The Glorious Burden

The Glorious Burden

Track Listings

1. Star Spangled Banner

2. Declaration Day

3. When the Eagle Cries

4. Reckoning (Don't Tread on Me)

5. Green Face

6. Valley Forge

7. Attila

8. Hollow Man

9. Red Baron/Blue Max

10. Devil to Pay

11. Hold at All Costs

12. High Water Mark: Cannonade/Intro/The Burden of Command/The Last Full Me

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
ICED EARTH have returned with a vengeance! With "The Glorious Burden," the legendary US heavy metal band have delivered one of the true heavy metal gems of 2004: an epic and conceptual tour-de-force that showcases the riff-mastery of Jon Schaffer and the vocal prowess of former Judas Priest singer Tim "Ripper" Owens. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description
2004 album from the U.S. progressive metal act. The first with new vocalist Tim Ownes (Judas Priest). Features 11 tracks including the first single 'The Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me)'. Steamhammer. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Star-Spangled Banner
Declaration Day
When the Eagle Cries
The Reckoning
Greenface
Attila
Red Baron/Blue Max
Hollow Man
Valley Forge
Waterloo
When the Eagle Cries (Unplugged)
The Devil To Pay
Hold At All Costs
High Water Mark

Customer Reviews:

Great, Historical Modern Day Metal.......2007-05-20

This was my introduction to Iced Earth. It may not be their best album, but it's still an extraordinary piece of work. As I'm sure you all know, this is Tim "Ripper" Owen's debut with the band. You're probably thinking that that's no good. Do not fret. Remember, this guy sang with Judas Priest. That ain't too shabby if you ask me. Now of course Iced Earth's best and most popular era was with Barlow. And rightfully so. He has the perfect voice for Iced Earth and did a superb job. But, Tim brings different things to the table. He can hit the high notes and the classic metal screech better than Barlow, although Barlow's was also excellent. "Ripper" doesn't have nearly as low or deep up a voice, which also changes things up quite a bit. All in all, Owens gives a more than average performance and is an exceptional replacement. This is unlike almost anything out there right now in the fact that this is very educational/ informal and all about history and war (mostly Civil War and a little World War I). Now I'm not a big guy on history, but if I had to choose, the Civil War and the World Wars would be my favorite topics. You don't have to like history one bit to enjoy this cd, although you may not get the full effect that a history buff might get out of it. Just listen to the amazing instruments and Owen's voice. They're enough to make your head spin.

Now, there are really no filler songs on here, with the exception of the introduction, the Star Spangled Banner, which is just simply exactly that. They don't mess with it or toy with it one bit, which kind of goes to show how Jon Schaffer feels towards history (Afterall, he did write a whole frickin' album about it). Easily, easily the best songs on here are the Gettysburg trilogy. First off, they're all epics and who wouldn't like that. You can really feel the emotion in Tim's voice on every song, but for me, most notably on Hold at all Costs, which has a beautiful acoustic intro that portrays Confederate General General Lewis Armistead speaking of his best friend, Union General Winfield Scott Hancock who he would soon be going against in battle. It then goes into a heavy, driving beat with Jon's galloping guitar lines. The last and best song on the album, High Water Mark, starts off with Tim Owens, portraying General Robert E. Lee, talking to Jon Schaffer, portraying General James Longstreet, voicing his concerns with the upcoming battle- Day 3 of the Gettysburg battle, the last, most important day of the Gettysburg fight. At about 8:50 on this song, Tim gives maybe his most emotional, greatest sounding vocals I've ever heard from him. They end the album off on an extraordinary high mark with this song.

Now, for the non-Gettysburg trilogy songs, a favorite of mine would be When The Eagle Cries, which is mostly acoustic and about the terrors of the 911 terrorist attacks. Also, Declaration Day and Red Baron/ Blue Max, which is easily the heaviest song on the album and amazing high-pitched vocals from "Ripper" on the chorus. Although Matt Barlow is not singing on this album, before he left the band, he co-wrote one song on the album, Attila, which is excellent. He also helped out with the bonus track, Waterloo, which is also awesome and should have definitely been included on the original album. There is also an unplugged version of When The Eagle Cries. This is an excellent little extra. Jon Schaffer's backing vocals on the chorus are much more clean and emotional for that matter. Jon Schaffer really shows his love for history on here, and that is very comendable and respectable of him to put out an album like this in this day and age when most people could care less about this type of stuff.

