ICED EARTH Re-Records Fan-Favorite "Dante's Inferno"...Gives It Away FREE

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

Hi Everyone,

Here's a bit of news that ought to interest PPUSA!

Enjoy!

Bill




Some bands release mere snippets of songs to preview their upcoming tours. Some release a single song. In typical balls-to-the-wall Iced Earth fashion, the legendary metal band has re-recorded the entire 17-minute fan-favorite epic “Dante’s Inferno” – and will give it away free on their official web site.

“If there’s one song fans have asked us to play live more than any other it’s ‘Dante’s Inferno,’” Iced Earth main man Jon Schaffer said. “The simple reason why we haven’t is because the original click track was erased, therefore requiring a keyboard player to do the parts live. That’s OK for a special event like when we recorded Alive in Athens, but to hire a keyboard player for a full tour, for one song, just isn’t financially feasible.”

This summer, during the recording of Dystopia, Iced Earth’s soon-to-be-released 10th studio album, the band entered the studio for the express purpose of remedying that situation – and emerged with a powerful rendition that’s (if possible) even more monumental than the original, which was the closing track on the band’s 1995 album Burnt Offerings.

Schaffer and new vocalist Stu Block talk about the recording of “Dante’s Inferno” in this exclusive video clip just posted to the band’s Official YouTube Channel: .

“Dante’s Inferno” can be downloaded – free – from Iced Earth’s web site here: http://www.icedearth.com/dantesinferno.

“Dante’s Inferno” (which is based on Inferno, the first part of Dante’s poem The Divine Comedy) hasn’t been played live since 1999’s groundbreaking Alive in Athens album.

“We wanted to say ‘Thank You’ to all of our loyal fans who have waited so long to hear us play ‘Dante’ again,” said Schaffer. “So, we decided to give this to them, free. It’s because of our fans we’ve been able to make music all these years. This is a way to show how much we appreciate them.”

Schaffer promises “Dante’s Inferno” will be back in the band’s set lists for all upcoming shows on the 2011-2012 World Dystopia Tour.

The European leg of the 2011-2012 World Dystopia Tour has been posted on the band’s official web site, and all official social-media sites. The tour begins October 30th in Bochum, Germany.

Dystopia is scheduled for release in Europe on October 17th, and in the U.S. on October 18th, both via Century Media. Two bonus tracks have also been recorded for inclusion on special editions of the album.

The release of Dystopia will be followed by the most extensive world tour Iced Earth has ever undertaken.

 

[AngraRULES]

That is awesome.

*awaiting link on email*

 

[Metal_Camden]

DUDE

stu sounds fantastic, as i told everyone he would. hes like a love child of all the good in any previous Iced Earth vocalists.

i cannot wait for the new album and beyond

AND THE GUITARS ARE SOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOO TIGHT. fucking awesome.

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

BONER TIME!!!!! Fuck yes!!!! THIS IS SO GODDAMN GOOD!

 

[eternalstorm]

I think the word 'EPIC' describes this perfectly. Stu took a fan favorite and made it his own and it ROCKS!
Down with the hates! Stu is here to stay!

 

[Harvester]

Stu sounds AWESOME.

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

I do a 90 minute radio show every 2 weeks on The Root Of All Evil here in MN, and I will be, for damn sure, playing this on there, all 17 and a half glorious goddamn minutes of it.

 

[Cheiron]

Stu sounds good, but that song is quite boring.

 

[dtfanatic]

One of my good friends (Rick Risberg) got to play keyboards on that Alive in Athens show and other shows they did on that stretch in Europe that year.

 

[longshot9]

wow, color me impressed. stu sounds killer!

 

[Regor]

Anyone else get the feeling that Jon is trying to rewrite the past? Maybe erase his 'mistakes' as he may see them now?

I'm sure this version with Stu is gonna sound great (@ work, can't listen), but to re-record something so iconic as that song, with your new guy... I dunno. I just think they coulda did a 'click track' for live shows, without going to this length.

 

[nailz]

I am of the opinion that Stu sounds like he's trying to match Barlow, but then putting a different spin on some spots. He sounds good, but I don't necessarily love him in IE for that purpose.

Then, I've never been particularly in love with IE on CD, I prefer them live.

