Iced Earth's Framing Armageddon

[Cheiron]

First, The Clouding may be the best song Iced Earth has ever done.

Secondly, this album may be better than Something Wicked This Way Comes. Its at least as good.

If you don't like anything Tim Owens has ever done, then fine. Walk away. Don't buy the album, don't download it just so that you can bitch about it. Just leave it be. But if you are at all a fan of Tim, and know that he could sound better with Iced Earth, then this album will do what you want. Its not going to make you forget Matt Barlow, but it may make you realize that Iced Earth is alive, and still an incredible band without him. To my ears Tim sounds fantastic. Sure he sings in the stratosphere at times, but he also sings with an evilness that I didn't know he had.


Lastly, Zod... not sure if you have heard it. But the production quality is excellent.

 

[Rider of Theli]

personally, I am looking forward to picking this up (i.e. buying it). I've been anxious for this release ever since I heard Jon was working on it. I like the storyline and I believe it's a titanic effort to stretch this over two full albums' worth of material. :zombie:

I'll pick it up soon, though not sure when. Budget's real tight lately. It may be PPUSA before I can get it.

Thanks for the insight Scott.

~Hoyt.

 

[The Invisible Guest]

I wasn't impressed with the new one at all. Ripper was the least of the problems .. I think he does a good job on here, its just that I think the disc is pretty boring overall. I like The Clouding, and a few other tunes, but for the most point I'm pretty disappointed.

Britt

 

[Dark One]

I'm definitely enjoying this so far - solid album. It gets off to a very slow start (not really impressed with the first few tracks), but then really begins building momentum around the "A Charge to Keep"/"Ten Thousand Strong" mark. Some of the later material on the album ("The Clouding", "The Domino Decree" and the title track) are definite highlights and contain some of Ripper's best moments with the band.

Jason

 

[VenomGA]

First, The Clouding may be the best song Iced Earth has ever done.

Not a snow balls chance in hell of this being accurate.

Secondly, this album may be better than Something Wicked This Way Comes. Its at least as good.

Again, this is not even close to being correct. While this album is pretty good, it pails in comparision to the mighty original SWTWC or Dark Saga for that matter.

 

[General Zod]

Lastly, Zod... not sure if you have heard it. But the production quality is excellent.

The production is solid. That said, I'd like to see Jon work with someone else, besides Jim. Not so much because the sound of their discs need to be dramatically improved, but because I think Jon needs a fresh pair of ears to work with. Their sound has been flirting with stale for a while now, and I'd hate to see them become irrelevant.

As for the new disc, it's yet to impress me. Granted, my expectations for this disc were unrealistic. So it may take a while for the dust to settle, before I can truly appreciate it for what it is. I plan to buy it today, and sit with the lyric sheet in hand and the headphones on tonight. More tomorrow...

Zod

 

[Cheiron]

Not a snow balls chance in hell of this being accurate.

Again, this is not even close to being correct. While this album is pretty good, it pails in comparision to the mighty original SWTWC or Dark Saga for that matter.

What songs are better? Sure I love 'The Hunted' and every song on Dark Saga. Hell its probably my favorite album of theirs. But The Clouding is just something else to me.

As for this album being up there, yeah its not the most energetic Iced Earth album ever. But I tend to forget that most people these days think that everything is boring unless it has blast beat after blast beat, and repetitive riff after repetitive riff, all layered with GRA GRA GRA widdly woo, or unoriginal banshee wails, or uninspired songs and lyrics. Or bands that have to come out and say 'hey everybody we can play our instruments, fuck playing them together, we just want to show you how well we can play!' (Nevermind that most of the guitarist people think are 'incredibly technical' fall short on a meter compared to so many other guitarists of so many other genres, that it even more makes it so pathetic when some new 'metal god' guitarist tries to show what he can do by playing some 'technical' piece, instead of writing a friggin song.

How dare a band create something that takes actually focusing on and listening to ... in order to appreciate. I truly believe that present day mastering where everything is so bright that you lose a percentage of the song to static has ruined people's ability to hear the quiet when its there. Or, to even appreciate silence between notes.

Today's music is for the ADD. And personally, I'm tired of it.

