I have given up on Iced Earth

It's to be quite expected that the tens of thousands of fans who have listened to the SWTWC trilogy a combined 100-thousand times or more with Matt on vocals would have an adverse reaction to hearing it sung by someone else, especially by someone (Tim Owens) who's vocal style is very different than the original (Matt Barlow).

That kind of reaction is a tribute to how much Matt's efforts were loved by the fans. Unfortunately, for many of these fans, Matt made a conscious decision to leave Iced Earth and pursue a more stable and rewarding career in law enforcement. The subsequent investment Matt made in his future has now returned dividends. He is now employed by a local community law enforcement agency close to his childhood roots. His new career provides a solid, reliable source of income and benefits for his family. And now, in 2007, Matt’s new career has provided him with an opportunity to return to music part-time (Pyramaze), not having to worry if there will be enough sales or commission from the music to pay the bills in his future. It's a great fit for him as he doesn't need to commit 100% to music as he would have with Iced Earth. In Tim Owens, Jon gets a vocalist who is committed to pursing a career in music 100% of the time. Iced Earth didn't get to where it is today by working part-time.

Quite likely, the new song (10,000 Strong) on the single, Overture of the Wicked, will be met with more acceptance than the re-recorded trilogy (also on the single) because the fans never had a chance to hear anyone else but Tim sing it. Metal fans new to Iced Earth hearing the SWTWC trilogy for the very first time on the new single will probably find it very exciting -- just as current fans did when they first heard the trilogy with Matt behind the mic. Why? They didn’t have any other version to judge it against.

The same holds true for the 18 new songs to be released later this year (Framing Armageddon) and the 12 new songs to be released in 2008 (Revelation Abomination). All 30 of these songs are totally new compositions. Matt has never recorded vocals for any of these songs - only Tim has. The songs weren’t even put to paper when Matt left Iced Earth. To immediately dismiss this huge body of forthcoming original material from Iced Earth based on a very different one-off re-recording of a classic trio of songs that won’t even appear on the forthcoming albums seems like a premature thing to do. Such snap judgments separate the casual fan from the die-hard fan.

When Matt left the band, Jon had a decision to make. Does he just scrap the entire Set Abominae concept story because Matt has moved on, or does he think the fans want him to continue forward with the story even though it will be recorded with a new vocalist? I'm glad he has chosen to continue. Will everyone be happy with the change? Certainly, no. Will everyone be happy that the trilogy was re-recorded? Certainly, no. Will the Barlow-era discs still be available for old and new fans to enjoy? Certainly, yes.

Time continues to move on and people continue to move on with time. As with any band fortunate to survive two decades in this industry, Iced Earth will see fans come and go. One artist cannot satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time. However, if time is any indication, the legion of loyal Iced Earth fans will only continue to grow.

The Fiddler
 
i dont think tim is the problem it all, tim is a great vocalist and fit better on the glorious burden than barlow ever would have.

what im complaining about is how weak the new songs sound, they are just too weak! when i pop in iced earth im clearly in a mood for something heavy, powerful, driving, and catchy. while the catchy aspects might still be there, they are overshadowed by the fact that the new tracks all sound weak and dull. ten thousand strong was a completely generic song the entire way through, had a catchy chorus though, but just repeated the same old verses over and over again with no break offs into something different. but i mean just listen to the guitars on SWTWC or horror show, all the songs were powerful, and that really had alot to do with how great the music came out, i can not say the same in the least bit for this new stuff.

if anyone complains about ripper, then thats a whole different story. ripper is an excellent singer, and i would like a suggestion of who would do a better job with iced earth than ripper would. ripper can definatly hit the notes, has a brilliant voice, and can make a wide range of voices himself, evil or epic, what ever it may be. if your gonna bitch about ripper, please say who should take his place cause im extremely curious to hear it. barlow left the band, his decision, and i dont know if he would go back even if he had the chance.
 
