The Glorious Burden

History is a topic that has always intrigued me, but rarely through music with the exception of the stories present in many lyrics dealing with paganism and other such ancient polytheisms. However, classroom style history can be a pretty good turnoff in taking something like a metal album seriously. The Glorious Burden is acceptable with the aforementioned in some ways, but fails miserably in others.

*The following review is written in two sections with two separate ratings based on how the CD came as a package, as the style and quality of the music is inherently different.*

The first part we will examine is the primary section of the album, consisting of nine songs of significantly less length. My copy of the album includes Greenface and the bonus track of the acoustic version of When the Eagle Cries, but the latter no one cares about. Let’s delve in now, shall we? It can’t be all that painful.

On the contrary, the album starts off with a torturous rendition of the national anthem of the USA, which is musically together and all right, but the theme of it causes but one reaction; the act of the face palm. These themes continue into Declaration Day which lyrically is much the same, followed by more of the same with When the Eagle Cries. We get a one track break before we are forced into more patriotic propaganda (Greenface), but the rest of the album is devoid of this presence, making it much more bearable.

The lyrics in this other section of the album are quite enjoyable compared to the simplistic and sloppy work on the first few. Valley Forge makes an interesting critique of today’s society, and Waterloo actually is a telling portrait of the game changing battle and the others are adequate depictions of events in world history.

The vocals on this album are pretty beastly, with the operatic and passionate presence of Tim Owens. To be honest, he contains more singing talent than Barlow, but he shows off on every song, like his resounding screams on Attila and vengeance filled singing on When the Eagle Cries. He puts his all into every song, but Barlow can at least take a back seat for letting a song focus on the guitars more rather than this mainstream approach. Definitely a high point.

The guitars here fail to impress me in a number of ways. From what else I’ve heard of Iced Earth, I expected a lot more than just boring old speed metal riffs like those on The Reckoning and Red Baron/Blue Max. A little thrash is ventured into with Greenface, and attempts are made at power metal on solos throughout, which manage to disappoint with their lack of quality songwriting. However, some of the speed riffs are good, like on Attila and Declaration Day. I’m into it at that point and am headbanging (not too difficult granted the slow speeds on drums). The acoustic work is fantastic for what little it appears, with the intro to Valley Forge being very memorable. However, when iced Earth hits it right here, they either use it too sparingly or in all the wrong places.

The drums on this background are simple at best. No attempt is made to thrill with insane double bass pedal work or interesting or challenging rhythms. Rather, they are just there. Within any song on this album, the drums fade in and out of prominence, most of the time unnoticed due to them being low in the mix and the fact that they are of devoid of interest. They are not terrible, but they are just boring, to the point of it being one of the major flaws on this section.

It is clear to see that the unity attempted with the group sung choruses did not rub off on me, because this disc is rather poor and unmemorable save for a few vocal hooks (Declaration Day and Valley Forge come to mind). The guitars show what this album could have been at times, with moments of pounding war metal glory with Waterloo and Attila. There is also a considerable lack of depth, as anything underlying is drawn out in a few listens due to the repetitiveness that also plagues the album. Songs to check out: Waterloo, Declaration Day, and Valley Forge. Stay as far away as possible from Don’t Tread on Me. I’ll also be generous here and rate this section a flat 70%.

Now take a deep breath; it only gets better from here on out. The second disc of the album is a 30 minute suite about Gettysburg. This part contains an overwhelming array of symphonic elements, but never too many at one time. Let’s not waste time then. After all, there is a devil to pay and he won’t wait long. But, really, don’t worry; the ride is all part of the fun.

The first song that graces your ears in this section is by far the best on the album, in addition to an awesome reference and song title with Devil to Pay. The vocals here shine center stage with the acoustic intro and the soaring operatic dramatic moments of the chorus. The guitars are spot on with interesting rhythmic riffing during the majority of the song, and they also take on some nice melodies.

The middle part of the song contains a good deal of depth with a variety of symphonic instruments and chugging riffs. In fact, most of the song is one awesome chugging riff that has your head moving in forceful motions to the beat of the song (headbanging euphemisms!). Although the song goes on for quite some time, the vivid lyrics keep the song moving and the vocals switch things up and overall the song is a success.

Another acoustic section introduces the next song, which is predominantly speed metal; with very few power and symphonic metal elements seen elsewhere. Those elements do add a lot elsewhere, but it is good that Iced Earth kept the music from blending together and creating distinct sections. The songwriting as a whole on this disc is very well done, as it is not predictable but it is very deep and far from boring.

The vocals are incredibly passionate on these last two songs; Tim Owens does a fantastic job at conveying the emotions of the characters, something that is not easy to do on a topic that is so far removed from today’s society. Hold At All Costs also gives you the one solid listen to a BASS in the entire album, and it is quite a bass line indeed and it really drives the song. However, despite these positives, the gang sung vocals on this disc do not carry the same quality that the rest of the vocals do.

Melody is key when writing a symphonic album, and Iced Earth do this without missing a beat. All of the songs contain long sections devoid of steel, nylon, or spoken word. These parts really show of the musicianship of Iced Earth, and feature cool sound effects like musket fire, flutes, and snare drum parts that add to the sense of the battlefield. Thundering drums and guitars also set the mood for the final track.

High Water Mark is quite the song. It contains many levels of brute force, yet it still reserves itself melodies along the way. The beginning has you set for battle, but quick and sudden changes in tempo and volume along the way add a great deal of depth to a song that could only too easily fail as so many finale songs manage to do.

Owens is still on top of his game, and numerous other vocals appearances create a very charged atmosphere, and the song represents very well the horrors of war that took place that day. Aside from that, there is not much to say about this song. It is everything that the previous two songs were just with different notes and such; the styles are very much the same and there is nothing new and groundbreaking.

This disc is a fantastic example of symphonic metal, from a band that I was not expecting that from. If you skip over the first part of the album, be sure to check out this part. The music is original, engaging, and just an epic depiction of war through metal. Best songs: Devil to Pay, Hold At All Costs, and High Water Mark. Rating: 90%.

Overall, the first disc of this album is skippable. The second part is not to be missed though, especially for fans of symphonic power metal. Iced Earth tries to fulfill a mix of symphonic, power, and speed metal on most of this album, and to be honest, it is pretty bad. Only when the songs lean heavily towards one genre in particular does the music succeed, which is quite unfortunate, as it gives you a glimpse of what this album could have been. Inevitably, this album is just soundtrack music. Although it ranges from phenomenal (High Water Mark), to horrific (Red Baron/Blue Max), this album is better suited for the background than the forefront. Best songs: Declaration Day, Valley Forge, Waterloo, and Devil to Pay. Final rating: 80%.