Iced Earth
Burnt Offerings

THE REVIEW

It's 1995, several years have passed since a beardless Jon Schaffer, still sixteen, left home armed only with his guitar following the death of a dear friend. His dream was to live off the fruits of his beloved music, his beloved Heavy Metal, thinking he was following the path set by his idols Saxon, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. He decided to found Iced Earth.

After a strong self-titled debut and an excellent follow-up (Night Of The Stormrider), he faced the harsh realities of the music market, particularly the much-loved metal scene. After years of lineup instability, he finally managed to assemble a stable group (though it wouldn't last long) featuring Schaffer himself on rhythm guitar, Randy Shawver on lead guitar, the excellent Dave Abell on bass, Rodney Beasley on drums, and the powerful Matthew Barlow on vocals.
A dark keyboard and a strangled voice seem to slowly introduce us to the title track that opens this platter... but the blow is around the corner, a sharp, icy riff comes out of nowhere, and we're faced with one of Iced Earth's best songs, inexplicably forgotten in the monumental 'Alive In Athens,' a slight central break with Barlow seemingly singing sweetly, bringing a bit of calm, but the same singer will once again start the dance... and what a dance. A sweet arpeggio and then the usual barrage of riffs, the story of two souls who can only be together in death... this is the splendid "Last December."

In "Diary," Matt Barlow finally gives his best and unleashes a breathtaking performance skillfully guided by the tempo changes of Schaffer and company, applause. After such a start, it seems difficult to do better... yet "Brainwashed" manages it, a fierce denunciation against all the lies of the world that are instilled in us by people who instead want to exploit us... a hypnotic bridge and Beasley on fire. Another arpeggio, and we've arrived at "Burning Oasis" and the aggression of "Creator Failure," two excellent songs that once again demonstrate the quality of this group, if there was ever any doubt. After all this Godsend, we could stop, and the album would still be complete and of high quality... but fortunately, Schaffer had different plans...
Like in "Night Of The Stormrider", a brief ballad, "The Pierced Spirit" (sweetly sung by Barlow, and for a singer who comes from extreme metal, this is not an everyday occurrence) introduces the final suite... but we're not talking about a normal suite, but something more.

How else to define "Dante's Inferno"? A devastating ride with the Supreme Poet through all the circles of Hell, among fire, flames, demons, and the damned until reaching Lucifer himself. I assure you that whether presumptuous or not, this song is something unique; close your eyes, and it will seem like you're passing by Cerberus, Minos, Charon, crossing the Styx, visiting Dis, seeing the damned immersed in lakes of blood... all in an almost perfect "musical realism".

Buy it, it's worth it.