Quite possibly America’s greatest hope for a heavy metal revival in the United States, ICED EARTH have without a doubt carved their name in the genre’s ever-aging and progressing stone, and throughout their career have paved the way for countless numbers of traditional, thrash and power metal bands to become visible and successful.
Possessing the technical tools to dazzle any skilled musician along with the songwriting knack and creativity to win over even the most particular of music fans, this band have taken their infectious sound and charisma all over the world and have built one of the most loyal followings of this decade. ICED EARTH are a metal institution, built by the band’s constant conviction towards their craft and their fans’ ever-growing, maniacal support. This is what metal is supposed to be.
After six splendid studio releases throughout this decade, the time has come for the world to hear ICED EARTH in their most dominating and viable form, LIVE ON STAGE! Although ICED EARTH have worked hard the last 14 years to make their name a highly-respected one on the metal forefront, only a stout core of listeners can recount much of the group’s early days on the Florida scene (although the band re-located to Indiana in 1997). Their 1991 self-titled debut, and the ‘92 follow-up Night Of The Stormrider quickly established the band as an underground metal powerhouse, but it wasn’t until guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer added able-throated vocalist Matthew Barlow to the band’s nucleus that the attention and quality of the material exploded. Indeed Barlow earned high praise for his work on the band’s third studio album, 1995’s Burnt Offerings, though it was only a hint of things to come.
1996’s The Dark Saga (graced with cover art from Spawn comic creator, Todd McFarlane) heralded the band’s breakthrough, as Schaffer continued to steadily hone his craft as a masterful songwriter, combining fluid vocal melodies with intense metallic riffs and elements that often verged on orchestral. A nonstop slate of touring helped to solidify their reputation as one of the best live bands on the circuit, winning over crowds as part of the Summer Metal Meetings tour in Europe. All along, sales of the group’s back catalog picked up with each newfound fan, and all too often the members faced inquiries about their demo recordings and unreleased rarities. Spending several months in Morrisound Studios with chief producer Jim Morris, ICED EARTH meticulously reworked songs from their earliest days together, along with all of the material from their infamous Enter The Realm demo tape, and select songs from their first two classics. This way, fans would be able hear some classic songs with the line-up and technology at their strongest. Thus, Days Of Purgatory was born (the name refers to the group’s original moniker, Purgatory).
1998 saw the rearing of ICED EARTH’s sixth album, the bold and diversely-written, Something Wicked This Way Comes. With a similar approach and framework as its predecessor The Dark Saga, Something Wicked... pushed the band over the edge of dominance (while also debuting on the German pop charts at #19) and solidified them as true innovators and leaders of the ‘90s metal movement. Again scanning a good portion of the globe ICED EARTH toured in support of Something Wicked... for the next year, and it was during this period that Jon Schaffer’s long-time vision of a live album for the band began to take shape. Recorded in the fall of 1998 in Greece along with 5,000 of the band’s closest fans, Alive In Athens is the culmination of 10 years worth of hard work and dedication for the band, and is the reward that true ICED EARTH fans have been waiting for. This double CD release spans the entire career of the band from the early days (“Iced Earth”, “Stormrider”, “Travel In Stygian”) to the present (“Burning Times”, “The Hunter”, “Melancholy (Holy Martyr)”), and shows just how good heavy metal can be when done properly with no restrictions. As the popular music community leans towards the heavy end of the musical spectrum once again, it’s nice to know that ICED EARTH have never really cared about what was popular, and their fans have stuck by their side since day one. This is for the fans of ICED EARTH, the best metal fans in the world...
News:
Iced Earth have reconvened after guitarist/band leader Jon Schaffer's successful side-project Demons & Wizards. Iced Earth are now joined by new drummer Richard Christy who did live shows with Demons & Wizards but is more known as the backbone for Death and Control Denied. The band will be performing at this year's Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany before hitting the studio to record their next album, Horror Show, which is a themed album based on such infamous monsters as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolfman, The Phantom Of The Opera, The Invisible Man, The Creature Of The Black Lagoon, Jack The Ripper and more. The new album is expected to be released in January 2001.