If you're wondering to get this two-disc album or the one-disc, I would go with the two-disc if you have enough money. It has two cool bonus tracks- Waterloo and When The Eagle Cries(Unplugged). The Gettysburg trilogy is also put on the second disc, which is nice. Included is a nice, fully detailed booklet, explaining the battle of Gettysburg fully and two pages of notes from Mr. Schaffer. He really did a huge part in keeping metal alive and kickin' when it was almost dead in the 90's. This is not your average album, so do yourself a favor and pick this one up. Jon Schaffer/ Iced Earth, I salute you!

great album but i do miss barlowe.......2007-04-08

this is one of iced earth's most ambitious efforts put on disk i feel, especially the 30+ minute gettysburg trilogy. however it somewhat falls just short of true greatness. i dont know what it is, but im pretty sure its ripper owens. now dont get me wrong, hes a very talented singer, but i feel barlowe was the ultimate voice of iced earth. lets put it this way. its just like when blaze bailey took over for bruce dickinson. yes blaze was a talented singer, but the absense of bruce's greatness was very obvious non the less. however i did get used to blaze after awhile (untill bruce's return) so ill probably be used to ripper also. other than that, this album still rocks, killer riffs, great atmospheric epics, and everything else you want in a power metal band. give this album a shot if you havent done so yet.

Nice shot Mr john!.......2007-02-22

That album has a lot of amazing thing in!!!

God blessed on Iced earth!

Not a Burden, Just Glorious!.......2006-12-27

WHAT AN AMAZING ALBUM! Jon Schaffer has outdone himself, for sure! I can't get over how emotional and amazing this CD was!

FIRST OFF, for those who hate this cause Barlow isn't in it. Who cares? Barlow was AWESOME, I will not take anything from him, and I agree he's better than Tim for this band. But he left on his own and pursued another career. He was backing vocals and even helped write one of the songs.

I own both 1 disc album and 2 disc version with the Gettysburg trilogy and both are awesome. But get the 2 disc version, it's worth the money. The "Waterloo" song is most excellent and the unplugged version of "When the Eagle Cries" is more emotional than the plugged. Making this CD just freaking awesome.

It's fighting "Something Wicked This Way Comes" for first on my list. It's very tough choices, but "Something Wicked" might win only because I enjoyed the songs a little more overall.

But this album has a lot of ups and very little downs. And the fact that Barlow isn't the lead vocals anymore should NOT turn you off to this band or this album.

Good stuff.......2006-11-09

Yeah people will probably not praise this album as much as all the other ones, but that's because you've been listening to Matt Barlow for the past 10 years or so. Matt will be missed, but he's off doing something great for his country. Iced Earth has always been able to offer up something new, and on this concept album, they offer us a new lead singer in Ripper Owens. What you have now is a singer who can stand out in front of the guitar work. Matt was a great vocalist, but I feel he was drowned out by Jon's shredding. Matt was a great compliment to that type of music, but I don't feel he ever really stood out. Blame Jon for that. Or can you?? Like with Demons & Wizards, the one thing that stands out the most to me is Hansi's vocals. The music is great and Hansi's harmony compliments it beautifully. What you get with Ripper is more or less the same as what you get on Demons & Wizards. Ripper's letting you know he's there as if he's competing with Jon for your attention...LOL

Average customer rating:

DAAMN!
Military History Metal Opera Wins the Day
Baseball, apple pie, and Iced Earth?
I added a star a month or so - but still 5 stars
Best Metal Album of the Year

The Glorious Burden
Iced Earth
Manufacturer: Hunter
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Horror Show
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Burnt Offerings
The Dark Saga
Night of the Stormrider

ASIN: B0000CAXVR
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Tracks:

Star Spangled Banner
Declaration Day
When The Eagle Cries
Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me), The
Greenface
Valley Forge
Attila
Hollow Man
Red Baron/Blue Max Gettysburg (1863)
Devil To Pay, The
Hold At All Costs
High Water Mark

Album Description

2004 album from the U.S. progressive metal act. The first with new vocalist Tim Ownes (Judas Priest). Features 11 tracks including the first single 'The Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me)'. Steamhammer.

