(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
the_wickerman
from Purgatory
I wasn't sure what to expect here. I already knew most of the songs on the album, because almost all of them were redone on "Days of Purgatory", but I'd never heard the originals with John Greeley. Well, I must say I am not disappointed. I had no idea what the vocals would sound like, but they are pretty good. They lack the aggression, emotion, and range of Matt Barlow, but they seem to suit the music okay. Greeley's vocals are thin and high-pitched, but can occasionally go into a growl (not near as ferocious a growl as Matt, mind you). There is not a bad moment on this album. As always, Jon Schafer and Randall Shawver whip up a technical and aggressive fury, and there's also melody to keep it interesting. It's a concept album, but I couldn't quite follow the storyline, I'll have to listen to it more (and believe me, I will!) This could have been one of their best albums had Matt been on it, but because of that, it suffers. Just listen to the tracks on "Days of Purgatory", and you'll hear what I mean. I think it would help if you hadn't heard the stuff with Matt, you'd say "Man, this is a great album!" instead of "Well, it's good, but it'd be better with Matt." But, either way, this is one of the greatest albums ever made, and it should not be passed up, not matter who's singing. Hail Iced Earth, they rock!
