Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes

General Information

Original Author: The Uncreator

Artist: Iced Earth

Album: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Genre: Heavy Metal, with classic Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath Influences

Price: $12.99 - $17.99

Tracklist

01 . Burning Times
02 . Melancholy (Holy Martyr)
03 . Disciples of the Lie
04 . Watching Over Me
05 . Stand Alone
06 . Consequences
07 . My Own Savior
08 . Reaping Stone
09 . 1776
10 . Blessed Are You
11 . Prophecy
12 . Birth of the Wicked
13 . The Coming Curse

• Bold = Somehting Wicked Trilogy
  

Sound

10 Iced Earth have my most desired guitar tone!! if i could have there tone for rhythm and Vai's lead tone i would be in heaven!! The sound is super solid fuled by the most menacing and brutal riffs, a combination of super fast gallops and heavy downpicking, there riffs, especially in the song "Disciples Of The lie" are some of the most headbang-a-rific riffs ever!!! Jon Schaffer, to me, is one of the greatest rhythm writers of all time, (as well as lyricist), its so impossibly solid, there arent any mistakes throughout this whole album, he just accurate and right on!! If you like heavy music then this is for you, but its not all heavy, they have there slower ones, like "Consequences" and the IE Classic "Watching Over Me", which is about Jon Schaffers best friend, who died in a motorcycle accident.

Lyrics

10 God there great, Iced Earth traditional style is Dark Fantasy kind of approach to writing, and with the exception of "The Glorius Burden", all of there albums deliver dark foreboding lyrics!! The only exception on this album is 1776, and instrumental about well, 1776 (you all know what happened 1776 right?) There lyrics, fuled by the Metal Powerhous Matthew Barlow, provide immense power, you will find yourself headbangin, even if its against your own will!!

Vocals

10 Im doing a vocal section on this because i have to say that Matthew Barlow is such and amazing singer, i grew up listeing to Iced Earth while Barlow was with him, and when he was announced that he left, i nearly cried, he was such an essential part of the IE Sound, his vocals are Godly, he can provide the right emotion for each word of a song, from low angry, and sometimes demonic vocals, to soft, melodic and often melancholy style of singing, he is awesome, and im glad to know he is back in metal, with pyramaze. (PS, For IE Fans, this is no disrepesct to Owens, I Absolutely love Owens as well!! )

Guitar Work

10 Well, i mentioned that the riffs are Menacing and brutal, and and that they are some of my favorites, now lets talk solo's, Iced Earth arent know for there solos, and have had more lead guitarist than pretty much any band, but there is a constant in them, they may not be in every song, but there always perfect, they never seem out of place or incomplete, and on top of being some of the trickiest solo ive tried to figure out, there very catchy, one of my favorite solos from them is on this album, its the solo to "Watching Over Me". its just beautiful, one of IE's finest moments!! If you like metal, and love to headbang, This album is it for you!!

Overall Impression

10 I can't imagine having a CD Collection without having this, for me, this is just an essecntial record, Badass, Heavy, Melodic, Powerfull....its covered in Awesome Sauce!!