Customer Reviews:

DAAMN!.......2007-04-12

This Glorious album is surely not a burden in my standards. Iced Earth came back from a 'tragedy' for they had to fire Matt Barlow. He (IMO) was the better of all the singers for Iced Earth for he had heart and passion in his singing. But the second best singer for Iced Earth has definetly got to be this guy here, Tim "Ripper" Owens. He previously sang for Judas Priest after they broke up with Rob Halford. Luckily for us, Tim is much better in Iced Earth than in Priest.

Now to the album. This album has got everything that makes Iced Earth, well...Iced Earth. They have a distinguished sound thats hard to explain unless listened to. This is a great album with thrashy riffs and melodic outburts. This is one of the few albums that have made me smile in a while . The other albums would probably be AMOLAD by Maiden and Hate Crew Deathroll by Chidlren of Bodom.

Now you may be asking 'why would this guy be saying that it is a great album if he only gave it 4 stars?' This is because well, some songs are a bit cliched at times and some songs just don't sound that good. And like some albums artists have made, some songs are just 'filler'.

But this shouldn't stop you from buying this album. I was hesitant to buy this album after hearing that Matt left, but it isn't really a downfall for the band. It's more like a new start.

So please get this album and i can almost guarantee that most of you guys out there will love this album.

Fav Tracks: Star Spangled Banner/Declaration day
When the Eagle Cries
Greenface
Atilla
The Devil to pay/Hold at all costs/High Water Mark

Highly Recomended

Military History Metal Opera Wins the Day.......2007-03-10

The Glorious Burden is a masterpiece! I'm not normally enamored with the concept of the "concept album" but this one, based around various (mostly American) wars and the history thereof, is a winner. It's a winner because the song writing is superb; the vocals--well, it's Tim "Ripper" Owens--and the musicianship, excellent. This album is so well put together, so intelligent, and dare I say...at times, so moving...that it absolutely deserves the five-star rating I'm giving it. And I don't give out that many. Well done, Iced Earth. Well done, Ripper. And by the way, I first heard this CD through a listening center at Tower Records...farewell, old friend. Farewell. -Buy the CD; crank it up; allow yourself to be inspired.

Baseball, apple pie, and Iced Earth?.......2006-10-16

I have to admit I was nervous when I heard former Judas Priest fill-in Tim "Ripper" Owens was taking over as lead vocalist for Iced Earth, since Matt Barlow's distinctive vocals were the reason I was an Iced Earth fan to begin with. To my surprise, he did a pretty good job (though it didn't hurt that Barlow provided some excellent backing vocals), and the Glorious Burden's shortcomings have nothing to do with his performance. What tends to drag the album down a bit is Jon Schaffer's over-the-top patriotism. His sentiments are admirable, but his flag-waving could end up alienating the large segment of the group's fan base that is not American. Songs like When the Eagle Cries (which basically sums up all of those patriotic bumper stickers that showed up post 9-11) and Valley Forge (where Schaffer explains how the soldiers who fought that historic battle would be disgusted at modern Americans) are almost too cheesy to be taken seriously. The Reckoning and Green Face suffer from this to a lesser extent, but are easier to forgive since they flat-out rock, and are full of those Schaffer riffs that define Iced Earth's sound. Other standout tracks on disc 1 include Hollow Man, Attila, and Waterloo, which is not a cover of the Abba song of the same name (though that might have been more interesting). Red Baron/Blue Max is decent, but never comes close to the original ode to fighter pilots - Iron Maiden's Aces High. The limited edition release of the Glorious Burden closes out disc 1 with the acoustic version of When the Eagle Cries, which was previously exclusive to the single release of the Reckoning.
Disc 2 contains the 3-part 30+ minute epic Gettysburg (1863). You can tell Jon Schaffer put his heart and soul into this one, and for the most part it really works. It has some great arrangements, powerful guitar work, and having an orchestra accompany the band is a nice touch. The lyrics get a little cheesy at times, and Owens' delivery is sometimes too melodramatic, but overall it is an impressive piece that helps to make up for some of the shortcomings on disc 1.

Overall, the Glorious Burden is a decent album. It has its flaws, but also has its share of high points. I don't think it's the career-defining epic that Schaffer intended it to be (that honor goes to the band's Something Wicked This Way Comes album), but it is a solid release that should appeal to most Iced Earth fans.

