Iced Earth

Iced Earth's self-titled debut is quite a controversial one, not for moral or social reasons, but for musical ones. It's certainly not a hated album, but the two big reasons for controversy I heard are that the music is too complex instrumentally and that Gene Adams' vocals sucked. I can agree with both. However, there is little disagreement to this: "Iced Earth" was awesome.

From a techincal and instrumental standpoint, this is one of the most impressive albums I have ever heard. Many say it is too complex. One reviewer of this album said that a 'con' of this album is that the complexity might turn away some listeners. I agree. That might happen to some people when they listen to it, but I really think only non-metal fans would do that because this album right here demonstrates (instrumentally) what metal is all about. Effort, thought, passion, make something challenging, etc. Iced Earth clearly put a lot of thought and effort into this album and the guitar solos are some of my favorites. Therefore, I say the complexity is awesome. A pro and a con.

You probably wonder why I keep bringing up good things from an instrumental standpoint rather than the band as a whole. Well, the reason I keep saying this is because of the vocals, which were not really good. Gene Adam's vocals makes up for I'd say around 75% of the 'controversy' surrounding "Iced Earth". The wailing sounds like at the end of phrases in "Written On The Walls" got a little annoying or a little too much. He uses harsh vocals a lot and in fact, in many spots like in "Written On The Walls", minus the wails, were great. I'd say it fits the song better than Matt Barlow's clean/pitched vocals on the "Days Of Purgatory" re-recording (titled "Cast In Stone"). But the harsh vocals don't exactly fit... everywhere. Like the title track, the absolute masterpiece, "Iced Earth", and "Colors", a severly underrated song. Those songs definitely needed clean/pitched vocals like how Matt Barlow did in the "Days Of Purgatory" re-recording. Like most others would agree, Gene Adams had some pretty good moments, both harsh and clean/pitched. The one that comes to mind the most is one of the most beautiful moments I have ever heard in power metal: the acoustic break around the 3:01 mark in "Written On The Walls". Gene Adams' best moment vocally was here. THE DUDE HAS SOME REAL POTENTIAL! He has a great voice! He just didn't really utilize it on this album. Really wish he did, otherwise I would have given this album 100%.

Randy Shawver is often called the legend of Iced Earth. I've heard from a lot of metal news sites that Randy Shawver's guitar work defined "Night Of The Stormrider". I kinda worshiped him in my "Night Of The Stormrider" review too. Though I liked "Night Of The Stormrider" more than "Iced Earth", I think Randy Shawver's guitar solos on this album was better than Stormrider. I was utterly amazed upon hearing them. "Curse The Sky" had many guitar phrases. I would recommend that one first for those interested in the guitar work of this album. Then there is "Written On The Walls". The fabulous guitar solo at the beginning just absolutely steals the show. Then after the beautiful and mellow acoustic break, there's another guitar solo containing things like triplet patterns and legato figures. I think just about every song had a great guitar solo. If there was a definite "Top 15 Greatest Iced Earth Guitar Solos" list, at least half of them would be from this album.

In closing, I think it's fair to say that "Iced Earth" is a must for power metal and thrash metal fans. The 1990's would have been a disaster commercially for power metal if it weren't for thrash-infused power metal bands like Blind Guardian and, of course, Iced Earth. It is obvious that Iced Earth were trying to be as original and creative as possible on "Iced Earth". They've always had their own sound and style while at the same time paying tribute to their influences. They certainly poured their heart and soul into the music. Some say it is too complex and that it will turn some people away. I guess I agree, but I think only non-metal fans would do that. I say the more complex, the better. My only criticisms, as is just about everyone's, are about the vocals, which I already went over. Power metal essential? Probably.