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The Horror Show is upon us!

  • By Squirrel

  • I recently picked up the new Iced Earth album titled "Horror Show". I must say, it is a pleasant surprise. Intense from the start, and it never lets up. Even the ballad is intense. Gotta love that! Iced Earth is a power metal band that originated it Indiana, migrated to Florida, and them back to Indiana. Many line up changes, and many killer albums. None of them suck. Really.

  • Lets look at the songs from the Horror Show shall we gentle reader?

1. Wolf 5:19... Intense, and what a starter! Lots of double bass work, and the patented guitar work you would expect from Iced Earth. Based upon the Wolfman movie from Universal. Very solid. One of my favorites.

2. Damien 9:11... A long epic, and also as intense as the Wolf. Eerie spooky church-like chorus, and a killer spoken word part. Based upon the movie The Omen. Very moody, and emotional. Crushing grooves in this one churn as you are taken on a trip through the eyes of Damien.

3. Jack 4:14... Churning from the start, never letting up in intensity, Jack crushes. Based upon the Jack the Ripper movies, and legends. Written from a different perspective than the usual, a nice refreshing twist. The double bass shreds in this one too, and even the groove drumming is a grinding affair, that leaves you wanting to mosh it up!

4.Ghost of Freedom 5:11... A nice sincere power ballad, touching upon the patriotism of our land. Very nice, and emotional. I welcome addition to the album, although not in the Horror Show vein.

5. Im-Ho-Tep (Pharaoh's Curse) 4:45... Killer all the way! Opens with a very Egyptian feel and flavor. Based upon the movie The Mummy. Crunch of the guitar, and the ominous vocals set the mood for this grinder. Clean solid drumming throughout the song. A classic Iced Earth tune!

6. Jekyll and Hide 4:39... Starts out with a lovely foreboding clean guitar with mood. Then picks up into an emotion filled groove. The chuck we love from Iced Earth is in here. Based upon the story of Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hide. The chorus has a kicking double bass drum jog.... and a clear crisp ride that just rules. Shifts gears in the middle... very nice and solid tune! One of the best on the CD.

7. Dragon's Child 4:21... Gloomy track that starts off mosh pit slow, and stays mosh pit slow. This tune was based upon the Creature From The Black Lagoon, but that is where it ends. Over all a nice chunker.

8. Frankenstein 3:50... The shortest track on the CD. Based upon... you guessed it Frankenstein. Nice solid tune, chunks throughout the entire piece. Hard rocker that is not a filler track. Some nice drum work in this one.

9. Dracula 5:53... Starts out slow and peaceful. Just like the story of Dracula I think. Moody and dark with a air of beauty. Kicks in to a slamming groove that moves. You will not be disappointed with this one. Again we have a solid IE tune that is not a filler song to make the recording label happy. I love this song.... and you will too.

10. The Phantom Opera Ghost 8:41... The Opus of the CD. And as all opus' go this one is killer. I have never once heard a long player from IE that sucked. And this time I have not heard it, goes to show you how solid these guys are. After the soft opening, kicks into over drive for a bit and settles into a moving groove that carries you along. Gloomy moody vocals from a guest musician lends the atmosphere to this one. Grinding chords churn out non stop in this song based upon The Phantom of the Opera. Kick ass!

 

There is a double pack out with a second disc, which contains the cover version of Transylvania, originally from the band Iron Maiden. This song is a must if you are going to have a horror show! The very name itself invokes dark and gloomy images in the mind. There is also an interview with Jon Schaffer which lasts about an hour. I must admit both tracks are rocking on this one. The interview will share alot with the IE fan, and will bring a better understanding of the band to both new comer, and long time fanatics of the band.

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