Iced Earth is, without question, one of the finest
power metal acts around. America's modern day answer to Iron Maiden? Possibly.
But there is something about the music that is totally their own, and
a kind of elegance somewhat hard to find in today's metal scene. Horror
Show turned out to a very listenable album. It doesn't have the instantly
loveable hooks of their landmark Something Wicked This Way Comes,
but maybe that's a good thing. It brings new life to an old style, with
the help of producer Jim Morris.
The soaring vocal combination of Matthew Barlow and
founding member Jon Schaffer is used to wonderful effect. Backed up by
Larry Tarnowski and Schaffer's blistering guitar work, with bassist Steve
DiGorgio (Death, Testament, Sadus), and the frankly phenomenal drumming
of Richard Christy (Death, Control Denied) driving it forward.
Each track is based on a different villain or monster
("Wolf," "Damien," "Dracula," and so on). As an album, I wouldn't say
it surpasses its predecessor, but it most certainly doesn't live in its
shadow. The sheer excellence of "Jekyll & Hyde" and "Frankenstein," as
well as a very worthy cover of Maiden's "Transylvania," take Iced Earth
into new realms of metal supremacy.
Although Horror Show may take a couple of listens
for some to get into it, the album itself has too many virtues to be ignored.
And is it a world in which to hide virtues? It's loud, proud, heavy, inspiring,
and it's...well....it's Iced Earth.
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