Stu Block Singing On New Iced Earth Album Dystopia

[Zook]

The Alive in Athens disc (I made a condensed version cutting out half the tracks) is the only Iced Earth I can listen to.

Zook, whether you acknowledge it or not, there's just a lot of shit lyric writing going around, and a lot of it is emo. Your apologetics for some of the songs are in the form of "It's about _____ tragedy". Picking that as a topic and writing about it is just as emo as making up a story about it, especially when one focuses on the "tragic" and "painful suffering" elements.

I haven't even started on how massively lame it is to write a song about random topics of interest and just tell the story verbatim with lyrics a 15 year old would be ashamed of. That's a whole other can of worms. A lot of bands do it, and a lot of songs suffer for it. A few can pull it off by turning the story with a new perspective or implied allegory. Verbatim however, is always boring as drying paint.

No no no, ya got it all wrong see. Ya do it again and i'll stab you in the face with a soldering iron.

But really, you seem to be throwing around emo for anything of any kind of emotional significance when nowadays the term applies to those emo/screamo bands who mainly sing about bad relationships, shit like the Simple Plan video I posted, any lyrics of the woe is me fashion. Plus there's the whole "whining like a little bitch" singing style. Then again, every artist ever has sung about those topics, but that doesn't mean they're emo. Emo has become a fashion as well as a genre with millions of dime-a-dozen bands that sound like Simple Plan and Fall out Boy. Calling Iced Earth emo is just wrong. If any metal band is emo, it's Evergrey.

I wont argue about the lyrics cause Jon's lyrics have been pretty mediocre and "textbook" for a while.

What are your favorite bands just out of curiosity?

So Misfits are emo?

And oh yeah Alive In Athens is so so so so good! Best live metal performance period! By the way, did I ever tell you guys that I think the video shown on the Alive In Athens DVD is not actually the performance of the recorded music. There's tons of parts where you can see Barlow singing something but you don't hear anything, and lots of places where the solos being played are not matching up with what we're seeing, and a lot of times the video is not in sync with the audio but that could just be bad editing, and not all the songs performed are not on the DVD. Not to mention the DVD came out in 2006 when it was actually performed in 1999. Its all too sketchy and doesn't add up.

The DVD was a cash grab by Century Media. The footage is of 2 different nights, and all they did was put the CD audio over top of it. Lazy, and they knew it would sell, but they don't care, and the kicker is Jon is back with that label...

Haha, this made me think of this Iced Earth gem:

The son of a major, Prussian nobleman
His name bestowed by a holy Roman
The war broke out, so he looked to the air
24 hours of training and he was there

100 miles an hour, top speed his plane would fly
And if he flew behind you, you know you're sure to die
Eighty kills that are confirmed
While other pilots have so much more to learn

Red Baron... Blue Max
The albatross flies high
Red Baron... Blue Max
He's got you in his sights

The Red Battle Flyer, red like fire
He sees no faces, he's the ace of aces

His British quarry flew a reckless flight
A shot from the ground took the Red Baron's life
He flew with honor, he flew with pride
In 1918, the battle flyer died

Interesting topic, terrible lyrics.

Those are Ripper Owen's lyrics. He can't write lyrics to save his life.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

Plus there's the whole "whining like a little bitch" singing style.

Those are Ripper Owen's lyrics. He can't write lyrics to save his life.

Apparently not. Did he write the lyrics for all of Glorious Burden, or only specific songs?

 

[Zook]

Just Red Baron/Blue Max.

 

[Postulate]

Yeah, I hate emo lyrics, check out this pile of shit!

Isolation freezes my life, coldness grips my heart
Trapped within a world, a world apart.
Desolate am I, a tempest raging silently.
Lost a barren adrift at sea.

Catatonic state, it sharpens life's depressing edge
The clamor draws me closer to the ledge
As I gaze upon this burning world I curse this life.
A life through which I'm hurled

Lies, lies upon this side and that
Truthless violence deception mourned by the wise.
Thousands of voices drowning out his own
In a popular torrent of lies upon lies
Turn to stone.