I added a star a month or so - but still 5 stars.......2006-06-12

This one really grew on me. I am in the habit of only publishing 5 star reviews. If it isn't 5 star quality, I don't want to waste other people's time with it. This album absolutely grew on me. At first it was a disappointment. But I was letting my political prejudices get in the way of my judgment of the album - incorrectly viewing it as a cash-in on all the fake flag-waving and magnetic ribbons on cars being foisted on us by an administration I believe is abusing and dishonoring our troops by abandoning them upon return (I say this as someone who has designed reintegration and vocational rehab programs for guard and reserve who have lost careers in this conflict). Anyone can stick a magnet on their car - now let's see them all DO something. But as I listened repeatedly with my prejudices removed I grew to love it. The album is a fantastic tribute to the many thousands of brave men and women who have defended our nation and even brought it into being - with a few other military themes thrown in (Atilla The Hun, for example). Having been to the Smithsonian and the national archives, I believe that The Star Spangled Banner, presented here with some of the same contrapuntal lines used in orchestral arrangements, is both respectful and inspiring, and the thunderous intro to Declaration Day which starts just beneath the last noted of the Anthem reflects the awesome foreboding of tyhe great nation which would arise from the actions of our forefathers, who coul only have dreamed of what kind of incredible future their sacrifices woul bring. And When The Eagle Cries is the ONLY song ever written about 9/11/2001 that is not morose, sickeningly politicized, or hamfisted - it does justice to its theme and reflects the experience as ALL Americans of ALL political persuasions felt on that horrible day. The Reckoning is an intelligent exploration of the end of vigilante justice in the west and the "taming" of the frontier that brought an end to a sick vigilante code and brought true American civilized justice to the west. I know many men who serve in Iraq today and who served in Vitnam, and "Greenface" is a terrifying tribute to those men who make the great sacrifice of becoming killers in the name of justice and freedom and ONLY in the name of justice and freedom. "Valley Forge" takes us back to the Revolutionary War again, making us realize the incredible hardship and sacrifice our bluecoated forefathers made for the principles they held sacred. "Atilla" evokes the awesome fierceness of the true warrior with its unique combination of choir and metal arrangement. "Hollow Man" is really the only filler here, and even it is quite listenable. "Red Baron/Blue Max" does one of the best jobs of evoking imagery - that of airborne combat and the hail of bulets in a dogfight - ever committed to a metal recording. And the incredible dichotomy and cognitive dissonance evoked by the idea of friends and brothers taking arms against one another is masterfully portrayed in the last three songs which comprise an epic about the civil war and Gettysburg, and Jon Schaffer's writing and Tim "Ripper" Owens' singing portray Gen. Robert E. Lee as a truly conflicted, tragic figure that lends a geat historic perspective to the events of the civil war. And musically this combines some of the heaviest metal ever laid down with some truly brilliant arrangements and inventions on the part of Iced Earth. If you truly love heavy metal, get this, and listen to it until you understand it - it is worth the investment of time and thought it takes to truly understand this brilliant piece of work. Oh yes - I also hope that Tim Owens will remain with the band. They were great with Matt Barlow, but Ripper's unique style which still manages to incorporate influences of Rob Halford (of course!), Bruce Dickinson and John Bush makes Iced Earth possibly the most formidable metal act around.

Best Metal Album of the Year.......2006-04-03

After seeing Iced Earth on the Horror Show tour, I proclaimed them as the band carrying the torch for Heavy Metal. Fast forward a few years, I felt a little dissapointed as I was watching practically a whole new band playing on the Glorious Burden tour. Matt Barlow's presence was sorely missed, and the rest of the band just seemed kind of hidden in the background.The show definately felt more like a project, rather than a band. Despite the Glorious Burden being the theme, some of the material did not pull off well live. But,that is subjective, depending if you want the show to reflect the main theme of the album, or want more of a straightforward rock show. Anyways, that coupled with Jon's "seemingly" dislike for Horror Show,(I hate when bands take themselves too seriously) for a long time, I was really scared to buy The Glorious Burden. Big mistake. Ripper Owens is just as good, and possibly better than Barlow. There are some great songs ,my favorite being Valley Forge. This is also one of the best packaged cds ever with loads of artwork, so don't download this album.Lots of great themes and harmonies.Unfortunately, when this album first came out, it was an album of American pride,history, and patriotism soreley needed after the 9/11 attacks. Since then, America has become this century's first imperialist power, teeters on fascism, and is hated worldwide for our warmongering and torture camps, so this album definately can hit a sour note with phrases like "Stay the Course", "Freedom Is not for Free" ect. especially with our friends and fellow metal heads overseas.
Despite that, this is a solid metal album that deserves to be in any metal fans' collection, anywhere in the world.

