing like Something Wicked or The Glorious Burden, nor does The Glorious Burden sound anything like those two albums.

And Demons & Wizards does not sound like Iced Earth. No way, it sure does sound like Jon Schaffer on guitar because his style is very distinct, but I don't hear a similarity in the music taken as a whole. I think Demons & Wizard is more varied in style and more power metal when it is doing the power metal thing. The vocals are also much more theatrical than anything Iced Earth has ever done.

Miss.

Didn't really like the riffs...the singer was ok though.

both hit and miss. Didnt enjoy most of the songs on the "main" section of the album apart from the reckoning and greenface. But , as many before me have siad, the gettesburg trilogy absolutely kicks. I bought the two CD edition, and the trilogy CD gets 10 times more playing time then the main CD

Eyesore
When my mate lent me D&W, the firt thing I noticed was the likeness to Iced Earth later he informed me that it was Jon Schaffer's side project at this i was not suprised.

ok ok maybe they are not identical but quite close Schaffer has got a distinct style you would have too say...

Most of the melodies sound like Iced Earth. As for the vocal style being much more theatrical - Barlow is/was way way more dramatic and theatrical than Hansi Kursch.

Anyway it states on the D&W web site that, and i quote "Combining the heavy crunch and dark melodies of Iced Earth"

I disagree. Whereas you can tell the style is that of Jon Schaffer, I think there are definitely differences between the two bands. As for who is the most theatrical vocalist, that's up in the air, but I don't think for one second that vocal style on D&W is less theatrical than Barlow's vocals. Not even close.

D&W is basicaly Iced Earth type riffs - with more acoustics - and Blind Guardian style vocal melodies. So it resembles and at the same time differs from Iced Earth. Anyway it's great and that's all I care about.

Im gonna say miss, though it really depends on the day. One day Ill be listening to it and think that its pretty good, then another day the fact that as mentioned before there is very little low end and the overall cheesiness of some of the songs (when the eagle cries/hollow man) just irritates me and I put in Stormrider. The fact that I skip 3 quarters of the disc probably isnt a good sign either. The Reckoning and Greenface are good, and Red Baron has its moments, but the rest just blurs into nothing. Gettsyburg by itself is awesome, but since we are judging the CD as a whole, it goes down with the ship. Is it true that he is rehashing Something Wicked for the next one?

Miss.

Although I enjoy the trilogy, the rest of the album bores me to tears. It's not Ripper, I like his voice and find him to be a good fit for IE, it's the damn riffs. Sorry John, I've heard these all before and in better songs on better albums. Quit with the palm-muting already. That was the first thing I learned how to do on guitar! Like someone else said, skipping 2/3rds of the album is not a good sign.



yes it is, and for that fact alone it's sure to be a disaster! Something Wicked is brillant and should be left alone.

How can you say that and call yourself an Iced Earth fan? That is Jon's style! It's been that way since the Purgatory days, that is how he plays, it won't change.

I enjoy most of IE's material, especially Stromrider and Dark Saga, but there does need to be something new with the next album. Hopefully with Ripper in the mix this will happen, but as we all know John is the be all end all of Iced Earth. I like John, but sometimes a little outside creativity does wonders.

If it ain't broke...

I understand that completely, but there is only so many variations that can be accomplished with it. Which is why many people feel IE is falling into the "samey" category.

That's expected, people always start to think that with long running bands, but if Jon changes it up you'll have just as many people complaining about that. It's a no-win situation. Personally if the tunes are good, I'm good.

Well I think this quite a good record with some really good songs, but nothing overly original to my ears. Then again, that's coming from someone who listens to a heap of bands that sound pratically the same. I need some really good progressive Metal (not rock) that is really different, something like Opeth.

Well, there is no denying IE is an awesome band, and a fav of mine. But I just feel that something was lost with GB, though a few songs were great but nothing really jumped out and kicked my ass like on Stormrider, or Angel Holicaust, or The Hunter. Every IE album has had one song at least that totally owned, and if asked I could not pick one on GB. Not counting Gettysburg, which is in its own world!!

"The Reckoning" is a standout track, no doubt. I would say that this album, not including the trilogy, consists of songs that are for the most part very subtle. "Attila" and "Waterloo" being perfect examples. They're really, really good songs, but you actually have to pay attention to them or else they just blend in to the background. It's definitely not as immediate as the rest of IE's material. I still think it is a great CD, though.