So intense the pain that has crawled
From the bleeding corpse of pleasure.
That feeds the worm the writhes
Inside my brain.
In the deep of night it stirs again
In the heart of the sleeper,
From the crack of dawn I wake to curse
The rising of the sun.
Every life is built on hope
Now my dreams have surely passed,
Inner voices haunt my numbered days
Darkness calls me with her laughs

Torn between life and death inertia
Fills my soul.
No will to be nor pride to care
Reapers take your toll.

Strangers cast a menacing glance as
Existence I defy.
Shatter their dream like world I'm not
Afraid to die

Omen bird soars the desert land to the castle
Of idolence, there lies the shadow of a man.
See the colored flowers and marble towers
They fade to brown
Like the unknown inscribed in stone
He's abandoned, abandoned flesh and bones
He's lost in silence swallowed in vastness
Drowned in the depths of a meaningless
Past

Oh, wait...

 

[Kenneth R.]

No no no, ya got it all wrong see. Ya do it again and i'll stab you in the face with a soldering iron.

But really, you seem to be throwing around emo for anything of any kind of emotional significance when nowadays the term applies to those emo/screamo bands who mainly sing about bad relationships, shit like the Simple Plan video I posted, any lyrics of the woe is me fashion. Plus there's the whole "whining like a little bitch" singing style. Then again, every artist ever has sung about those topics, but that doesn't mean they're emo. Emo has become a fashion as well as a genre with millions of dime-a-dozen bands that sound like Simple Plan and Fall out Boy. Calling Iced Earth emo is just wrong. If any metal band is emo, it's Evergrey.

I wont argue about the lyrics cause Jon's lyrics have been pretty mediocre and "textbook" for a while.

What are your favorite bands just out of curiosity?.

This is kinda funny since I have to use a soldering iron pretty often.

Anyway, I think you're just apologizing for your favorite band in an attempt to re-brand them something 'cooler'. The lyrics suck, as you yourself won't deny. They cover a range of topics and are all fairly locked into specific themes I associate with self-depression, loneliness and despair. Am I wrong? I didn't use the word 'emo' this time.

Ironically enough, Fall Out Boy has some tasty lyrics from time to time.

Oh, and my favorite bands... well that's been discussed ad nauseum a billion times so I will just say that at this very moment I have on my USB stick Afro Celt Sound System, Sting, Orphaned Land.

 

[metalxmetalx]

On a side note - Ken, stereotyping fans of a band by calling them single, basement dwellers is pretty lame. I would think that someone that seems to consider himself a "refined" music listener would have more class than that.

Bloke, I think you'll have to get used to it. He always acts this way here.

 

[Kenneth R.]

It's not my fault if you take my strong opinions personally. I didn't single anyone out, I was speaking of my general impression of the band and what kind of fans I think they would appeal to.

 

[Zook]

This is like arguing with a religious zealot. I'm done.

 

[donKyle]

Oh boy, someone should start a religion thread!

So would country music be considered to have emo lyrics?

 

[EyeballKid]

 

[donKyle]

 

[iceandfire84]

It's not my fault if you take my strong opinions personally. I didn't single anyone out, I was speaking of my general impression of the band and what kind of fans I think they would appeal to.

Sorry to everyone else in this thread for having to divert from the conversation at hand to address this issue.

Actually I think you are pretty much singling out every fan of this particular band as pieces of crap. Following your reasoning...I am a fan of Iced Earth therefore I am likely a "single dude living in the basement".

I am pretty sure that everyone at this point understands your view on the music which is all good. I know that I can appreciate other's points of view on things I like and dislike; however, I am finding your "strong opinions" in this case to be just bashing other people. I think you should apologize for that particular comment which was unfounded and pretty offensive. I certainly wouldn't make fun of your or stereotype you for being a fan of a particular band.

 

[Liquid Tension]

Bloke, I think you'll have to get used to it. He always acts this way here.

Nice try iceandfire getting him to understand but a few of us have tried in the past without any luck so basically metalxmetalx nailed it...

 

[Kenneth R.]

iceandfire84, first of all, if your username comes from a certain series of books - very cool.

secondly, you got to step back and think about this for a second. you want me to apologize for having an opinion? how about zook apologize for all the 'emo' fans he may have offended who took it personally? it's a slippery slope and i will not apologize for what i wrote. i'm not naming names. and if you want to rip me a new one for being a fan of Fall out Boy, or Sting, or Peter Gabriel, or Lady Gaga or whoever, I won't take it personally. Look all over this forum and you'll see that. I'd probably argue the defense of the band's merits, but I wouldn't cry about it or feel personally affronted.

