Heres a message Jon left on the Band Board from the Iced Earth site 
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What's Up!
I wanted to post a quick update for you guys.
We will begin recording around the first week of April. I am very happy with the way things are going. I've never felt so good and excited about a record before, this will really be a special one.
A while back I was working on a song called Gettysburg and it was a nice piece of music but it really wasn't giving me what I felt I needed to tell the story of what went on there 140 years ago. It's nearly impossible in 5-6 minutes of music. So around Super Bowl weekend I scrapped the original idea and started writing what I hope will be the biggest and best epic I've ever written. It has, without a doubt, been the most challenging subject matter and emotionally taxing undertaking that I've ever tackled. It will be just about 30 minutes long and told in 3 parts; one for each day of the battle. It will be called Gettysburg (1863) but will consist of 3 songs entitled "The Devil to Pay", "Hold at all Costs", and "High Water Mark." I will be hiring the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to perform on it, as well as a few parts on a couple of other songs. I am working on string sections and the other symphony parts now and finishing up lyrics on it and on some of the other tunes.
Here are some more titles, these are pretty much final. "Declaration Day", "When the Eagle Cries", "The Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me)", "Greenface", "Red Baron/Blue Max", "Attila", "Waterloo", "Valley Forge", "A Gift or A Curse?" and "Hollow Man." This release will take up nearly every available minute on the CD format, because you deserve it!
Anyway, I just wanted to give you a quick update and fill you in on what's happening. I think SPV is looking at a late August early September release.
I'll be in touch one more time before tracking begins.
Take care all................
Jon
By the way, if any of you are history buffs, I'm opening a new shop in Columbus, IN called Spirit of 76 Collectibles. We'll be selling historical artwork, miniatures, sculptures, die cast tanks and planes and all kinds of very cool stuff related to world history. It will be the only shop in the mid-west like it. We'll be open in about 2 weeks, so if you're in the area, stop in and see us.
I'll have Neil post more info about it later.
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Seventy four minutes of IE
Especially seeing as Jon seems so into it!
****
What's Up!
I wanted to post a quick update for you guys.
We will begin recording around the first week of April. I am very happy with the way things are going. I've never felt so good and excited about a record before, this will really be a special one.
A while back I was working on a song called Gettysburg and it was a nice piece of music but it really wasn't giving me what I felt I needed to tell the story of what went on there 140 years ago. It's nearly impossible in 5-6 minutes of music. So around Super Bowl weekend I scrapped the original idea and started writing what I hope will be the biggest and best epic I've ever written. It has, without a doubt, been the most challenging subject matter and emotionally taxing undertaking that I've ever tackled. It will be just about 30 minutes long and told in 3 parts; one for each day of the battle. It will be called Gettysburg (1863) but will consist of 3 songs entitled "The Devil to Pay", "Hold at all Costs", and "High Water Mark." I will be hiring the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to perform on it, as well as a few parts on a couple of other songs. I am working on string sections and the other symphony parts now and finishing up lyrics on it and on some of the other tunes.
Here are some more titles, these are pretty much final. "Declaration Day", "When the Eagle Cries", "The Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me)", "Greenface", "Red Baron/Blue Max", "Attila", "Waterloo", "Valley Forge", "A Gift or A Curse?" and "Hollow Man." This release will take up nearly every available minute on the CD format, because you deserve it!
Anyway, I just wanted to give you a quick update and fill you in on what's happening. I think SPV is looking at a late August early September release.
I'll be in touch one more time before tracking begins.
Take care all................
Jon
By the way, if any of you are history buffs, I'm opening a new shop in Columbus, IN called Spirit of 76 Collectibles. We'll be selling historical artwork, miniatures, sculptures, die cast tanks and planes and all kinds of very cool stuff related to world history. It will be the only shop in the mid-west like it. We'll be open in about 2 weeks, so if you're in the area, stop in and see us.
I'll have Neil post more info about it later.
****
Seventy four minutes of IE
Especially seeing as Jon seems so into it! 
