Burnt Offerings

When one thinks of thrash metal, fans immediately think of the big four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeath, and Anthrax (maybe to a lesser extent Testament as well), and upon thinking of those bands, fans will most likely remember cornerstone albums such as Master of Puppets, Peace Sells..., Reign in Blood, Rust in Peace, Ride the Lightning, etc. But the success and influences of those albums often overshadow another important, yet underrated thrash band: Iced Earth. True, they're often thought more of as a power metal band, but mixing elements of both thrash and power metal is their claim to fame, and they did so almost perfectly with Burnt Offerings.

As the scary looking album art and title Burnt Offerings would suggest, the music is very dark, often with doom-inspired lyrics which would make one question: this is a power metal album? Not quite. The riffs and drumming are speedy, heavy, dark, and intense, making this more of a thrash metal album, but instead of relying on aggressive hardcore punk-inspired power chords, the guitars have a cleaner and more polished sound rather than being overly crunchy or grinding. The band also throws in a few dashes of keyboards to give it a bit of melody to its overall dark and brooding sound. Then-debuting lead singer Matt Barlow also avoids relying on aggressive rasps and barks like James Hetfield or Tom Araya, rather using a majestic sounding baritone often more traditional in power and progressive metal mixed with high shrieks reminiscent of Rob Halford along with dark and evil-sounding growls.

A good number of the songs also often offer soft, brief moments of ambiance and tranquility, most notable in Dante's Inferno, the power ballad The Pierced Spirit, Last December, and the title track. However, these soft moments are dark and brooding, foreshadowing the eventual blistering riffs and fierce double bass pedaling. It is these moments as well as more melodic singing by Matt Barlow that really sets this album apart from other thrash metal outfits. Instead of over-relying on fierce power chords and aggressive vocals, the action is split up into periods of power and tranquility and presents surprising creativity through progressive-like changes in melody and tempo midway through songs. This is what prevents the album from peaking halfway through or ever sounding repetitive, which is unfortunately a trap many thrash bands fall into. If one needs proof, this style is most evident in the final song, the sixteen minute-and-a-half epic Dante's Inferno. By utilizing the soft/loud technique with suspenseful ambiance followed by relentless aggression and gradual changes in tempo and in melody as well as the vivid descriptions of the circles of Hell, one truly feels as if they are traveling with Dante and Virgil.

While metal fans will always look to Metallica and Slayer as the kings of thrash metal and their early releases as the epitome of the genre, Burnt Offerings will always remain an underrated, yet rightful candidate for one of the best thrash albums of all time. Excellent rapid-fire instrumentation with flares of melody, majestic and dark vocals, and masterful storytelling make this album an unrecognized classic.