I’ve never really been an Iced Earth fan. Which is why, despite a ton of e-mails from Iced fans who were sad that Matt Barlow recently announced he is leaving the band for the second time (following their European tour this summer), I did not write anything about it. I had nothing to say. Sorry.

I am, however, a huge fan of Into Eternity. So I guess now that their singer, Stu Block, is the new front man for Iced Earth, I’ll have to start paying attention to both bands. Actually, the last time I saw Into Eternity live, they were opening for Iced Earth, so, yeah, this makes sense I suppose.

While Into Eternity just announced a new drummer last week, we still have no idea when the band will release another new album — it’s been three years since 2008′s The Incurable Tragedy. But I’m glad Block found a gig to occupy his time while Into Eternity guitarist/primary songwriter Tim Roth completes filming his lead role on the Fox series Lie to Me.

In case you’re not familiar with Block’s glass-breaking vocals, after the jump is the video for Into Eternity’s “Severe Emotional Distress.” You should really just know this song anyway, ’cause it rules.

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Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer is an interesting dude. As a founding member of Iced Earth he helped create one of the most enduring power-ish metal bands of the past 20 years. But that hasn’t stopped him from exploring other avenues, as his new solo project Sons of Liberty proves. Schaffer has devoted this project entirely to one cause: raising awareness about and rebelling against the Federal Reserve system that controls our world’s economy.

From what I can gather, Schaffer is trying to keep politics out of his argument. I have to admit, I know very little about the Federal Reserve system, its roots, its effects, its strengths and its weaknesses. But watching videos like the above has caused me to dive deeper into this issue — which undoubtedly affects every single one of us — and I think that’s Schaffer’s goal. I’m still not sure what I think; it’s a very complex issue with hundreds of years of back-story. But I’m enjoying learning about it. Musically speaking, Sons of Liberty are a bit heavier and more straight-forward than Iced Earth; if you’re perpetually turned off by IE’s power leanings, don’t dismiss this music without first giving it a shot.

Sons of Liberty, which sees Schaffer handling all guitar and vocal duties, self-released their debut album Brush-Fires of the Mind in late 2009. That album has subsequently been picked up by Century Media who will re-release the album worldwide on July 13th. You can download the opening track “Jeckyll Island” for free below.

Sons of Liberty – “Jeckyll Island”

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If all Richard Christy ever did was play drums on Death’s phenomenal final album The Sound of Perseverance, it would be enough to secure his place in heavy metal Valhalla. That death metal classic gained so much from Christy’s nuanced performance that it’s almost criminal that he isn’t mentioned alongside your Lombardos, Reinerts and Dailors as one of the most creative drummers in extreme music. But you won’t find Christy complaining about lack of recognition, especially since he’s been so busy in the decade since Death’s demise. To fill in the gaps between his film directing and acting gigs (Christy played a Ku Klux Klansman in Harold and Kumar Go To Guantanamo), Christy has drummed for Iced Earth, Incantation, Acheron and Demons and Wizards. Of course that was all before he began his tenure as the resident prank caller on The Howard Stern Show. In fact, the only thing missing on Christy’s CV is a successful musical project of his own. That’s all looking to change with the forthcoming debut album by Charred Walls of the Damned, his new metal band with the ridiculous lineup of guitarist Jason Suecof (member of Capharnaum; producer/mixer for The Black Dahlia Murder/Trivium/All That Remains), bass god Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus/Death/Autopsy) and caterwauling vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest/Iced Earth). Christy took some time to yak with MetalSucks about his many career paths and the truly bizarre genesis of that band name.

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Many of you here know that I hate just about all of your crappy music. But I obviously have my roots. Here, I wish to go into great detail about my intense infatuation with the greatest guitarist ever. Some of you started with Iron Maiden, Metallica, or Black Sabbath. I started with the best metal band ever—Iced Earth. Iced Earth formed as Purgatory in the late 80s, and in the early 90s, changed their name and released their self-titled debut. As a lonely 12 year old with no hope in this cruel world, Jon Schaffer and his amazing band were my glimmer of light. Their debut album is at the very least an intense experience of both the mind and soul, and as a young, self-conscious lad, this album spoke to me in an infinite amount of ways. The masterful and creative guitarwork by Schaffer here set the foundation for all creative and progressive music that would ever be made. Each riff is impeccably and meticulously written, yet never overstays it’s welcome, soon transitioning into yet another riff of equal beauty.

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Allow me to begin by stating unequivocally that I am a Matt Barlow fan. I know there are plenty of Iced Earth devotees out there who were (rightfully) upset by Tim “Ripper” Owens’ unceremonious dismissal and felt he was a stronger vocalist for this act as they moved onward after Barlow, who struggling with his allegiances earlier this decade involving his love of Country, dropped out to take up law enforcement. But Barlow is family (he’s married to guitarist Jon Schaffer’s sister) and, I believe, he’s the more dynamic singer. His emotive wail often resembles Fates Warning’s Ray Alder. His subdued baritone comes close to Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate. He can also reach the searing, Halfordesque heights Owens is known for though he tends to use them more sparingly. And then he has that snarling growl which is entirely his own. Beyond that he’s much more of a performer who falls into and maintains a character the way an actor might. I don’t dislike “Ripper” Owens but he doesn’t seem to embody the people about whom or situations about which he’s intoning quite as well as Barlow. Also, in a live setting he doesn’t really possess the energy one might want out of a frontman. He has an amazing voice that served the last couple Iced Earth releases well but I’m more a fan of the band’s earlier output, such as ’95′s Burnt Offerings and ’96′s The Dark Saga.

Enough with the diplomacy, though. You’re either going to dismiss this review based on my own stated preference or you’re going to hang in there with me for a spell. The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 ends up a vital return for Barlow that, while it may fall short of Iced Earth’s classic material ends up more satisfying than its Part 1 predecessor.

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