Iced Earth's Reviews
The Dark Saga (Average Rating: 9.32 out of 10)
My cat's name is mittens (Rated this album with 8 out of 10)
Reviewed by
Wheelchair Assassin
from The Great Concavity
Whatever you think about Iced Earth, there's no denying the band's ambition, and "Dark Saga" is perhaps the best proof of that. It's a full blown concept album based on the "Spawn" comic book (or graphic novel if you will). Now, I never got around to reading "Spawn," and the one time I watched the movie I was somewhat inebriated, so I'm only familiar with the broad outline of the story. However, I didn't really find this to be a problem. Even if you're not aware of the specifics of the story, "Dark Saga" still makes for an epic tale of good and evil, and it's delivered with Iced Earth's customary style and musicianship. Now, we've all heard by now that Iced Earth's music bears some resemblance to that of Iron Maiden and early Metallica, and well, there is some truth to those claims. However, to call Iced Earth a ripoff band is a bit unfair. They manage to fuse the accessibility of classic metal with the heaviness of thrash to create a fairly unique sound, with an epic feel worthy of their predecessors. Jon Schaeffer is one of the most recognizable rhythm guitarists out there, with a staccato riffing style that does more than anything else to set the band apart from its peers. Even if nothing else, Iced Earth definitely have a flair for the dramatic. I know my metal and these guys offer more in the way of atmosphere and emotion than all but a few bands in the genre. Befitting its name and subject matter, "Dark Saga" has a very dark, foreboding aura that sucked me in right from the first listen. A great deal of the credit for this fact needs to go to vocalist Matt Barlow, regardless of how much (if at all) he's involved with the actual songwriting process. What's most important is, he SOUNDS like he's really involved emotionally with the material. He delivers most of his vocals in a husky baritone that sounds like Bruce Dicksinson taken down a notch, but for the album's angrier moments he can contort his voice into a menacing growl reminiscent of James Hetfield. The pounding, midtempo opening title track serves as a a good introduction to the album, both in terms of lyrics and overall sound. The next track, "I Died For You," is a ballad, and while the lyrics are pretty moving I'll admit it's a tad overwrought. Fortunately, any fears that Iced Earth are going to go soft are put to rest with the very next track, "Violate." It's a roaring thrash-metal song that's as fast as anything Slayer have ever done, and about as heavy as well. It's exactly what I need to get my head banging again after "I Died For You." "The Hunter," "Last Laugh," "Vengeance Is Mine," and "Slave To The Dark" are Iced Earth at their best, filled with crushing riffage, insanely catchy leads, and fearsome vocals. The seven-minute closer "A Question Of Heaven" is a bit different from the rest of the stuff here, but still pretty damn good. The song includes some acoustic guitars and even a choir (!), but there's also plenty of heavy riffs and angry vocals to keep it from being too sappy. It's not quite as brilliant as "Dante's Inferno" from "Burnt Offerings," but it's a very worthy link in the Iced Earth tradition of epic album closers. So anyway, "Dark Saga" is definitely a quality album, and if you like metal it's worth adding to your collection without a second thought. Iced Earth will never be my favorite band, but they've still established a strong track record of putting out excellent albums. And if you like this one, "Burnt Offerings" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes" are musts as well.
Buy this album on Amazon at $13.99
|
