Metal Reviews

Well, being that it's the Fourth of July (ie. The American Independence Day), I thought I'd poll everybody on the patriotic (and somewhat controversal) Iced Earth album The Glorious Burden.

For me, it's a definite hit. Totally underrated album!

definite hit, despite losing one of the best metal vocalists.

Didn't like it much, Im hoping the next album will be better as the songs will be written specifically for The Ripper this time around.

Definitely a hit. The lyrical content was a bit boring and tedious and the production could use a little more bass, and bottom end, but overall I think it's a great album.

Definately a hit...how could it not. If the Gettysburg trilogy isnt enough to make this album a hit already, then i dont know whats wrong with people. The whole album is solid, and Ripper Owens does do a good job....just check out "the reckoning" or "red baron/blue max" or "attila" and "valley forge".
Sure i am hurting without Barlow, but Owens is the man and he's doing a fine job.
Easily a hit and was actually in my top 3 best albums of 2004

It's a hit for me. Not as good as Burnt Offerings or Nights of the Stormrider but it is really good.

A hit, though not a big one. There were some songs on there that were just shitty (When the Eagle Cries, anyone?) and Gettysburg was overlong. Besides that, pretty good.

Very good album. Except that Eagle song, which is Iced Earth's worst song ever. It's also annoying he had to have it twice.
I for one didn't mind the vocal change. I like Barlow, he has a very special voice, but Ripper is technically a much better vocalist. I also like that he is very diferent to Barlow, so we get a new version of Iced Earth. I can understand why some people didn't like TGB, I hated it the first two listens, I found the songs boring, but then I gradually got into them.

Am I the only one who thinks "when the eagle cries" is one of the best ballads I've ever heard??
Its so full of emotion, yeah its based on 9/11, but listening to it, you dont have to be american to feel the emotion flowing through that song. Ripper sounds awesome too in that song, really done very very well.

i was slightly dissapointed in TGB, it's the weakest album in their discography.

43/100 or something

For me I had to rate it a slight miss. That doesnt mean I think the record sucks because it does not. I love the idea of a history driven album and the subjects and tracks show a real promise. For me though the record just feels awkward, like everything is this close to coming together but something just is not right. Just cant put my finger on it. This album just did not pull me in and sink its teeth into me like most of thier other albums.

It is ok, neither best nor worst, what I hate about it are the 2 lines--"How could they?" "Why would they?"

I don't care about the lyrics, for a long time I didn't even know what it was about, I just never liked it to begin with. It's probably because the chorus is so boring and generic. Hollow man, on the other side... that really is one of the best ballads I've heard this decade.

I love the song. The acoustic version is a bonus track. I never complain about bonus tracks!! It's an excellent song and the album is great. The songs aren't as immediate as some previous IE tracks, but they're still great songs that grow on you. Songs like "Attila" and "Waterloo" are examples, great songs, but the hook isn't as catchy as some older songs. I don't mind that one bit. The Gettysburg Trilogy is outstanding musically. The lyrical content is different, which is great, and Jon's singing is not up to par with Barlow or Owens, but the Trilogy is worth the price of the CD alone!! It's an amazing tune! Not only that, when you read the lyrics and story with the music playing it really does transport you into the environment it is describing! Not an easy feat by any means! I was actually surprised at how much the story followed the instrumental parts of the songs! It gave me goosebumps the first time I read along!

I liked it a lot, actually. The first two lines in particular ("Another day just like any other. Out of the blue it turned to horror") were a very accurate description of 9/11. The Unplugged version was particularly special IMO because of the way Matt Barlow's background vocals were left in. Sort of as an "in memory of."

I wish Jon would release the Barlow versions of these songs. He says they're not good, but I don't believe it. He should especially release Hollow Man!! That song was supposedly recorded for Horror Show, but he didn't want to release it on that album!

I read on Iced Earth's website before TGB was released, that Barlow had begin to lay down the vocals on some of the songs, but his heart just wasnt in it as he didnt take the disaster of 9/11 very well. That day left Barlow broken and even months...years after that day, he still couldnt sing his best.
I read that the Barlow tracks are not very good, that you can tell that Barlow was not interested at all....i'd rather not hear them and just be reminded of how he was from all their other releases and let Ripper Owens have his credit for a wonderful performance vocal-wise on the Glorious Burden. The bulk of the songs were made to support his vocal style, having Barlow do the same songs would sound like Bruce Dickinson singing Blaze Bayley's songs from X-Factor and Virtual XI....it doesnt sound right

Sign of The Cross & Clansman are much better songs with Bruce singing ! :evil:

It doesn't really make sense--if Barlow was so hurt by 9/11 then he would love to do many of the "pro American" songs on this album and what could be better than singing these songs during a concert and talking about America, freedom, terrorism and other recent events in front of a live audience? I think the real reason he left was either money or Jon didn't give him much freedom to write his music/lyrics. It is not like Barlow was in some silly poser band like Kiss or Motley Crew that he couldn't bear it anymore because his heart was not in it.

Obviously a bunch of others have already agreed with you but i also like that song a lot. It's a great ballad. I like the regular version a little more than the unplugged version though.