 

[hoodaman]

I like it. It's not Barlow but it's still good. I recently had that same realization with Scar Symmetry after dismissing their last 2 albums. It's not Christian Alverstam but it's still good.

 

[Fury of Polaris]

I love it. Stu sounds killer.

I'll reserve judgment 'til I hear the new album but his vocals are as strong there, then he'll easily be my second favorite vocalist in the band, after Barlow. I'm pretty amped up for this.

 

[PatrickHoyt]

hmmm...I think I'll celebrate this by playing Dante's Inferno on PS3 while blasting this on repeat for the remainder of the evening.


and to everyone that has something negative to say



Stu is amazing.

 

[skyrefuge]

Anyone else get the feeling that Jon is trying to rewrite the past? Maybe erase his 'mistakes' as he may see them now?

heh...regardless of the motive, this is hardly some new precedent. Of Dante's Inferno alone, there are literally FIVE different studio versions now! (four of which have Barlow's vocals.) Here's what they've redone:

1990 - 'Iced Earth', featuring re-recorded songs from 'Enter the Realm'.
1997 - 'Days of Purgatory', where Barlow replaced the first two singers.
1999 - 'Alive in Athens' had more Barlow-replacements.
2001 - 'Dark Genesis', complete remixes of their first three albums (but keeping original vocalists)
2007 - 'Oveture of the Wicked' single, re-recorded the 'Something Wicked' trilogy with Ripper on vocals
2008 - 'Slave to the Dark' boxed set contained a *third* mix of 'Burnt Offerings'
2008 - 'I Walk Among You' single, replaced Ripper with Barlow on several 'Framing Armageddon' songs.
2011 - 'Dante's Inferno' completely re-recorded with Stu on vocals.

Seen in that light, I think it becomes apparent that the general motivation is not "rewriting the past", but rather, giving fans something of actual value whenever they reissue material, rather than most bands/labels who just release "greatest hits" or tack on a live bonus track.

Contrary to popular belief, recording new versions of old songs doesn't actually cause the old versions to shatter into pieces, never to be heard again.

Neil

 

[Regor]

heh...regardless of the motive, this is hardly some new precedent. Of Dante's Inferno alone, there are literally FIVE different studio versions now! (four of which have Barlow's vocals.) Here's what they've redone:

1990 - 'Iced Earth', featuring re-recorded songs from 'Enter the Realm'.
1997 - 'Days of Purgatory', where Barlow replaced the first two singers.
1999 - 'Alive in Athens' had more Barlow-replacements.
2001 - 'Dark Genesis', complete remixes of their first three albums (but keeping original vocalists)
2007 - 'Oveture of the Wicked' single, re-recorded the 'Something Wicked' trilogy with Ripper on vocals
2008 - 'Slave to the Dark' boxed set contained a *third* mix of 'Burnt Offerings'
2008 - 'I Walk Among You' single, replaced Ripper with Barlow on several 'Framing Armageddon' songs.
2011 - 'Dante's Inferno' completely re-recorded with Stu on vocals.

Seen in that light, I think it becomes apparent that the general motivation is not "rewriting the past", but rather, giving fans something of actual value whenever they reissue material, rather than most bands/labels who just release "greatest hits" or tack on a live bonus track.

Contrary to popular belief, recording new versions of old songs doesn't actually cause the old versions to shatter into pieces, never to be heard again.

Neil

Right, but it goes to prove my point, that he's always re-recording his old work with new vocalists. DoP proves my point, altho I'm not gonna call AIA a re-recording of old work, cuz it's a live album, so that doesn't count IMO. Dark Genesis doesn't count either, as its remix, not re-recorded new vocalists.

There was no good reason for him to re-record the Overture of the Wicked stuff with Ripper, as was there no good reason to redo the Framing Armageddon stuff w/ Barlow. I see it as "Screw the last guy, I'ma redo this stuff with the new guy" kinda thing. 'Maybe' its giving the fans what they want, but I didn't care for the redo's of the latter stuff (DoP stuff I totally understood as Barlow was 'The' right vocalist for IE).

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

I don't give a fuck what anyone says. The song with Stu fucking slays!

 

[drmetal8]

Downloaded it, burned it to CD, cranked it up. It f**king rocks.
Great track from a highly underrated album.

 

[mel_progson]

Godamn, this rules! Thanks for posting Bill.