Iced Earth - Box Of The Wicked (2010) (Limited Edition, 5CD Box-set)

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Iced Earth - Box Of The Wicked (2010) (Limited Edition, 5CD Box-set)

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Since the announcement that Iced Earth would be coming out with a box set titled Box of the Wicked, fans have been quite vocal about their initial feelings on the release. On one hand you had a collection of material, which although has primarily been already heard before on past albums, has somewhat of a new twist thanks to a bonus CD, poster, and a variety of other materials. But with the changing lineups over the years, like it or not, certain teams have been formed. For those on the side of Team Ripper favoring former vocalist Tim Ripper Owens jaw-dropping, epic vocal style hearing a boxed set with essentially very little from the singer may leave you cold. If you're an Iced Earth fan through past and present (through all of the vocalist changes) owning Box of the Wicked is a no-brainer and somewhat of a privilege given the fact that only 10,000 copies are available. The 5-CD box set features two studio albums (Framing Armageddon and The Crucible of Man), two original digipak EPs, and one live CD featuring only vocals by current member Matt Barlow. The frontman is strong in his own right, but it's hard to go up against Owens, whose range (as evidenced by the Framing Armageddon CD) could at times go head to head with Rob Halford or Ronnie James Dio. The fact that guitarist Jon Schaffer's songwriting skills seem a bit lackluster on The Crucible of Man (with more chugging power chords than solid riffs) doesn't help matters much. In any case, if you're just getting into Iced Earth's music, Box of the Wicked isn't a bad way to go. It will give you a taste of what you can probably expect in the coming years from the Tampa band. Does it leave out quite a bit of material from the past few decades? You bet, and that's probably one of the biggest disappointments. Framing Armageddon is a stellar record, and combined with some cool artwork and a bonus live CD, the boxed set may be very well worth the price. The bonus CD features four songs, Dark Saga, Iced Earth, Pure Evil, and A Charge To Keep, which is now sung by Barlow. It would have actually been satisfying to get perhaps even a few more live tracks from past eras, but again, diehard fans should find the release a welcome addition to their catalog. // 7

Iced Earth has never disappointed when it comes to delivering lyrical content with epic, life-changing, or apocalyptic themes. If you are a fan of movies like The Omen or general themes where evil is unleashed upon an unsuspecting world, you'll eat up every moment heard on the Box of the Wicked CDs. // 8

While I could go on and on about the epic nature of Tim Owen's delivery or Schaffer's intricate, carefully thought-out songwriting on Framing Armageddon, the review is for the boxed set as a whole. The quality doesn't always stay consistent on the boxed set, but Iced Earth is still a force with which to be reckoned in their genre even on a bad day. For avid fans, the boxed set, particularly because of its rare quality, should be a must-purchase. However, if you're sore over the many changes that do seem to keep happening within Iced Earth and already own most of their albums, you will be able to live without this release

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Iced Earth - Box Of The Wicked (2010) (Limited Edition, 5CD Box-set)

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Let me just say this has to be the best Iced Earth album I've ever heard. Some may say the classic Iced Earth sound is lost… NOT TRUE. It's EVOLVED. Ripper truly outdoes himself on this album- moreso than anything he has ever done in the past. You may think of him as Halford's clone, you may call him Barlow's crappy replacement, but it's bullshit… he truly deserves the Ripper name on this album. He literally tears apart every good vocal moment Matt Barlow has had; he proves what Matt did Ripper can do better. Matt could NEVER have pulled this one off. Besides all that, Jon Schaffer's rhythm guitar stands out as per usual, his tone seems to have matured a bit and seems a bit cleaner. The classic Maiden-esque riffage, as godly as it was, is being traded for a more diverse sound; you tend to hear more variety in the playing. The bass work and leads are great as well, and Brent Smedley does a great job as a drummer on this record. The incorporation of world instruments gave the music a bit of diversity from the previous efforts, and really makes it stand out. The instrumental pieces are great… whoever the hell did them also deserves credit. The story this album follows is so brutal, I don't think I've ever thought of a more metal, more ingenious concept than this, and to think this was a story spawned by the band's leader. Let's face it people, what can be more metal about the destruction of mankind? I thought it was neat to see all these parts in human history being brought about by Setian manipulation, whether it be the rise and fall of kingdoms, the creation of martyrs and gods, etc. The songwriting is great and tells the story perfectly. When it comes to the music I could not recommend any songs, because they all stand out. They are all perfect. The music is intricate as it is flawless, innovative as it is original. Yeah it's different, yeah it isn't as thrashy as it used to be, but was Iced Earth ever a band that stuck to a particular label? Absolutely not. And they prove that case with this new album. Seriously buy this album, it's amazing. If not the hell hounds will come get you.

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Iced Earth - Box Of The Wicked (2010) (Limited Edition, 5CD Box-set)

