Iced Earth - Dystopia

\r\nThis is a brand new era for Iced\r\nEarth; Stu Block behind the mic on one hand, a new album, which is more\r\ninteresting than the recent albums of theirs altogether on the other.\r\n

\r\nBarlow’s voice is definitely unique,\r\nso Stu Block obviously had a tough work to do by replacing him, yet he\r\ndid just fine, actually even better than Jon Schaffer might have\r\nexpected when he decided that he would join the band as the new singer.\r\nHis singing is extremely passionate and the feeling is very close to\r\nBarlow’s performance.\r\n

\r\nSongs like “Anthem", "End of\r\nInnocence", ‘’Dystopia”, "Anguish of Youth", "Tragedy and Triumph"\r\nredefine in a sense Iced Earth’s “location” in the Heavy Metal map.\r\nThese songs are somehow a bridge that connects the present with the\r\nbrilliant past of the band. The choruses are pompous and full of\r\nmelody, creating a sing along mood, while the – band’s trademark- Iced\r\nEarth type of guitars build a very imposing environment that shall\r\ndefinitely pull you like a magnet.\r\n

\r\n“Dystopia” has some very nice, strong\r\nsongs, but there are also some songs, which are just a mediocre and do\r\nnot equal the album’s level. This album gives some fresh air to the\r\nband, comparing the past to the present and taking under consideration\r\nthe albums that I.E. have released during the last years. Things seem\r\nto be more positive for them, indeed, yet they are still far from the\r\ngolden times, when every second of an I.E. album would captivate you,\r\nfrom the very beginning until the last note. \r\n

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\r\nNicoleta Sarantou\r\n

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