It's to be quite expected that the tens of thousands of fans who have listened to the SWTWC trilogy a combined 100-thousand times or more with Matt on vocals would have an adverse reaction to hearing it sung by someone else, especially by someone (Tim Owens) who's vocal style is very different than the original (Matt Barlow).

That kind of reaction is a tribute to how much Matt's efforts were loved by the fans. Unfortunately, for many of these fans, Matt made a conscious decision to leave Iced Earth and pursue a more stable and rewarding career in law enforcement. The subsequent investment Matt made in his future has now returned dividends. He is now employed by a local community law enforcement agency close to his childhood roots. His new career provides a solid, reliable source of income and benefits for his family. And now, in 2007, Matt’s new career has provided him with an opportunity to return to music part-time (Pyramaze), not having to worry if there will be enough sales or commission from the music to pay the bills in his future. It's a great fit for him as he doesn't need to commit 100% to music as he would have with Iced Earth. In Tim Owens, Jon gets a vocalist who is committed to pursing a career in music 100% of the time. Iced Earth didn't get to where it is today by working part-time.

Quite likely, the new song (10,000 Strong) on the single, Overture of the Wicked, will be met with more acceptance than the re-recorded trilogy (also on the single) because the fans never had a chance to hear anyone else but Tim sing it. Metal fans new to Iced Earth hearing the SWTWC trilogy for the very first time on the new single will probably find it very exciting -- just as current fans did when they first heard the trilogy with Matt behind the mic. Why? They didn’t have any other version to judge it against.

The same holds true for the 18 new songs to be released later this year (Framing Armageddon) and the 12 new songs to be released in 2008 (Revelation Abomination). All 30 of these songs are totally new compositions. Matt has never recorded vocals for any of these songs - only Tim has. The songs weren’t even put to paper when Matt left Iced Earth. To immediately dismiss this huge body of forthcoming original material from Iced Earth based on a very different one-off re-recording of a classic trio of songs that won’t even appear on the forthcoming albums seems like a premature thing to do. Such snap judgments separate the casual fan from the die-hard fan.

When Matt left the band, Jon had a decision to make. Does he just scrap the entire Set Abominae concept story because Matt has moved on, or does he think the fans want him to continue forward with the story even though it will be recorded with a new vocalist? I'm glad he has chosen to continue. Will everyone be happy with the change? Certainly, no. Will everyone be happy that the trilogy was re-recorded? Certainly, no. Will the Barlow-era discs still be available for old and new fans to enjoy? Certainly, yes.

Time continues to move on and people continue to move on with time. As with any band fortunate to survive two decades in this industry, Iced Earth will see fans come and go. One artist cannot satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time. However, if time is any indication, the legion of loyal Iced Earth fans will only continue to grow.

The Fiddler
Well put! You hit the nail on the head perfectly!
 
if your gonna bitch about ripper, please say who should take his place cause im extremely curious to hear it. barlow left the band, his decision, and i dont know if he would go back even if he had the chance.

Most of this thread is pathetic. If you want to give up on somebody give up on Barlow. After all he gave up on you. Barlow walked away from his fans. Barlow walked away from Iced Earth. Barlow didn't have the faith in the band to stick it out. Is Iced Earth supposed to roll over and die because Barlow left?
 
Most of this thread is pathetic. If you want to give up on somebody give up on Barlow. After all he gave up on you. Barlow walked away from his fans. Barlow walked away from Iced Earth. Barlow didn't have the faith in the band to stick it out. Is Iced Earth supposed to roll over and die because Barlow left?

what does that have to do with what i posted?

you make it sound like barlow is a criminal for leaving iced earth or something, have some respect... the guy wanted to do something else so he did it. we dont control his life. he made some great music and im pretty happy he made what he did for us, if you dislike barlow because he made a decision to better the happiness in their life, then you are a pretty sad guy.

just because musicians are famous, doesnt mean their duty is only to us. barlow had a family and such, and as far as i know, that affected his decision as well.

all in all, ripper is just as good of a replacement as any for barlow. to some, it may suck that barlow wont be making any more music with iced earth (not to me, i personally love both ripper and barlow), but be glad you got what you did out of him.

even though i dont like the new iced earth EP, i dont hate iced earth, i havent given up on them. i will still buy the new cd, and i will still have high hopes for them, and they will still remain, in my mind, one of the bands that really made some great music, and still definatly has potential to make many more great cds.

all in all, suck it up, stop crying.
 