 

[iceandfire84]

iceandfire84, first of all, if your username comes from a certain series of books - very cool.

secondly, you got to step back and think about this for a second. you want me to apologize for having an opinion? how about zook apologize for all the 'emo' fans he may have offended who took it personally? it's a slippery slope and i will not apologize for what i wrote. i'm not naming names. and if you want to rip me a new one for being a fan of Fall out Boy, or Sting, or Peter Gabriel, or Lady Gaga or whoever, I won't take it personally. Look all over this forum and you'll see that. I'd probably argue the defense of the band's merits, but I wouldn't cry about it or feel personally affronted.

Yeah, the name certainly comes from Martin so thanks for noticing.

Last time I'll address this and I'll put it to bed. It really doesn't affect me one way or the other if you think IE's lyrics are emo, nor do i really care what bands you or anyone else listen to or enjoy. My wife and I completely hate each others music yet have a wonderful marriage. People's ears hear different things when they listen to music and what's fantastic for some may be horrific for the next person. I was simply addressing the commentary on the type of person you believe is a fan of that band.

For the record, I think Zook and everyone else who says those kinds of things should also apologize or at least be contrite when making comments about types of people who listen to a certain style of music and not about the music itself. I don't believe it's a slippery slope to be a kind person and to admit when you say things that are off base. So no, I don't want you to apologize for having an opinion; I just think it was a bone headed thing to say (regardless of what anyone else has said) and you should probably back off of statements like that. Just because someone else did it too doesn't make it right. That's sort of the reasoning a little kid would give and I think you are probably better than that. Maybe I am being naive to think that a bunch of people on their computers who can pontificate to the world without recourse might have some respect for each other but so be it.

Anyway, I respect your opinion and we will agree to disagree on the topic of the music which is good by me.

 

[Zook]

I will not apologize to the emo community. They are pathetic and need to grow the fuck up. Just like the wannabe thugs and anyone else like them. And before anyone says it, no, saying something like that does not make me immature and in need of growing up. I work with a wannabe thug, he's fucking annoying.

Kenneth, you're opinions are odd, but you need to stop thinking you're better than everyone else. It definitely shows in your posts. I've been lurking a long time so I've seen a lot of your posts, and you're always spewing something in a negative pretentious manner. A broad taste in music doesn't make one King Shit.

Does everyone who listens to Symphony X play Dungeons & Dragons all day long?

 

[EyeballKid]

I will not apologize to the emo community. They are pathetic and need to grow the fuck up. Just like the wannabe thugs and anyone else like them.

Kenneth, you need to stop thinking you're better than everyone else. It definitely shows in your posts. I've been lurking a long time so I've seen a lot of your posts, and you're always spewing something in a negative pretentious manner

Observant bystander says: those two statements directly contradict each other in a hypocritical and ironic fashion.

 

[Zook]

Well, I do think I'm better than them those there gangstas draggin' der pant to da floor. While they're off being clones, I'm being myself. I'll add hipsters to the list too. I'm not being pretentious, I'm also being the observant bystander seeing all these posers dressing and acting the same...

...Actually, I will apologize. I'll apologize for taking the argument way off topic.

So I guess I'm not done here, although I should be. Kenneth is obviously trolling, and I wonder if he's been doing so since his time on this forum. His opinions are way too ridiculous to be real.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I assure you, I'm not trolling. I usually use a " " face when I'm being facetious.

ice&fire84: I can be too blunt at times, it is in some ways a gift of honesty that can also be, as you have noticed, overbearing and tactless. I may tone it down at work, but here on the internet, I just say what I think without editing. Sars if that offends.

 

[Zook]

OK, whatever. Bottom line, Iced Earth isn't emo and I'm not apologizing for them or making them sound cooler or whatever it is you said that makes no sense.

Dystopia is an OK album, but suffers from a lack of inspiration and some crappy lyrics. It's better than Crucible Of Man, but that album was so rushed that it doesn't take much to beat it in terms of quality. Stu sounds great, but I hope he doesn't go too far with the Barlow impersonation. The way he sings on Anthem kind of annoys me.