Burnt Offerings

Burnt Offerings sounds like the work of a heavy metal band that spent more than their fair share of time prior to recording listening to Mike Oldfield's score for The Exorcist. The tone here is as derived from classic horror films as it is from Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, or any of the other European acts that informed their early sound.

Considering Burnt Offerings was only Iced Earth's third full-length entry, it's pretty impressive their sound had come already. Though the album is nonetheless imprinted in their legend thanks to the propitious introduction here of flagship frontman Matthew Barlow, Burnt Offerings may have been the first Iced Earth record where they had a real, firm grip of their own sound. Though the self-titled Iced Earth from 1990 ranks among my favourite works of theirs, the homogeneous thrash of Night of the Stormrider put a spotlight on how uneven the debut could be at times. Burnt Offerings takes the prog of the first album, and the thrash of the second, and melds them together with a liberal sprinkling of gothic atmosphere. Not only is the resulting effect as devilishly creepy as melodic metal has any right to be; it was the first time Iced Earth sounded like they had finally found the sound they were meant to play.

For a then-new members of the band, it is really a testament to Matt Barlow that the third (though far from final) vocalist of Iced Earth would carry so much of the weight himself. On the two albums prior to Burnt Offerings, the obvious star of the show was mastermind/rhythm guitarist/triplet enthusiast Jon Schaffer, and though he exercised himself quite differently between Iced Earth and Night of the Stormrider, the band's early work marked a rare occasion in heavy metal where the rhythm guitar-- rather than the lead-- was taking up the spotlight. With Burnt Offerings, Schaffer and the rest of Iced Earth are actually less incendiary than they were before, toning down the thrashy aggression in favour of a deeper arrangement. Although I'm not reminded of traditional prog metal a la Fates Warning nearly as much here as I was with their debut, Iced Earth were getting bolder with their music. Considering the less-than-stellar, trailer park power metal the band has been infamously known for this side of the new millennium, it's understandable that people can forget about that ambitious side of them, but nonetheless it is here in major force on Burnt Offerings.

Nothing is more indicative of that ambition than "Dante's Inferno", the album's sixteen minute centrepiece and closer. I don't think I have heard a metal band outside of the most soporific, marijuana-addicted stoner doom that could attempt a track of that length without approaching it with some level of boundaries-stretching spirit on their part. Although it may not be as immaculately structured as the very best suites, "Dante's Inferno" is, in many ways, an adventurous expression of everything that Iced Earth does right. I mean, for fuck's sake; it's a sixteen minute metal epic about descending through each level of Hell. At this point in their career, this was precisely the sort of music Iced Earth were meant to make. As a songwriter, it might be argued that Jon Schaffer bit off more than he could chew with this one; like I mentioned, there isn't the strict impression that each of the movements compliment one another, but it's clear that he was operating a step above his comfort level. If I was wanting to dissuade a friend against the simplistic reputation Iced Earth have garnered for themselves in recent years, I'd have "Dante's Inferno" at the ready.

It's an obvious improvement from the homogeneous chugging that was Stormrider, but Iced Earth's songwriting isn't quite as varied nor inspired as it would be on The Dark Saga. Nor do I think Schaffer's riffs are as individually strong as they were on the debut. Even so, if these elements are less immediately impressive here as they were on some of the other classics, it's because Iced Earth had placed uncommon emphasis on the arrangement and atmosphere. The title track, "Burnt Offerings", is one of the darkest, creepiest songs by a band that has commonly immersed themselves in such things. "Diary", and the deceptively unconventional "Burning Oasis" would also rank pretty high up there.

A large part of my appreciation for Burnt Offerings can be traced back to Matt Barlow. I was aware of his repute as a vocalist long before I'd even listened to Iced Earth, and I was surprised, if not totally sold, by his voice when I finally got around to hearing them. Although I wouldn't describe this band necessarily as power metal, whatever musical family Iced Earth are a part of doesn't tend to favour baritones like Barlow. Not that he's in any way limited to the lower range of the spectrum; the array of howling, shouting, brooding crooning and edgy spoken word places him among the most versatile vocalists in metal. Some of these same tricks were used by John Greely and Gene Adam, but neither came close to executing it as well as Barlow. Within the context of Barlow's own tenure within the band, his vocals are a little more gruff than I'm used to hearing from him. I think he would get even better with the melodic angle The Dark Saga would take, but he befits the creeping tone on Burnt Offerings perfectly.

Although it may not be the best of their career, Burnt Offerings rests at the crux of Iced Earth's classic period. No matter where a band has gone since, it is always exciting to hear musicians spread their wings and push towards greater heights. Even if it doesn't boast the greatest songwriting of their career, it still counts among the most adventurous and significant statements Iced Earth have ever produced.