Matt Barlow is back with Iced Earth! Good choice or bad?
- Thread starter Theandromedastrain
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Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
And Ascension, what does it take to be a "good" vocalist? "Good" being an opinion of course...
l couldn't begin to tell you here...maybe face to face. But in that case, l'd be glad to show you.
Wooooo. Which astonishingly huge band do you sing for again?
Ascension
New Metal Member
l know plenty of great vocalists that are not in a "huge" band. Some have played PP...some sing in church. But, l did sing in a prog metal band 10 years ago & have a demo to prove...still have my chops. Your assinine response & question have just been rendered useless...thanks for playing.
Purveyor Of Evil
Heavy Metal, INC.
Well, aren't you something?l know plenty of great vocalists that are not in a "huge" band. Some have played PP...some sing in church. But, l did sing in a prog metal band 10 years ago & have a demo to prove...still have my chops. Your assinine response & question have just been rendered useless...thanks for playing.
TBJ
Member
hah
well, i'm all for compromise.. Jon should do a Therion-like thing and have both Tim and Matt sing live, and on Something Wicked 2, heck, have Tim be the "humans" and Matt be "Set Abominae" or something like that.
Ascension
New Metal Member
rms
Active Member
Singer Tim "Ripper" Owens spoke exclusively to D.X. Ferris of the Cleveland Scene about his surprising departure from ICED EARTH three months after the release of the group's latest album, "Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part I".
ICED EARTH mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer issued a statement last week announcing that the group was parting ways with Owens and was once again working with Tim's predecessor, Matt Barlow, who originally left ICED EARTH in 2003.
Speaking to the Cleveland Scene, Owens stated about his split with ICED EARTH, "I was told 30 seconds before the news hit Blabbermouth that I was let go — two weeks before Christmas. I don't think it was handled right. It's a shame it ended like that. With JUDAS PRIEST, at least the way it was handled, I'm still good friends with the band. The good thing is, I don't have to discuss ICED EARTH anymore. I can move on. I wish them luck. We're ready to go to the future."
Tim's new top priority is BEYOND FEAR, an Ohio-based based power-speed hybrid. That band's 2006 self-titled debut received some of the best reviews of Owens' storied career. The frontman says a second record is nearly written, and local fans can expect some live shows soon.
Owens is still being managed by Wendy Dio, wife of metal legend Ronnie James Dio. BEYOND FEAR remains attached to international metalworks SPV Records. The singer may move forward with a new WINTERS BANE album and tour, if the project generates label interest; BANE bassist Dennis Hayes was dismissed from ICED EARTH along with Owens.
"I've already had a lot of offers," said Owens, who is now regarded as one of metal's top voices. "It's nice to get the support."
I heard this from another person, but didnt believe it until this. Now the whole band has lost any respect in my eyes.
ICED EARTH mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer issued a statement last week announcing that the group was parting ways with Owens and was once again working with Tim's predecessor, Matt Barlow, who originally left ICED EARTH in 2003.
Speaking to the Cleveland Scene, Owens stated about his split with ICED EARTH, "I was told 30 seconds before the news hit Blabbermouth that I was let go — two weeks before Christmas. I don't think it was handled right. It's a shame it ended like that. With JUDAS PRIEST, at least the way it was handled, I'm still good friends with the band. The good thing is, I don't have to discuss ICED EARTH anymore. I can move on. I wish them luck. We're ready to go to the future."
Tim's new top priority is BEYOND FEAR, an Ohio-based based power-speed hybrid. That band's 2006 self-titled debut received some of the best reviews of Owens' storied career. The frontman says a second record is nearly written, and local fans can expect some live shows soon.
Owens is still being managed by Wendy Dio, wife of metal legend Ronnie James Dio. BEYOND FEAR remains attached to international metalworks SPV Records. The singer may move forward with a new WINTERS BANE album and tour, if the project generates label interest; BANE bassist Dennis Hayes was dismissed from ICED EARTH along with Owens.
"I've already had a lot of offers," said Owens, who is now regarded as one of metal's top voices. "It's nice to get the support."
I heard this from another person, but didnt believe it until this. Now the whole band has lost any respect in my eyes.
Purveyor Of Evil
Heavy Metal, INC.
Wow. Burned me. How will I cope?Apparently more than you...thanks for noticing.
Purveyor Of Evil
Heavy Metal, INC.
I love Ripper, too. But, come on, someone always gets hurt in a break-up. I asked this question in an earlier post. Where was all the sympathy for Blaze Bayley when MAIDEN canned him for Bruce? Or, when Ripper was let go for Halford's return? Jon gets picked on because he's Jon Schaffer. The supposed biggest prick on the planet. He missed Matt and got him back. End of story. Now Ripper said his main priority is BEYOND FEAR. Great, because I loved the debut! Now, let's move on.
Ascension
New Metal Member
Badly it seems.
l was afraid of this considering the announcement came out of leftfield. Jon contracts Tim who has the rep from Priest hoping to drag in a few JP fans to boost sales...then dumps him & adds Barlow, who left IE while in it's stagnate state, to cater to the pre-existing fanbase. Pretty much how l see it. Strategic for Jon but sad.
Purveyor Of Evil
Heavy Metal, INC.
skyrefuge
Member
Completely agreed. The first 46 times Jon canned a band member, that was totally worthy of my respect. But 47? That's just a line you don't cross, man! Everyone knows that!
