Metal Reviews

I have Horror Show and some tracks are stompers but others just fail. What next?

Suicide.

Personally, I don't think Horror Show was really the best album to start off with (it was actually my first IE album too, btw). It's probably IE's least accessible album, and it doesn't really start to grow on you until after a few listens and you start to get some of the themes.

Something Wicked should be your next album.

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ITT: Power Metal with balls.

The Alive in Athens live album is fantastic and will give you pretty much all the best songs released pre-Horror Show. But live albums aren't your cup of tea:


After that, grab Night of the Stormrider

Everything he said. Except it wasn't my first IE.

Hey Pete listen to night of the stormrider, its their best and also their thrashiest so i think you should enjoy it more than horror show.

No love for the Dark Saga? Faggots.

Something Wicked This Way Comes
Night Of The Stormrider
Burnt Offerings
The Dark Saga

And after which if you don't have the last 2 albums featuring Owens get those as well.

I think you should go with Burnt Offerings. That's the most intense album from Iced Earth in my opinion, and contains some of Iced Earth's heaviest and darkest moments.

Get the Days of Purgatory 2 CD set. It has a alot of their Thrashiest songs, and features a singer who isn't made of fail. Night of the Stormrider has a terrible vocalist. The Horror Show is a snoozefest, so I'm not surprised you didn't like it. After DoP get Burnt Offerings and the Dark Saga, and Framing Armageddon is really good, but quite diferent.

Agreed. Live In Athens (the 3CD version) would also serve as a good starting point.


Disagree. Horror Show is a great album, but it is a far less in-your-face kind of album. It takes a decent amount of spins to get into. Of course, people still dislike it, but I know with me it took a bit for me to dig it that much.

I loved it on the first spin. Some of my favorite Power Metal songs ever are on that CD.

Yeah man get that, thrashiest album he's done (if you can call it an album). Don't think of getting anything from before this as the vocals are shocking and most of the good tracks are re done on DOP but even better!

WTF?! Night of the stormrider vocals are great, Pete dont listen to them get NotSR

They're OK at best. The self-titled has terrible vocals. Barlow blows them away.

The only album I'd really recommend staying away from is the self-titled. While there are some great songs there, Gene Adam ruins the experience with his horrific vocal style.

I'd recommend Night of the Storm Rider as its one of there best albums from start to finish, even if John Greely is an at best adequate vocalist.

Burnt Offerings is easily my favorite IE album. With the exception of the filler Pierced Spirit, every song is a must listen. IE's most intense and darkest album, and of course their first with Matt Barlow.

While Dark Saga is definitely the most laid-back IE release, and perhaps more filler songs than usual, some of IE's best tracks can be found on this album.

I for one believe that Something Wicked This Way Comes is a tad bit overrated. Aside from the first two tracks and the Something Wicked trilogy at the end, I dont find myself listening to most of the other tracks all too often.

I personally think Horror Show is a really good album, though not without its low points. However, its definitely not a good start for new fans.

As for the two Ripper era albums, go with Framing Armageddon over the Glorious Burden. While TGB is an okay album, the musicianship overall on FA is superior (IMHO) and I think in FA Ripper seems to be far more comfortable with his role in IE.

As for Days in Purgatory and Alive in Athens, get the three disc version of AiE. I honestly think the live tracks are better than the remixed tracks of DoP. Plus it shows off that IE is a great live band, and Matt Barlow a great live vocalist.

Touched By The Crimson King (by Schaffer's side project Demons & Wizards) pretty much falls under the same lines as Horror Show. It probably won't really stimulate you upon first listen, but after a couple more listens, the songs start to "click" with you and you find yourself enjoying the album a lot more.

Night of the Stormrider is awesome, and Greely is a fantastic vocalist for it- he's better on many of the Stormrider songs than Barlow is, due to his higher range. The self titled is indeed ruined by Adams, who is a horrible vocalist. Burnt Offerings is evil thrashy excellence, The Dark Saga is boring as shit (except for A Question of Heaven, the band's best ballad), Something Wicked is good by inconsistent, Horror Show is the band's best since Burnt Offerings, and the Glorious Burden and Framing Armageddon are fun but repetitive