 |
ICED EARTH 1991Band lineup: Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals/ Randy Shawver - Lead Guitars/ Gene Adam - Vocals/ Dave Abell - Bass Guitar/ Mike McGill - Drums Track listing: 1.) Iced Earth 2.) Written on the Walls 3.) Colors 4.) Curse the Sky 5.) Life and Death 6.) Solitude 7.) The Funeral 8.) When the Night Falls |
 |
NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER 1992Band lineup: Jon Schaffer - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar/ Randy Shawver - Lead Guitar/ John Greely - Lead Vocals/ Dave Abell - Bass Guitar/ Richey Secchiari - Drums Track listing: 1.) Angels Holocaust 2.) Stormrider 3.) The Path I Choose 4.) Before the Vision 5.) Mystical End 6.) Desert Rain 7.) Pure Evil 8.) Reaching the End 9.) Travel in Stygian |
 |
BURNT OFFERINGS 1995Band lineup: Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals/ Randall Shawver - Lead Guitar/ Matthew Barlow - Lead Vocals/ Dave Abell - Bass Guitar/ Rodney Beasley - Drums Track listing: 1.) Burnt
Offerings 2.) Last December 3.) Diary 4.) Brainwashed |
 |
DARK SAGA 1996Band lineup: Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals/ Matthew Barlow - Lead Vocals/ Randall Shawver - Lead Guitar/ Dave Abell - Bass Guitar/ Mark Prator - Drums Track listing: 1.) Dark Saga 2.) I Died For You 3.) Violate 4.) The Hunter 5.) The Last Laugh 6.) Depths of Hell 7.) Vengeance is Mine The Suffering: 8.) Scarred 9.) Slave to the Dark 10.) A Question of Heaven This is an excellent album (their 2nd best). Iced Earth kicks ass. Best tracks are Dark Saga, I Died For You, The Hunter. The album is a concept album based on the "Spawn" comic book by Todd McFarlane... |
 |
DAYS OF PURGARTORY 1997Band lineup: Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitar, Vox/ Randy Shawver - Lead Guitar/ Matthew Barlow - Lead Vocals/ Brent Smedley - Drums on 1,2,5,6,9,21/ James MacDonough - Bass Guitar on 1,2,5,6,9,21/ Dave Abell - Bass Guitar on 3,4,7,8,10-20/ Mike McGill - Drums on 10,11,13,16/ Richey Secchiari - Drums on 3,4,7,8,14,18,19/ Rodney Beasley - Drums on 12,15,17,20 Track listing: 1.) Enter The Realm 2.) Colors 3.) Angels Holocaust 4.) Stormrider 5.) Winter Nights 6.) Nightmares 7.) Pure Evil 8.) Solitude 9.) When The Night Falls 10.) Desert Rain 11.) The Funeral 12.) Cast In Stone 13.) Reaching the End 13.) Travel in Stygian 14.) Iced Earth Also released as a double CD
in Europe with this track listing: Disc 1-1.) Enter The
Realm 2.) Colors 3.) Angels Holocaust 4.) Stormrider 5.)
Winter Nights 6.) Nightmares 7.) Before The Vision 8.)
Pure Evil 9.) Solitude 10.) The Funeral 11.) When The
Night Falls Disc 2-12.) Burnt Offerings 13.) Cast in
Stone Great album. Iced Earth redid many of their early songs with new singer Mathew Barlow. |
 |
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES 1998Band lineup: JON SCHAFFER - Guitars, Backing Vocals/ MATTHEW BARLOW - Lead Vocals/ JAMES MACDONOUGH - Bass Guitar Guest Musicians: Larry Tarnowski - Guitar solos on all songs except "Watching Over Me"/ Mark "The Creeper" Prator - Drums/ Susan McQuinn - Flute on "1776"/ Howard Helm - Piano intro to "Coming Curse"/ Tracy Marie LaBarbera - Backing Vocals on "My Own Savior", "Melancholy", and "Watching Over Me"/ Jim Morris - Keyboards, Guitar Solo on "Watching Over Me", Backing Vocals/ Roger Hughes - Mandolin on "Blessed Are You" Track listing: 1.) Burning Times 2.) Melancholy (Holy Martyr) 3.) Disciples of the Lie 4.) Watching Over Me 5.) Stand Alone 6.) Consequences 7.) My Own Savior 8.) Reaping Stone 9.) 1776 (Instrumental) 10.) Blessed Are You Something Wicked (Trilogy): 11.) Prophecy 12.) Birth of the Wicked 13.) The Coming Curse Their best album... Something Wicked puts IE at the top of the metal echelon. Jon Schaffer shows his ability to write incredible music. Best tracks are Melancholy, Watching Over Me, Consequences and all the rest... |
 |
LIVE IN ATHENS 1999Band lineup: Jon Schaffer - Rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals/ Matthew Barlow - Lead vocals/ Larry Tarnowski - Lead guitar/ James MacDonough - Bass guitar, backing vocals/ Brent Smedley - Drums/ Rick Risberg - Keyboards Track listing: Disc 1- Burning Times, Vengeance is Mine, Pure Evil, My Own Savior, Melancholy (Holy Martyr), Dante's Inferno, The Hunter, Travel in Stygian, Slave to the Dark, A Question of Heaven. Disc 2- Dark Saga, Last Laugh, Last December, Watching Over Me, Angels Holocaust, Stormrider, Path I Choose, I Died For You, Prophecy, Birth of the Wicked, The Coming Curse, Iced Earth. Disc 3- Stand Alone, Cast in Stone, Desert Rain, Brainwashed, Disciples of the Lie, When the Night Falls, Diary, Blessed Are You, Violate The 3 CD version was not released in the US... IE live, what more could anyone ask for. All their best songs, live and loud... NUFF SAID |
Email: Masters Of Metal