Iced Earth

While passing fashions in attire inevitably shift, Florida's Iced Earth have stayed firmly dedicated to advancing the cause of heavy metal amid every obstacle. Following extended periods of relative anonymity marked by repeated membership adjustments, the group gradually surfaced as one of the primary standard-bearers of classic metal within America.

Guitarist Jon Schaffer established the ensemble in 1984 under the initial moniker the Rose, which soon became Purgatory; five years of ongoing instability ensued as the musicians fulfilled obligations on the Florida live circuit. Their sound gradually took shape through a fusion of 1980s thrash elements and the classic metal style associated with Iron Maiden. The 1988 Enter the Realm demo gained favor in underground circles, and after adopting the name Iced Earth, the band captured their self-titled 1990 album featuring guitarists Schaffer and Randall Shawver, singer Gene Adams, bassist Dave Abell, and drummer Mike McGill.

Subsequent membership shifts brought singer John Greely and drummer Richey Secchiari aboard for 1991's Night of the Stormrider, an ambitious concept album that nonetheless met with indifference. Discouraged, Greely chose to depart, yet Iced Earth resurfaced three years afterward via 1995's Burnt Offerings on Century Media Records, which introduced vocalist Matthew Barlow and drummer Rodney Beasley. Persistent road work confirmed Barlow as the band's first dependable frontman, allowing Iced Earth to hit their stride with the next year's The Dark Saga. Even after a fresh rhythm section arrived in bassist Keith Menser and drummer Mark Prator, the release highlighted the steadily rising reliability and caliber of Schaffer and Shawver's compositions together with striking cover art by Spawn comic book creator Todd MacFarlane.

Iced Earth felt sufficiently satisfied with that configuration to reenter the studio in 1997 and revisit their strongest early tracks with Barlow handling vocals, yielding the fittingly named Days of Purgatory collection. Schaffer further chose to move Iced Earth to Indiana for "strategic reasons," which led to the exit of longtime associate Shawver ahead of the initial sessions for 1998's Something Wicked This Way Comes. The album followed the proven approach of prior efforts, and accompanied by new guitarist Larry Tarnowski and new bassist James MacDonough, the band launched their most extensive world tour to date. Appearances in Greece, one of the band's strongest markets, produced the double-album Alive in Athens issued in 1999. Horror Show arrived in summer 2001. They delivered the covers album Tribute to the Gods in 2002. After continuous touring and Barlow's departure, former Judas Priest vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens assumed the lead vocal position. The band unveiled their expansive double-disc concept recording Glorious Burden in 2004 to strong notices. In 2007 Iced Earth issued two projects: Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked, Pt. 1 and the Overture of the Wicked EP. Continuing the pattern in 2008, they put out Crucible of Man: Something Wicked, Pt. 2 and the EP I Walk Among You, then undertook a world tour. In 2010 the SPV/Steamhammer imprint released the five-disc Box of the Wicked, which gathered both installments of Something Wicked along with the two related EPs on individual discs; the fifth disc supplied bonus tracks comprising a re-recorded "A Charge to Keep" and live renditions of "Dark Saga," "Iced Earth," and "Pure Evil."

The subsequent year Barlow declared his second exit from the group, having rejoined in 2008, with Into Eternity's Stu Block assuming vocal responsibilities. In October the ensemble released their tenth studio album Dystopia and commenced an extensive world tour encompassing 133 dates. By 2012 bassist Freddie Vidales had exited, with Fury UK's Luke Appleton filling the role, and the group issued Live in Ancient Kourion, captured during the Dystopia tour in Cyprus. Early in 2014 the band, now including Jon Dette on drums, unveiled their eleventh studio album Plagues of Babylon. Following a year's hiatus while Schaffer recuperated from cervical fusion surgery, the musicians announced plans to begin composing and recording their twelfth studio album; the resulting Incorruptible appeared in mid-2017.