Metal Reviews

Miss.

But then, Iced Earth is pretty much always a miss for me...

First 1 = awesome
Second 1 = yawn

Something Wicked 2 was atrocious.

I re-listened to Dark Saga in my car today, and as simple and formulaic as that album is, it just packs a punch that neither one of these was able to.

Framing Armageddon is a great song though.

I vote miss overall. He should've left the trilogy off of SMTWC alone

I want to say hit because I found Framing Armageddon was able to hold its own as an album. The problem I found was the with Crucible is that it just wasn't very good. Musically, vocally, it didn't sound like a good album and to me that can't hold a story if nothing is really interesting about it.

Hit for part 1, but for part 2 it brought the whole thing down.

Relistened to part 2 last week. It rules! Crazy peoples.

I like me some Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards so yeah.I prefer by far Barlow though I think Owens was alright on TGB.I couldn't stand Something Wicked part 1 though,and I can't place my finger on it.While a bit much on part two,there are some truly stellar songs on there.Its a nice return to form imho.Days of Purgatory is my favorite even though its not new by any means,but the songs and Barlow are incredible.I look forward to whatever they put out in the future,and I want a new Demons & Wizards.

Jon said in an interview earlier this year that he would get together with Hansi later in the year to do another D&W album. Just awesome.

Let's just hope it's better than the second album they did together. I loved their ST but thought Touched by the Crimson King didn't live up to it.

It didn't. But it did have some great songs.

I wish someone would teach that Morris turd how to properly use Pro Tools. All the recent IE albums, and the last DW album, have have such a shitty bottom end. I feel like I'm listening to the albums through the speaker in my PCs monitor.

Hit. A highlight for me was Owens performance on the song Something Wicked (Part 1). I love how Tim seamlessly changes the delivery from high to low on that song, so unique and powerful. One of the coolest songs ever IMO. For some reason I can't help think of A Song of Ice and Fire when ever I hear it.

Other great songs include A Charge to Keep, Ten Thousand Strong, and The Clouding on part 1. The interludes and the guitar work did get come of a bit dry on a few songs though.

Barlow sounded fantastic on part 2. Almost made me forgive switching vocalists halfway through the concept (ruins the flow as others have stated). Although Owens and Barlow are 2 top tier vocalists, so I can live with the decision. The top songs here aren't as solid as my favorites on part 1, but there is less filler overall. The hit songs for me are The Revealing, A Gift or a Curse, I Walk Alone, Harbinger of Fate (lots of venom on that one), Sacrificial Kingdoms (cool melody at the end), and Come What May.

I do miss the bottom heaviness of Iced Earth's previous works. And I also wish Jon would bring on board a guitarist and actually utilize him, provide him with the opportunity and resources for some wicked solos and leads. The guitarist from the I Walk Among You showed a lot of promise. Too bad he didn't stick around to add another element to the Something Wicked Project.

Not perfect, but a hit for me.

Thanks for the info dude!!!Made my night!I have no prob with The Crimson King,in fact I love it,far moreso than their debut.Either way though I can't wait to hear some new songs,Wicked Witch,Dorian,Gunslinger,hell all of were great.Only thing I could really ask for is better artwork,I was't really attracted to either albums art,even the pop-up of the first.

I had a hard time getting into these albums period, while Barlow sounded amazing, the choruses just weren't all that great and it didn't seem as melodic and catchy as something wicked, did love the straight ripping power metal sound that they had been known for. Will look for to new material perhaps back to the old formula, kicking ass and being heavy as shit.

I like both albums equally I think. But the first one still holds a special place. It was the album that made me open up to Iced Earth... and IMO both albums with D&W surpass the later releases of both Blind Guardian and Iced Earth. The collaboration between Hansi and Jon is just amazing.

+1

Schafer lost it long ago

In what way? Perhaps he's not as heavy or dark as before, or maybe his riffs aren't the most innovative, but I still think he gets the job done every time IE has a new album out. I actually find the newest albums refreshing (not just the Something Wicked discs, but Glorious Burden and Horror Show as well). They are dynamic and you always know he won't make the same platter twice. That's the great thing about Iced Earth. No matter who sings or what the lyrical concept may be, as long as Jon is in charge of things, it will always be top notch material.

AngelRipper, I'd actually say that one of my complaints about Iced Earth is that most of Schaeffer's work sounds exactly the same these days, and he relies on the same old not very good tropes for songwriting, and that he has since The Dark Saga (a very boring album) and Something Wicked (a good but inconsistent album). Nearly all fast paced songs will have a galloping beat. He rarely plays around with song structures, or goes for longer songs anymore (The Clouding and Gettysburg are obvious exceptions). All his ballads after A Question of Heaven have followed the same, mainly cheesy and over the top format. IMO, there are times when having one man be the sole songwriter for a band leads to a lack of creativity, and I think Schaeffer is a prime example.

My problem with it is that it's not interesting at all... Nothing about it.

IYO

Sometimes I think having one man doing the song writing can really fine tune a band's sound over the years. The identity of a band can sometimes be lost when there's more opinions on the matter and there's plenty of examples where consistency and quality still remains, like Axel Rudi Pell or U.D.O. Or a more recent one like Pyaramaze... IMO a band doesn't have to reinvent the wheel to stay fresh. A band doesn't necessarily need a 10 minute epic here and there or a short 3-minute rocker. It's how they use the already well used formula in a way that makes it interesting. But I definetely see your point and I agree with you, but not when it comes to IE.

The new Pyramaze is the coolest thing Barlow has been involved in for years. IMOIMOIMOIMOIMO