Loucifer
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Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 764
Location: London(ish), UK
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 Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:32 am Post subject: Iced Earth - The Wiki-Bio |
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Biography taken from Wikipedia...
History
The central figure of Iced Earth is rhythm guitarist and songwriter Jon Schaffer, who formed the band under the name Purgatory in Indiana in 1984. After moving to Florida and changing their name to Iced Earth, the group's Enter the Realm demo was popular enough that they released an eponymous debut LP with Century Media Records. Since then, the band has gone through numerous lineup changes. Vocalist Matt Barlow joined the band (after a three-year band hiatus following Night of the Stormrider) for Burnt Offerings, largely based on Dante's Inferno. Barlow's vocals proved extremely popular and he remained with the band for many years, eventually parting amicably with the band in June 2003 to pursue a career with the United States Department of Homeland Security. Conveniently, singer Tim 'Ripper' Owens soon left Judas Priest (to make room for returning original vocalist Rob Halford) and became Iced Earth's new vocalist. His first album with the band, The Glorious Burden, is an examination of many aspects of warfare and military figures who have shaped the modern world. Its topics range from the Declaration of Independence to 9/11 to Napoleon Bonaparte, and there are three songs dealing with the Battle of Gettysburg. There is a limited edition where the Gettysburg Trilogy is moved to a second disc and the songs Waterloo and the unplugged version of When the Eagle Cries are added to the first disc. The album's theme became the centre of a recent controversy after Schaffer gave an interview to Canadian heavy metal magazine Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. After the interview was published, Schaffer accused the magazine of taking him out of context and of pushing an anti-American bias, and subsequently announced that the band would boycott the magazine in the future.
Together with Hansi Kürsch - lead singer and former bass player of Blind Guardian - Schaffer is also part of a side project called Demons & Wizards.
In 2005 vocalist Tim Owens and some friends of his started a new heavy metal-band called Beyond Fear.
Iced Earth is currently working on their new album, which is due for release in late 2006. Schaffer has stated in interviews that the new album will be a double CD, and will continue the "Something Wicked" story he started on the Something Wicked This Way Comes album. Jon Schaffer's message can be found here
As of June 2006 Ernie Carletti is the new guitarist who will handle most of the guitar solos on Iced Earths upcoming album. [1]
Sound
Iced Earth's music is often described as Iron Maiden combined with 1980s thrash metal. The most distinctive element of the band's sound is the stuttering right-hand gallop of rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer, which sounds something like the 'eighth-note, two-sixteenth-notes' gallop made famous by Iron Maiden's bass player/songwriter Steve Harris (in such songs as "Run to the Hills", "The Trooper", and "Caught Somewhere in Time"), sped up tremendously and varied rythmically. Overtop of this gallop are typically laid strong melodic hooks, sometimes doubled by two guitars playing in harmony. The vocals are often high-pitched, but express a full range of emotion, while the rhythm section uses thrash and power metal techniques such as double-bass-drumming to keep the speed and energy high. Iced Earth's drummer is known for his frequent use of drags and flams on the bass drum.
Iced Earth lyrics tend to deal with theological issues such as punishment and sin, destiny, heaven and hell, the antichrist and the apocalypse. Many of the band's recent albums have been concept albums written around a theme, e.g. the antihero Spawn (The Dark Saga), horror movies (Horror Show), and historical wars (The Glorious Burden).
In some songs (such as "Dante's Inferno," "Angels Holocaust," "Damien," and "The Coming Curse") Iced Earth uses the technique of Gregorian chant. Two Iced Earth songs contain female vocals: "A Question of Heaven" and "The Phantom Opera Ghost," in addition to a remake of "Burnt Offerings" on the Days of Purgatory album.
Discography
Full-length albums
Iced Earth (Century Media 1991)
Night of the Stormrider (Century Media 1992)
Burnt Offerings (Century Media 1995)
The Dark Saga (Century Media 1996)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (Century Media 1998)
Horror Show (Century Media 2001)
The Glorious Burden (SPV/Steamhammer 2004) (1 and 2-CD versions available. 2-CD version includes full tracklist for The Glorious Burden, and the second CD is Gettysburg (1863))
Singles and EPs
The Melancholy E.P. (Limited Edition) (Century Media 1999)
The Melancholy E.P. (Century Media 2001)
The Reckoning (single) (SPV/Steamhammer 2003)
Other releases
Enter the Realm (1989) [demo]
Days of Purgatory (Century Media 1997) [containing remixes and rerecordings of material from earlier albums] [1-CD and 2-CD versions available]
Alive in Athens (Century Media 1999) [live album] [2-CD and 3-CD versions available]
Dark Genesis (Century Media 2001) [5-disc box set, containing the Enter the Realm demo, remixes and rerecordings of the first three albums, and the cover collection Tribute to the Gods]
Iced Earth [remixed/rerecorded] (Century Media 2002) [released separately]
Night of the Stormrider [remixed/rerecorded] (Century Media 2002) [released separately]
Burnt Offerings [remixed/rerecorded] (Century Media 2002) [released separately]
Tribute to the Gods (Century Media 2002) [released separately]
The Blessed and The Damned (Century Media 2004) [2-CD Best Of]
Gettysburg (1863) (SPV/Steamhammer 2005) [[[DVD]]]
Album cover art
The covers of Something Wicked This Way Comes, Alive in Athens, Horror Show, and Tribute to the Gods depict a fictional character named Set Abominae , created by Jon Schaffer. The next two albums for the band (first due this year) will be centered on this character. According to Schaffer, the story told over both albums will span 10,000 years.
