Hi all,
I had the opportunity to spend a few days with Jon earlier this month to help photograph his new military collectibles store. Of course, I got to hear the new material, over, and over, and...
My comments:
1) Jon is incredibly proud of this record. He usually doesn't listen to his own stuff (or any music for that matter), but whether we were at the store or in his truck, he had it cranked.
2) Don't worry, this is not a Judas Priest clone CD. Yes, there are small moments (such as in The Reckoning sample clip) where Tim does sound like the Tim of JP. Jon had been planning to work with Tim on a side project for some time - the whole reason being that Jon realized a ton of untapped potential in Tim. JP wanted Tim to be a Halford clone. Jon put an end to that with this CD. You're going to hear Tim as you never heard him before. And he sounds KILLER.
3) I can honestly say that there is not a weak song on the disc, and I can honestly say that every tune is immediately catchy and memorable. You won't need any time to warm up to this disc. You'll be pounding your fist on the first listen.
4) The 32 minute Gettysburg epic will take a few listens to notice all the details. Jon has written liner notes with the lyrics so you can better understand the story of Gettysburg.
5) Every song is incredibly crisp and direct. With Tim on vocals and the addition of more lead guitar (courtesy Ralph Santolla, guest musician) than normal, this is a new sound for Iced Earth, although Jon's galloping rhythms still drive the music. Iced Earth is NOT just another band trying to sound like Judas Priest. Tell that to Jon and he will kill you. He wanted Tim to get as far away from the Halford clone style that he could.
6) I would be incredibly surprised if "The Glorious Burden" does not earn CD of the year honors. It's catchy, heavy, loaded with hooks, and very memorable. The CD just kills. Songs such as Declaration Day and Greenface just rip your heart out.
7) The artwork is killer also. Leo Hao (Blind Guardian - Bard's Song single) and Travis Smith teamed up for the jacket. I was able to contribute some art for the Gettysburg trilogy which was quite fun. Most of it gets covered with the tons of lyrics and liner notes, but the lyrics needed to take center stage with this being such a complex story.
8) Tim has not joined the band. The door is open, but no commitments have been made as of yet.
9) If you enjoy military history, you will love the CD, and you might be interested in visiting his new military collectibles store on-line. I'm creating the site which is just getting up and running, so it's definitely still under construction. Things will come together more later this week. Make sure to visit the store tour page:
http://www.spirit-of-76.com/tour/tour.html
The store is called, "Spirit of 76 Collectibles" and you can visit the website at:
http://www.spirit-of-76.com
See you all in a couple of weeks!!!! I can't wait!!!!!
Todd
I had the opportunity to spend a few days with Jon earlier this month to help photograph his new military collectibles store. Of course, I got to hear the new material, over, and over, and...
My comments:
1) Jon is incredibly proud of this record. He usually doesn't listen to his own stuff (or any music for that matter), but whether we were at the store or in his truck, he had it cranked.
2) Don't worry, this is not a Judas Priest clone CD. Yes, there are small moments (such as in The Reckoning sample clip) where Tim does sound like the Tim of JP. Jon had been planning to work with Tim on a side project for some time - the whole reason being that Jon realized a ton of untapped potential in Tim. JP wanted Tim to be a Halford clone. Jon put an end to that with this CD. You're going to hear Tim as you never heard him before. And he sounds KILLER.
3) I can honestly say that there is not a weak song on the disc, and I can honestly say that every tune is immediately catchy and memorable. You won't need any time to warm up to this disc. You'll be pounding your fist on the first listen.
4) The 32 minute Gettysburg epic will take a few listens to notice all the details. Jon has written liner notes with the lyrics so you can better understand the story of Gettysburg.
5) Every song is incredibly crisp and direct. With Tim on vocals and the addition of more lead guitar (courtesy Ralph Santolla, guest musician) than normal, this is a new sound for Iced Earth, although Jon's galloping rhythms still drive the music. Iced Earth is NOT just another band trying to sound like Judas Priest. Tell that to Jon and he will kill you. He wanted Tim to get as far away from the Halford clone style that he could.
6) I would be incredibly surprised if "The Glorious Burden" does not earn CD of the year honors. It's catchy, heavy, loaded with hooks, and very memorable. The CD just kills. Songs such as Declaration Day and Greenface just rip your heart out.
7) The artwork is killer also. Leo Hao (Blind Guardian - Bard's Song single) and Travis Smith teamed up for the jacket. I was able to contribute some art for the Gettysburg trilogy which was quite fun. Most of it gets covered with the tons of lyrics and liner notes, but the lyrics needed to take center stage with this being such a complex story.
8) Tim has not joined the band. The door is open, but no commitments have been made as of yet.
9) If you enjoy military history, you will love the CD, and you might be interested in visiting his new military collectibles store on-line. I'm creating the site which is just getting up and running, so it's definitely still under construction. Things will come together more later this week. Make sure to visit the store tour page:
http://www.spirit-of-76.com/tour/tour.html
The store is called, "Spirit of 76 Collectibles" and you can visit the website at:
http://www.spirit-of-76.com
See you all in a couple of weeks!!!! I can't wait!!!!!
Todd
