ICED EARTH Hard At Work On 'Inspired, Focused And To-The-Point' New Album

U.S. power metallers ICED EARTH are hard at work on their tenth studio album, due later this year via Century Media Records.

Unlike 2008's "The Crucible Of Man" and 2007's "Framing Armageddon", the new CD won't be a conceptual effort. Instead, band leader Jon Schaffer promises a return to the raw-and-heavy sound of ICED EARTH's classic fan-favorite albums.

"I can tell you from the riffs and the attitude behind it," he said, "this is going to be a bad-ass record. This is inspired, focused, and to the point. This is really heavy stuff. It's a kick in the nuts."

He added: "People probably think I don't have it in me any more. But they're going to be proved wrong about that. I can tell you this: we're coming back with a vengeance. We're out for blood."

This promises to be a grand year for Schaffer and company. Not only will ICED EARTH release a new album (followed by a world tour — which management promises will take the band to countries it hasn't previously played),but the band will also release its long-awaited six-hour, three-concert live DVD, "Festivals Of The Wicked", this spring. In addition, the band will make appearancess at five European festival dates this summer, including at Ilosaarirock on July 16 in Joensuu, Finland and the Sweden Rock Festival on June 10 in Sölvesborg, Sweden. More shows will be announced soon.

ICED EARTH's most recent full-length studio album, "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)", sold 6,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD continued where ICED EARTH's 2007 release, "Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part I)" left off.

"The Crucible of Man" featured the return of frontman Matt Barlow who was mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer's original voice of choice to introduce the "Something Wicked" saga back in 1998 as a trio of songs which concluded their album, "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

Photo credit: Ross Halfin