Man, who in a million years would have guessed that the Schaffer-Owens-Smedley-Hayes-(uh, some guitar player?) lineup wouldn't last forever? Now I'm going to have to get at least two of those names crossed off my tattoo.
Best I can hope is they'll get a new bass player named "Schayes" or something.Neil
Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
TBJ
Member
Completely agreed. The first 46 times Jon canned a band member, that was totally worthy of my respect. But 47? That's just a line you don't cross, man! Everyone knows that!
Man, who in a million years would have guessed that the Schaffer-Owens-Smedley-Hayes-(uh, some guitar player?) lineup wouldn't last forever? Now I'm going to have to get at least two of those names crossed off my tattoo.
Neil
47? In a row?
Harvester
The Promoter
TBJ
Member
rms
Active Member
TBJ
Member
The Fiddler
Just Do It.
"I'm sure that you are all well aware of things that are happening within Iced Earth, and a statement from me is well overdue. To that, I can only say that I am sorry for the delay, but there is good reason. Last week, following Jon's announcement, my wife gave birth to our second son. Everything is well, but of course, those of you who are parents know how taxing the first week can be. During that time, after all things had begun to settle, I realized that there are a lot of things on my plate. At this point, I needed to address them. As you know, family always comes first. Of course, Jon knows that and understands my decision to leave Iced Earth four years ago. My wife and I wanting a family was a huge factor. Family, is also the reason for my return. There is a kinship that goes beyond the obvious. I will speak of that later.
First, I feel that I need to acknowledge my friend Michael of Pyramaze. If not for his inquiry and persistance in asking me to be a member of that band, I may not have realized how much I have missed and been missed within the metal community. In recent days, however, I have come to realize that my participation in Pyramaze cannot go beyond the recording of the bands current work. This is due in part, to the fact that I can't be all places at all times. Michael and I have discussed this, and have come to an understanding. I know that the future success of Pyramaze will not be based solely on individual performances of band members, but in the song writing and total performance of the band, which is excellent. I know that I will give everything I have to the record and will support Pyramaze on a lot of other levels.
Let me proceed on the topic of kinship. For a great portion of our lives, Jon and I dedicated our selves to creating music that pleased, angered, saddened, and inspired. Though it can be argued that my contribution was limited, I always felt very proud of what we accomplished with every song. Whether a song was about a true love, a best friend, a ghost, a devil, or a savior; The songs that Jon wrote gave me the desire to engage each one on a very personal level. When Jon and I began to discuss the future of Iced Earth and his feeling on it's success or failure, he conveyed to me the desire to rediscover the passion of the songs that made Iced Earth so very special to so many people. In my journey of the last several years, I've had time to acknowledge that there are great stories yet to be told. Moreover, I have recognized my desire to be a part of those stories. As mentioned above, there are obvious time constraints where it relates to family, career, and music. One of those issues has already been addressed.
As for my career in law enforcement, it will continue as normal. Without going into specific detail, Jon and I will work on recording on my time between shifts. As Jon stated before, live performances will be more limited but grander in fashion. We will do our very best to get to the metal masses as often as possible. Jon understands that this schedule will be tougher to work with, but feels that it will be the best for the fans in the long run. There will be critics, no doubt. It has recently come to my attention that some people don't like the police ;-) Let's see if opinion can change on that issue!
As for the music, I will bring to Iced Earth the best performance possible. That has always been my desire, and I'm really excited to work with Jon and the guys again, to give you the best metal possible. If you think you're ready... let's do this!"
Matt Barlow
First, I feel that I need to acknowledge my friend Michael of Pyramaze. If not for his inquiry and persistance in asking me to be a member of that band, I may not have realized how much I have missed and been missed within the metal community. In recent days, however, I have come to realize that my participation in Pyramaze cannot go beyond the recording of the bands current work. This is due in part, to the fact that I can't be all places at all times. Michael and I have discussed this, and have come to an understanding. I know that the future success of Pyramaze will not be based solely on individual performances of band members, but in the song writing and total performance of the band, which is excellent. I know that I will give everything I have to the record and will support Pyramaze on a lot of other levels.
Let me proceed on the topic of kinship. For a great portion of our lives, Jon and I dedicated our selves to creating music that pleased, angered, saddened, and inspired. Though it can be argued that my contribution was limited, I always felt very proud of what we accomplished with every song. Whether a song was about a true love, a best friend, a ghost, a devil, or a savior; The songs that Jon wrote gave me the desire to engage each one on a very personal level. When Jon and I began to discuss the future of Iced Earth and his feeling on it's success or failure, he conveyed to me the desire to rediscover the passion of the songs that made Iced Earth so very special to so many people. In my journey of the last several years, I've had time to acknowledge that there are great stories yet to be told. Moreover, I have recognized my desire to be a part of those stories. As mentioned above, there are obvious time constraints where it relates to family, career, and music. One of those issues has already been addressed.
As for my career in law enforcement, it will continue as normal. Without going into specific detail, Jon and I will work on recording on my time between shifts. As Jon stated before, live performances will be more limited but grander in fashion. We will do our very best to get to the metal masses as often as possible. Jon understands that this schedule will be tougher to work with, but feels that it will be the best for the fans in the long run. There will be critics, no doubt. It has recently come to my attention that some people don't like the police ;-) Let's see if opinion can change on that issue!
As for the music, I will bring to Iced Earth the best performance possible. That has always been my desire, and I'm really excited to work with Jon and the guys again, to give you the best metal possible. If you think you're ready... let's do this!"
Matt Barlow
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