Average customer rating:

Baseball, apple pie, and Iced Earth?
THE GLORIOUS BURDEN and a day in Court
Iced Earth's best album to date

The Glorious Burden
Iced Earth
Manufacturer: Crown Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000DJW4K
Release Date: 2003-12-01

Tracks:

Star Spangled Banner
Declaration Day
When the Eagle Cries
Reckoning (Don't Tread on Me)
Greenface
Attila
Red Baron/Blue Max
Hollow Man
Valley Forge
Waterloo
When the Eagle Cries [Unplugged Version][*]

Tracks:

Devil to Pay
Hold at All Costs
High Water Mark

Album Description

Japanese edition of the progressive metal act's 2004 album features 13 tracks including 2 bonus tracks, 'Green Face' & 'When The Eagle Cries' (Unplugged). Crown.

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring Two Bonus Tracks: "Greenface", and "When the Eagle Cries (Unplugged)".

Customer Reviews:

Baseball, apple pie, and Iced Earth?.......2006-10-16

THE GLORIOUS BURDEN and a day in Court.......2005-08-07

Bailiff; All rise, here yee here yee, court is now in session, the honorable Judge Filborn T, Filibuster presiding

Judge; Thank you Bailiff, you may proceed.

Bailiff; Citation # B.S.-007-H.S., Maricopa County versus Mr. D, aka Old Man Metal, Donnie DBs and Li'l Bubba. The charges are as follows: The defendant knowingly and willfully violated the jurisdictions noise ordinance, disturbing the peace, creating a disturbance and hurling aspersive comments at the officers of the court.

Judge; And how does the defendant plead?

Mr. D; Your honor, I am not guilty because I was not aware of the laws of which I may have broken and therefore I cannot be held accountable for these alleged offenses.

Judge; Mr. D, If my memory serves me correctly, you are serving sixty days probation for similar charges, right?

Mr. D; Well yes, but that was a different album and by the way you have the Donnie DBs alias wrong. It's Donnie Debonair. It's your stupid deputies who started calling me Donnie DBs.

Judge; Well Mr. D, I wonder why? Could it be that you have been clocked on numerous occasions at over 100 decibels and whats more the law, as it is, is applied equally to all albums, so what do you have to say for yourself?

Mr. D; You're right Judge. I change my plea to temporary insanity. This new album I bought, The Glorious Burden is so hot and it sounds so good that I had to keep turning it up because, as you know, I think the best music sounds better very loud and I just lost my head. If you happened to like Heavy Progressive Metal and you heard this album and knew how g-o-o-o-o-o-d it is, then you'd understand why it needs to be played loud.

Judge; As a matter of fact I do like some Progressive Metal music. Don't know about the heavy part.

Mr. D; You do? I would have guessed you were a Montovani type.

Judge; What about you? You're no spring chicken. I would have thought you liked Elvis Presley or Dean Martin.

Mr. D; They're fine. Actually, I've always been into Rock which progressed into Heavy and Progressive Metal.

Judge; That's all pretty much what you said about the last incident. What was that spectacular album?

Mr. D; Oh, that was Ayreon - The Human Equation and it is spectacular but this is different. The Glorious Burden is by an American band, Iced Earth, and it's a tribute to warriors throughout history but mostly American history. So you see, I was really being very patriotic, I'm a very patriotic person.

Judge; Oh, I'm impressed. Next Fourth of July you can climb to the top of Elephant Butte and play it as loud as you want. Now tell me about this fabulous historical album. (chuckle)

Mr. D; Don't laugh Judge this is a profound piece of work. Look at this packaging, isn't it Glorious in it's slip case and double CD digipack and look at this booklet. Isn't it something?

Judge; Very nice but you didn't go over a hundred DBs because of the CD case.