If you want to give up on somebody give up on Barlow. After all he gave up on you. Barlow walked away from his fans. Barlow walked away from Iced Earth.
Barlow wanted to provide a stable life for his family. Go figure... he cares more about his family than the nameless people who buy his records. That bastard!

Zod
 
...ten thousand strong was a completely generic song the entire way through, had a catchy chorus though, but just repeated the same old verses over and over again with no break offs into something different. but i mean just listen to the guitars on SWTWC or horror show, all the songs were powerful, and that really had alot to do with how great the music came out, i can not say the same in the least bit for this new stuff.

You make some fair observations, but keep in mind that "10,000 Strong" is just a small part (1/30th) of the entire musical story that will span 30 songs. Without hearing all 30 songs in their entirety, it's hard to to know what kind of pace the songs that preceed and proceed it will sound like. If you notice, the song starts with long, huge scream that sounds like it continued from the end of the previous song. So, don't give up hope yet - you've only heard a short snippet of what is one really big story (song) that will span well over 2 hours.

The trilogy was totally redone to sound significantly different than the original which was written a decade ago. But it also had to sound somewhat familiar as a reintorduction to the story with Tim on vox. So, Jon was definitely working in a box when SPV asked him to recreate the triology as a prelude to the two full-length studio releases that will follow.

The re-recorded trilogy was intentionally recorded as a one-off, "stand-alone" offering and not necessarily meant to be an indication of the new songs to come. NO SONGS from the original or re-recorded trilogy will appear on the two forthcoming releases. So, there were no restrictions with what Jon wanted to do with all the new material -- it was all written completely separate from the original trilogy that was released way back in 1998 (and hence written a decade ago).
 
You make some fair observations, but keep in mind that "10,000 Strong" is just a small part (1/30th) of the entire musical story that will span 30 songs. Without hearing all 30 songs in their entirety, it's hard to to know what kind of pace the songs that preceed and proceed it will sound like. If you notice, the song starts with long, huge scream that sounds like it continued from the end of the previous song. So, don't give up hope yet - you've only heard a short snippet of what is one really big story (song) that will span well over 2 hours.

The trilogy was totally redone to sound significantly different than the original which was written a decade ago. But it also had to sound somewhat familiar as a reintorduction to the story with Tim on vox. So, Jon was definitely working in a box when SPV asked him to recreate the triology as a prelude to the two full-length studio releases that will follow.

The re-recorded trilogy was intentionally recorded as a one-off, "stand-alone" offering and not necessarily meant to be an indication of the new songs to come. NO SONGS from the original or re-recorded trilogy will appear on the two forthcoming releases. So, there were no restrictions with what Jon wanted to do with all the new material -- it was all written completely separate from the original trilogy that was released way back in 1998 (and hence written a decade ago).


oh i completely realize that i cant truly judge the piece from just the EP. just from the songs in the ep, the power is lacking, and although ten thousand strong may sound boring by itself, hearing the rest of the cd may open doors. just this ep didnt click for me, thats all.

im still looking forward to the CD, cause these are some guys i cant really count out on music after all the great stuff they have done. i just wish that the heavy songs, were just more powerful, something iced earth was known for on my stereo.

its just if it was done a decade ago, how come the one that came 10 years later sounds weaker and older than the one made 10 years ago?

dont get me wrong, im far from counting iced earth out, im just not feeling this EP.
 
Barlow wanted to provide a stable life for his family. Go figure... he cares more about his family than the nameless people who buy his records. That bastard!

