(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
vaerendor
from ohio
Alright, yeah yeah I know Matt Barlow was a great vocalist, but let's face the facts he's no longer with the band. So just suck it up and get on with your lives. The Glorious Burden is a tribute to John's love for history...if you noticed there are more than songs about America on here, and so what if he is pro America??? Would you all cry and whine and bitch if he was from somewhere like Canada or England. Probably not, but because he happens to like the country he is from this album will be ridiculed. If you don't like history and cannot look past the fact that Ripper is an excellent vocalist (or the album content for that matter), then you probably don't want to buy this cd. I saw the IE, COB, Evergrey tour, and it was one of the most phenominal concerts I have ever seen. Owens sang the older IE material like he was with the band from the beginning, he's an awesome vocalist with great range...superb highs and lows. If you cannot get the idea that he was Halford's replacement out of your mind you must be slow. Priest wanted Halford not Owens, so they had him sing like Halford. Schaffer wanted Owens not Halford or Barlow, so that is what he got TIM OWENS. Face it folks IE is not dead,nor did John sell out because he got Ripper he got the best man for the job....nothing against Barlow but remember Matt left the band he didn't get booted (AND HE TOO WAS AN AWESOME VOCALIST). Why should he stay somewhere where his heart wasn't anymore, and make it worse for the band? What he did was the best for both IE and himself. Anyway, this was an awesome album, and I cannot wait for more with Ripper Owens as the front man. Oh and by the way if you want some more complex riffs and harmonies listen to Dream Theater or Symphony X, not a POWER metal band....
