These days a new Iced Earth album stirs mixed feelings in me. On the one hand, they have produced some of the best music to have ever graced my ears, but on the other hand their last couple of albums were rather disappointing, especially when viewed in light of the rest of their discography. It seemed like Jon Schaffer had lost his passion and fire for making music. He was merely going through the motions. His heart just wasn’t into it anymore.But then in 2010 came Sons of Liberty—Schaffer’s politically themed side project. Suddenly it seemed like he had rediscovered the fire that made albums like Burnt Offerings, The Dark Saga, and The Glorious Burden so transcendently great. The riffs were fiery, the vocals were powerful, the songs were both memorable and creative. But most important of all, Schaffer had a message he was passionate about delivering, rather than some abstract pseudo sci-fi story about an alien antichrist.
I hoped and predicted that rediscovered passion would carry over to the new Iced Earth release. There was one other positive omen prior to Dystopia’s release as well, and that being the band’s track record when introducing a new vocalist. John Greely’s first (and only) album Night of the Stormrider, Matt Barlow’s debut on Burnt Offerings, and Tim Owens’ arrival with The Glorious Burden have each marked the three best efforts by the band to date. Something about having a new toy to play with just seems to get Schaffer’s creative juices flowing. So with the announcement that Barlow was leaving the band again and would be replaced by Stu Block from extreme prog metallers Into Eternity, my hopes were quite high for the new release. And Schaffer et al do not disappoint.
Since we’re on the subject of vocalists, let’s first talk about Block’s effort in that area. I’d be understating things to say his voice is monstrous on this album. If you’ve heard Barlow’s powerful baritone or Owens’ ridiculous four-octave range then you know that when I say Block is the most talented vocalist ever to sing for the band, it means a lot. A hell of a lot. And he is. His range is equal to (if not better than) Owens’, and he manages the gruff baritone with equal gusto and forcefulness of Barlow. Having been a fan of his work with Into Eternity before, I literally did not believe that it was him doing most of the vocals here. I thought that Schaffer was finally stepping up and taking on the majority of the vocals responsibilities again like he did during stretches on Night of the Stormrider. But no—live videos confirm that those sounds do, in fact, come from Block. Incredible, to say the least.
As for the songs themselves, they are generally very high in quality. There’s a definite NWOBHM vibe on this album, often hearkening back to segments from Night of the Stormrider. There are numerous examples of dual-guitar leads that are very Iron Maiden-esque, such as the extended instrumental sections on “Dark City” and “Equilibrium.” And substitute Block’s vocals for those of Bruce Dickinson on album closer “Tragedy and Triumph” and it could easily have been a track on Powerslave. But the old-school thrash aggression also remains, especially on “Boiling Point” and “Days of Rage.” The complaint I have is that those two songs are far too short (“Days of Rage” clocks in a barely over 2 minutes) and straightforward to be very interesting. The highlights here are mostly the mid-tempo tracks. Though Schaffer is but a shadow of his former self when it comes to writing interesting riffs—often just resorting to generic galloping triplets rather than trying to write anything creative—“Dark City” does contain some of the well-written lightning-wristed rhythm work for which Shaffer has become legendary. And “V,” easily the highlight of this album, contains a number of the best riffs on the whole album, on top of being very catchy and well-written tune overall.
Not every song on this album is a winner, though. “End of Innocence” is quite boring and repetitive, and if you have the limited edition then it is followed by the decent-but-not-spectacular “Soylent Green,” creating a bit of a lull in the second half of the album during which your attention may wander. Also, as I’ve mentioned it before, throughout the album the riffs are often very bland and generic, making me pine for the days of Burnt Offerings when Schaffer was a god of the rhythm guitar.
Those few flaws aside, though, this is a very solid album and a worthy addition to the extensive and (mostly) exemplary Iced Earth discography. Its diverse sounds make for an interesting and memorable roller coaster ride, and most of the tracks stand out on their own merit and stick with you long after Stu Block's lion roar has faded to silence. Definitely recommended.
Overall rating: 8.5/10
