The Iced/Bodom/Ever... tour will be coming to my town shortly, and I am still up in the air as to whether I should go or not. You see, my problem is not with the openers, with Evergrey being a phenomenal band and Bodom being pretty good as well. It's just with Iced Earth. I actually own TGB and I think that it is decent, certainly not bad and not something that would make me want to not go. The problem is...no Matt Barlow. I know that this will be something that people have talked about before, so I'm just getting my two cents out.
Firstly, I think Ripper Owens is a very good metal singer, with a lot of positive characteristics that harken back to classix 80's metal. I have seen him perform with Priest, and his voice was never an issue with what everyone saw. AND, I actually think that his pairing with Jon does well also. To me though, Barlow is someone with a voice for metal like almost no other. I think my problem is that I have seen Iced Earth 11 times with Matt, and he just embodied everything positive that metal has to offer. The passion and power with which he sung was gut-wrenching, and far outweighs Rippers superior higher range, IMO.
So, if I go see them perform, I'm sure I will see a set heavy on TGB, probably seven songs or so, which I would understand. But...then comes the older material. If I were to see Ripper do these older songs live after witnessing them 11 times prior, plus Alive In Athens as well, I'm afraid that I will leave dissapointed and even more depressed that Matt is no longer in Iced Earth (or singing, for that matter).
I don't harbor any illwill towards Jon Schaffer for this situation, as this was something out of his control, nor do I dissrespect him for keeping IE going, as it is his creation and he has crafted some of the most classic metal songs EVER. This is just an issue of mine, so maybe you guys can convince me otherwise.
Firstly, I think Ripper Owens is a very good metal singer, with a lot of positive characteristics that harken back to classix 80's metal. I have seen him perform with Priest, and his voice was never an issue with what everyone saw. AND, I actually think that his pairing with Jon does well also. To me though, Barlow is someone with a voice for metal like almost no other. I think my problem is that I have seen Iced Earth 11 times with Matt, and he just embodied everything positive that metal has to offer. The passion and power with which he sung was gut-wrenching, and far outweighs Rippers superior higher range, IMO.
So, if I go see them perform, I'm sure I will see a set heavy on TGB, probably seven songs or so, which I would understand. But...then comes the older material. If I were to see Ripper do these older songs live after witnessing them 11 times prior, plus Alive In Athens as well, I'm afraid that I will leave dissapointed and even more depressed that Matt is no longer in Iced Earth (or singing, for that matter).
I don't harbor any illwill towards Jon Schaffer for this situation, as this was something out of his control, nor do I dissrespect him for keeping IE going, as it is his creation and he has crafted some of the most classic metal songs EVER. This is just an issue of mine, so maybe you guys can convince me otherwise.