Mr. D; No Judge, you're right. As you can see there are two discs, disc 1 has songs about everything from Attila the Hun to Waterloo, The Declaration of Independence and American Revolution through the World Wars to 9-11. It is remarkable but it's disc 2 that gets my blood circulating, an amazing thirty two minute composition about Gettysburg.

Judge; Now you've got my attention. I've always been a student of the Civil War ever since I found out my great great grandfather, Heatcoate Killjoy, was involved. He was a newly landed immigrant who was paid three hundred dollars to take the place of some well heeled patrician, or else.

Mr. D; That's terrible, did he make it ok?

Judge; I hope so, I'm here aren't I. So tell me about the epic Gettysburg song.

Mr. D; It's really three songs. The first is called "The Devil To Pay". It and all the songs were written by Bandleader/Guitarist Jon Schaffer. It starts out playing the Star Spangled Banner, seguing into marching drums and the singer, Tim Owens, then entire band and a bevy of guest musicians join in at a medium tempo for a full bombastic sound. This song covers the opening battle of Gettysburg. At the six minute mark we bridge into a version of When Johnny Come Marching Home. There is a full orchestra through this portion of the song. At about ten minutes our original melody and medium tempo rock music resumes then ending in drums.

Next is "Hold at all Costs" which has some of the most interesting and unique percussion I've ever heard and it is certainly the highlight of this song which deals with, among other things that opposing generals, Generals Lewis A. Armistead and Winfield Scott Hancock, were fast lifelong friends before the war.

Next is the magnum opus, the tour de force, the crowning achievement, "High Water Mark". As with the previous song, drums play an important part starting with heavy double bass drums and equally heavy guitar leading into a symphonic/operatic sounding masterpiece depicting the final disastrous battle of Gettysburg. "High Water Mark" has varying tempos and intensities and everything comes together perfectly - the finis coronat opus. This is the song that was on when I was clocked at (gulp) 124 DBs

Judge; Let me hear that.

Mr. D; Are you sure, it's thirteen minutes long?

Judge; Yes, Yes, You've got me curious now.

Observer; Mr. D hands his discman too Judge Filabuster, who begins to tap his feet, then bounce up and down, then move his head back and forth slightly, ultimately bobbing and banging his head violently for ten minutes. Finally he takes the headphones off, catching his breath, scrutinizes Mr. D and says "Your right, it does require a rather loud volume.........but that's no excuse, Two hundred dollars or five days in jail."

Epilogue

I'll bet you thought I was going to get off scott free, didn't you? Well I almost did. Judge Filibuster took my copy of The Glorious Burden in lieu of the fine and told me that if I ever came across any more albums that required extra loud volume for ultimate listening pleasure, he wanted to test them out personally.

Iced Earth's best album to date.......2004-06-27

The Glorious Burden (2004.) Iced Earth's seventh album.

Following the released of Iced Earth's 2001 album, Horrow Show, vocalist Matt Barlow had left the band. He had been with the band for four of the six albums they had been released to the point, and surely, many fans of the band must have felt that Barlow could never be replaced. Fortunately, the band managed to find a new vocalist. Tim "Ripper" Owens, formerly Halford's replacement in Judas Priest, was no longer needed in that band due to Halford's return. Accordingly, he became the new singer for Iced Earth. Owens' albums with Priest were NOT good. Would he fare better with Iced Earth? Read on for my review.

When I first listened to this album, I was in shock. The GOOD kind of shock. Owens was a terrible vocalist in Judas Priest, and pretty much everyone considered Matt Barlow to be one of the finest vocalists in heavy metal. Why was I in shock? Owens, the man who ruined Judas Priest in the late nineties, has taken Iced Earth to new heights. As hard as it was for me to believe, Owens had become, in fact, a better vocalist than Barlow! While Barlow tried taking Iced Earth in a more death metal-style direction in the late nineties, other singers for the band preferred a semi-melodic power metal sound similar to Iron Maiden, Dio, and Judas Priest. Owens tries the same thing, and succeeds beautifully in every way. As any fan of Iced Earth knows, band leader/rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer is a history buff. He had done history-based songs before, but this album consists of nothing but those types of songs. Topics of the songs cover a variety of historical topics. Closing out the album is the three-part epic, the Gettysburg trilogy. This is an amazing, three-part epic you must hear to appreciate. The band demonstrated its ability to do multitrack epics well a number of times in the past, and they demonstrate it once again in this album. When you combine the tried and true instrumental stylings of Iced Earth with Owens' newfound vocal greatness, and you get what I consider to be Iced Earth's finest work to date. On several of the songs, Owens' vocals sound remarkably close to, say, Bruce Dickinson, Ronnie James Dio, and even Rob Halford. Although this shift in Iced Earth's sound is sure to disappoint more than a few of their fans, I think it has taken the band to new heights. Yes, I know people will beg to differ, but I feel that this is the band's finest work to day, and hopefully, it's a premonition of things to come.

