Iced Earth's Reviews
Burnt Offerings (Average Rating: 9.12 out of 10)
Dark, progressive, and bloodthirsty. (Rated this album with 10 out of 10)
Reviewed by
Lord Chimp
from Monkey World
Burnt Offerings opens to a new chapter in the band's career. It is vocalist Matt Barlow's first album of many. Jon Schaffer's songwriting expands to undertake more experimental directions. The band's already dark music sinks into deeper tones of malaise and gloom. Lots of anger and scorn; lots harsh vocals, some pseudo-death metal riffing, and plenty of keyboards for texture. Although this was one of my first Iced Earth albums, I haven't reviewed it for a long time because it takes a while to truly appreciate. It's different, but stunning in its own right. (see also the_wickerman's great review for this disc.)The lead track, "Burnt Offerings," succinctly captures all of the album's qualities in a 7-minute song. It reveals that Barlow is the perfect vocalist for the band, equipped with astonishing range and expression. John Greely, the former vocalist, was pretty good...he could wail and snarl. Barlow, however, can do these things better, and throws skill, power, and passion into the delivery. During the chorus he skillfully toggles between gruff, fierce intonations and a deep bellow. In the quiet interlude, he sings like a dreary specter. The surrounding music meshes raucous thrash riffs, pounding beats, melodic guitar harmonies, delicate but brief pianos, and ominous lyrics. Quite simply, it's a brilliant song. The dolorous "Last December" is not-quite-a-power-ballad, starting soft then thrusting into heavy riffing, all very dark in tone. "Brainwashed" is savage, murderous riffing with a lyrical message that condemns the hypocrisy that sometimes characterizes organized religion. "Burning Oasis," aside from having a mega cool song name, is seriously heavy music that comes fast & thick. "The Pierced Spirit" is unusual territory for Iced Earth. Very soft and melodic (and short, just two minutes), it sets emotional vocals over the interplay of piano and guitar. Unlike most of Iced Earth's slower songs, this one has no heavy part at all. The culmination of the album, and Iced Earth's career (up to this point), comes with the 16-minute epic "Dante's Inferno." Surely one of the greatest metal songs ever written, it is a gothic masterpiece that carries the listener on a journey through the nine layers of Hell. I remember trying to read "The Divine Comedy" (the book on which this song is based) a few years ago and found the archaic prose quite torturous. Thanks to Iced Earth, Hell is fun. "Dante's Inferno" shows Schaffer demonstrating incredible restraint. Instead of blasting through the entire thing with onslaughts of crushing riff after riff, only a few parts of this song really rock. Much of it focuses on spooky guitar atmospherics, demonic vocals, lush keyboards, and resplendent lyrical imagery. Yet it is in no way boring. And Matt Barlow...are all these voices but one man? This song is the ultimate showcase for the gamut of Barlow's vocal power. I'm sure he adopts no fewer than ten voices on this song. Incredible. Like "The Divine Comedy," Schaffer describes Hell with horrid, sometimes revolting phrasing. The descriptions are often quite evocative with frightening imagery that gives me chills. While this is probably not the best starting place for potential Iced Earth fans (try The Dark Saga or Something Wicked This Way Comes), the experimental, dismal songwriting makes Burnt Offerings a unique and essential part of the catalogue. The band will probably never do anything quite like this again.
Buy this album on Amazon at $14.99
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