Matt Barlow rejoins Iced Earth!

This is like... the best Christmas present ever. I liked Tim, he was decent, I caught IE just a month ago with H&H and had a great night. However, whenever I think of IE, I always think of Matt, one of my all time favourite vocalists. This just kicks ass.

Also, someone pointed out an interesting topic on the Tim website's message board;

Quote :

Many fans have already commented about how awkward it will be to have
two different singers on the respective Something Wicked albums, and I
agree that in a perfect world they would have either recorded both
albums before parting ways with Tim, or brought Matt back into the fold
prior to FA. That said, I switched gears a bit and started thinking
purely as an Iced Earth fanboy, and decided that in terms of
storytelling, splitting the singing duties is actually a pretty cool
idea.

If you'll indulge me: with the exception of "Motivation of Man," FA
is told entirely from the perspective of the Setians. From what we know
of SWII, much--if not all--of that album will be told from Set
Abominae's point of view. If that's the case, then having two different
singers could help to emphasize the narrative shift.

It could make sense. Either that or Jon will probably rerecord the first album and release some kind of ultimate Something Wicked 2CD set. My poor wallet.

Don't cops have vacations? Don't you think he can get a week or 2 off to go touring every summer? I don't see the problem.

kmorg wrote:

Don't cops have vacations? Don't you think he can get a week or 2 off to go touring every summer? I don't see the problem.

Here is a list of some of their 2007 dates:

Europe - October 2007 (with Annihilator and Turisas)

08 : Köln, Germany - Live Music Hall
09 : München, Germany - Backstage Werk
10 : Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
12 : Barcelona, Spain - Sala Razzmatazz 1
13 : Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
15 : Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
16 : Graz, Austria - Orpheum
17 : Wien, Austria - Planet Music
18 : Brno, Czech Republic - Fleda
19 : Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
21 : Malmö, Sweden - Kulturbolaget
22 : Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller Music Hall
23 : Gothenburg, Sweden - Tradgarn
25 : Stockholm, Sweden - Tirol
26 : Kopenhagen, Denmark - Pumpenhuset
28 : Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
30 : Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn

Europe - November 2007

01 : Tilburg, Netherlands - Club 013
02 : Antwerpen, Belgium - Hof Ter Lo

UK - November 2007
Supporting Heaven & Hell

04 : Newcastle Metro Arena, UK
06 : Glasgow SECC Hall 4, Scotland
07 : Sheffield Hallam FM Arena, UK
09 : Manchester Evening News Arena, UK
10 : London Wembley Arena, UK
11 : Brighton Centre, UK
13 : Birmingham NEC, UK
14 : Cardiff International Arena, UK
15 : Nottingham Arena, UK
17 : Plymouth Pavilions, UK
18 : Bournemouth BIC, UK




That sounds like more than two weeks to me and that is only the European dates. It does not include the North American dates, South American dates, Australia, or Asia. Basically, tours last more than two weeks.

On Wikipedia it said they are expected to tour for #2 and release a DVD for the tour.

romeolimagolf wrote:

kmorg wrote:

Don't cops have vacations? Don't you think he can get a week or 2 off to go touring every summer? I don't see the problem.

Here is a list of some of their 2007 dates:

Europe - October 2007 (with Annihilator and Turisas)

08 : Köln, Germany - Live Music Hall
09 : München, Germany - Backstage Werk
10 : Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
12 : Barcelona, Spain - Sala Razzmatazz 1
13 : Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
15 : Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
16 : Graz, Austria - Orpheum
17 : Wien, Austria - Planet Music
18 : Brno, Czech Republic - Fleda
19 : Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
21 : Malmö, Sweden - Kulturbolaget
22 : Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller Music Hall
23 : Gothenburg, Sweden - Tradgarn
25 : Stockholm, Sweden - Tirol
26 : Kopenhagen, Denmark - Pumpenhuset
28 : Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
30 : Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn

Europe - November 2007

01 : Tilburg, Netherlands - Club 013
02 : Antwerpen, Belgium - Hof Ter Lo

UK - November 2007
Supporting Heaven & Hell

04 : Newcastle Metro Arena, UK
06 : Glasgow SECC Hall 4, Scotland
07 : Sheffield Hallam FM Arena, UK
09 : Manchester Evening News Arena, UK
10 : London Wembley Arena, UK
11 : Brighton Centre, UK
13 : Birmingham NEC, UK
14 : Cardiff International Arena, UK
15 : Nottingham Arena, UK
17 : Plymouth Pavilions, UK
18 : Bournemouth BIC, UK




That sounds like more than two weeks to me and that is only the European dates. It does not include the North American dates, South American dates, Australia, or Asia. Basically, tours last more than two weeks.

i saw them on 15th november in support to black sabbath and were awesome with ripper

well i hope ripper has good fortune now he is out on the streets again as it where. i really liked his work with iced earth and as i am not familair with the works of barlow i am sure i will find out soon with wicked part 2