Schaffer also plans to write a graphic novel about Set Abominae. The art will be drawn by the artist of the band's album covers.
Band members
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars & Backing Vocals (1984-)
Tim 'Ripper' Owens - Vocals (2003-)
Ernie Carletti - Lead Guitars (2006-)
Bobby Jarzombek - Drums (2004-)
Former band members
Gene Adam - Vocals (1985-1991)
John Greely - Vocals (1991-1992)
Matthew Barlow - Vocals (1994-2003)
Bill Owens - Lead Guitars (1985-1987)
Randall Shawver - Lead Guitars (1988-1998)
Larry Tarnowski - Lead Guitars (1998-2003)
Ralph Santolla - Lead Guitars (2003-2004)
Richard Bateman - Bass (1985-1986)
Dave Abell - Bass (1987-1996)
Keith Menser - Bass (1996)
Steve DiGiorgio - Bass (2000-2001) (Only in studio)
James MacDonough - Bass (1996-2000, 2001-2004)
Greg Seymour - Drums (1984-1989)
Mike McGill - Drums (1989-1991)
Rick Secchiari - Drums (1991-1992)
Rodney Beasley - Drums (1992-1995)
Mark Prator - Drums (1995, 1998) (Only in studio)
Brent Smedley - Drums (1996-1997, 1998-1999)
Richard Christy - Drums (2000-2004)
Former Line-Ups
1984-1986
Gene Adams - Vocals (1985-1991)
Bill Owens - Lead Guitars (1985-1987)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
Richard Bateman - Bass (1985-1986)
Greg Seymour - Drums (1985-1989)
1986-1988
Gene Adams - Vocals (1985-1991)
Bill Owens - Lead Guitars (1985-1987)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
Dave Abell - Bass (1987-1996)
Greg Seymour - Drums (1985-1989)
1988-1989
Gene Adams - Vocals (1985-1991)
Randall Shawver - Lead Guitars (1988-1998)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
Dave Abell - Bass (1987-1996)
Greg Seymour - Drums (1985-1989)
1989-1991
Gene Adams - Vocals (1985-1991)
Randall Shawver - Lead Guitars (1988-1998)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
Dave Abell - Bass (1987-1996)
Mike McGill - Drums (1989-1991)
1991-1992
John Greely - Vocals (1991-1992)
Randall Shawver - Lead Guitars (1988-1998)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
Dave Abell - Bass (1987-1996)
Rick Secchiary - Drums (1991-1992)
1992-1995
Matthew Barlow - Vocals (1994-2003)
Randall Shawver - Lead Guitars (1988-1998)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
Dave Abell - Bass (1987-1996)
Rodney Beasley - Drums (1992-1995)
1995-1996
Matthew Barlow - Vocals (1994-2003)
Randall Shawver - Lead Guitars (1988-1998)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
Dave Abell - Bass (1987-1996)
Brent Smedley - Drums (1996-1997)
1996-1997
Matthew Barlow - Vocals (1994-2003)
Randall Shawver - Lead Guitars (1988-1998)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
James McDonough - Bass (1996-2004)
Brent Smedley - Drums (1996-1997)
1997-1998
Matthew Barlow - Vocals (1994-2003)
Randall Shawver - Lead Guitars (1988-1998)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
James McDonough - Bass (1996-2004)
1998-2003
Matthew Barlow - Vocals (1994-2003)
Larry Tarnowski - Lead Guitars (1998-2003)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
James McDonough - Bass (1996-2004)
Richard Christy - Drums (2000-2004) Currently a writer on the Howard Stern show.
2003-2004
Tim 'Ripper' Owens - Vocals (2003-)
Ralph Santolla - Lead Guitars (2003-2004)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
James McDonough - Bass (1996-2004)
Richard Christy - Drums (2000-2004) Currently a writer on the Howard Stern show.
2004 - ?
Tim 'Ripper' Owens - Vocals (2003-)
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitars (1984-)
Ernie Carletti - Lead Guitars (2006-)
Bobby Jarzombek - Drums (2004-)
_________________
No Sleep... 'til Bedtime!
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