The Horror Show is upon us!
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By Squirrel
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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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