Iced Earth
Alive in Athens (Century Media)
by Tim Den
Laugh if you will, but power metal is making a huge comeback. Maybe it’s a reaction to the spiraling decent that mainstream music has taken in the last decade, maybe it’s because people finally started realizing that hip-hop pants don’t make up for songwriting, or maybe it’s because the world has finally realized that bands like Iced Earth are what they desperately need. Regardless, melodic metal in E minor (coupled with operatic vocals and soaring solos of every kind) is back in full force, and I am one thankful MF. What with the reformation of the classic Iron Maiden line-up and new records by everyone from Blind Guardian to Children Of Bodom, I can’t help but feel excited about metal again. Finally, we’ll be getting back the glory days when songs were finely crafted dramatic plays, full of ups and downs and crescendos. No more mundane trudge-alongs – the comeback of power metal is going to make us feel like children on rollercoasters again.
That said, it’s my pleasure to review one of the bands spear-heading the comeback: Iced Earth. Despite criticism that they mimic Iron Maiden (a claim that has some truth to it), credit should be given to these guys for sticking it out. After more than ten years of writing, putting out records, touring, and constantly changing members, Iced Earth has gained their place in the scene by doing it the hard way. They built themselves up from grass roots, worked on their tightness and songwriting, and eventually proved to the world their greatness. Hey, don’t look at me; I was the only person within metropolitan Miami during the early ’90s who followed this band. I bought their debut when it came out, and have been waiting alongside the band for them to get their due. And nothing makes me happier than seeing this little band that used to be my own personal secret blow up.
For everyone else out there who hasn’t experienced the magic that Iced Earth can conjure up, Alive in Athens is a perfect way to start. Recorded over a three-day period in Greece on their last tour, this two-disc set features some of the best tunes this side of Live After Death. You’ve got your full-on ass kickers (“Burning Times” and “Dark Saga”), slow muscle-ballads (“Melancholy (Holy Martyr),” “Watching Over Me,” “A Question of Heaven”), and – my favorite – older, more complicated (and tastier) material (“Iced Earth,” “Angels Holocaust,” “Stormrider”), all of which are fist-raising ecstasy. The rhythm section of the band has never sounded meaner, and the vocals have never sounded more powerful. Simply stated: great fucking metal. Ten years from now, not only will metal be back in full force (hopefully), but the masses will remember Iced Earth as one of the bands that helped reestablish the genre.
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