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Iced Earth

США

Power Metal
Thrash Metal

http://www.icedearth.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/icedearth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialIcedEarth/

22 май 2025 :	Ex-ICED EARTH Singer STU BLOCK Hopes MATT BARLOW Rejoins The Band: 'It Just Works On So Many Levels'
20 май 2025 :	ICED EARTH's JON SCHAFFER: 'Jesus Is The Only Way; That Is Absolutely Clear To Me Now'
13 май 2025 :	MATT BARLOW Is Open To Singing For ICED EARTH Again, But Says 'That Would Be Entirely Up To' JON SCHAFFER
22 апр 2025 :	ICED EARTH’s Dystopia Album To Be Reissued With 3D Lenticular Effect Cover
12 апр 2025 :	JON SCHAFFER Opens Up About His Involvement In U.S. Capitol Riot And His 'Faith Journey': 'It's Just Amazing The Way God Works'
28 окт 2024 :	JON SCHAFFER On His Involvement In U.S. Capitol Riot: 'I Was Wrong' And I 'Made A Terrible Mistake'
16 окт 2024 :	U.S. Government Requests Probation For ICED EARTH's JON SCHAFFER, Cites His Cooperation With Law Enforcement
13 сен 2024 :	JON SCHAFFER's Sentencing Hearing Postponed For Fifth Time, This Time To Late October
1 авг 2024 :	Judge Delays JON SCHAFFER's Sentencing Until September
27 мар 2024 :	Judge Delays JON SCHAFFER's Sentencing Until July
23 фев 2024 :	JON SCHAFFER To Undergo Medical Procedure; Sentencing Delayed Until April
4 фев 2024 :	JON SCHAFFER's Lawyers Ask For Delay In Sentencing
14 авг 2023 :	JON SCHAFFER's Sentencing Date Set For February 2024
10 июн 2023 :	JON SCHAFFER's Sentencing Date To Be Set For Role In U.S. Capitol Riot
2 май 2023 :	Ex-ICED EARTH Singer TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS On JON SCHAFFER's Involvement In U.S. Capitol Riot: 'He Knew He Was Wrong'
12 апр 2023 :	ICED EARTH Releases Lyric Video For 2008 Remixed/Remastered Version Of 'The Clouding' Feat. MATT BARLOW
4 апр 2023 :	District Of Columbia Attorneys Oppose Dismissal Motion In Connection With Civil Lawsuit Against ICED EARTH's JON SCHAFFER
24 мар 2023 :	ICED EARTH's JON SCHAFFER Responds To Civil Lawsuit Seeking Damages For His Role In U.S. Capitol Riot
19 мар 2023 :	ICED EARTH - Official Lyric Video For "Prophecy" Feat. TIM "RIPPER" OWENS Streaming
15 мар 2023 :	ICED EARTH To Release 'Hellrider' And 'I Walk Among You' EPs In April
10 фев 2023 :	Ex-ICED EARTH Singer STU BLOCK Wants To Release Solo EP This Year: 'It's Gonna Be Different'
29 янв 2023 :	JON SCHAFFER Is Continuing To Cooperate With U.S. Capitol Riot Investigators; Next Status Report Due In March
12 янв 2023 :	Ex-ICED EARTH Singer TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Was 'Surprised' To See JON SCHAFFER Involved In U.S. Capitol Riot
1 дек 2022 :	TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Would 'Never' Rejoin ICED EARTH: 'I've Moved On'
3 ноя 2022 :	JON SCHAFFER Is Continuing To Cooperate With U.S. Capitol Riot Investigators; Next Status Report Due In January
4 окт 2022 :	District Of Columbia Attorneys Struggling To Find ICED EARTH Guitarist JON SCHAFFER

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Ex-ICED EARTH Singer STU BLOCK Hopes MATT BARLOW Rejoins The Band: 'It Just Works On So Many Levels'

Former ICED EARTH singer Stu Block says that he hopes Matt Barlow rejoins the band if founding guitarist Jon Schaffer decides to reactivate the group at some point in the future.

Barlow, who served two stints with ICED EARTH — from 1993 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2011 — was asked about the possibility of his return to the band earlier this month in an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. He said: "That's something that would be entirely up to, obviously, when Jon… That's Jon's band — a hundred percent — so that's something that Jon would have to decide, whether I would be a part of it or not, either way, but whether ICED EARTH goes out and does it. But I look forward to that, whether it would be me involved with it or somebody else, if that were to happen. And I can't speak to it, 'cause I don't think at this point that… It's not even in the long distance at this point."

Nearly two weeks after BLABBERMOUTH.NET published an article about Barlow's open-ended attitude about rejoining ICED EARTH and shared a Facebook post about it, Block chimed in below the post, writing: "I hope he does! He is amazing, a fan favorite and a great human. It just works on so many levels."

