Iced Earth
Burnt Offerings
[Century Media]
You want power metal with some REAL POWER? This is the album to get. Iced
Earth, the Florida-based quintet, is known for being a 'power'/thrash band
in much the same vein as Gamma Ray or Blind Guardian (you know, basically
anyone descended from the "Maiden on Steroids"-era Helloween), but Iced
Earth has always been a particular favorite of mine as far as this style
goes because of the darker edge present in the music and lyrics. Well,
musical mastermind of the band Jon Schaffer must have been in a really dark
place when he wrote this, because this is one seriously evil and angry
piece of work, and IMO the best they ever did.
The album immediately starts off with a snapshot of what the next 50 minutes will be like with the first two minutes of the title track, "Burnt Offerings" - an eerie keyboard melody quickly cuts into some VERY tight rhythm chugging on a half-step, sinister main riff/progression. Vocalist Matthew Barlow does have quite a 'melodramatic' voice and a wide range, but his talent really lies in the vocal melodies he uses - it's hard to have a high voice and sing something that sounds sinister without sounding goofy, but IMO Barlow pulls it off. Along with the fast, tight galloping riffs, the songs themselves constantly change tempo/mood/texture, but the changes manage to seem quite natural rather than unsettling (something akin to early Mercyful Fate, but MUCH faster and thrashier - again, like Maiden on steroids...).
There aren't any real misfires on the whole album, but the best songs are the aforementioned title track, "Burning Oasis", and the album's centerpiece, the 16-minute thrash epic "Dante's Inferno", a constantly-morphing delight complete with some very descriptive (and surprisingly accurate) lyrics and some of the best guitar work on the whole album. While most IE fans tend to lean towards their second album, Night of the Stormrider, as their best one, I think Burnt Offerings edges it out in guitar work and sheer inventiveness, and anyone with a taste for the darker sides of power metal or even thrash should definitely check it out.
© 1999 lord vic
The album immediately starts off with a snapshot of what the next 50 minutes will be like with the first two minutes of the title track, "Burnt Offerings" - an eerie keyboard melody quickly cuts into some VERY tight rhythm chugging on a half-step, sinister main riff/progression. Vocalist Matthew Barlow does have quite a 'melodramatic' voice and a wide range, but his talent really lies in the vocal melodies he uses - it's hard to have a high voice and sing something that sounds sinister without sounding goofy, but IMO Barlow pulls it off. Along with the fast, tight galloping riffs, the songs themselves constantly change tempo/mood/texture, but the changes manage to seem quite natural rather than unsettling (something akin to early Mercyful Fate, but MUCH faster and thrashier - again, like Maiden on steroids...).
There aren't any real misfires on the whole album, but the best songs are the aforementioned title track, "Burning Oasis", and the album's centerpiece, the 16-minute thrash epic "Dante's Inferno", a constantly-morphing delight complete with some very descriptive (and surprisingly accurate) lyrics and some of the best guitar work on the whole album. While most IE fans tend to lean towards their second album, Night of the Stormrider, as their best one, I think Burnt Offerings edges it out in guitar work and sheer inventiveness, and anyone with a taste for the darker sides of power metal or even thrash should definitely check it out.
© 1999 lord vic