In addition to the regular version of this album that is readily available in America, there is a special edition version. The special edition contains two tracks that aren't on the standard version - Waterloo and an unplugged version of When The Eagle Cries. Oddly enough, it features the Gettysburg trilogy on a separate disc, even though it would easily have fit on the same disc as the other material. If you're a big Iced Earth fan, shell out the extra cash and get the special edition for the two extra tracks.

What more can I say? This is Iced Earth's finest work to date (in my eyes anyway.) It's amazing how a man I once so heavily resented has shot an already great band to new heights! If you're a fan of Iced Earth, or just a fan of classic power metal in general, The Glorious Burden is more than worthy of a place in your musical collection. This, my friends, is a heavy metal masterpiece.

Average customer rating:
Glorious Burden

Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Vision
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000A2PDDM
Release Date: 2004-01-01

[Limited Edition CD & DVD] Ascendancy {DVD includes videos: Like Light to the Flies, Pull Harder on the Strings of the Martyr, Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, Rain, Dying in Your Arms, LIVE AT THE LONDON ASTORIA 9/18/05 - Rain, Dying in Your Arms, Like Light to the Flies, Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, Pull Harder on the Strings of the Martyr
Average customer rating:
[Limited Edition CD & DVD] Ascendancy {DVD includes videos: Like Light to the Flies, Pull Harder on the Strings of the Martyr, Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, Rain, Dying in Your Arms, LIVE AT THE LONDON ASTORIA 9/18/05 - Rain, Dying in Your Arms, Like Light to the Flies, Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, Pull Harder on the Strings of the Martyr
Trivium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000JNS6W2

Product Description

Disc: 1 1. End of Everything 2. Rain 3. Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr 4. Drowned and Torn Asunder 5. Ascendancy 6. Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation 7. Like Light to the Flies 8. Dying in Your Arms 9. Deceived 10. Suffocating Sight 11. Departure 12. Declaration 13. Blinding Tears Will Break the Skies [*] 14. Washing Away Me in the Tides [*] 15. Master of Puppets [*] 16. Dying in Your Arms [Video Mix][*] Disc: 2 1. Like Light to the Flies [DVD] [Multimedia Track] 2. Pull Harder on the Strings of the Martyr [DVD] [Multimedia Track] 3. Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation [DVD] [Multimedia Track] 4. Rain [DVD] [Multimedia Track] 5. Dying in Your Arms [DVD] [Multimedia Track] 6. Rain [DVD] [Live] 7. Dying in Your Arms [DVD] [Live] 8. Like Light to the Flies [DVD] [Live] 9. Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation [DVD] [Live] 10. Pull Harder on the Strings of the Martyr [DVD] [Live]

Average customer rating:

Baseball, apple pie, and Iced Earth?
The Glorious Burden and a day in Court

The Glorious Burden
Iced Earth
Manufacturer: Hunter
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000CAXVX
Release Date: 2004-01-20

Tracks:

The Star-Spangled Banner
Declaration Day
When The Eagle Cries
The Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me)
Greenface
Attila
Red Baron/Blue Max
Hollow Man
Valley Forge
Waterloo
When The Eagle Cries (Unplugged)

Tracks:

The Devil To Pay
Hold At All Costs
High Water Mark

Album Description

Limited European edition of the U.S. progressive metal act's 2004 album features 14 tracks including a bonus track, 'When The Eagle Cries' (Unplugged), along with a bonus disc with three tracks, 'The Devil To Pay', 'Hold At All Costs', & 'High Water Mark'

Customer Reviews:

Baseball, apple pie, and Iced Earth?.......2006-10-16

The Glorious Burden and a day in Court.......2004-09-09