Iced Earth To Release New Album, DVD in January; Teaser EP Releases in October
By
Sefany Jones,
Contributing Editor
Monday, September 29, 2003 @ 3:50 PM
Iced Earth Will Release The
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For Immediate Release:
Iced Earth Welcomes New Vocalist Tim Owens On The Glorious Burden
History-honoring Opus Slated For January 13th Release Through SPV Records
Gettysburg DVD and World Tour To Follow
Indiana-based melodic metal specialists Iced Earth have recently completed what can be deemed as nothing short of a masterwork; a ten song musical enterprise honoring the valor and sacrifices that made the world what it is today. Entitled The Glorious Burden, the band’s 9th full-length album will be released through SPV Records on January 13th, 2004.
Having only hinted at their infatuation with history in the past with “Ghost Of Freedom” (from 2001’s Horror Show) and “1776” (from 1998’s Something Wicked This Way Comes), Iced Earth felt it was time, in the wake of the last few years of international events, to remind the world where we originated. Guitarist and mastermind behind the Iced Earth legacy, Jon Schaffer comments on the importance of this album, “In today’s politically correct world, things aren’t taught the way they should be, and the importance is not emphasized in the manner it should. So now you’ve got a bunch of people running around today who don’t give a s***, and are spoiled brats who take for granted everything they have. It’s quite disgusting sometimes when I see college students interviewed by Jay Leno who have no clue. It’s very frightening. I’m hoping that somewhere we can inspire some of these kids and get them interested – if your history teacher sucks and makes history boring, go and read some books on your own because it’s far from boring. The sacrifices these hundreds of thousands of men made over the past 200 years is the reason these little brats can sit around playing video games all day and live pretty safe lives. I hope we can do some good with this record.”
The title The Glorious Burden is a metaphor for band’s endurance as well as statement towards America as a world power. As to what brought on this idea for a concept album, Schaffer admits that it has been a long time coming. “I’ve been a military history buff all my life. The bicentennial was a great time for me as both a history buff and a young kid, because I was literally obsessed with reading about the founding fathers and the American Revolution. I’ve always read history books far more than any fiction, but I never really put it into music before, with these kinds of emotions.”
Schaffer’s adoration with history has impacted him not only as a musician, but as a merchant as well. He recently opened a historical collectibles shop in Columbus, Indiana, called Spirit of '76 Collectibles, where he hopes to educate and enthuse budding history buffs with a wide selection of art, miniatures, models, battlefield relics, etc. An official website for the store is located at: www.spirit-of-76.com.
The tracklisting for The Glorious Burden consists of the following:
The Star-Spangled Banner
Declaration Day
When The Eagle Cries
The Reckoning (Don’t Tread On Me)
Greenface
Valley Forge
Attila
Hollow Man
Red Baron Blue Max
Gettysburg (1863)
Part I. The Devil To Pay
Part II. Hold At All Costs
Part III. High Water Mark
The album closer, “Gettysburg (1863)”, is a 32-minute epic comprised of three sections that represent specific events that happened on each of the 3 days of the Battle of Gettysburg (from the struggle of General Buford, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s defending of Little Round Top, to Pickett’s charge). Schaffer hired the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to enhance the theatrical atmosphere of the project and give it a true epic sensation.
Joining Schaffer on this historic journey are former Death drummer Richard Christy, longtime bassist James MacDonough, guitarist Ralph Santolla, and the latest addition to the Iced Earth family, former Judas Priest vocalist Tim Owens. Schaffer is especially excited about this acquisition, as he has been a fan of Tim’s for some time. “When I first heard Tim on Jugulator, I said to myself, ‘damn, THAT is the voice I hear when I write songs!’ He brings an excellent sense of pitch, power and emotion. People are going to hear sides of Tim on this record that they didn’t even know existed.”
To whet the fans’ appetites until the full album is released, Iced Earth is releasing a special 4-song single for “The Reckoning (Don’t Tread On Me)” on October 21st (nearly 3 months prior to The Glorious Burden’s street date). The single will contain the aforementioned song, as well as “Valley Forge,” “Hollow Man,” and “When The Eagle Cries (Unplugged).” Adding to the ‘special’ nature of this release, this version of “When The Eagle Cries” is exclusive to the single!