TheGooch wrote:

well i hope ripper has good fortune now he is out on the streets again as it where. i really liked his work with iced earth and as i am not familair with the works of barlow i am sure i will find out soon with wicked part 2

If you want a crash course in Barlow, pick up I.E.'s THE BLESSED AND THE DAMNED best-of.

i thought i might pick up something wicked this way comes eventually. according to metal hammer a cd collection with it missing is "not nearly metal enough"

Yea, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES would be a good starting point as well. I suggested BLESSED AND THE DAMNED cuz it's a nice shortcut through their entire history too.

well i might get it next year as i am banned from buying cds due to christmas even though i know what cds i am getting for christmas already

HOLY CRAP, MATT BARLOW IS BACK?!?!

What cds are you getting?

Smindas wrote:

This is like... the best Christmas present ever. I liked Tim, he was decent, I caught IE just a month ago with H&H and had a great night. However, whenever I think of IE, I always think of Matt, one of my all time favourite vocalists. This just kicks ass.

Also, someone pointed out an interesting topic on the Tim website's message board;

Quote :

Many fans have already commented about how awkward it will be to have
two different singers on the respective Something Wicked albums, and I
agree that in a perfect world they would have either recorded both
albums before parting ways with Tim, or brought Matt back into the fold
prior to FA. That said, I switched gears a bit and started thinking
purely as an Iced Earth fanboy, and decided that in terms of
storytelling, splitting the singing duties is actually a pretty cool
idea.

If you'll indulge me: with the exception of "Motivation of Man," FA
is told entirely from the perspective of the Setians. From what we know
of SWII, much--if not all--of that album will be told from Set
Abominae's point of view. If that's the case, then having two different
singers could help to emphasize the narrative shift.

It could make sense. Either that or Jon will probably rerecord the first album and release some kind of ultimate Something Wicked 2CD set. My poor wallet.

Huh...that is an interesting thought, actually.

And yeah, unless Jon has completely shifted gears, Matt could never be a full member of IE and be a cop. No way. Even if IE stopped touring so much, I can't even see how Matt could do both IE and Pyramaze unless both bands did one short tour a year...together.

What Eyesore said. Matt has really got to be dedicating himself to IE otherwise, knowing Jon, some firing will happen.

Also, I don't get why everyone thinks Something Wicked is the go to Barlow album. Yes, it's decent. But I'd much rather crank some Burnt Offerings or Horror Show. As good as Something Wicked is, it's incredibly stop / start.

ICED EARTH Mainman Further Explains Matt Barlow's Return

Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 18:04:10 EST

In a statement issued through SPV, ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer shines a little more light on the return of singer Matt Barlow:

It will be sometime before I’m going to be doing press due to the holidays and the fact that I’m still deep in the final writing process of Part 2. I’m aware that the news of Matt coming back into to the band has taken many people by surprise so I’ll try to explain the situation a little better.

I do love Tim’s ("Ripper" Owens - ex-JUDAS PRIEST) voice and it is the kind of voice I hear when I write, and he’s a really cool person. And I do not want an unnecessary war of words started because certain journalists like to create controversy to sell their magazines. I love Tim as a person, a friend and a musican, and I do not have negative feelings towards him at all. We would all appreciate it if the trash pedlars would respect the situation and keep their venomous speculations to themselves. An unlikely request I’m sure, but it would be nice.

On the other side, Matt and I are brothers and there was a very deep and spiritual connection that came through in the music that we created and performed together over the years. Iced Earth has always been about passion and honesty in the music, I’m talking about real, raw emotion. That’s what has always made the relationship between the band and the fans a very special thing and it is the thing that made the chemistry that Matt and I had together so special. When we split before, our relationship had suffered from various things, but mostly it came down to not communicating like we should have, which led to things being blown out of proportion. All of that is behind us and we have grown and matured and will have an even more fulfilling relationship because of what we’ve experienced and learned from the past.

Iced Earth activities will be more limited now because Matt will still be carrying on his career as a law enforcement officer. I would rather we do it this way and have the shows that happen be very special events than to carry on and feel like what’s happening isn’t genuine. This is NOT a cut on Tim. It’s just that Iced Earth really began to blossom after Matt joined the band and for years we worked our asses off together, on stage and off. Those years of work and commitment defined what Iced Earth truly is, and frankly I would rather end it than to carry on without Matt involved. All of this has been coming to a head for a while, and the talks with the fans in Europe helped cement what I already knew needed to happen.

I wish only the best for Tim, this is not a standard bullshit statement, it’s the truth. A guy with so much talent and personality only deserves the best in life and that’s what I wish for him completely."

WTF? Something is missing here. There's something not being said.