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So this is the first proper Iced Earth album with Matt Barlow back on vocals, and that already is going to divide fans. Some will say it’s amazing just because Matt is back, others will say that even Matt can not save it. But I’m just going to concentrate on the music itself. Like its predecessor, this album is a grower. There was nothing especially striking the first time I heard this, but it seems to get better each time I listen to it. This album is Iced Earth at its most epic, with the sole exception of the Gettysburg Trilogy which may be able to contest that title. A few months ago I would have sworn that Iced Earth would be more epic with Tim than Matt, but somehow these layered vocals are even more epic with Matt than with Tim. The album starts out with an intro called “In Sacred Flames”, and this seems to be a direct continuation of The Awakening from Framing Armageddon. I could easily imagine the songs fading into each other. The intro gets rather heavy, and then Behold the Wicked Child begin. The song isn’t really that amazing, but I’ll be damned if that isn’t one of the best album beginnings ever. The next songs, Minions of the Watch, The Revealing, and A Gift or a Curse, are rather bland and uninteresting, but they are listenable and build up into the heavier parts of the album which follow. Both the music and the storyline kick off with Crown of the Fallen and The Dimension Gauntlet, both of which are sadly only a few minutes long. They are followed by I Walk Alone, which we all know by now. Perhaps intentionally, it is the eighth song of the album, just as Ten Thousand Strong was also on a single and was the eight song. It’s a good song, of course. The next song, Harbinger of Fate, is less heavy and more melancholic/melodic, but it becomes heavier and more epic with a nice choir in the background. This is followed by the definite highlight of the album, four extremely solid songs: Crucify the King, Sacrificial Kingdoms, Something Wicked Part 3, and Divide Devour. Something Wicked Part 3 borrows a riff from The Coming Curse which is a nice flashback to the original Something Wicked trilogy. The last proper song on the album is easily the best: Come What May. This is an emotional, long song very reminiscent of classic Iced Earth songs like A Question of Heaven. It blends old Iced Earth melody and emotion with new Iced Earth layered vocals and the different guitar sound, and is a very fitting end to an excellent two-album series. The Epilogue is very similar to Overture on Framing Armageddon, which closes the circle. There are not that many stand out songs on this album like Framing Armageddon; there is no Setian Massacre or Ten Thousand Strong. It is, however, devoid of the interludes that the last album was so full of. Some of those interludes were very good, but I am happy that most of the music is actual songs instead. The album doesn’t seem to pause as much, and once the music and story pick up, it keeps going very epic to the end. I am using the word “epic” so much because there really isn’t a more fitting word to describe this album; The Crucible of Man is probably the most epic album I have heard.

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Iced Earth - Box Of The Wicked (2010) (Limited Edition, 5CD Box-set)

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Before hearing this, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect (especially from the brand new song), but since its Iced Earth, it's not really that hard to imagine. So where does the uncertainty come in, given the band's consistency? Well, the way Jon worded his idea of the album, he made it sound like everything was going to be very epic, atmospheric and all that jazz…which left me wondering if every song was going to be crafted as such? Well, I found myself pleasantly surprised with the new song, Ten Thousand Strong. It almost feels like a new energy has been brought to the band, even though it is still the traditional Iced Earth sound. The vocal melodies delivered by Tim Owens are extremely catchy and full of flare, as are the lyrics. To me, it feels like Tim is much more comfortable with the band's style and has been able to evolve a bit from the last record. The second the song starts and you hear the blaring shriek of the former Judas Priest front man, you know it’s going to be a good, firm kick in the ass. Some people have complained that Owens tries too hard to imitate Rob Halford and grates nerves because it’s different from Matt Barlow, but I find myself thoroughly engrossed with Tim’s style. “And though our hearts are broken…we have to wipe the tears away…erase the human memory.” Oh yeah, this is going to rule. The riffing is…well…its Jon Schaffer, what do you expect? Anyone who is familiar with Iced Earth knows that Schaffer has a style and he’s always going to stick with it. Don’t come into the post-Burnt Offerings material expecting to hear something completely revolutionary, because it’s not going to happen. That’s part of what I love about his playing – not being concerned about playing something ‘different’, but just finding different ways to make good heavy metal. Indeed, he does deliver good heavy metal with Ten Thousand Strong. The song thrashes while not completely annihilating everything…no, because that would spoil the true annihilation that is to come when the full lengths comes out. This works just fine as a single – it doesn’t try to be flashy, but manages to just be a good melodic heavy metal song. It starts off heavy and then leads into harmonized parts, which really help make this a powerful and memorable song. Overall, I was very pleased. I imagine most people would be worried about the Something Wicked remake, which is kind of understandable, given its classic status. Well, there are some significant changes present in the trilogy – there is a much thicker atmosphere in some songs, such as Prophecy. Some of the riffs are altered a bit, there is more emphasis is put on certain lead parts and the solos are much more bombastic. I’m glad that they did not just copy the whole song, as it kind of just makes it a cover song, rather than giving it a whole new identity. I’d say a major flaw of the remake is that it uses singular note stuttering just a little too much in comparison to the original, but it’s easy to overlook, because its not meant to sound identical to the original. In conclusion – if you limit yourself strictly to the first three albums, don’t expect something along the same route; you’ll only end up disappointed. If you’re an extreme Iced Earth lover like me, this will more than satisfy you.

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Iced Earth - Box Of The Wicked (2010) (Limited Edition, 5CD Box-set)

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So… this is the new single that will keep you warm until the release of the Something Wicked Part 2. The new song, I Walk Alone, is a melodic mid tempo heavy song with an excellent memorable chorus, nice lyrics and an atmospheric solo right after the second chorus. Unlike the last year's single Ten Thousand Strong, the theme song of the new single is not speedy or thrashy. Jon chose a more radio oriented song, with a steady mid-tempo pace. In my ipinion he succeeded. Matt seems to be in great form. His voice is as good as it was 10 years ago. I salute his return, although I still give unlimited credit to Tim as well. The rest songs are quite average. I hate remastered, re-recordings with new vocals etc etc. I still prefer the originals, just like the Ten Thousand Strong single. Of course Matt does not spoil the songs, but in my opinion Tim fits better. Especially The Clouding (new version) is by far worst than the original. The chorus is not as good as the original. Matt's voice seems to fit better on The Setian Massacre though. I still do not understand why Jon must always do this. Why not including a live version of the songs with Tim singing, just to remember him (i.e. a live recording from the previous tour). Or at least an old cult live performance with Matt singing (previously unreleased).

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Iced Earth - Box Of The Wicked (2010) (Limited Edition, 5CD Box-set)

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