(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
Ken
from Youngsville, LA USA
The confused and vulnerable soul of a man who feels spiritually betrayed and bankrupt is called upon and tempted by forces unknown to him. As he soon finds out, the evil forces of nature have chosen him to become their physical vessel and manifestation upon the world - the Stormrider. As a demonic knight fed with his immense hatred of religion and mankind, he turns against his own Earth, bringing death and destruction to the entire world. Eventually, he begins to question his motives and finally tries to grasp what he's done, although it's too late to save himself. By the end of his time as the Stormrider, he realizes that he's been just a disposable pawn for evil itself. He thus accepts his inevitable fate - an eternity in the bowels of Hell. Thus is the story behind "Night Of The Stormrider", the brilliant conceptual second album by Iced Earth. As usual, Jon Schaffer must be commended on his desire, dedication, and drive to create unrelenting Heavy Metal when it was likely the most unpopular thing to do in his home country. Not only was he determined to take traditional Metal seriously, he was inspired to write a concept album in a time when such things were met with hostility in the music world. First off, it must be said that "Night Of The Stormrider" is one of the most convincing concept albums I've ever heard. Usually, records of this nature seem little more than a string of barely related songs arranged with an ineffective story buried somewhere within the lyrics. "Stormrider", on the other hand, is successful in creating lyrical arrangements and musical compositions that create a convincing concept album. The various musical passages fit the moods, actions, settings and atmosphere. There are elements that tell the majority of the tale which we'd typically call "songs", but there are other interludes, as well, that offer as transitions from one part of the story to another. Unfortunately, those who aren't familiar with concept albums would probably blow off these interludes as filler, there only to take up space and time. Obviously, there are no fillers here, rather a genuinely captivating narrative that travels through the experiences of our main character from his time of spiritual betrayal to his inevitably doomed trip to Hell. In short, it takes a work like this to prove that these writers (especially Jon, of course) are not only great musical performers, but great storytellers, as well. Whether by design or by pure coincidence, this is a very convincing tale, since it contains the defined elements of a great plot: an introduction, a set of complications, a tense climax, and denouement (falling action) - all meticulously arranged. Musically, I personally believe that it's difficult to compare this album to Iced Earth's self-titled debut. Reason being, this is a concept album while the debut was not, therefore, the compositions were created for entirely different reasons. Even though "Stormrider" is boiling over with tracks that can be listened to individually as songs, some of them simply were not meant for that purpose - especially lyrically. But alas, if I were to choose between them, I'd say this album would have my vote. John Greely's vocals are far superior to Gene Adam's work on the debut, (although there was still an even greater improvement in style, personality, and attitude when Barlow came aboard with the next album). Plus, the maturity, sophistication, and self-confidence found on the debut were definitely more abundant here. It's not often that a Metal band feels bold enough to tackle a concept album as a sophomore effort... and do it convincingly. The dynamics found on the first album return in multitudes here, and with greater effect. Speaking specifically as a concept album, sprinklings of acoustic strings accentuate various compositions to add emotional depth and intensity, as do the keyboards, which also add orchestral depth on many of the tracks. Basically, when there is a shift in mood or a development in the plot, the music is there to accentuate that change. It doesn't just simply add background noise while a story is told, as you typically hear with other Metal concept albums. In fact, if you'd take away the lyrics and vocals, the album's musical arrangements would still sound epic in nature, just waiting for a tale to tell in its entirety. Likewise, since this is a morbid tale of evil and violence, the music is still there to sustain and represent those feelings and actions when the story takes a violent turn. As such, there are tons of portions within the album that are pure thrashing madness, which is suitable since the theme requires such grim compositions. In conclusion, Iced Earth's "Night Of The Stormrider" is a definite an underground Heavy Metal masterpiece. As a concept album, however, it transgresses even that realm and would actually be comfortable next to Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son...", Queensryche's and "Operation: Mindcrime". Nevertheless, it should have received its due rewards if American Heavy Metal would have been taken seriously at the time. Fortunately, there was a Metal underground for Iced Earth to foster and develop its talents while America was oblivious to the band in its early days. Other countries were placing a cult-like status upon them, which eventually developed into true Metal stardom, where they are regarded as highly as Metal's most significant artists. Obviously, they were given such respect and admiration for definitive works such as this one.
