Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked - Part 1)

Talk about shattering expectations.

Iced Earth has been my favorite band for several years now and I enjoy (at the very least) every album they've put out. However, we all know that some musicians eventually lose their flare and creative juices after awhile. Schaffer is no different. We’ve all heard the (overall) lack of quality content on his latest album, The Glorious Burden. The album has a few pretty good songs and the rest is filler and shit.

Most wonder how it was possible for the same guy who gave us the ballcrushing NotS and Burnt Offerings to give us the USA wankfest known as the Glorious Burden. After this, it seemed all hope was lost. The band’s singer (unquestionably one of the best known to heavy metal and my personal favorite) had quit and his replacement was a less than exhilirating Halford rip-off. On top of that, the music wasn’t tailored to his style. It was written with the previous singer in mind and it showed. Couple “the wrong singer”—he isn’t bad, just wrong for the album—with generally boring music and you’re in for quite the suckfest.

After that, who would expect a good album?

Well… I did. I figured, Ripper has his bearings in place now, Schaffer wrote the music for his voice, there should be some improvement right? Wrong. “Some improvement” doesn’t encompass the amount of rock on this album. After hearing Beyond Fear, I knew Owens could FUCKING ROCK!!!, unlike his previous work with IE. Sure enough, he managed to carry this quality over to the new album. Do I prefer him to Barlow? Of course not, but I can honestly say now that I believe Tim Owens is a great heavy metal singer. Plain and simple. The vocals are infinitely more intense and well performed than TGB.

This album has a very different feel from their previous works. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but it sounds nothing like the other albums. Interludes and intros abound, this album is easily more epic than all the others. Don’t get me wrong, NotS is better and in some ways more epic, but this one just flowed better I suppose. NotS songs can standalone, this album is one that should be experienced as a whole, though plenty of them rock without the rest as well.

About half of the songs here are fast and the other half are slow. Don’t worry though, it’s not as bipolar as SWTWC. Furthermore, there aren’t any real ballady type songs. I’m neutral towards that, but just thought I’d point it out. From what I can gather around and under Schaffer’s bothersome input (such is the price of stealing advance albums), the lyrics/story are pretty good. However, I’ve never been great at deciphering lyrics (words, not meaning) so I could be wrong. Then again, I’ve always been a fan of his lyrics, even for boring songs, so I don’t see why this would be any different.

Aside from NotS, this may be the only IE album that doesn’t have a single song I don’t like. Not that they’re all amazing, but they’ve all managed to not be skipped after at least 10 full run-throughs.

One thing that stood out about this album is that nearly every chorus demands audience participation. Truly, this album is meant for singing along. The choruses are über-catchy and demand it.

Also, the majority of these songs aren’t nearly as intense/heavy as their older stuff. Nonetheless, really well-written.

Some of these songs are downright godly. Something Wicked Pt. 1 is a pretty good one. Taking lyrics and riffs from trilogy at points, this one takes you back and then launches you forward to something totally new. Good shit.

You’ve already heard Ten Thousand Strong. This song really grew on me and now I think it one of the better songs on the album, but nowhere near the best…

Infiltrate and Assimilate is pretty badass. Awesome riff in the beginning and intensity builds.

The Clouding. The longest and possibly slowest track on the album. I love this song. Atmoshere is relentless on this one and pretty melancholic. It constantly progresses and builds until the end is something completely different from what you’d expect. Completely different from any other IE song and a brilliant one.

Execution is just an intro, but what an intro! Possibly the most atmospheric part of the album for 1:15 then it EXPLODES into this great riff and Ripper screaming then saying, “KILL THEM ALL!! DIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!!” Fuck… That was br00tal. After that, I expected the most intense song Schaffer ever made, but that was yet to come…

The Domino Decree really threw me off. I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the input of the organ. Normally, organs annoy me, but this one did a good job. Finally, we get to…

Framing Armageddon—The title track. I didn’t know what to expect from this one. It starts off by delivering a headbutt to your ovaries then pummels you with a the fastest, trashiest riff on the album. Unlike the other tracks, this one doesn’t quit. The others go fast, then a friendly chorus, then riffs. Not this one. This one grabs you by the throat, says “SHUTUP AND SITDOWN!,” then proceeds to make you it’s prison bitch for the next 3 mins. But wait? The song is 3:40. Yes… but the last 40 seconds are so earth-shattering, they can hardly be considered one in the same.

At 2:55, this song beats the fuck out of you. If you can’t find it in you to headbang and sing along, get your shit examined. This part blows me away every time. The riff is faster, heavier, and relentless, the drums turn your shit into dust, and you hear how Owens earned his nickname. The sheer intensity of this portion is mindblowing. I’ve heard this song all the way through about 30 times, but I’ve heard the last 40 secs about 100 times. The first time I heard it, I literally quit masturbating and started rocking the fuck out. Owens repeatedly screaming “FRAAAAAAMIIING ARMAAAGEEDDDOOOOOOOOOOOONNN!!!!” is… destructive. It’s best to keep this one away from small children. They will get hurt. Normally, I’m a pretty reasonable guy in terms of the volume of my music, but at 2:55, there is nothing but this song. It goes up to at least 65 decibels, I stop whatever I’m doing, ignore my sleeping/crying baby nephew, and just fucking rock. The closest notion I can provide of the magnitude of insanity that comes in here is this: Remember “The Coming Curse”? “I AM YOUR ANTI-CHRIST!!!” Yeah? FUCK THAT. This part blows that weak ass shit away. It makes THAT sound like fucking Fury of the Storm. Owens just made Barlow his bitch. This is by far the greatest thing this album has to offer and among the best songs Schaffer has ever written. Schaffer has never written anything this brutal and probably never will. This is what the “Lucifer” portion of Dante’s Inferno should have been...

Finally, the final track, The Awakening. This one is entirely chanted, heavy on the atmosphere, beautiful and constantly providing a “looming” feeling… Awesome. One thing I found particularly interesting about this one is that it feels like a closer and an intro simultaneously, and I believe Schaffer meant for it to feel that way. After all, there’s one more on the way.

This album isn’t perfect, but nothing is seriously wrong with it. Just that some of the songs could have been better, faster, heavier, whatever. The only complaint I have is that the solos could have been more memorable. After hearing the album as many times as I have, I don’t remember a single solo. They’re there, they just don’t stand out in my mind, but I still need to hear them a few more times before I can say they bore me. Even still, it doesn’t need them. I don’t remember a single shredder, and this still blows the past 7 years of IE out of the water.

So was this album worth the wait? Fuck yeah it was. Is it a return to the old days? Hell no. Schaffer has proven that he can still write good music, it’s just not the same as he use to write it. Barlow is no longer the voice of Iced Earth and Schaffer doesn’t have to riff the shit out of you to rock your socks off.

Armageddon is here and it’s only half over…

Iced Earth has returned.

Highlights: Something Wicked Pt. 1, Ten Thousand Strong, The Clouding, Infiltrate and Assimilate, The Domino Decree, and of course... FRAMING ARMAGEDDON.

[Score reduced to 80 following re-evaluation of rating system.]