Metal Reviews

Well, in The Reckoning he sounds like that for the whole song mostly, but he hits those Halford notes on "Red Baron/Blue Max" and the Gettysburg trilogy, also in "Declaration Day" if I'm remembering correctly.

The "gallop" is his signature style, I think. And it's out of control!! He's so fucking fast it's unbelievable! He's definitely one of the most underrated guitarists in metal!

His gallop is the guitar version of what Steve Harris of IM does on bass, and it rules!

I think he does overdo it a little sometimes, but if it feels so good as a player to do something, how can you not do it?

[quote="Eyesore"][quote="Trooper Of Steel"]Ripper is one of those vocalists who can fit any style of metal. With Priest, those two albums were never speedy ala Halford Priest, and Ripper was great with those mid-paced albums.
With Iced Earth we saw how he changed to suit the faster songs and only in one TGB song did he have simalarities with Halford (The Reckoning).
He has his own unique style and only his high pitched cries have people thinking of Halford. Apart from that, those two are very different.[/quote]
Well, in The Reckoning he sounds like that for the whole song mostly, but he hits those Halford notes on "Red Baron/Blue Max" and the Gettysburg trilogy, also in "Declaration Day" if I'm remembering correctly.[/quote]

So few can actually hit those notes that it's almost always going to sound like Halford when he does.

I love the fact that his high voice is Halford-like and his mid and lower voices shift between Andy Deris and Ronnie Dio. He sounds so damn dynamic, and I think he'll get better now that he's had some time away from Priest and Priest-related bands.

I agree. I really like it when he slows it down a bit and gets into a groove because sometimes he plays some things that sound a little too much like other songs, you know? I mean, the "gallop" is essentially more of a tempo thing rather than a rhythm thing,—does that make sense?—so anything that is close tempo-wise with the gallop is going to sound similar. When he grooves a bit more, that's when he shines. Still, it's a minor flaw overall.

He's kind of a victim of his own style sometimes. Most guitarists, when they alter their style for the sake of sounding different, they get chastized for not sticking to their guns. When a guitarist sticks to his guns, he's said to sound the same too often. It's kind of a no-win situation, you know?

I do like his slow grooves, like "Burning Times". I also love the harmony parts he's been putting together more often on the later albums. Even though certain elements remain consistantly in his style, he does add to it as well, which people should also notice.

What's funny is that the gallop often replaces what many metal guitarists do in faster songs, which is just run a series of 32nd or 64th notes. You rarely hear those guitarists criticized for sounding the same. It's just weird to me.

Why does the high note always be compared to Halford? Isnt there any other metal vocalists who also hit high notes? Dickinson anyone? Ripper has a more rough, raw edge in his voice which is different from Halford, actually sounds better IMO. I've always wondered if Ripper wasnt in Priest, would ppl still be comparing him to Halford?.....

Dickenson's high voice, which is apparently all but gone now, was not as crisp and piercing as Halford or Ripper. I do agree though that Ripper's is better - more powerful and edgier - than Halford.

Dickinson was just an example of another vocalist which can reach high notes. I'd agree that the pitch was nowhere near that of Halford's.
I'd even throw in Primal Fear's vocalist, Ralf Scheepers into the mix. His pitch on some high notes is also similar to Halford. Afterall, Ralf did try out to be the vocalist of Priest after Halford left. Ripper got it and Ralf created Primal Fear. I guess it all worked out for the best

I can't wait to hear Ripper on the next album. I hope though that he's spent a little time working on his lower singing voice, such as was heard in Valley Forge and Hollow Man. To me, that part of his performance showed some weakness - not as if he couldn't do it but as if he were a little uncomfortable. Being required to stay mostly in the stratosphere for so long, it's probably strange to be asked to use a dimension of his voice "Jugulator" and "Demolition" hadn't really required.

I really think the next album will rule as long as Jon gets the open spaces filled properly.

