Iced Earth...The Pride Of U.S. Metal...

  • Thread starter King Purple Rainbow
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King Purple Rainbow

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...yet unappreciated by American fans.

What a shame.

I MEAN, C'MON!!!

ICED EARTH SHOULD BE THE BIGGEST METAL BAND AROUND!!!

This sucks...
 
I can't say much about those bands. I've heard a little from Nevermore, Testament. And I'm sure the rest are equally impressive.

But do you think that those bands have a better shot than Iced Earth at making it big and being the biggest Heavy Metal band around?

Some say Iced Earth is repetitive. That Jon Schaffer is an egomaniac. This may be true.

But few can deny that they are a powerful band that should be a force in the Metal community. They should be the leaders.
 
Maybe you didn't notice but Horrorshow is the biggest seller in Century Media history in the US. The CD sold like 70,000 copies which is damn good for a metal band in this day and age. Iced Earth also just finished a sold out US tour, which I missed because it was fucking sold out. No worry, I saw them 2 years prior! Can Iced Earth get as big as Metallica or Link'in Park, probably not. However, they can get as big as Slayer, Megadeth and Pantera are currently. They've worked hard and have some great songs, so why not wish them the best.:)
 
They better get the fire back then, because what I saw on stage was a flawless gig with a nice show, but no enthusiasm whatsoever. I had seen them in '98 for 10 or so times and they were still enthusiastic back then! Now they are trying to be so perfect on stage that they forget the charisma, the fun, whatever... That is NOT why I go to live-shows!

Here's my review for Metal Guide and on my hubby's page (see sig) you can see more pics!!
 
I agree.

But the same thing happened to Iron Maiden. After a while, you stop performing like a band hungry for fans. It happens.

They're still a terrific band with great songs. The music is the only thing that matters to me.
 
It happens.. but luckily not to all bands. Bands like Annhilator, Grave Digger, Vicious Rumors, Slayer or Brainstorm (and many others) have been around for 10-20 years and they still play with enormous enthousiasm.
What bothers me (and disappoints me as a former fanatic fan) about Iced Earth the most I think, is that Schaffer is always talking in interviews how important the fans are and all that, and I just don't see it anymore. He seems to be too much of a business man. On CD the music may be (almost) the only thing that matters (yes they still are a great band), but a live show is not just about music (I can listen to the CD at home). No one would go just to hear the songs played live, say with the band not visible behind a curtain or something. You (I) also want to feel energy coming from that stage and see something happening up there.
 
You have great points.

I think mabye the reason they aren't as captivating anymore live is because Jon's spine is messed up from past thrashings. And mabye Matt isn't the best frontman around (but certainly the best voice!).

I don't know. Mabye when they move on to a bigger record label and start playing some larger venues, the spark may rekindle.
 
And you also have to consider the endless line-up changes. The chemistry's always gonna be different.

Iced Earth's line-up is like musical chairs!
 
Yeah, I think all that has to do with it. Although new blood also can renew the energy! Like it did when Jack Frost joined Savatage (dumm to throw him out again, but anyway). With IE it's always about Matt and Jon having hired hands, right? I have to say though, that Tarnowski made huge progress since I saw him in '98. Back then he was still the shy, still in awe, kid who just got to join one of his favorite bands (imagine!) and now he's a self-insured young man and a better player too. But all of them just didn't do much with the crowd, and I thought Matt used to talk a bit more in between the songs than he did now..

But yeah, Barlow's one of the very best there are! Always hard to pick one, my favorite singer is Evergrey's Tom Englund, cause no voice can move me like his can. Then there's Matt, other faves are Warrel Dane, Andy B. Franck, Brian O'Connor and only recently I had once again goosebumps when I heard Harry Concklin (with Jag Panzer and Titan Force at Bang Your Head - isn't there a limit to how much a singer can improve himself??) :worship:
 
Yeah, Larry is a great player now!

Matt was always good, but he's an awesome vocalist now, thanks to a kick in the butt by Mr. Schaffer.

I'm thinking Jon had something to do with Larry's progress as well. He just may be a keeper.
 
Well...

You're not from the United States of Arrogance for nothing...
 
Well, if you feel those other metal bands can drag the sorry metal scene out of the mud, then that's fine.

Yes, NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER is a classic, but BURNT OFFERINGS is another incredible CD! ALIVE IN ATHENS is quite possibly the finest live Heavy Metal CD ever. HORROR SHOW isn't their best effort, I'll give you that. But they still have the potential to release another killer CD, and I think the new CD will rule!

And yes, Jon Schaffer is a...um...'strong minded.' He believes in Iced Earth and won't let any individual destroy it. They continue to gain more fans, and that's all a part of Jon Schaffer sticking to his guns.

But I highly disagree about Matt...I still say he's one of the best, if not the best.
 
Originally posted by The Wanderer
Im not interested in watching the metal scene get drug out of the mud. therre are plenty of good bands if you care to look.
Click to expand...

If you're not interested in seeing the metal scene get better, you're apparently not interested in metal! Those 'plenty of good bands' need a chance to be seen and heard, through gigs, cds and zines. No band wants to be stuck in their local scene for the rest of their lives. Without a more healthy metal scene a lot of bands never get the chance to show their talents to the world. Nor do you, as a fan, ever get to see your favorite bands live! So it's in metal's interest to improve the scene. Bands like Iced Earth are doing a lot for that scene in the US. You can deny it all you want, but it's happening. I know what it's like to live in an area where the metal scene is great. I get to see all my favorite bands live. I wish that for every metalfan!
 
Hehe, I also live in a great place where tons of bands come to play. It's nice living here near D.C. for that reason at least. I don't think it's so bad to have a band of hired guns so to speak. Death did it for years and were the best band in America until they're end. Testament is doing it in recent years. The philosophy of the times is to be in multiple bands and that leads to scheduling conflicts, which means some guys have to leave a band and commit to one at certain times.

If you want to check out a hard working upcoming American band, try Brave from Virginia. Here's a review from the latest metal update newsletter. http://www.metaljudgment.com/summary/brave_frames.html I've seen them 4 times live, including last night at their CD release party, excellent band now signed to Dark Symphonies. www.bravemusic.com
 
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