I Walk Among You

Here is, as we who still care about Iced Earth all know, Matt Barlow's first recording back in the fold. The new song is a heavy, mid tempo, chunky meat and potatoes track. In fact, the name of the song might as well be Meat and Potatoes, because lately that is Schaffer's favorite serving for the fans. His complex arrangements of the early days are all but gone, with a few exceptions showing up on Framing Armageddon.

I will say that this song is a good returning track for Barlow, as it displays very well his lower register ( a very common critique on Owen's style of singing, which I must admit has it's truths). The problem with it, however, is the same problem that I saw in much of Framing Armageddon. That is the constant interchanging and repeating of melodies between songs. (Did anyone else shutter when they first heard the opening verse in Something Wicked part one?? "I can see it clearly now...." Oh fuck me,....again?!?)

The chorus is basically the same as the verse in Setian Massacre, which ironically is the next track on the single. It of course is sung in a lower register, and changed up a little. I am of the mind that Schaffer has been sticking to his guns a little too much, in that once he finds a melody that he likes, he beats it against our skulls so much that we, at least I, get a bit tired of it. The same thing happens all over Framing Armageddon. Now, this can be a great tool to tie in songs to each other on a concept album such as Framing Armageddon, and is used to great effect on many other concept albums from WASP to Jethro Tull. However, it is sometimes overly abused by Jon. Of course I'm sure he is completely oblivious to this. I think we would have much rather heard a new song that has no obvious melodic connection to the songs on Framing Armageddon, let alone a track that shares this EP.

That said, Barlow does deliver the goods in my opinion, and his singing keeps the song both interesting, as well as powerful. The riff work is very subtle, perhaps a tad too subtle. I saw them at the Pearl Room for Matt's return show, and when they played this one live, it was sort of boring. The riffing is a tad too basic in the verses, and in the chorus it takes a serious backseat. Of course Jon most likely intended for the song to be a showcase of Barlow's return, which it certainly succeeds in doing. I think that a little more creativity in the riffing would have been a definite plus though, as the main song's verse-chorus formula deviates only once for a brief epic interlude.

Now touching on the re-sung tracks...

I am sure I am not alone in that much of Iced Earth's fanbase is getting a little sick of these re-recordings. I mean first Days of Purgatory, then Dark Genesis, then Overture of the Wicked, and now this. Schaffer's idea of what the songs "should have sounded like" seems to change with whoever is in the band at the time of any kind of opportunity to change things. I really wish he would follow through, and rerecord (not remix) some more tracks that could actually USE it. Like much of the Burnt Offerings album, and maybe other songs from the debut.

Setian Massacre is pretty choral in the vocal department, so really there are times when I forget that it's a different vocalist. The only real noticable part is the verse. While I think Matt does the song well, his high screams are not quite as vocally agile as Rippers. So the top vocal layers are a little less pronounced. All in all I like the song no matter who is singing it, as I think both singers did a good job.

The Clouding is a mixed bag for me. I enjoy Barlow's delivery in the first half a bit more. It sounds more like an Iced Earth ballad than when Ripper does it. I didn't think Ripper was all that convincing in the ballad style, and the lyrics of this song do not really help to take the man seriously. However when the second half kicks in, Barlow is not quite as ominous as what Ripper laid down, and ends up in the former vocalist's shadow. Still a solid song, but really, I don't think it warranted a rerecording.

I haven't heard A Charge to Keep, but I would be very surprised if it was that much different than the original. That song is full of choral vocals as well (Schaffer just can't stop), and I am picturing another needless rerecording.

I enjoy this ep, because I like the songs, but I don't think it was really necessary to rerecord the three old tracks. I would have preferred maybe a Barlow version of a Glorious Burden track, and a cover song of some kind. Perhaps a cover of an old Metallica track, or a song from Priest's Painkiller era, or something awesome like that. Ah well, as Schaffer would say..." I don't care..what you think!!"

I am still a fan of this band, through all the shit flinging and lineup changes. I think Schaffer is really talented, but he really ought to think about writing some thrashier, darker stuff, and hopefully he has that in store on Part 2 of Something Wicked.