Zod

That's understood Zod. He did what he felt he needed to do. However, regardless of the reasons, justifications, excuses, or rationalizations the facts are what they are. Barlow left Iced Earth. Iced Earth didn't leave Barlow.

I wasn't bad mouthing Barlow. What is pathectic is the Iced Earth/Ripper Owens/Jon Schaffer bashing, as if the band should have folded because the third signer left. Jon Schaffer must die? WTF? Jon has lost it? Glorious Shitpile? The dude left... Either hold him responsible for the changes you can't stand, or get over it
 
It's not Ripper that makes me not like Iced Earth anymore. It's not even Schaffer. It's the band as a whole. The tracks have overall seemed overproduced, weak, and uninspired. Ripper is great with Beyond Fear. Night of the Stormrider proves that you don't have to have Barlow to have a good Iced Earth album.

I really was disgusted with The Glorious Burden. The only song that I really loved from it was "Waterloo". "The Reckoning" and "Red Baron / Blue Max" were pretty good too. Overall the music doesn't have the drive or flow that older Iced Earth had.

Overall I felt the Gettysburg Trilogy wasn't near the epic that Jon was making it out to be before the album's release.

I hated the production of the new single. The drums annoy me. They sound so fake. Just like the drums on "Touched By the Crimson King".

It's understandable that Barlow left Iced Earth. It is, however, odd that in such a short time he would be back in a metal band.

I think I'll sell my copy of TGB soon...
 
It's not Ripper that makes me not like Iced Earth anymore. It's not even Schaffer. It's the band as a whole. The tracks have overall seemed overproduced, weak, and uninspired. Ripper is great with Beyond Fear. Night of the Stormrider proves that you don't have to have Barlow to have a good Iced Earth album.

I really was disgusted with The Glorious Burden. The only song that I really loved from it was "Waterloo". "The Reckoning" and "Red Baron / Blue Max" were pretty good too. Overall the music doesn't have the drive or flow that older Iced Earth had.

Overall I felt the Gettysburg Trilogy wasn't near the epic that Jon was making it out to be before the album's release.

I hated the production of the new single. The drums annoy me. They sound so fake. Just like the drums on "Touched By the Crimson King".

It's understandable that Barlow left Iced Earth. It is, however, odd that in such a short time he would be back in a metal band.

I think I'll sell my copy of TGB soon...


actually gettysburg was pretty god damn epic, especially about 3/4 of the way through on high water mark, WERE ALMOST THERE MY BOYS... that part, i mean how can you say that isnt epic.

that whole cd was epic as hell, man wtf

but everyone is entitled to their opinion, cause we all hear different things.

but seriously i did get tired of like the 2 min long national anthems, and other patriotic tunes that i recognize but dont know the name to.
 
That's understood Zod. He did what he felt he needed to do. However, regardless of the reasons, justifications, excuses, or rationalizations the facts are what they are. Barlow left Iced Earth. Iced Earth didn't leave Barlow.
Understood. However, your previous comments sounded as if you felt Barlow did something malicious by leaving.

What is pathectic is the Iced Earth/Ripper Owens/Jon Schaffer bashing, as if the band should have folded because the third signer left. Jon Schaffer must die? WTF? Jon has lost it? Glorious Shitpile? The dude left... Either hold him responsible for the changes you can't stand, or get over it
In any thread on the net, you've got to expect a ton of immature responses. As Fiddler will tell you, this is the exact reason Iced Earth doesn't have a forum.

Zod
 
Most of this thread is pathetic. If you want to give up on somebody give up on Barlow. After all he gave up on you. Barlow walked away from his fans. Barlow walked away from Iced Earth. Barlow didn't have the faith in the band to stick it out. Is Iced Earth supposed to roll over and die because Barlow left?

That's bullshit Magius! Barlow didn't give up on anyone! He has a family and wanted to pursue another career. God only knows we need good law enforcement officer these days!

In my opinion, Barlow, Ripper, and the entire Iced Earth band came out winners here. :kickass:

~Brian~