Iced Earth - "Incorruptible"

Iced Earth - Incorruptible
2017, Century Media

1. Great Heathen Army
2. Black Flag
3. Raven Wing
4. The Veil
5. Seven Headed Whore
6. The Relic (Part 1)
7. Ghost Dance (Awaken the Ancestors)
8. Brothers
9. Defiance
10. Clear the Way (December 13th, 1862)

I've got kind of a weird relationship with Iced Earth. If you'll recall I wasn't wild about their last two albums and only bought them because I was on vacation and bored (though I have re-evaluated Dystopia and really like it now). In fact, I wasn't even going to bother with Incorruptible because I'd figure I'd just get it a year later on whilst on vacation. However, I'd been hearing some really good buzz about this one with some fans saying it was their best since Something Wicked. Which is super high praise. So obviously I didn't wait until I was on vacation and I'm glad I didn't. I don't know what got into Jon Schaeffer and the boys, but man... this album rocks. There's definitely an energy and vibrancy that wasn't there on Plagues of Babylon. Everyone is at the top of their game and not one track could be considered "filler." I especially like the finale, "Clear the Way (December 13th, 1862) - a song about an army in the Civil War. I'm actually considering this as one of my picks for 2017 if that's any indication.

Useless Fact: "Seven Headed Whore" is marked as "explicit"... for the word "whore" I guess because there's no actual vulgarity in the song.

Iced Earth - "Plagues of Babylon"

Iced Earth - Plagues of Babylon
2014, Century Media

1. Plagues of Babylon
2. Democide
3. The Culling
4. Among the Dead
5. Resistance
6. The End?
7. If I Could See You Now
8. Cthulhu
9. Peacemaker
10. Parasite
11. Spirit of the Times
12. Highwayman

I don't always go on vacation, but when I do I end up buying an Iced Earth CD. Chalk it up to my relaxed attitude toward money-spending while on vacation. Even though I described their last album as "perfectly pleasant" I figured even if that's all it is it won't be a total loss. Luckily, it is better than just "perfectly pleasant" in that at least I can remember many of the songs and actually have some favorites. Stu Block continues to perform admirably and their's a little bit more variety in terms of song tempos. Also, no mention of single mothers anywhere. Plagues is quasi-concept album. The first six songs have a story arc continuing the band's Set Abominae mythos while the latter half is stand alone songs. Much like I prefer the non-conspiracy episodes of the X-Files, I prefer the stand-alone songs better. They're not tied down with the, frankly, inane story and that helps them resonate with me more. All I have to say about the story itself is that it includes zombies and I am so sick of zombies. I wish the general public would get over their fascination with them. On the other hand we have "If I Could See You Now." It's a great song about the pain of losing a loved one. "Cthulhu" is about, as the name suggests, a man named George Wimberton and his struggles in getting his family to church on time. Ha ha! I'm kidding, of course. It's about - you guessed it - the national debt crisis. Okay, all kidding aside I think I would have rather had a concept album about the Lovecraft stuff than the Set Abominae stuff. I guess I'm still in the very small minority that likes The Glorious Burden the best.

Useless Fact: Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian) lend some guest vocals. Kursch and Scheaffer put out a couple albums together as Demons & Wizards.

Iced Earth - "Dystopia"

Iced Earth - Dystopia
2011, Century

1. Dystopia
2. Anthem
3. Boiling Point
4. Anguish of Youth
5. V
6. Dark City
7. Equilibrium
8. Days of Rage
9. End of Innocence
10. Tragedy and Triumph

"I though you didn't like Iced Earth?" asked my wife after she found out I bought this CD. I had to inform her that that wasn't true. I like Iced Earth just fine when they're singing about something interesting. I've always loved Jon Schaffer's warp-speed riffs. Anyway, I was on vacation with some cash burning a hole in my pocket and I bought this. Dystopias, huh? Well... that could be interesting. As you can guess, the theme of this album concerns various dystopias in pop culture from V for Vendetta ("V") to Dark City ("Dark City"... duh). It definitely leans toward "book report" lyrics though. There's nothing here that's terribly thought provoking or memorable but nothing bad or cheesy either. Although Jon has some fascination with single mothers on this disc because they're mentioned in, like, three separate songs. The music is just alright as well. There are a lot of mid-paced songs which made me sad because, as I said, Jon is the master of super-fast picking. There are a couple of fast tracks ("Boiling Point" and "Days of Rage" specifically) but not as much as I would have hoped. New vocalist Stu Block does an admirable job on vocals. He sounds like a cross between Matt Barlow (in the lower register) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (in the upper register). Nothing to complain about there. Frankly, Dystopia is a perfectly pleasant metal album but it's nothing ground-breaking.

So... here's an update. I wrote the above a long time ago. I recently gave this one another shot because I've been reading how people say it's one of their best. Well... yes. They are correct. This is way better than I originally gave it credit for. I'm not sure what my problem was. Oh, and I also don't know where I got the whole "single mother" thing - it's just in "Anthem." Though I may have just assumed "Anguish of Youth" was about that too. Ugh! I'm keeping this up here, but I'm a little embarrassed. Oh well...  I like it plenty now!

Useless Fact: There is a special edition of this album with some extra tracks: "Soylent Green," "Iron Will," and another mix of "Anthem."

Iced Earth - "The Glorious Burden"

Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden

2004, SPV

Disc One:

1. The Star-Spangled Banner

2. Declaration Day

3. When the Eagle Cries

4. The Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me)

5. Greenface

6. Attila

7. Red Baron/Blue Max

8. Hollow Man

9. Valley Forge

10. Waterloo

11. When the Eagle Cries (Unplugged)

Disc Two: Gettysburg

1. The Devil To Pay

2. Hold At All Costs

3. High Water Mark

I really don't listen to much Iced Earth. I personally have a problem with some of the dark themes they revel in. It's probably guitarist Jon Schaeffer's anti-religious stance that does it, though I understand that it's leveled more at organized/institutional religion that it is actual belief. I got this disc because I heard it was about history and I thought that was pretty cool. This album is pretty cool too. Schaeffer's got the fastest wrist in all of metal I think - the speed of some of these riffs (like on "The Reckoning") are mind boggling! I just can't believe a human can pick a guitar that fast. A lot of people complain about the new vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (ex-Judas Priest) but I think he does a fine job. He does sound a little "Halfordy" at times but since I've never been a big fan I don't really miss Matt Barlow as much as a fan would. Some people think that "When the Eagle Cries" is cheesy... and it kind of is. Sorry. But that's not such a big deal for me though I could have done without the pansy version at the end of disc one. Finally, I think Jon Schaeffer should get some kind of award for "Gettysburg" because that is the coolest Civil War themed progressive metal song I've ever heard. Okay it's the only one, but still!

Useless Fact: I actually managed to snag the two disc version of this one! The single disc doesn't have "Waterloo" on it or the unplugged version of "Eagles."