Solitude [Instrumental] - Iced Earth, Schaffer, Jon
The Funeral [Instrumental]
When the Night Falls [Instrumental] - Iced Earth, Schaffer, Jon
Remastered & remixed reissue of the prog-metaller's classic debut album, originally released in 1990, it features new cover art & revised layouts! Century Media.
Remastered & remixed reissue of the prog-metaller's classic debut album, originally released in 1990, it features new cover art & revised layouts! Century Media.
"I saved this one for last, mainly cuz I couldn't find it anywhere, but I now have every Iced Earth CD in my possession. This, my friends, is where it all began. When a CD by an unheard of band with a really cool album cover suddenly appeared in record stores in early '91, who could have known this was the start of the greatest band of all time? And, this proves that there was never a time when they didn't rock. This was our first taste of Randy's blazing solos, Jon's unmatched rhythm guitar skill, and the incredible song structures. This is the album that brought us classics like "Colors", "When the Night Falls", and of course, "Iced Earth". Plus, there are good songs you may not know, like "Life and Death" and "Curse the Sky". And, if that wasn't enough, you've got two instrumentals. There's the brief, Opeth-like acoustic piece "Solitude", and the epic masterpiece, "The Funeral". All in all, it makes for a very good debut. It doesn't have as much of that rough around the edges feel that debuts from Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, Maiden, or Slayer had, it's like Iced Earth started off at the top of their game. But, it's not to say they haven't improved. Even the best get better. If there's one thing I can think of to complain about, it's the vocals. Gene Adam (not Adams) is easily the worst of Iced Earth's three vocalists. The vocals can occasionally be embarassingly bad. It's a good thing they only made one album with him. But don't worry, the music is great, so you won't even really care. Much of this stuff has been greatly improved on "Days of Purgatory", but if you're like me, and you feel like you must have every Iced Earth album, you will not regret buying this. Up the, um, ice!"
I nearly sh*t myself when I finally saw this album at a music store... I buy it, go home, put it in my CD player and, like Maiden's first album... AIR GUITAR HEAVEN!!! A solid album through and through and I have to say I really enjoy Gene Adam's vocals here... it worked perfectly for that time and after hearing the re-recorded version of the song Iced Earth (with Matt Barlow on vocals) it made the original stand out more for me (I love both versions, but prefer the original... probably since I heard it first... it's also a bit faster) My favorite track on this one is Life and Death. All metalheads must listen to Iced Earth and this is a great place to start. One of the most impressive debuts, but not the bands best..."
The start of a legacy.
Parker Buessow | Sequim, Washington USA | 01/23/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is Iced Earth's first ever album, and it sounds pretty damn good for a band that only had $10,000 to record this cd. All of the songs are great, I espiecially liked "Written On The Walls" and "When The Night Falls". (One thing to note, is that "Written On The Walls" is actually the original version of the "Cast In Stone" epic that can be heard on their "Days of Purgatory" album). When I first heard this release, I wasn't too fond of the singer's voice. Eventually, I got used to it and the album became one of my favourites. I highly recommend this to fans of Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian, Three Inches of Blood, etc. This is the start of Iced Earth's legacy."
Where did they find this singer?
stanger | a dark place | 11/16/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is the beginning of my all-time favorite Power Metal band, Iced Earth. If I was judging the album based on music alone, it would have received five stars, but I can't do that... when Gene Adam ruins it with his TERRIBLE voice. He was the first of Iced Earth's four vocalists, and he's probably one of the worst I have ever heard. Thank God Matt Barlow re-recorded these songs with the band on "Days of Purgatory". Now, on to the many positive points. The music here is absolutely incredible. Mixing the best of Metallica and Iron Maiden to create something new, Iced Earth became a driving force for "true" Metal in the early 90's. Even with the terrible singer, IE managed to record a classic. It's really sad to hear "When The Night Falls" here, because Matt Barlow's version is the way it should have been done in the first place. I'm glad they were smart and got rid of this guy... but I wonder why they hired him in the first place....."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1