 

[Cheiron]

The production is solid. That said, I'd like to see Jon work with someone else, besides Jim. Not so much because the sound of their discs need to be dramatically improved, but because I think Jon needs a fresh pair of ears to work with. Their sound has been flirting with stale for a while now, and I'd hate to see them become irrelevant.

As for the new disc, it's yet to impress me. Granted, my expectations for this disc were unrealistic. So it may take a while for the dust to settle, before I can truly appreciate it for what it is. I plan to buy it today, and sit with the lyric sheet in hand and the headphones on tonight. More tomorrow...

Zod

That's the way to do it. I'll be interested to see your thoughts after that. BTW did they play any of these songs when you saw them live and how did they come across?

 

[General Zod]

That's the way to do it. I'll be interested to see your thoughts after that. BTW did they play any of these songs when you saw them live and how did they come across?

They played "10,000 Strong" and "A Charge to Keep". Both came across as well as songs unfamiliar to a crowd could hope to.

Zod

 

[The Invisible Guest]

They played "10,000 Strong" and "A Charge to Keep". Both came across as well as songs unfamiliar to a crowd could hope to.

Zod

I liked one live, but not the other. 10,000 Strong is one of the better tracks on the album, but it's nowhere near my favorites in the IE catalog. I don't like A Charge To Keep much. I think that tune is pretty weak for IE.

One of the problems I have with the new disc is that I don't think there are any big knockout songs that would rank among IE's best. The disc isn't terrible by any means, but it doesn't seem all that memorable either.

Britt

 

[Chai]

After giving it several listens, I can say I enjoy the album. I had high expectations given the sampler songs on the IE site, and for the most part, I'm not disappointed. That said, I don't think it comes close to beating SWTWC, but it's a solid addition.

 

[The Fiddler]

One of the problems I have with the new disc is that I don't think there are any big knockout songs that would rank among IE's best.

Only time will tell, but I believe "The Clouding" is among their very best.

I've been listening to the non-promo disc for a month now, and it's a lot to take in on just one listen. It tells one big story, and this CD is just part I. With each repeated listen, everything started to fall into place more and more and my enjoyment of the disc increased dramatically with each listen. It's a roller coaster ride with a lot of highs and lows. I love that kind of ride.

People need to remember that this is a concept CD (like the last Symphony X disc), and a very ambitious one at that. Each song or interlude is there for a reason, and if you're expecting 18 stand-alone, all-out thrash tracks from this enormous conceptual disc, you need to "reframe" your perceptions about the purpose of the disc - to tell a story that spans 12,000 years of human history. Part I is more melancholy and somber than Part II. Part I lays the groundwork for armageddon in Part II (which begins with the birth of Set Abominae). If there wasn't enough havoc for you in Part I, there will be in Part II, as it is called for when Set Abominae accpets his fate and unleashes armageddon on all mankind.

 

[The Fiddler]

Here's a snippet of a very good, accurate review from a reputable source that has listened to the disc more than just once or twice before posting their review:

http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=12933

"...The years might have mellowed Schaffer’s mood as ‘’Framing Armageddon…’’ contains little of the rampant brooding Power Progressive Metal menace of say ‘’Night Of The Stormrider’’ or ‘’Burnt Offerings’’ or even the darker parts of ‘’The Dark Saga’’ However ICED EARTH has always retained a highly Melodic streak tempered from early KISS, MAIDEN and PRIEST influences and it’s this Melodic strain that drives this record from start to finish. Lets face it the addition of Tim ‘’Ripper’’ Owens was a master stroke. He just got going on the ‘’Glorious Burden’’ but he kills on this record. His voice suits perfectly the more commercial sound and tacked along side the razor sharp riffing and soaring choruses this is the album that Owens final makes his stand.

Overtly complicated (few ICED EARTH songs are anything but) on the first few airings there’s a lot to take in. However at its core this is a sublime Metal record that draws on the traditional heavy, guitar crunch of old ICED EARTH with added capabilities of one of metal finest singers. Schaffer’s proclivity for adding Progressive touches still fills the record but thankfully ‘’Farming Armageddon…’’ doesn’t lose your interest half way through. The quality is such that by the end of the nine minute ‘’The Clouding’’ you’ll be wondering how much longer this class can last. And it does.