I finally listened to a few clips off of "The Glorious Burden," and I was impressed. They only Iced Earth album I own is their greatest hits, and I find it hard to like any of the songs on it. I have given them numerous chances, but I can not seem to get into anything they have to offer. That is until I heard their latest. I'm going to have to get "The Glorious Burden."

this means you, just like me actually, suffer from a Barlow allergy... :roll: but i'm afraid that is not all for me since I found TGB to be a very boring and uninspired album :twisted:

hmm... that was all I needed to change my mind. All I heard were clips, and "The Reckoning" was the only clip I enjoyed. I have given this band so many chances, but it looks like they are just not for me.

[quote="T.I.E."][quote="metalNESS"]I finally listened to a few clips off of "The Glorious Burden," and I was impressed. They only Iced Earth album I own is their greatest hits, and I find it hard to like any of the songs on it. I have given them numerous chances, but I can not seem to get into anything they have to offer. That is until I heard their latest. I'm going to have to get "The Glorious Burden."[/quote]

this means you, just like me actually, suffer from a Barlow allergy... :roll: but i'm afraid that is not all for me since I found TGB to be a very boring and uninspired album :twisted:[/quote]

Really? I find it to be one of the most inspired albums I own.

With the metal bands i have seen you talk about, NESS, i thought Iced Earth would be right up your alley. I presume that you are talking about "The Blessed And The Damned" when you say the best of.

1 - Burning Times (Something Wicked This Way Comes)
2 - Wolf (Horror Show)
3 - The Hunter (Alive in Athens)
5 - Melancholy (Holy Martyr) (Something Wicked This Way Comes)
6 - Stormrider (Night of the Stormrider)
8 - Travel In Stygian (Alive in Athens)
9 - Dark Saga (Dark Saga)
11 - Damien (Horror Show)
1 - Angels Holocaust (Days of Purgatory)
2 - Desert Rain (Days of Purgatory)
3 - Last December (Burnt Offerings)
4 - Watching Over Me (Something Wicked This Way Comes)
5 - Pure Evil (Alive in Athens)
7 - I Died for You (Dark Saga)
9 - When the Night Falls (Days of Purgatory)
11 - Iced Earth (Iced Earth)
12 - Violate (Alive in Athens)

These tracks i selected are easily the best Iced Earth have ever done. The ones in bold are the best of the bunch. If you cant get into these songs, then maybe Iced Earth isnt right for you. While we are talking about best of, why the hell isnt Dracula on this album? Its one of their absolute greatest songs...
You must remember, NESS, The Glorious Burden is different to all those tracks shown above. Listening to 30-second snipets of tracks doesnt help. You need to hear the songs in their entirerty.

Just what about Iced Earth's songs cant you get into? The music, the songwriting, the lyrics, the vocals???

Well, I definitly don't like the vocals. I also don't really like the simplicity of the songwriting. I have similar dislikes towards Demons and Wizards except the vocals are brilliant, b/c Hansi is brilliant.

Who knows, maybe it is just taking me a while to get into them. Although they were recommended to me four years ago... so....
Then again I haven't really been listening to them for a continuous amount of time. Who knows?

Thats fair enough. I never thought anyone could dislike the vocals of Matt Barlow, but there's the evidence.
IMO, Barlow is one of those vocalists who makes the song 100 times better with his voice alone. Some ppl hate the way he ends sentences with an "Arrh" at the end of the last word, but i think its awesome.
Just curious, NESS, could you list your top 5 metal bands....just so i can work out why IE isnt one of your favourites

Right, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Zakk Wylde gets criticized for not "evolving" much album-to-album even though he puts out an album a year! No one will compare Mafia to Sonic Brew, though, then their argument makes no sense. So they compare Mafia to The Blessed Hellride, the album that came out prior to Mafia (the heavy album, anyway).

Then, of course, he releases Hangover Music Vol. 1 and people complain...it's too different, it's boring, it's not as good as Book Of Shadows, blah, blah, blah.

I understand. It's highly annoying though. I just ask for good music. That's all I care about. Look at AC/DC, same 4 riffs, 900 different songs!! What you play isn't what matters, it's how you play it!

Simplicity is 100% unimportant in crafting good songs. Why do so many music fans harp on that? Look at Nirvana, you may hate them, but Kurt Cobain could write great songs! There are Nirvana songs that have two chords played over and over again, same rhythm, throughout the song, what changes is the vocal melody and the songs are awesome!

Simplicity has no bearing on whether music is good or not.

No. Just no.