Iced Earth's Reviews
Something Wicked This Way Comes (Average Rating: 8.94 out of 10)
No Mere Imitators (Rated this album with 8 out of 10)
Reviewed by
James F. Colobus
from Pittsburgh, PA United States
On a recent Saturday night around 2 A.M., I was zooming across the Pennsylvania border from Ohio for reasons I probably shouldn't get into here. The closing trilogy from Iced Earth's Something Wicked This Way Comes was blasting from my stereo speakers. Bleary eyed and exhausted from a long night of driving, I still couldn't help but be moved by the virtuosity of Iced Earth's classy power/thrash metal attack. Banging my head and singing along, I ventured ever closer to the Steel City.What's that? You say Iced Earth are nothing more than Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Queensryche imitators? I'm of half a mind to terminate this review right here. With your callous comments about Iced Earth, you've managed to upset me and spoil my review-writing mood. Okay, I've taken a break to enjoy a meal at My Ngoc where I had the chance to relax and cool off. I've thought about it and decided that I'm not going to let you get to me anymore. I know I've said it before, but this time I really mean it. However, for the record and for your benefit, let me state the following: Iced Earth are more than just derivative of their influences. Sure they sound like they've been influenced by their musical predecessors, but name me one band that sounds like it has no influences. Iced Earth use the inspiration provided by their musical heroes to create some of the highest quality power metal around. Something Wicked This Way Comes is the sort of album I'd play with my metal-loving buddies over a couple of six-packs if I had any buddies who listened to metal and I didn't feel like I've been poisoned virtually every time I drink alcohol. Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of those rare albums that peaks at the end. I promise you, the closing 5 songs will leave you breathless and a little dizzy. But just because the album closes so strongly doesn't mean you should skip right to the end. No, there are some classic power metal cuts sprinkled throughout Side A as well. If you insist, I'll give you 3 examples: 1) "Melancholy" in which Michael Barlow wears his Geoff Tate influences on his sleeve to fine effect, 2) "Watching Over Me", a the touching paean to a fallen friend, and 3) "Consequences", the Holocaust history-lesson which features a brutal guitar solo that materializes out of nowhere and kicks you in the stomach. The main weakness of this album is its excess of thrash-by-numbers cuts like "Burning Times", "Disciples of the Lie", and "Stand Alone" which will sound a bit tired to those of you with Anthrax albums in your collection. However, even these thrash cuts are nothing worse than mediocre while most of the remainder of the album is nothing short of brilliant. The operatic vocals and Metallica and Iron Maiden style guitar pyrotechnics provide a timeless quality to the album. Something Wicked This Way Comes was released in 1998, but after listening to it, you'd probably believe me if I told you it came out in 1988 instead. Simply put, this is the sort of metal that never goes out of style - epic power metal played with conviction. It's comforting to me to know that someone in the U.S.A. still has the guts to play it. Considering that the stellar cuts far outnumber the mediocre ones, this album comes pretty darn close to a 5-star rating. It is the kind of album that reminds you time and again why you love metal.
Buy this album on Amazon at $14.99
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