Given the subject matter there’s Middle Eastern sound influences a plenty from the tribal drumming of ‘’Overture’’ to the laconic acoustic guitar familiarity of ‘’Something Wicked Part 2’’ that gives the album a more mystical appeal than just a heads down Metal attack. Although to be fair when ICED EARTH unleash the fury the potent Thrash anger of the title track ‘’Farming Armageddon’’ or the single ‘’Ten Thousand Strong’’ re-lives the almost primordial sound of the ‘’Something Wicked’’ album. How Schaffer has managed to stretch out what are ostensibly three tracks from one album into a full long player is merit enough but to do it so convincingly is righteous. The sound is instantly ICED EARTH from the comforting fluency of ‘’Something Part 1’’ through the Power Metal rampage of ‘’ Motivation Of Man’’ and ‘’Setian Massacre’’ The Melodic injection so much a major part of the ICED EARTH sound emerges across the slow chug of ‘’ A Charge To Keep’’ and the acoustic elegance of ‘’Reflections’’.

Hopefully after the release of both albums the ICED EARTH name will be spoken of more highly than in just Power Metal circles. They are easily one of the most dedicated, technical and resounding Metal names and deserve so much more.

 

[General Zod]

People need to remember that this is a concept CD (like the last Symphony X disc)...

Huh? The new SX is a concept disc? That's the first I've heard that. I've never picked up on a concept in the lyrics.

Zod

 

[Rycher]

I'm really pleased so far. My first listen was a WTF? moment - here at work, as background music yesterday when the disc arrived. But a nice, uninterrupted listen with headphones last night really started everything in motion.

Yeah, it sounds like typical IE riffing, but that's what I love - Jon is one of my favorite rhythm players and songwriters. Tim's vocals are just soaring, and he does get to do some real singing instead of screaming at times.

I'd agree with getting some fresh production to give their music a huge punch ala Andy Sneap, but that will never happen.

The disc is definitely a grower - it's hard to form an opinion with just one listen.

 

[Dark One]

I liked one live, but not the other. 10,000 Strong is one of the better tracks on the album, but it's nowhere near my favorites in the IE catalog. I don't like A Charge To Keep much. I think that tune is pretty weak for IE.

I liked them both and the more I hear "A Charge to Keep" the more I enjoy it. It's a bit simplistic, but I love the dramatic chorus and find it quite catchy. I definitely agree though, that "10,000 Strong" is one of the best tracks on the album.

One of the problems I have with the new disc is that I don't think there are any big knockout songs that would rank among IE's best. The disc isn't terrible by any means, but it doesn't seem all that memorable either.

Yeah, we definitely disagree there. I thinks there's two, maybe three songs that qualify as knockouts for me.

Jason

 

[Chai]

People need to remember that this is a concept CD (like the last Symphony X disc), and a very ambitious one at that. Each song or interlude is there for a reason, and if you're expecting 18 stand-alone, all-out thrash tracks from this enormous conceptual disc, you need to "reframe" your perceptions about the purpose of the disc - to tell a story that spans 12,000 years of human history.

While I agree about giving the concept a chance, Schaffer said that he "wanted to create an album where the tracks could also stand alone." I don't think that many of the tracks on the album work alone, but rather depend on the sequence and story to make them work. Not that I have a problem with this, as I've said I like the album, but it feels like an album that is only great when you listen to it all the way through. Just my 2¢

 

[The Invisible Guest]

Huh? The new SX is a concept disc? That's the first I've heard that. I've never picked up on a concept in the lyrics.

Zod

I thought it was thematic .. centering around the Milton poem, but I really don't know. A couple of the tunes seem to have similarities to me.

Britt

 

[ALowerDeep]

I have it ordered and I'm hoping for the best but based on what I have heard so far I'm skeptical. For me, though I do love Barlow's voice, it's not that I am going to hate anyone else singing for IE just on principle, but I just don't like the tone or the phrasing of Ripper's vocals. Haven't liked him in JP or Beyond Fear, so I'm afraid I'm doomed when it comes to really loving new IE material, but I'll try.

 

[AngraRULES]

The new SX is not a concept disc at all. This was told to me by both Russ, Lepond and Rullo on interviews that I conducted with them. What they did was tracing some parallels so to speak from the lyrical themes to themes in the Paradise Lost book. Or something like that...