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Iced Earth > Overture of the Wicked > Reviews > Flamos
Iced Earth - Overture of the Wicked

Wickedly Bad Production - 65%

Flamos, November 14th, 2008

“Overture of the Wicked” is quite the tough release to review. Only one new track is evident here, “Ten Thousand Strong,” and the Something Wicked trilogy is here, re-mastered with new vocals. “Ten Thousand Strong” is a nice fact paced track with great vocals from Tim Owens. The riff here is catchy with good-layered vocals. This is a solid track that represents the future of Iced Earth.

The Something Wicked trilogy is something Jon Schaffer has been in love with since its creation, and it’s no surprise that their on here. The real surprise is how it’s all produced. Everything here is very clear which makes it easy to listen to. Unfortunately, its not what many would call, “heavy.” The drumming sounds weak compared to all the other material they’ve released. Tim Owens does a good job on the vocals, although the songs themselves don’t really go with his voice. It just doesn’t seem to fit. At some points he actually sound uncomfortable. “Prophecy” is a great example of that. Overall the song just doesn’t sound very good, vocally and production wise. “Birth of the Wicked” is a step-up, but it still feels like something’s missing. The sound itself just doesn’t sound heavy, and it lacks excitement at many points. At lest “The Coming Curse” works here. This is a song where Tim shines at the vocal helm; the layered vocals work well here.

Are the re-makes better than the originals? No, but this is still and ok release, it should’ve been better.