I have given up on Iced Earth

[TBJ]

With the risk of regurgitating what most people have said here I'll say I am a bit dissapointed by Iced Earth.

It hurt my ears to listen to these reworked older songs. In some ways it is an improvement(drum beats especially) but the guitars sound thin, there is almost no bass and Ripper's approach to the older songs lacks power and feeling. Something Barlow had in spades. Yes, Ripper can sing them, and doesnt do a bad job at all, but where's the passion? Where's the feeling?

And the new song? The less I say about it the better. Again, same production faux pas as TGB. Thin guitars, drums too loud and clicky, no bass. WTF? After the awesome production Horror Show had, what happened?

I've been a fan of IE since 98-99 and I like the older albums with the previous singers but there is NO WAY IN HELL people can say with a straight face that the new stuff is in any way comparable to the Barlow albums. yes, there are some cool songs here and there(I really like Red Baron, it suits Tim's voice perfectly) but the rest of TGB was lame, boring and there was no feeling.

This is probably not Tim's fault at all, I really liked his singing in Jugulator and on his new band's album. I think the problem here is Jon. He NEEDS another guitarist and a good basist to help with the songwriting, or at least a producer that can make everything sound heavy as hell.

If this EP is any indication of how the new albums will sound I will probably not buy them, unless some new amazing tracks are unveiled in the coming months. If so, then I will eat all the shit I've said and happily buy both new albums with a smile on my face.

 

[Magius]

Understood. However, your previous comments sounded as if you felt Barlow did something malicious by leaving.

Just turning the maliciousness back on those who spew it at the new line up.
I don't actually begrudge Barlow his decision, but it can be spun to sound as bad or worse than the the commentary towards Schaffer's decicions.

That's bullshit Magius! Barlow didn't give up on anyone! He has a family and wanted to pursue another career.

Granted I put it in the worst possible light for the spin value, but he did. While I fully understand why Barlow left, the fact is that he didn't believe that Iced Earth would ever be able to provide for his family. It is completely understandable for someone to take the sure thing over the gamble, especially when it's not just themself being affected by the choice. Life is not "Let's Make A Deal" in reality.

Time will tell if Barlow made the right choice. Should the day come that Iced Earth breaks big with Multi-Platinum albums settling for the $45K/yr....
Of course that day may never come.

 

[edgeofthorns]

Time will tell if Barlow made the right choice. Should the day come that Iced Earth breaks big with Multi-Platinum albums settling for the $45K/yr....
Of course that day may never come.

Well, if we're talkin' finances here, nobody is going to get rich being a cop for sure. Surely Barlow didn't leave because the money was better in law enforcement. I would think it had more to do not being on tour, etc. I have no idea, but that's just my speculation.

~Brian~

 

[Exploding Ned]

smug? snobbish? lighten up there theli guy
life is grand :Smokin:

I'll make my observations when I actually purchase the cd. :Smug:

I don't care what anyone says about a song when they've downloaded it without buying it. If you believe in a band to begin with, you'll be patient and spend the money when the song is released. And I refuse to listen to a bunch of Iced Earth naysayers who've been crying ever since Barlow left. Get over it. I did. I was just as upset when Barlow walked away not only from Iced Earth, but from singing altogether. But now, he's about to make a triumphant return with Pyramaze.

So get over it, and get over your snobbish selves. geez.

 

[Exploding Ned]

Go figure right?

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

 

[Exploding Ned]

It is genuinely rare for any fan to stick with any band thru all the changes inherent in a band's existence. It could be you're just tired of the 'formula', tired of the 'tired formula', or your opinion of the progression (or lack of it) of the band differs from theirs. In ANY case, your opinions are what you the listener go by when you choose a band, and in the end are the ultimate litmus test for your ears. I've had little if any success in 'enlightening' anyone on their opinion of a band's music, so unless I start buying CDs for a person, I tend to respect their opinion since it's THEIR ears we're talking about. I have my favorites, they have theirs. The sound police won't invade either of our living rooms anytime soon, so we can all enjoy what we like. As for I.E., the last one seemed kind of overly dramatic to me, but thru the years there's been alot of good music released by them, and I enjoy the fact that Ripper's in the lineup now, so I'll just stand back and watch the next album/tour unfold.

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...

 

[skyrefuge]

Well, if we're talkin' finances here, nobody is going to get rich being a cop for sure.

Then I would say that you have a poor understanding of the kind of money a non-songwriting member of an underground metal band can expect to earn. I'd guess just about any full-time job would be a lot more lucrative. I'm pretty sure SPV wasn't covering a pension and health insurance either (and since Matt has a wife and kid...)

Neil

 

[Kenso]

i have given up on this thread.

 

[Petethedrummer]

I haven't heard any of the new iced earth, but I loved TGB, so if there's more like that, count me in.

