The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked - Part 2)

Iced Earth is undoubtedly one of the most well known figures in the power metal scene around the world. So once again power metal fans around the world held their breath in anticipation of Iced Earth’s latest offering “The Crucible Of Man”. This album too like many others in Iced Earth’s catalogue is a concept album. This is the third and possibly final part of the “Something Wicked This Way Comes” story, a story that 10 years back with an album of the same name.

For the purpose of simplicity I will divide the album into two halves because my take on them is quite different, but on the other hand my opinion on all the tracks of a half are same.

As soon as I put on the album I was expecting the natural raw power of Iced Earth but I was taken back. The band’s previous album, Framing Armageddon had quite a bit of experimenting in it. The band had changed the guitar tuning and played on a different note altogether. The first thing that strikes your mind when you hear the first half album (Tracks 1 – Track 7) is that they yet again have opted for the same guitar tuning here too. Along with that you see the striking amount of experimentation done here. They have opted for a more progressive approach with progressive elements being found a plenty during the course of the first half of this album, they have tried out song structures never before tried out by the band before, more focus on guitar solos and they have used female operatic vocals in the backdrop way more than they had in the last album. When the intro starts up, which is basically female operatic vocals backed up with orchestration I was simply blown away, but the shock of not hearing the signature Iced Earth stuff for the reasons, which I mentioned, was almost unbearable. For quite a while I positively hated this half of the album and the intro (which is very good) was the favorite track on the album.

Now this half of the album does need a few listens to get used to, this half needs a few listens to be fully appreciated. As I mentioned I hated the first half during the first listen but after a few listens you, like me will begin to have a better opinion on the first half. The band opts for a more melodic approach and boy does Barlow sound just about mediocre here. It is quite sad actually that a man who could single handedly take the band to the next level because of his immense range and talent sounds pretty darn average in this half. It is also a mystery of what happened to his voice because he sounded at the top of his game earlier this year on Pyramaze’s “Immortal” where he was the guest vocalist for the entire album. The first half has some good riffs no doubt, a few catchy choruses and the solo on “A Gift Or A Curse” is one of the best solos I’ve heard from Iced Earth in a very long time. As for the downsides, the extensive use of female operatic vocals turned out to be a bad experiment. It seems as if the band used those as fillers during the tracks when they had no idea what to do. These female operatic vocals just pop up suddenly during the course of the track and even though they are quite good the timing and placement of these make hearing them a bad experience. Also another thing that can account for the not-so-good first half is the fact is that the concept actually destroys the music. Because of the concept of the album the band cuts short the length of the tracks and uses the fade out of one track as an intro to the following track, and even though this is how it works with concept album it at times feels that the music sacrificed because of the concept. This happens not once but twice during the album, firstly when the album shifts from “Minions Of The Watch” to “The Revealing” and secondly from “Crown Of The Fallen” to “The Dimension Gauntlet”. Because of this, it at times feel as if the tracks are actually incomplete. Also the odd lengths of the tracks can sometimes be annoying. Once you hear a couple of 2 - 2:30 minute tracks and suddenly a near 6 min track is thrown in. This was very disappointing because this is the exact same mistake they had made in their last album too. Because of the extremely short length of the tracks the album just failed to gather momentum of any sorts. Such is the experience here. Too. Just as the band manages to gather some momentum in the first half these short tracks kill it.

The second half of the album embrace the tracks from the 8th one to final and 15th one and this where the band get it’s act right. No experimenting here, just plain old signature, awesome Iced Earth. This half starts of with “I Walk Alone”, a track that was also released as a single a few months back. In this half the band corrects all that what they did wrong in the first half. The concept compliments the music, Barlow sounds good and the female operatic vocals are used intelligently well and they add to the atmosphere in these half and no annoying track lengths. This is the Iced Earth we love. There is not a single bad track in this half and I know what I speak because I’ve been into Iced Earth for years now.

Tracks like “Harbinger Of Fate” are reminiscent of Iced Earth’s early ballad type works as on “The Dark Saga”. This track is one of the best on the album which put forth and elegant blend of female operatic vocals, the ballad type work as on “The Dark Saga” and the thrashy work as was present on “Night Of The Stormrider”. It’s difficult to have a stand out track in this half here because they are all just so damn good. The next track “Sacrificial Kingdoms”, the riffery of which brings us back to the riffery of the band on another one of their early releases” Night Of The Stormrider”. Another one of the great tracks is “Divide And Devour”. Ok, imagine what you get when you cross tracks like “Violate” or “Disciples Of The Lie” (both early thrash Iced Earth tracks) with elements of Blind Guardian? Yes what you get is this track. Powerful riffs combined with the elegance of Hansi Kursch’s (Blind Guardian’s vocalist) vocals style during the choruses result in one of Iced Earth’s best tracks. Now do you know why I said this half reminds one of Iced Earth’s early works? But wait it doesn’t end here. The tracks “Something Wicked (Part III)” and “Come What May” are the best songs on this album. The latter is a 7-minute epic and is the gem of this album with Barlow at his best and once he is at his best he takes the band to an entire different level as I said earlier and features freaking violins that build to the atmosphere. “Some Thing Wicked (Part III) on the other hand is a beautifully structured and has the not only the best operatic vocals but check out the riff at 2:30, for that is quite easily the catchiest riff on this release. The only let down on this half is the last track on the album which is entitled “Epilogue” which is nothing but noise. This track ends this album, ends the Something Wicked trilogy.

I would highly recommend this album to all Iced Earth fans, I know this album will have many reviews and the rating will vary greatly because of the first half of the album which will be hated by many mainly because of repeating the same mistakes in the first half they made in their last album too, but believe me, you’ll end up appreciating this half too because if you let it, this half will grow on you. So do not be disappointed on not hearing signature Iced Earth stuff on the first half, but enjoy the experimentation. But if you still want the old Iced Earth and will not settle for anything less even then relax, just hear the second half for it is nothing less than what you expect.