Shortly following the release of The Glorious Burden, Iced Earth plans to supplement the album with the band’s first-ever DVD, simply titled Gettysburg. The DVD is planned to contain footage of the recording sessions with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, a full documentary on the Gettysburg battlefield hosted by Jon Schaffer (who discusses important locations/details about the battle, as well as matches the song’s themes to their actual locations in the historic battle), a fully animated video for “Gettysburg,” and 2 special DVD-Audio mixes of the song (a ‘theatrical mix’ and a ‘metal mix’).
In true Iced Earth fashion, a full world tour is also planned to ensue thereafter, thus perpetuating its own ‘glorious burden’.
www.icedearth.com *
www.spvusa.com
lozzie_2003 - 3/15/2004 5:20:45 AM 5o cents cool anyone who says other wise is stupid
msheepz_is_gay - 10/10/2003 9:56:51 AM Hey nuclear fags and bones, go take a flying fuck you piece of shit. Nobody wants to here about your huge faggot gang bangs you pussy ass mother fucker.
Set_Abomnie - 10/8/2003 10:21:28 PM Xjapaness.....dont FUCK urself by not calling "ripper" owens a metal god.....he's earned his place up there just like the rest of em......listen to the reckoning man....
Set_Abomnie - 10/8/2003 10:17:29 PM This band Kicks ass.....i dont give a shit if the cover spells maiden or anything else.......jon rules.
NUCLEAR_SKUNK - 10/8/2003 7:52:38 PM nuclear fuckin skunk: FAST/HEAVY BREATHING-RED HOT CHICKENWINGS-KICKASS FINGERPAINTS-NICE OLD BEER.... YOU WANT IT WE GOT IT ...nuclearskunk.tripod.com
danceofdeath_13 - 10/8/2003 7:37:40 PM even though Iced Earth kicked ass with Barlow, Ripper is gonna make Iced Earth big in the states.
danceofdeath_13 - 10/8/2003 7:35:36 PM ICED FUCKING EARTH!!! RIPPER is gonna make the band better now.
montster - 10/8/2003 7:28:30 PM XJapan...you are a fucking idiot, and you need to learn how to spell moron. "Stubid"? What, do you have a fucking lisp or hairlip. Iced Earth have put out nothing but killer cd's over the years and this one will be no different. And nemisis always rags on IE, I used to log on here as dark saga and we've gone back and forth many times, you no what's funny...nemesis is all in to the band Death and IE has recruited another member of that band yet he still rags on IE. If you don't like them, don't fucking listen...no one is putting a gun to your head.
XJapan - 10/8/2003 2:06:29 PM kiss my ass , jon
XJapan - 10/8/2003 2:02:49 PM www.spirit-of-76.com a comic book store how fucking funny is that
XJapan - 10/8/2003 1:59:27 PM i CANT BELIEVE they still call themselves a "power metal band " how silly is that , go get the first singer of Iced earth , if they want TO BE A BAND AGAIN
bunch of dumn shits
XJapan - 10/8/2003 1:56:28 PM Dont FUCK yourself by calling ripper owens a "metalgod'
fucking stubid
XJapan - 10/8/2003 1:55:20 PM Bullshit , it is not the band anymore , with 4 singers
FalseMessiah - 10/8/2003 8:00:20 AM fucking*
FalseMessiah - 10/8/2003 8:00:08 AM Maybe "wigger"511 can go jack off to 5O Cent posters, that fuking cunt-fag!
The Star-Spangled Banner 
To whet the fans’ appetites until the full album is released, Iced Earth is releasing a special 4-song single for “The Reckoning (Don’t Tread On Me)” on October 21st (nearly 3 months prior to The Glorious Burden’s street date). The single will contain the aforementioned song, as well as “Valley Forge,” “Hollow Man,” and “When The Eagle Cries (Unplugged).” Adding to the ‘special’ nature of this release, this version of “When The Eagle Cries” is exclusive to the single!
Shortly following the release of The Glorious Burden, Iced Earth plans to supplement the album with the band’s first-ever DVD, simply titled Gettysburg. The DVD is planned to contain footage of the recording sessions with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, a full documentary on the Gettysburg battlefield hosted by Jon Schaffer (who discusses important locations/details about the battle, as well as matches the song’s themes to their actual locations in the historic battle), a fully animated video for “Gettysburg,” and 2 special DVD-Audio mixes of the song (a ‘theatrical mix’ and a ‘metal mix’).
In true Iced Earth fashion, a full world tour is also planned to ensue thereafter, thus perpetuating its own ‘glorious burden’.
www.icedearth.com *
www.spvusa.com
