Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked - Part 1)

Iced Earth has been sort of a hit or miss band after the release of “Burnt Offerings”, which many agree was their last thrash oriented release before coming something of a quasi-progressive Iron Maiden-like power metal outfit. After the musically ambitious yet incoherent patriotic release “The Glorious Burden” with newly recruited shriek maestro Tim Owens, there was some serious doubt in my mind over whether this band would be viable again, let alone capture the sheer majesty of “Night of the Stormrider”.

“Framing Armageddon” doesn’t quite match up to the band’s first two releases during their thrash days in the early 90s, but it does equally match the musical strength of “Burnt Offerings”, and actually surpasses it in the vocal delivery. Owens has the most power in the upper range department of any vocalist that Schaeffer has ever worked with, be it shouting itself beyond the exosphere of planet earth on “Ten Thousand Strong” and the title track, or blending into a 4 or 5 choral harmonies on ballads like “Charge to Keep” and “Order of the Rose”.

There is a pretty strong mix of Painkiller influences and Progressive influences that do tilt the album towards the later 90s material, but surprisingly enough Schaeffer manages to get a good deal more emphasis on riffs than the mishmash of acoustic and vocal affects that began dominating their sound on “The Dark Saga”. The album starts and ends with brief interludes, but both of which are immediately followed and preceded by two of the fastest, most brutal riff monsters the band has pumped out since 1992. The closer and title track “Framing Armageddon” gallops almost as furiously as “The Path I Choose”, while “Something Wicked” sort of settled into a dense atmosphere of harmonized gallops that almost sound mellow, despite being extremely fast.

Although more of a conventional power metal album than the last few, there are a few interesting musical twists on here. Probably the most overt are the female guest vocal slots on several of the interludes, as well as the eastern music influences, almost drawing some similarities with Kamelot’s earlier works with Kahn as vocalist. “The Domino Decree” has a strong Deep Purple tinge to it, particularly due to the near overpowering rock organ part. The whole structure of the album itself lends pretty heavily to the model that Blind Guardian used on their break through concept work “Nightfall on Middle Earth”, and is similarly paced.

The biggest flaw on this album, which has been the case since the departure of Randall Shawver, is the lack of excellent soloing. One of the staples of both the power and thrash styles are the lead breaks and one here they are literally nowhere to be found. You have an occasional solo here or there lasting 10 or 15 seconds but absolutely nothing that sticks in the memory. Iced Earth has always been better known for its gallop riffs and its Maiden-oriented melodic influences, but when they began they were not as devoid of soloing excellence as they became in the late 90s.

Fans of “Burnt Offerings” and Tim Owens’ work with his many previous and current projects are encouraged to get this. Fans of the first two Iced Earth albums who don’t mind even more acoustic work, a little less thrash, and a heavier dose of Halford worship than what John Greely put forward will like this as well. It is a solid release from a band that has been swimming in the waters of mediocrity for the better part of 12 years.