Last October, Jon was sentenced to three years of probation and 120 hours of community service in connection with his involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol. He was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and a $200 financial assessment. Schaffer later became one of about 1,500 people accused of crimes related to the riot who were pardoned by President Donald Trump.

This past April, Schaffer said in an interview that the legal issues and professional setback he faced as a result of his involvement in the Capitol riot have been "the biggest gift" of his life, in part because "it is what led" him "to [Jesus] Christ."

Back in August 2021, Stu said that Jon "fucked up real bad" when he got involved in the violent protest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 that left several dead, including a Capitol police officer.

Block, the Canadian-born vocalist who had fronted ICED EARTH since 2011, officially quit the band in February 2021, stating at the time it was "the best decision in many ways" for his "personal and professional growth going forward."

Stu addressed Jon's involvement in the Capitol riot as well as his departure from ICED EARTH in an interview with The Metal Voice. Speaking about his former bandmate, he said: "We all make bad decisions, man, and [Jon] fucked up real bad. And I'm sure he knows it, and I think everybody with half a brain knows it… The line that was crossed with going in and all that kind of stuff… He had so much going on. It was a shame. It hurts, 'cause you've got plans, and all of a sudden, you can't tell someone what to do — you can't tell a very strong-willed individual what to do; you can't. And so it would be lost words."

He added: "At the end of the day, I don't hate him. I'm not writhing in hate for him. I feel sad. I feel bad that everything went down the way it did. And maybe one day we'll talk. I don't know. I'm not too sure. But I think he knows that I still have a place in my heart for him, because I've seen that man do a lot of amazing, wonderful things for people. But I just wanna move on. And that's what it is."

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

Last month, it was announced that ASHES OF ARES, the band featuring Barlow and fellow former ICED EARTH member Freddie Vidales, will celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary of ICED EARTH's third album, 1996's "The Dark Saga", on a European tour in September/October 2025. Vidales played with ICED EARTH from 2008 to 2012 and is featured on the band's 2011 album "Dystopia".

Recorded in early 1996, "The Dark Saga" was a concept album based on the Todd McFarlane comic book character Spawn (who also appears on the album's cover). Upon its arrival, the LP was praised for Barlow's vocals, as well as ICED EARTH founder, songwriter, guitarist and producer Schaffer and Randall Shawver's guitar playing. Eduardo Rivadavia called Barlow's vocal performance "impressive throughout", while Mike Stagno felt that "Barlow's deeper vocal style also helps the songs sound much more emotional". Rivadavia also named Schaffer and Shawver's interplay the highlight of "The Dark Saga".

Regarding why "The Dark Saga" was an important enough album for him that he wanted to celebrate it three decades after the LP's original release, Barlow told The Metal Voice: "I can't talk about ICED EARTH without talking about, for me, entering the band with [1995's] 'Burnt Offerings'. That was huge for me. That was my first foray into actually being in a professional band. But along with that kind of came a dark side of it because it was a really tough time for the band as well, which kind of translated into the music. As everybody, I think, understands with Jon, when he writes, his heart goes out into the music. Whatever he's focused on is that. Just like for that record, he read 'Dante's Inferno', and then you get this giant humongous trilogy from that, because he puts everything he has into it. So, obviously, that's the crown jewel of that record — but, along with other things, that's definitely the crown jewel. But it was just a dark time for the band in general, even though I think I was the shining star at that point. But [it was] a tough time.

"So 'The Dark Saga', for me, and I think for Jon as well, was a renewal, a reinvigoration for the band," Matt explained. "The reason that even Jon got turned on to 'Spawn' was that we were celebrating Christmas. I like collecting action figures and stuff, and I had got all these like Batman and stuff, and Jon was a huge Batman fan, so I think I got Jon a Batman figure, and the other guys liked Spawn figures. And he was, like, 'What the hell's this?' And then he started getting into it, started reading the comics, and the rest is kind of history. And he was totally involved in the entire lore of it and just thought it was just the coolest thing ever. And that's what happened with 'The Dark Saga'.

