Metal Reviews

I do believe this is the best IE album since the first Something Wicked came along.It's well constructed you can tell that Jon went all out with this one a 92/100 for me.

What are you talking about now?

Just stop posting dude. You've contributed nothing but useless snark since joining up.

Who? Me?

Incorrect. Just responding in kind to this one guy.

I don't know who's word is the law, but saying " And as much as I love Barlow's voice, Tim shows here that he's far more versatile and dynamic than Barlow ever was." shows how much ignorant one can be, no offense ! You can like Tim better than Barlow's, I won't care (its your right to like one vocal style better than the other, its all about taste), but don't come and say he's more versatile than him, it just show you don't know what singing is about, Tim is a copycat singer Halford wannabe... he does a pretty good job at emulating him, but GOD in no way he HAS a tenth of Barlow's versatility as a singer (ex : Melancholy (Holy Martyr) : I rest my case ) ! NOT in a million years. Now if you tell me you like Tim better than Barlow cause you like the vocals themselves better, then I respect that, but saying he's more vesatile is wrong, the guy couldn't be less versatile than he is, he's copying another singer for crying out loud

Just my 2 cents,
Chris

On a much lighter note:

For all of those who have not yet purchased a copy of the new Iced Earth CD, I found a site that's selling it for the standard $14.99 but the booklets have been signed by Jon Schaffer. So if you're interested in an autographed copy then go and check out :



http://www.newburycomics.com/rel/v2_home.php?storenr=103&deptnr=124

Tim used to be a rob halford copycat, that's true but it's that statement has been laid to rest with the new IE album.

for the first time, i'm thinking that Matthew Barlow (whom vocals i've always loved since i first listened to burnt offerings) would have had a difficult time to emulate some of this new album vocals like motivation of man or the end of framing armageddon, for example.

prior to this album, i've always thought about Owens vocals that way : can he sing barlow's lines, halford's line ou dickinson's line etc.

it's the first time i see him not as a gifted second hand singer but a top notch heavy metal vocalist.

he may sounds like a young halford but he's definitely versatile on this peculiar record. you just can't say he's not when you hear the domino decree, setian massacre, framing armageddon, motivation of man, the clouding and motivation of man one after another.

question is: did you take enough time to listen to this album or did you let your prejudices againt owens speak for you ?

AAAAAAAAARGH IT'S HAPPENING!

I've been listening to the album for many weeks now, and while I find Ten Thousand Strong one of IE's best song, I still think IE lost its music soul with Barlow out of the picture. It has nothing to do with prejudices, he simply is a much more accomplished singer imho and not only that but his voice suited the band 100 times more than Owens... again in my humble opinion.

To a non Judas fan (except Painkiller maybe), Tim Owens sounds EXACTLY like Halford... much more than say Ralf Sheppers... who is often accused to be to Halford, well, I find his vocals better and they don't bother me that much. Probably because I was a fan of his during his Gamma Ray days.

anyway... we all have tastes, and for me this album is pretty medium with 2 excellent songs (10000 strong and Setian massacre)... but we're millions of light years away from Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Just my 2 cents
Chris

Just go ahead and assume I was talking to you then. Some things never change.

I have not heard the new Iced Earth yet so therefor I can't comment on it. However, I did buy the EP "Overture Of The Wicked" and I own "The Glorious Burden" (as well as the majority of IE's past releases with Barlow). Chris, you're right in saying we all have different tastes. I think that the releases with Barlow and with Tim Owens stand on their own merits. Each guy brings and offers something different to the music and overall sound of IE. IMHO I wouldn't point the finger at either vocalist. I fault Jon Schaffer. Musically, he's is in a huge rut. The guy just keeps regurgitating the same riffs over and over again. Plus, ( and I could be wrong) isn't Jon the main or only songwriter for IE? I put the onus squarely on his shoulders. Other than the big 3 song Gettysburg thing at the end of The Glorious Burden, I feel that the rest of his most recent material is really mediocre at best. Even the last Demons and Wizards CD was mediocre.

And, is it me or does Jon need to begin recording his CD's with a bit more bottom end. The last three (Demons and Wizards, the Glorious Burden, and the EP) sound incredibly tinty to me. Just way too much treble in the mix.

As for Owens voice, I think it's great to emulate someone else. If you've ever heard Steve Perry of Journey then go and listen to Sam Cooke's past work and you'll know exactly who influenced Perry. I don't necessarily feel it's a bad thing to sound like your main influence. In fact, I can't count how many guys out there sound like Geoff Tate! The first guy that comes to mind is the vocalist for Zero Hour. He's a dead on Tate clone.

So, in the end it's like you said Chris....it's whatever each person's individual taste is.

I've contributed plenty of relevant posts, thank you very much.

On topic, people, on topic.

I just checked Amazon to see how much this is going for, and it's only £9! I impulse bought it. Aleksie, your review succeeded!

Now to play Alive In Athens on repeat until it arrives...

Exactly Raven, couldn't have said it any better myself. All your points are right on. The blame is on Shaffer not Ripper's vocals.

Indeed.

Barlow is an amazing vocalist, and he did show an ability to step outside the box, but he generally sang in the same vocal realm all the time. He could get heavy, he could bust out a high-pitched wail, but he did so very, very infrequently, which tells me that wasn't natural for him. Owens switches between somber tones, aggresive singing and high-pitched screeching very often, and he does so with ease. Barlow may be able to do that, but he never showed it on any Iced Earth album. Thus my comment is far from ignorant since I'm basing it on the only evidence available.

As for Tim copying Rob, this really isn't true. He's very similar, and he definitely got the gig for this reason, but Tim has since shown that he's an amazing vocalist in his own right, and one that doesn't deserve the label of "Rob Halford Wannabe." Ralf Scheepers also sounds a lot like Halford, and he even tried out for Priest; is he also a Rob Halford wannabe?

Well Barlow was very versatile on the Burnt Offerings album a while back but after which he focused mainly on his lower registers but still he is an amazing vocalists(actually both him and Owens are)and can't wait for the new Pyramaze album.

Well, I gave this a few more listens, and while it's still not my favorite IE album, I don't dislike it as much as I did.

Still, I feel that Barlow WAS Iced Earth. With Ripper around, it reminds me more of Judas Priest than anything (though musically it's different). If I wanted to listen to the Priest, I would put in one of their CDs. But when I want to listen to Iced Earth, I want to LISTEN to Iced Earth. Which means I want to HEAR Barlow.