Artist: Iced Earth Title: “Framing Armageddon – Something Wicked Pt. 1” Label: SPV Records Release Date: 9/11/2007 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 4.5/5
When Jon Schaffer first introduced us to his “Something Wicked” trilogy on Iced Earth’s 1998 release “Something Wicked This Way Comes” – the three chapter tune was only the tip of the iceberg in the greater tale that would be told many years later. Let’s fast forward almost a decade now where the time has come for Jon and company to present us with the beginnings of this epic story, and what a story it is. Presenting my dear Metal friends the new Iced Earth release “Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1”; it’s an epic spawned from an epic and is a tale that brings us back in time thousands of years to an ancient place where a battle to determine the future of humanity has begun. The tale is rich and complex and that impressed me most for it reads like solid Science Fiction with a little bit of Horror blended in for good measure. So deep are the goings on in the concepts tale that Schaffer needed to break it into two parts and with part one presented here the listener is advised to sit down and focus on this one as a whole piece of music as opposed to skipping around the album like many of us are guilty of doing with releases at times. Lucky for us the tale is painted out very clearly in the lyrics of the album which we can follow along to as it plays out the story of the Setians The Setians are beings who were the original inhabitants of the Earth and apparently the Humans were the invaders of the planet and thus the struggle ensues. Without being a spoiler, most of the Setians are annihilated by the Humans but those who remain join forces and conspire to destroy the people who set out to do the same to them. Pretty heavy stuff isn’t it? One can almost envision this as some sort of big budget Sci-Fi movie epic along the lines of Star Wars. Schaffer has outdone himself on this one so if you are wondering if it was worth the wait then let me answer that with a resounding “yes”. Continue reading “Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Pt. 1)” by Iced Earth→
Artist: Iced Earth Title: “Overture Of The Wicked” EP Label: SPV Records Release Date: 6/5/2007 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 4/5
The Metal world has been waiting for new Iced Earth music since their blockbuster release “The Glorious Burden” and since this album we have seen two DVD’s arrive to sate some of the growing hunger for anything from the band. The fans need not worry that founder/leader Jon Schaffer has been sitting idly by for during this time he has been carefully crafting his next Metal masterpiece. The album will be called “Framing Armageddon” and this EP gives listeners a teaser sample with one new track from the release. “Ten Thousand Strong” is the kind of track that Iced Earth is best known for as it is uncompromising, true to the roots Heavy Metal power. It is heavy in the guitar riffs and melody while Tim “Ripper” Owens shows us why he is the perfect fit in this band as lead vocalist and perhaps one of the best in the industry as a whole. As a sign of things to come from the band on the new album I can only guess that this will be a fantastic ride. The storyline of the new album will be a continuation of the tale that was begun on the album “Something Wicked This Way Comes” which was originally released in 1998. The new track acts as a prequel to this tale. Continue reading “Overture Of The Wicked” by Iced Earth→
Beyond Fear is the new band formed by Iced Earth and former Judas Priest front man Tim “Ripper” Owens. Their self-titled debut release is a solid and heavy as hell album that is sure to make them a household name and score legions of fans. Signed to SPV Records, the band first made it’s appearance on the “Metal Insurgence Tour” in 2005 that placed them on the stage with John Oliva’s Pain and Chris Caffery. Recently, Ripper and guitarist John Comprix were in town to meet with the Press to discuss the band, the album, touring and the immediate plans for the future. Below is the transcription of our entire conversation.
KP: First of all congratulations on the absolutely killer recording debut of Beyond Fear. Tim I remember when we first met back at Iced Earth in NYC that you said you wanted to do a solo record if you had time and when I asked if it would be heavy you replied “oh yes it will be Heavy”. It’s great to see this come to fruition so how does it feel to have the record done and ready to be unleashed on the Metal masses.
Ripper: Well it feels good to me but unfortunately my first choice C.C. DeVille wasn’t available to play guitar (Tim’s referring to some off recording ribbing we were doing prior to the session) so I picked John. Actually John was always going to be in the band and I always felt it would be comfortable for me to have John Comprix on one side with C.C. Deville on the other for backup rhythm.
Artist: Beyond Fear Title: “Beyond Fear” Label: SPV Records Release Date: 5/5/2006 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 9/10
The world at large first heard of Tim “Ripper” Owens when he stepped into the shoes of Rob Halford to front the Metal Juggernaut that is Judas Priest. After recording and touring two studio albums and two live ones plus a DVD he joined forces with Jon Schaffer to record Iced Earth’s epic “The Glorious Burden”. The success of the album was a fantastic result of this teamwork and brought new fans to both Iced Earth and increased Ripper’s following all the more. When a break in Iced Earth’s touring schedule happened Owens was able to focus his energies on something that had been on his mind for awhile; the recording and release of his own material. Instead of doing an expected “Tim Owens Band” album the singer opted to put together players that he had known for years. From there the die was cast and the result Beyond Fear. Tim brings to life the Rock to Riches story by taking care of ones friends when the opportunity arose. Beyond Fear not only holds a powerful, strong presence in name but mainly in the strength of the material on this self-titled release. As you start the album you instantly are aware of the level of vocal range that Owens possesses. His register will break glass in your house if this album is played at too high a volume and the band itself is a core of solid players. Beyond Fear is made up of John Comprix (lead guitar), Dwayne Bihary (rhythm guitar), Dennis Hayes (bass) and Eric Elkins (drums). Hayes also comes from Owen’s band Winter’s Bane and did work with Seven Witches at one time. Comprix is an excellent find as his guitar shredding fits perfect against the material showcased on the album. His axemanship is blistering at points all around and I think this release will find him held in high regard going forward. Metal fans will be wondering where he has been all this time for he is that good. The drumming, bass and other guitar work is nothing to brush off either and quite honestly the whole group seems to mean business. Continue reading “Beyond Fear” by Beyond Fear→
Artist: Judas Priest Title: “Live In London” Label: SPV Records Release Date: 7/23/2002 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 7/10
In 1997 when Judas Priest found themselves without a lead singer and discovered Tim “Ripper” Owens the band again had a reason to continue. In Owens was a excellent vocalist who was not only able to keep up with the classic material Rob Halford had done, but also was able to propel the band into newer heavy adventures on the material he recorded. With Owens at the helm Judas Priest released two studio albums in “Jugulator” and “Demolition” and one live effort “’98 Live – Meltdown”. This DVD release is a document to one of the shows on the Demolition tour. Filmed in 2001 at The Brixton Academy in London the show is full of Judas Priest classics as well as a significant amount of material from the albums Tim worked on. The band sounds tight as you could expect after so many years in the business with blistering guitar work from K.K. and Glen, and rock solid drumming of Scott Travis all held together by Ian Hill. This “new” version of Judas Priest was met with some discontent as the Halford purists refused to support it and that was a shame. Halford had left the band and there was no other choice. It was either replace him or break up and there was no reason the world should be deprived of the Priest music simply because the singer refuses to continue with them. The long time fan in me was actually impressed with the level of quality that Owens brought to the table. He is following in big shoes but proves he has the stuff to be one of the best singers in Metal going forward. Continue reading “Live In London” by Judas Priest→
