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ICED EARTH |
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It is about time! Review by David Lee |
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Horror Show Iced Earth |
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Iced Earth, eight albums and an EP into their storied career have been Heavy Metal's model of true consistency, continually upholding an unwavering traditional stance steeped in dramatic tales of mystery and imagination. Thematically consumed, and technically elite, Iced Earth, the brainchild of six-string wizard Jon Schafer, known as well for spinning a triumphant storybook scene inasmuch as a blazing guitar riff, roars forth with their long-awaited "Horror Show," their first full studio effort in three years since "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and following up on the monumental "Alive in Athens." The band this time explores the long-standing fears that dwell within the already anxious human psyche with which their legions of fans wait on their next calculated move. And they will not be disappointed here in the slightest. The theme this time follows upon the fears and those symbols that lie responsible for erecting those fears within the recesses of the dark unknown. From childhood to adulthood, we've all had that underlying phobia of something lurking in the dark waiting to strike when we least expect it… "Something Wicked…" perhaps an unintended foreshadowing and yet the same never held truer than in this instance, a virtual trip through the graveyard where the exhumed masters of the macabre arise again one last time to bring the horror to life. Based on the mythological legends from which motion picture developers and their next generations have fattened their pockets for a lifetime over, "Horror Show" first begins with the mighty werewolf, or "Wolf," a steadily building guitar dominant procession that chronicles the cursed and doomed creation whose forced existence became reality when the moon was full… in fact this entire record is a full moon set to a dark, dreary night-moments in you're quickly consumed by the sudden chill in the air… "Damien" jumps out at you next, following the damnable figure with the luckless bloodlines… and here's where the band, as quick as they come, and second to none when the mood calls for a bittersweet melodic embrace necessary to recount the sad, twisted existence with the serious degree of deliverance. Could well be the album's strongest track and yet we've only begun to skim the dusty pages of the past. The notorious London slasher comes back to life in a surging recollection of the man-the tortured soul who found gratification behind the blade of the knife-the ripper, tells his tale, first person perspective, as with many, Iced Earth uncover and convey the story behind the story, placing the listener right in the middle of the doomed creature in what soon becomes a surprisingly humanistic tale of altruistic terror. As usual, vocalist Matthew Barlow delivers the expected operatic prowess in filling the shoes of each legendary figure and displaying the emotional urgency, which all at once echo down the desolate city streets as well as reverting to a gentle sense of remorse, again as the situation calls. One can only imagine how "Horror Show" might translate to the stage-reproducing an album of such breadth alone would be a daunting task, but to draw up the necessary visual effects… but it would be something to behold. Further along the lives of Dr. Jeckyl and his evil alter ego, a crushing cover of the Maiden instrumental classic "Transylvania," before paying an untimely visit to the likes of "Frankenstein," "Dracula," and everyone's beloved phantom, or "Phantom Opera Ghost… " This one, a masterfully done epic with numerous time changes, scene switches and lush orchestral and female vocal additions to close the latest chapter in another addition to an extensive bloodline that's seen Iced Earth rise and excel amongst the world's Metal elite ten years strong… This CD is released
by Century Media Records. Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |