Iced Earth...

[Hamashimura]

Well,this is my current band obsession,so I thought,why not posting it right now?
I haven't seen this question,so I assume it doesn't exist...
And voila!!!
Here I am opening it...
Let's make a quick review:

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Little something:
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Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band that combine influences from trash metal, power metal, progressive metal, opera, speed metal and NWOBHM. In 1999 their leader and songwriter Jon Shaffer teamed up with Blind Guardian vocalist to form a side project called Demons & Wizards...
Also,it's known that Jon was got the idea of making this band while visiting KISS concert (lol),and he formed it...
Though,bands first name was Purgatory,and just before releasing last demo,they changed it to Iced Earth,because,when moved to Florida,he found out that there already is a band named Purgatory...
Well,we can say that he was forced to change the bands name...

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Line-up:
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Also,band went through numerous line-up changes,so I won't be posting them here...If anyone is interested,it can be easily found on their official site...
Now,Jon is just backup vocalist,but he does play rhythm & lead guitars...Now,in 2007,Troy Seele became their lead guitar...
Other members (current line-up):
Tim "Ripper" Owens - as a vocalist
Dennis Hayes - bass guitar (now,in 2007)
Brent Smedley - drums

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Lyrics:
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They have decent lyrics,with horror, suffering, history, revenge, and fantasy influences...
Lyrics tend to deal with theological issues such as punishment and sin,and similar to those,along with heaven,apocalypse etc... Many of the band's recent albums have been albums written around a theme (eg:horror movies,historical wars,antiheroes etc.)...

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Sound:
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Well,mostly,they are somewhat Iron Maiden combined with 80's trash metal...
The most distinctive element of the band's sound is the stuttering, which sounds something like the 'eight note, two-sixteenths note gallop made famous by Iron Maiden's bass player/songwriter Steve Harris, sped up tremendously and varied rhythmically.
Overtop of this gallop are typically laid strong melodic hooks, sometimes doubled by two guitars playing in harmony...

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Discography:
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Beside demos,there are:
~ Iced Earth (1991)
~ Night of the Stormrider (1992)
~ Burnt Offerings (1995)
~ The Dark Saga (1996)
~ Days of Purgatory (1997)
~ Something Wicked this Way Comes (1998)
~ Alive in Athens (1999)
~ The Melancholy [EP] (1999)
~ Horror Show (2001)
~ Tribute to the Gods (2001)
~ The Reckoning [SINGLE] (2003)
~ The Glorious Burden (2004)
~ The Blessed and the Damned (2004)
~ Framing Armageddon (2007)
~ Overture of the Wicked [SINGLE] (2007)

Now...
Anyone else knows about them?
What's your opinion about them?

NOTE:
Red colored is taken from Wikipedia

[DarkSword]

dude, ICED EARTH is just a stoopid overated metal band.
its not heavy unlike slayer or abigor..
it needs more growling and satanic screams.
go and listen to abigor or gorgoroth b4 posting tings about METAL

[Hamashimura]

Not everyone enjoys in growling,screaming and satanistic lyrics..
You should know that >.<
Before I start talking about METAL??
Dude,as you know already,there are more genres in metal than just black and death...
I'm not orientated only around one music style,I'm enjoying in power,trash,progressive,speed,melodic death and similar to those >.<

Also,Abigor is not HEAVY,it's BLACK...
And most of all,you're not the one who could teach me about music...
It's ok to have your own opinion,but don't go around telling every band you dislike is stupid...

[Myrra]

Dark Sword, if you don't like a particular band, that's fine. Your choice, but you are by no means entitled to go into threads of bands you loathe and post rambling spam. Do any more of it and you'll earn an infraction.

[Masali]

I dunno...

They sound like something I'd dig, but if the idea for this band was hatched from a KISS concert? Eh, that's iffy. They're some hardcore kissfan, I'm a hardcore ANTI-KISS fan so that's already a con.

Also, I hate thrash. The rest however, is cool with me so I'll youtube them or something and see if my predictions were right.

Ok, I listened to the song "Dracula" That was pretty hardcore, I enjoyed it. I really love this Barlow Character's voice, but I word on the street is he left. Kind of sucks in that respect. I dunno, as far as metal goes it's good but the whole Metal genre just doesn't interest me, but I do think they're a good band. Except that lame "When Eagles Cry" video about america, THAT was stupid.

[MissChelly]

I admit, I do like particular bands that growl... and believe me, Slayer is not as heavy as it gets... but I also love bands that don't growl as well- such as Iced Earth... I LOVED the vocalist who did Horror Show, Tribute to the Gods- it was Jon Schaffer right?
Tim Owens who does the lead vocals now though... blegh. I don't like it. :(

[Inamorata]

Iced Earth, "Dark Saga" is my favorite song. ^^; Great beginning, middle and end. lol. Good stuff.<3

[darkjester]

Iced Earth rocks. and so does Demons&Wizards. Fantasy lyrics are a nice escape from reality.
Melancholy<holy martyr> is probably one of my most favorite songs by them.

In all honesty I've always figured them power metal and maybe a little classic metal. They aren't the heaviest, but I'm sick of people labeling metal as the "we love Satan" type material. Metal doesn't have to be full of hate to be 'metal'. This is why I'm starting to get away from that genre- I listen to metal so people automatically assume I hang crosses upside down and hate everything in site. And then you have some people who are the ones gave people the reason to believe that.