 

[Firehead]

Well, if we're talkin' finances here, nobody is going to get rich being a cop for sure. Surely Barlow didn't leave because the money was better in law enforcement. I would think it had more to do not being on tour, etc. I have no idea, but that's just my speculation.

~Brian~

You're right about that (money, getting rich.) But $45K a year is probably A LOT more than the $8-10K a year that he was (most likely) getting with IE. And that would be an average considering they didn't tour or release albums every year.

Schaeffer is the one making a very nice living as he writes all the songs and owns the logo for t-shirts. It made perfect sense for Barlow.

 

[TwizstedJesus]

Bottom line...its not the Iced Earth people came to know and love,therefore it is slammed.I listened to the CD and I hear nothing wrong with it except that it is missing Barlow.But the bright points are it features Ripper. Its a decent tradeoff I think.Its like Motley Crue replacing Vince with John Corabi...The Corabi disc absolutely slayed! But it was missing Vince,so it was shitcanned by everybody with a closed mind...Iced Earth will do fine with the new disc

 

[Ascension]

Iced Earth will do fine with the new disc

Absolutely...and as someone mentioned earlier, the fans that bail will be replaced by newfound fans who like the new material, Ripper on vocals, etc.

 

[Cheiron]

Plus... with being a cop he gets insurance for himself and his family.

Blaming somebody for leaving a band to get into a better financial situation is lame and probably hypocritical. He did the proper thing and thought of his family first. His responsibilities were obviously weighing down on his spirit and ability to perform anyhow.

If you want to know one of the possible end results of dedicating oneself as a poor musician over getting some decent benefits look no further than what happened to Evil Chuck.

 

[edgeofthorns]

Then I would say that you have a poor understanding of the kind of money a non-songwriting member of an underground metal band can expect to earn. I'd guess just about any full-time job would be a lot more lucrative. I'm pretty sure SPV wasn't covering a pension and health insurance either (and since Matt has a wife and kid...)

Neil

Neil, I guess you could say that I do have a poor understanding of what a non-songwriting member of an underground metal band can expect to earn, considering I've never been one. My point that I was trying to make was that most likely money wasn't the sole reason Matt left the band. Being on the road and the craziness that comes with being in a band probably help contribute to that decision as well.

~Brian~

 

[edgeofthorns]

You're right about that (money, getting rich.) But $45K a year is probably A LOT more than the $8-10K a year that he was (most likely) getting with IE. And that would be an average considering they didn't tour or release albums every year.

Schaeffer is the one making a very nice living as he writes all the songs and owns the logo for t-shirts. It made perfect sense for Barlow.

Indeed, if that's true. Like I said to Neil, I'm not a band member, so all I can do is speculate. Regardless, Barlow sounds like he has a head on his shoulders and I don't blame him for doing what he did.

~Brian~

 

[General Zod]

Its like Motley Crue replacing Vince with John Corabi...

Hmmm... I'm not sure that's a great example. Jon replaced Matt, and his sales soared. Nikki replaced Vince, and their sales completely tanked. Matt isn't the original singer, Vince was. However, the biggest difference is, Crue tried to completely overhaul the band's sound at the same time they added Corabi. Jon has never intentionally altered the direction of the songwriting.

Zod

 

[Dark One]

Jon has never intentionally altered the direction of the songwriting.

I completely agree with the rest of what you wrote, but I definitely disagree on the phrase I quoted above. The differences in the direction of the songwriting pre and post Burnt Offerings are quite huge IMO.

 

[edgeofthorns]

Jon replaced Matt, and his sales soared.
Zod

Here's an interesting question for you. Do you think that the reason sales did so well with TGB was partly due to the subject matter and not so much to do with who was singing it? Jon touched on American History and 911 subject matter which hadn't been overdone by metal bands at that time. I have a hard time believing that TGB wouldn't have done as equally as well with Barlow on vox. What's your opinion?

~Brian~

 

[Rycher]

I have a hard time believing that TGB wouldn't have done as equally as well with Barlow on vox. What's your opinion?

~Brian~

They also had the added advantage of marketing the disc by mentioning the following: "featuring Ripper Owens, former singer of Judas Priest," when they released the album.

 

[General Zod]

I completely agree with the rest of what you wrote, but I definitely disagree on the phrase I quoted above. The differences in the direction of the songwriting pre and post Burnt Offerings are quite huge IMO.

But that wasn't a change between the Matt and the Tim eras.

Here's an interesting question for you. Do you think that the reason sales did so well with TGB was partly due to the subject matter and not so much to do with who was singing it? Jon touched on American History and 911 subject matter which hadn't been overdone by metal bands at that time. I have a hard time believing that TGB wouldn't have done as equally as well with Barlow on vox. What's your opinion?

I suspect it's a bit of all of the above. I think Tim exposed Iced Earth to a larger audience (the Judas Priest crowd). I'd also attribute the increased sales to the move from CM to SPV, and consequent airplay on MTV. I'd probably rank the lyrics near the bottom.

Zod