ICED EARTH: Set To Take On The World, Part II

Special report by Mark Gromen

Morrisound, quickly becoming my home away from home in Florida. With Iced Earth mixing/mastering the mammoth two-part Set Abominae concept at the fabled studio, this marks my third privileged visit to hear the music, hot off the press (so to speak). Initial reaction? Apart from the obvious fan-approved return of vocalist Matt Barlow, it’s the heaviness and guitar-oriented nature of the Part II material. Granted Framing Armageddon needed to set up the story, the main character’s birth only comes to fruition on this record’s first proper track, ‘Behold The Wicked Child’. While the anticipated and prophesized annihilation of mankind is not forthcoming (“It goes right up until now,” claims its creator), the new album IS more aggressive and intense, without sacrificing the choirs, orchestral instrumentation and world music elements (hand drumming, etc.) that characterized the initial platter.

“This is only one medium for the story,” says mainman Jon Schaffer, having previously hinted at comic books/graphic novels and/or some sort of visual treatment. “So I didn’t want to end the story. There’s so much more that can be told. Howard, who works here at Morrisound, was able to assemble a 16-person choir. He works with a church group and they were able to come in over Memorial Day weekend. They’re singing in Latin (on ‘In Sacred Flames’), so those parts had to be written out for them. I’ve wanted to work with a choir since ‘Angels Holocaust’ off (Night Of The) Stormrider. In a perfect world, I would have gone to Prague (Czech Republic) to work with a full orchestra and choir, but at least we didn’t have to take a slice of the Conan soundtrack and build it up, like we did on Stormrider!”

In March, when BW&BK visited Schaffer in the studio, he mentioned something about Barlow writing lyrics for a couple of tracks, as the lyrics for part II were still a work in progress at that point. Turns out, Barlow contributed to at least five songs! Over a dinner of Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan (an excellent recommendation) we discuss the songwriting process.

You can read the rest here http://www.bravewords.com/news/90942 .

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