"For me, it was really cool," Barlow added. "For some members of the band, obviously, members changed and things like that at that point too. It wasn't like a shock, with ICED EARTH, the membership changes from time to time. But for me, it was really a really good time. It was really a positive time for the band. And we did some amazing shit, man. We were able to do a lot more touring on that. We got a lot more recognition. A lot of the songs obviously sounded a little more mainstream, I guess you'd say. The European fans just ate it up. It had all the great aspects, the sing-along stuff, all the really sweet, hooky stuff. The choruses were just really super smooth and just well written. And, of course, you've got Jon just chunking along. So it's got all the cool shit that you would relate to ICED EARTH. And I think that you listen to it and you go, 'Yep, that's ICED EARTH.' And for me, also I was able to get kind of recognized who I am. At the time, in between 'Burnt Offerings' and 'The Dark Saga', I was starting to work with a vocal coach. I had had a little bit of coaching before. My sister-in-law, she was a voice instructor and things like that. But this guy kind of got me and sort of understood and said, and he told me that the coolest thing, and I tell this to every other vocalist that asks me about how I developed my voice or whatever. I just say, 'Do the best you can with what you've got. Figure out what your sweet spots are and focus on those.' And you can broaden your voice, obviously — you can broaden your range and all that — but really focus on those sweet spots in your voice and accentuate that and make that the star of what you're doing. So I really took that to heart. I really started accentuating, obviously, the cool low parts. And then, of course, working with [producer] Jim Morris was just huge as well to really help me bring that kind of stuff out in the studio. And then developing that and bringing that into a live show and everything else. So it was just a really cool growing experience as well with that record. So, yeah, I've got just tons of fond memories of things that that represents for me."

Asked if he and Freddie were concerned at all about going out and celebrating "The Dark Saga" after Schaffer's recent legal troubles related to the guitarist's involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Matt responded: "We don't live in a tube of silence here. We get stuff. But I think for me, and I think for people that are fans of the music, they don't care about that. I think at the end of the day, it's the music. And I hope that everybody's respectful because I'm gonna celebrate Jon and what he's done. He's written some fucking amazing music, and I've been fortunate to be a part of that. So, outside of that, I'm not gonna get political with anything. We're not talking politics. We're just talking strictly music, and it's for the love of music. And I hope that everybody understands that. That's what the point is. Hopefully we're bringing something cool and special. And I certainly look forward, if Jon wants to tour again and play this music again, I wholeheartedly look forward to that, if that's a possibility. But we're just gonna go out there and just celebrate this music that is very special, I think, for a lot of people. We've been given blessing to do so by Jon, so that's super important to us as well."

Regarding whether he actually asked Jon if the guitarist was okay with Matt and Freddie going out and celebrating "The Dark Saga" this fall, Barlow said: "Yep. Yep. I mean, obviously, we have things that we need to do, as far as we're not using [ICED EARTH] logos or anything like that. We're asking, and we're gonna make sure that the promoters aren't using any logos or anything like that of his, and, of course, Jon, as the writer of this stuff, he will get paid for music that's performed live. And for my little chunk that I'll get paid as well, my writing part of it."

Barlow, who works as a police lieutenant in Georgetown, Delaware, went on to say that his day job prevents him from playing a lot of shows with any music project he is involved with.

"I'm still in law enforcement and my schedule [limits how much touring] I can do," he said. "So, I've got some more responsibilities now, and it's good — I feel awesome about that — but it's also taxing. And I don't wanna tax my agency too much on that. So I'm doing it when I can, with vacation and things like that. We're doing the best we can [to play as many ASHES OF ARES shows as possible]. We're trying to spread it out a little bit and do some stuff. We'll see what we can do, man. We'll see what we can do."

ASHES OF ARES released its third studio album, "Emperors And Fools", in January 2022 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels.

"Emperors And Fools" was produced by ASHES OF ARES, and mixed and mastered by Byron Filson at Villain Recording in Phoenix, Arizona. The cover artwork was created by Kamil Pietruczynik.

ASHES OF ARES's second album, "Well Of Souls", came out in November 2018 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels. It was the follow-up to ASHES OF ARES's self-titled debut album, which was released in September 2013 via Nuclear Blast.

Seven years ago, Barlow told "The Classic Metal Show" about ASHES OF ARES: "Sometimes it's hard to escape the comparisons [to ICED EARTH], because my voice is still my voice no matter what, and I'm still gonna deliver things emotionally like I have before, so people are always gonna draw comparisons with ICED EARTH, and that's fine; I'm completely cool with that. I'm proud of my time in ICED EARTH, proud of everything that I've done with them, proud of them right now, going on and kicking ass. So I don't have any problem with that whatsoever — the comparisons. But that being said, I want ASHES to have its own identity as well. I think, again, as my writing partner, Freddie deserves that — he deserves to have his own identity in ASHES — and I think that's really important; that's what we're striving to do."

ICED EARTH played its final show with Barlow at the 2011 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

Barlow, who is married to Schaffer's sister, announced his departure from ICED EARTH in March 2011. In a heartfelt statement, he cited his commitment to his family and the need for ICED EARTH to tour more as the reasons for his retirement; however, he committed to performing with ICED EARTH on all 2011 European festival dates, including Wacken Open Air.

Back in late 2020, Barlow reunited with Schaffer to celebrate the holiday season with an EP called "Winter Nights". Released under the SCHAFFER/BARLOW PROJECT banner, the effort contained the duo's unique spin on five Christmas classics and two ICED EARTH songs.

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