Today in 2007 Iced Earth released the album Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1 Tampa, Florida Power/Thrash Metal Status:Active Years active: 1985-1988 (as Purgatory), 1988-present Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band that combines power metal and speed metal/thrash metal genres in its music. The band was formed by Jon Schaffer, the lead songwriter and rhythm guitarist, in Tampa, Florida in 1984. The original name of the band was Purgatory but was then changed to Iced Earth. Iced Earth’s music is often described as the style of Iron Maiden combined with 80’s 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”), varied rhythmically. 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, 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. Today, Jon is the only original member in the band, having changed multiple guitarists, drummers, and vocalists. The two most recognized vocalists of the band are Matt Barlow and Tim ripper Owens, the former vocalist of Judas Priest. Matt Barlow ended up marrying Jons sister, making Matt the brother-in-law of Jon Schaffer. 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), historical wars (The Glorious Burden) and the double concept about the anti-christ (Something Wicked). Matt Barlow left Iced Earth for a second time in 2011, stating the need for the band to tour more as his reason for leaving. He will perform any remaining festival dates in 2011 however. On March 16th 2011 Iced Earth announced that Stu Block of the band Into Eternity would be the bands new lead singer. During the recording of the bands next album, Dystopia, the band re-recorded fan favourite Dantes Inferno with Stu Block. SPV GmbH Jon Schaffer - Lead/Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars; Bass Guitars; Backing Vocals Tim Ripper Owens - Lead/Backing Vocals Brent Smedley - Drums/Backing Vocals Additional personnel Troy Seele - Guitar Solos (Tracks 5,6,10,12,14 and 17) Dennis Hayes - Bass Guitars ; Fretless Bass Guitar Jim Morris - Lead Guitars ; Backing Vocals Tim Mills - Clean Guitars Howard Helm - Keyboards; Hammond Organ; Backing Vocals Steve Rogowski - Cello Todd Plant - Backing Vocals Patina Ripkey - Backing Vocals Debbie Harrell - Backing Vocals Kathy Helm - Backing Vocals Jason Blackerby - Backing Vocals 1. Overture (2:24) 2. Something Wicked, Part 1 (5:02) 3. Invasion (1:00) 4. Motivation of Man (1:34) 5. Setian Massacre (3:48) 6. A Charge to Keep (4:24) 7. Reflections (1:50) 8. Ten Thousand Strong (3:56) 9. Execution (1:27) 10. Order of the Rose (4:51) 11. Cataclysm (1:30) 12. The Clouding (9:18) 13. Infiltrate and Assimilate (3:48) 14. Retribution Through the Ages (4:31) 15. Something Wicked, Part 2 (2:59) 16. The Domino Decree (6:36) 17. Framing Armageddon (3:40) 18. When Stars Collide (Born Is He) (4:17) 19. The Awakening (2:01) Total Time: 69:03 Released on: September 7, 2007 in Germany September 10, 2007 for the rest of Europe September 11, 2007 for the United States Asian edition comes with a second CD containing the Overture of the Wicked EP. Part 1 of the Something Wicked story The Japanese CD edition features a bonus track: 20. The Coming Curse (8:01) Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1 is the eighth studio album from Iced Earth, released on September 11, 2007. It is part one of two concept albums based on a trilogy of songs from Iced Earths fifth studio album, Something Wicked This Way Comes. The saga, aptly titled the Something Wicked Saga, tells the fictional history of mankind, from its creation to its destruction. It is the second and final album with vocalist Tim Ripper Owens Framing Armageddon is the bands first studio album featuring lead guitarist Troy Seele, and drummer Brent Smedley, who never played on an Iced Earth studio album during his previous stints with the group. Tim Ripper Owens makes his final appearance as lead singer on this record, as well. Also, this was bassist Dennis Hayes first appearance on an Iced Earth album, though he only appears on two songs. Former Iced Earth lead guitarist Tim Mills is featured on Reflections, and co-wrote both that song and Infiltrate and Assimilate. In December 2006, Jon Schaffer posted a journal announcing that Iced Earths new album, then titled Something Wicked - Part 1, would be released in September/October 2007. The follow-up album, then titled Something Wicked - Part 2, would be released in January/February 2008. On March 17, Schaffer announced the final tracklist, and that the album would be renamed to Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1), with a new target release of August or September. On June 25, Schaffer uploaded the cover of the album on icedearth. Audio samples of all the tracks have been posted at spv.de, the official site of the bands record label. A music video for Ten Thousand Strong was released, though lead guitarist Troy Seele was not yet with the band when it was filmed. The video features rotoscoping. The Japanese release of Framing Armageddon features the albums single, Overture of the Wicked, as a bonus disc. Jon Schaffer intends to release both of the Something Wicked albums in one boxed set, with Matt Barlow contributing the vocals on both albums for the sake of continuity, adding at least four songs to The Crucible of Man and remixing Framing Armageddon youtube/watch?v=dMOtwk9oXjA
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 17:57:28 +0000