Yeah, I was just about to copy-pasta that from Blabbermouth. So IE tours will be a bit restricted, it seems. I think Tim may have left of his own volition here, and simultaneously, Shaffer started getting back in to contact with his brother-in-law, Mr Barlow (Matt married Jon's sister, I believe). Here's to hoping they headline in the UK!

Can you be a part time cop?

Eyesore wrote:

Can you be a part time cop?

Actually, yes you can. Some cities have reserve ploice officers. Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most famous ones.

Problem solved!

This part of Schaffer's statement continues to bug me:

Quote :

I do love Tim’s ("Ripper" Owens - ex-JUDAS PRIEST) voice and it is the kind of voice I hear when I write, and he’s a really cool person. And I do not want an unnecessary war of words started because certain journalists like to create controversy to sell their magazines. I love Tim as a person, a friend and a musican, and I do not have negative feelings towards him at all.

So if he loves Tim so much and it's "the kind of voice he hears when he writes," why bring back Barlow?

I'm betting that the above should have read: "The European fan base which is my bread and butter hated the new album and they never accepted Owens as the vocalist, so the record label told me if I didn't get Barlow back in the band ASAP I was gonna be out on my a$$."

romeolimagolf wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

Can you be a part time cop?

Actually, yes you can. Some cities have reserve ploice officers. Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most famous ones.

Supposedly Elvis was a "reserve" drug enforcement officer back in the 70s too, and rode along on a couple of raids. No kidding.

Of course, he was probably full of pills at the time and was just hoping to pick up some free stuff when nobody was looking.

Fat Freddy wrote:

romeolimagolf wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

Can you be a part time cop?

Actually, yes you can. Some cities have reserve ploice officers. Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most famous ones.

Supposedly Elvis was a "reserve" drug enforcement officer back in the 70s too, and rode along on a couple of raids. No kidding.

Of course, he was probably full of pills at the time and was just hoping to pick up some free stuff when nobody was looking.

Also, Ted Nugent was a reserve cop in Michigan, I believe.

More confusion for the fire. It burns well.

Quote :

"Yes, this all was just horrible timing, and I don't think it was handled in the best way, coming two weeks before Christmas! But it is the best for me and ICED EARTH.

"I really need to move on and do other things. I really want to get BEYOND FEAR out there and I'm working on some other projects as well.

"Things happen for a reason, and yes, the winds of change are upon us and that is what I needed!

"The one thing I ask is to just leave it all alone.

"I would like from this moment on to leave ICED EARTH in the past and move forward, so I will no longer discuss IE!

"Like I said, I wish Jon and his family and the guys in IE the best of luck and a merry Christmas... Now let's move on and talk about the future!

"Thank you and keep it heavy."

What's he saying here? Is he just saying that in general it was bad timing, but necessary? Is he saying it was his decision to leave ("...that is what I needed.")? Or is he saying he got kicked out two weeks before Christmas, which was lame, and so now he's never going to discuss IE again (fat chance)?

I wish these turds would simply tell it like it is or just shut the hell up and don't say anything.

And apparently this was posted on Blabbermouth a short while ago, but has since been removed:

Quote :

Singer Tim "Ripper" Owens spoke exclusively to D.X. Ferris of the Cleveland Scene about his surprising departure from ICED EARTH three months after the release of the group's latest album, "Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part I".

ICED EARTH mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer issued a statement last week (Statement#1, Statement#2) announcing that the group was parting ways with Owens and was once again working with Tim's predecessor, Matt Barlow, who originally left ICED EARTH in 2003.

Speaking to the Cleveland Scene, Owens stated about his split with ICED EARTH, "I was told 30 seconds before the news hit Blabbermouth that I was let go — two weeks before Christmas. I don't think it was handled right. It's a shame it ended like that. With JUDAS PRIEST, at least the way it was handled, I'm still good friends with the band. The good thing is, I don't have to discuss ICED EARTH anymore. I can move on. I wish them luck. We're ready to go to the future."

Tim's new top priority is BEYOND FEAR, an Ohio-based based power-speed hybrid. That band's 2006 self-titled debut received some of the best reviews of Owens' storied career. The frontman says a second record is nearly written, and local fans can expect some live shows soon.

Owens is still being managed by Wendy Dio, wife of metal legend Ronnie James Dio. BEYOND FEAR remains attached to international metalworks SPV Records. The singer may move forward with a new WINTERS BANE album and tour, if the project generates label interest; BANE bassist Dennis Hayes was dismissed from ICED EARTH along with Owens.

"I've already had a lot of offers," said Owens, who is now regarded as one of metal's top voices. "It's nice to get the support."

I wonder why it was removed? I wonder if this statement is true or false?

I saw the second statement on Blabber last night. I get the impression that Tim was fired suddenly and arguably out of the blue, but he knows it was the right decision. Jon tends to be rather business like with Iced Earth members.