Natalie
Iced Earth - Dystopia
When Matt Barlow (recently retired long-time Iced Earth vocalist) announced his second and final retirement from Iced Earth, Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth mainman) was once again faced with the monumental task of finding a suitable replacement. With the band’s somewhat turbulent line-up history (including Barlow’s return to the fold half-way through the two-part ‘Something Wicked’ concept album in favour of initial replacement Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens), finding a stable, talented and versatile vocalist with whom to move forward was vital to Iced Earth’s survival and longevity. Many an eyebrow was raised, then, when Into Eternity frontman Stu Block was announced as the new recruit. With Stu’s vocals in Into Eternity having negligible stylistic crossover with the traditional style of Iced Earth, many questions were raised as to whether or not he would fit in and do the Iced Earth back-catalogue justice. One listen to Stu’s first outing with Iced Earth, ‘Dystopia’, answers all such queries. Not only is Stu Block a suitable replacement, he is arguably the perfect vocalist for the band.
A classic metal military-march style opening kicks off the record with the title track, before a truly intense scream announces Stu’s arrival. The riffs then come thick and fast from then on, with Schaffer and Brent Smedley (drums) proving that they are quite possibly the tightest rhythm section in metal today. Block reveals himself to be a perfect blend of everything that both Barlow and Ripper brought to Schaffer’s table – the low, and venomous vocal lines in songs such as Dystopia, Dark City and Days of Rage will have you positively convinced that you’re listening to Matt Barlow, whilst high falsetto screams throughout the record are reminiscent of Owens on the Glorious Burden and Framing Armageddon records. In short, there is no doubt that Stu can handle any vocals from Iced Earth’s past releases with authenticity and power.
However, Block is not just a fusion of everything that made both Barlow and Ripper great – on mid-tempo tunes such as Anthem, Anguish of Youth and End of Innocence, Block comes into his own with a unique, soulful and warm mid-range. Anthemic and hooky sections perfectly complement the thundering, furious riffs, and the word ‘epic’ will pass through your mind with terrifying regularity, not least on Triumph & Tragedy.
‘Dystopia’ is not just a straight ahead metal album, nor is it another grand concept album which Iced Earth has been known for with their previous four releases. ‘Dystopia’ is the epitome of everything that Iced Earth is and always has been about - crushing, thrashy riffs, epic mid-tempo rockers, soaring choruses and that overall massive sound that you rarely find in music nowadays. This album retains the kind of grandeur that the ‘Something Wicked’ double album was drenched in, but doesn’t underestimate the value of the more straight-to-the-point thrash tune – the kind of tune which Framing Armageddon and the Crucible of Man perhaps lacked.
The lack of a grand concept for ‘Dystopia’ means that for some fans its release feels like slightly less of an event than past Iced Earth albums, with many seeing the sole purpose of this record being to introduce Stu to the fold. There is some truth to this, of course, but ‘Dystopia’ is much, much more than that. A strong album on first listen which confirms that Iced Earth still have strong career ahead of them and that Stu Block really is the vocalist that this band needed, with repeated listens ‘Dystopia’ reveals itself to in-fact be a great album, and quite possibly Iced Earth’s most comprehensive and – dare I say it – best album to date.
And let’s be honest – they couldn’t really have made anything else, could they?
[8.5]
Gavin Harris - 16/10/2011 21:00:56
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