Jon always said that everyone in Iced Earth is replaceable. He's about to find out just how wrong he was.
I've been listening to Metal for a long time, and Matt is/was my all time favorite Metal vocalist. His range, power, emotion and presence, for my money, are unmatched. So, as far as I'm concerned, the band will go backwards regardless of who they get.
Owens is an excellent singer, as are may of the possible replacements mentioned here. However, it doesn't matter. While I'll continue to buy Iced Earth's CDs (assuming they continue to be worth purchasing), I doubt I'd go see them perform live again. To hear someone else sing "Holy Martyr", "Dracula" or any of the classic Iced Earth songs would just depress me.
GZ