Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked - Part 1)

When it came time to make a follow-up to "The Glorious Burden", Tim Owens' first foray with the band, Mr. Schaffer thought it would be a good idea to make a more comprehensive telling of his "Something Wicked" story from the titular album. On that seminal release the final three tracks made up the "Something Wicked" trilogy, a 20 minute epic romp through a sci-fi re-imagining of the origin of mankind. For this 2007 release he made over an hour of music that was originally summed up in 6 minutes on the song "Prophecy". This sounds like trouble, and to some extent it is. But for all that could go wrong, so much goes right.

For starters, one might look at and dread the 19 tracks listed, without realizing that 8 of these songs are about a minute to 2 minutes in length and serve as intros to many of the actual songs. This is a common trick utilized by record companies to make the consumer feel like they're getting a better deal, making them think they're getting more for their buck. In reality there's more like 11 songs here.

The music here can best be described as "opera metal", with so much bombast and melodrama on display. This is effective for conveying a story of massacre and retribution, of the creation of the Antichrist that will reap vengeance on a cruel and unsuspecting mankind. Very heavy stuff, if you care about that sort of thing.

Things start out strong, and don't get weak until well into the back-half of the album. Most of these tracks have enough uplifting lyrics and powerful playing to motivate a panda into running a marathon, particularly "A Charge to Keep" and "Ten Thousand Strong". The latter track, as well as the title track, feature some unreal sustained screams from Tim Owens that make goosebumps go up and down my arms.

There are a mix of faster, thrash songs and slower chug fests, broken up by the aforementioned intro tracks. Once you get to "The Clouding", a 9 minute ballad with a distorted second half, the album hits a bit of a snag. While not a bad song (I actually quite enjoy it), it does drag on, and the next couple of tracks do little at this point. "The Domino Decree" picks up a little slack, but the last two songs end things on a high note. The title tracks is intense, especially in the last 40 seconds or so, and "When Stars Collide" is a grandiose chugger that's more of a showcase for Owens once again, as they've layered his voice several times to make this epic choir.

This is an intense listen for 68 minutes, so most probably get bored or possibly even overwhelmed at the half way mark. This album is not for everyone, even some Iced Earth fans, but if you like the "Something Wicked" story, or anything Jon puts out, give this a listen. What Jon has created here is the metal equivalent of Pink Floyd's "The Wall", though obviously nowhere near as classic, this album is made from a similar skeleton. If you're a fan of "The Wall" and power metal, this album may very well be made for you. Otherwise look elsewhere. Me? I enjoy this to death.