I've been to many sites and everyone seems to believe that the Iced Earth standards have fallen thanks to their rectent album the Glorius Burden. However, I'm here to simply paint a simple picture, then, i let you decide what you think.
Purgatory: Iced Earth's first demo disc is not widely attaiable but it is considerably good for a demo. However, i wouldn't go out of my way to get it, but it gives you a good insight into what to expect for the next few coming albums.
Iced Earth: The first production lacks punch mainly due to the singer. It seems a little rushed but when we look at the bigger picture, there wasn't a lot of time for the album to be produced and the budget was something like $5000. However, if you do see it on offer i would think about it as the title track is pretty good.!
Travel in Stygian: If anything this is the best Iced Earth album out there! Despite a moderately bigger budget ($15,000) the album was almost a million times bigger than it predocessor with so many awesome tracks. From the opening with Angels Holocaust to the closing with the unbelievably powerful Travel in Stygian the album pours out most of Iced Earth's classics. This is definately the album you want!
Burnt Offerings: Many say that this album is the best but i must dissagree. I found this album quite difficult to get and when i got it i was seriously upset at it's lack of atmosphere and power. From the opening track it just drags on through out the album. The only killer track on here is the last one Dante's Inferno which is a truly immense 16 minutes of heavy metal mayhem. In all honesty though it's not worth the effort.
Dark Saga: Another bummer but it's saved being brought down to the rubbish level of Burnt offerings by little gem tracks like Vengeance is Mine and The HUnter. It quite a dark album and struggles to keep the listener interested. Dissapointing.
Something Wicked Comes This Way: Probably the second best album. It's a tour de force with an exhausting array of songs that will leave you screaming for more. It's not as fast and powerful as Travel in Stygian but the riffs and final three cascading heavy metal story songs are well worth paying for!
Horror Show: Not bad actually but lacking anything special. There's a treat for Maiden fans here with a cover of Transylvania but that's probably the only thing to get excited about to be honest.
Alive in Athens: I strongly adivse getting the albums before this, or at least the albums you want because this is one of the best recorded and performed music sets I've ever heard! Even some of the crappy songs are pulled off immensely on this Cheap 3-Disc set! Well worth the money!
Tributwe to the Gods: Some pretty good covers here such as God of Thunder by KISS and Hallowed be thy Name by Maiden but nothing completely special. Get it if you like covers, but otherwise don't bother.
Glorious Burden: Exciting, fantastic and deeply atmospheric. This is a grand master of an album. It has been deeply criticised and i knew during listening that this was unike anything Iced Earth had done before but what i heard, I thought, was particularly incredible. Being a musician I've always enjoyed the mixture of an orchestra into heavy metal. KISS did it and very well. Metallica did it, spectacularly. People wouldn't give it a thought but i advise this album if you're the kind of person who deeply appreciates music for what it is, something we do for ourselves, and for the enjoyment of those who want it.
I hope some of you guys liked reading this and would consider buying the albums i adivised, or even those i didn't!
Cheers!
Purgatory: Iced Earth's first demo disc is not widely attaiable but it is considerably good for a demo. However, i wouldn't go out of my way to get it, but it gives you a good insight into what to expect for the next few coming albums.
Iced Earth: The first production lacks punch mainly due to the singer. It seems a little rushed but when we look at the bigger picture, there wasn't a lot of time for the album to be produced and the budget was something like $5000. However, if you do see it on offer i would think about it as the title track is pretty good.!
Travel in Stygian: If anything this is the best Iced Earth album out there! Despite a moderately bigger budget ($15,000) the album was almost a million times bigger than it predocessor with so many awesome tracks. From the opening with Angels Holocaust to the closing with the unbelievably powerful Travel in Stygian the album pours out most of Iced Earth's classics. This is definately the album you want!
Burnt Offerings: Many say that this album is the best but i must dissagree. I found this album quite difficult to get and when i got it i was seriously upset at it's lack of atmosphere and power. From the opening track it just drags on through out the album. The only killer track on here is the last one Dante's Inferno which is a truly immense 16 minutes of heavy metal mayhem. In all honesty though it's not worth the effort.
Dark Saga: Another bummer but it's saved being brought down to the rubbish level of Burnt offerings by little gem tracks like Vengeance is Mine and The HUnter. It quite a dark album and struggles to keep the listener interested. Dissapointing.
Something Wicked Comes This Way: Probably the second best album. It's a tour de force with an exhausting array of songs that will leave you screaming for more. It's not as fast and powerful as Travel in Stygian but the riffs and final three cascading heavy metal story songs are well worth paying for!
Horror Show: Not bad actually but lacking anything special. There's a treat for Maiden fans here with a cover of Transylvania but that's probably the only thing to get excited about to be honest.
Alive in Athens: I strongly adivse getting the albums before this, or at least the albums you want because this is one of the best recorded and performed music sets I've ever heard! Even some of the crappy songs are pulled off immensely on this Cheap 3-Disc set! Well worth the money!
Tributwe to the Gods: Some pretty good covers here such as God of Thunder by KISS and Hallowed be thy Name by Maiden but nothing completely special. Get it if you like covers, but otherwise don't bother.
Glorious Burden: Exciting, fantastic and deeply atmospheric. This is a grand master of an album. It has been deeply criticised and i knew during listening that this was unike anything Iced Earth had done before but what i heard, I thought, was particularly incredible. Being a musician I've always enjoyed the mixture of an orchestra into heavy metal. KISS did it and very well. Metallica did it, spectacularly. People wouldn't give it a thought but i advise this album if you're the kind of person who deeply appreciates music for what it is, something we do for ourselves, and for the enjoyment of those who want it.
I hope some of you guys liked reading this and would consider buying the albums i adivised, or even those i didn't!
Cheers!
