Burnt Offerings

The subject of Lucifer and metal music is all but joined at the hip. The persona surrounding the figure in question is, by far, the most conducive to the notion of dark imagery and the Byronic hero type which captures the rabid individualism that has always defined the style. But somewhat less considered is the other version of this ubiquitous specter, that being the colossal adversary and his terrifying domain rendered in more of a classical Greek/Roman style, such as Dante's Inferno. The crossroads of ancient Mediterranean paganism and Augustinian theology make for an enticing tableau, one that is capable of both admiring and also criticizing the various institutions of Christianity and the lore surrounding them, as ironically many Augustinians have ended up doing in light of constant ideological shifts within the churches.

Jon Schaeffer's rendering of this classic piece of Medieval literature, alongside a host of related subjects in "Burnt Offerings", does a strong justice to the "between two worlds" mentality that Dante Alighieri channeled from Augustine's many literary works, along with that of the epic Roman poet Virgil's "Aeneid". It is built off of a very similar collage of rapidly galloping riffs that structured the foundation and many columns of "Night Of The Stormrider", but translates them into a denser atmosphere and marries them to a different harmonic tendency that is closer to classical chamber or even church music. From an overall complexity standpoint, it is a bit simpler and more modern than its predecessor, but melodically it is actually a bit more elaborate, as well as twice as dramatic.

The assertions of this being the band's first representation of power/thrash metal is misleading, as it fails to account for the latent power metal tendencies of previous works, and also undercuts the massive paradigm shift that occurred immediately following this album. It can be qualified as transitional in that it showcases a slightly catchier tendency, and it also presents the polarizing figure in Matt Barlow, the soon to be voice of what is regarded by most as the glory days of Iced Earth, in all his bellowing baritone glory. To be fully forthcoming, Barlow's voice is not in line with the traditional thrash metal paradigm of a gritty snarl with only occasional clean singing the way John Greely or Gene Adam were, nor does he fully fit into even the rawer German power metal sound as exemplified by Hansi Kursch and Rolf Kasparek. He's sort of off in his own realm, sporting a deep and forbidding operatic voice with a surprisingly capable high range that rivals a number of Halford imitators, particularly when considering the glass shattering shrieks heard on "Burning Oasis" and "Creator Failure".

As this album is unveiled, a latent tendency towards a ballad atmosphere plays back and forth with what is otherwise a uniform exercise in neck snapping mayhem. The opening title song reaches back the most blatantly towards the "Stormrider" sound, featuring Schaeffer's own gravely shouts alongside Barlow's melodramatic wails, but with it comes an intro that sounds like it was lifted off the soundtrack to "The Exorcist" and a flood of melodic lead guitar elements. "Diary" and "Brainwashed" have a little bit more of a slower groove tendency mixed in, but play heavily off of atmosphere and fully exploit Barlow's vocal capabilities. It is actually strange that Barlow's supposed vocal instruction occurred after this album, because this is probably his most impressive showing as a singer in his near 20 year career.

But for all of the incredible elements that are laid out during the various chapters in this impressive book of religious and societal peril, nothing comes close to rivaling the massive closer whose namesake inspired the various art works littering this album's jacket. "Dante's Inferno" arguably stands as not only the most ambitious work that Schaffer has ever put together, but as one of the crowning achievements of any thrash metal outfit. From the dreary intro that begins Virgil's and Dante's descent to the various spine-ruining twists and turns that follow, conjuring up a mishmash of Bay Area riffs and marrying it to an epic exterior not all that far off from "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son", there is virtually no stone left unturned. Each level of Hell is brilliantly reinterpreted through a concise lyrical approach that allows Barlow to fully exploit his more aggressive capabilities, and here he actually comes the closest to sounding like a genuine thrash vocalist.

The best way to approach this album from a standpoint of Iced Earth's recent reputation as purveyors of a backward looking form of power metal is as a transitional effort, albeit one that sounds more like the better respected debut and sophomore efforts rather than what came later. The only thing that kind of hampers this album is that Jon Schaffer literally throws every idea he has at the listener, making for an album that can come off as ambitious almost to the point of arrogance. Much like the epic poem that this album draws influence from, the audience for it may be of a slightly more sophisticated disposition of most thrash and power metal fans, but it is still largely accessible. If nothing else, it beats most other editions of Cliff's Notes offered for anyone looking to brush up on Dante's masterpiece.