JON SCHAFFER Says He Has 'Had Great Financial Offers' To Bring ICED EARTH Back: 'But The Time Is Not Right Now'

During an appearance on the latest episode of the ICED EARTH-centric Podcast Of The Wicked podcast, ICED EARTH's founding guitarist Jon Schaffer, whose band effectively split up after he was arrested for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, was asked if there are any plans for him to get ICED EARTH back together. He responded in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Look, the short answer is no, not anytime soon.

"I just want the fans to know that this has been a lot, and I've had great offers, great financial offers [to bring ICED EARTH back], so if it was about chasing money, but that's a checkers move, first of all. And it wouldn't be good for me or the band or the crew or the fans, because I need to do this because I love it, and whatever happens needs to happen and be truly inspired and not a 'good' ICED EARTH record or a 'good' show or whatever; it's gotta be gold. And that's gonna take some time.

"I've got a lot of recovering to do from all of this, and I'm working on that," Jon continued. "And I have a job that I absolutely love that feels like it's serving a purpose much greater than anything I've done before. And I know the music has helped a lot of people and I really appreciate that, and I love them for that. I love the fans. We have the best fans; we always have. Since the very beginning, there's just been this kind of a loyalty, and that's an amazing thing. But this is a season, and anybody that's lived long enough knows that in your life, you go through seasons. And there's been major changes, which very likely will result in the best music that I've ever written. And I think there's a good possibility of that. But the time is not right now. And I don't wanna push and force something because it's not gonna be good for anybody — it's not gonna be good for me, it's not gonna be good for the band, it's not gonna be good for the fans.

"This is a long legacy," Schaffer said. "I started this band 40 years ago, and that's a long time. And I worked my ass off for it. And God gave me the gifts, but I did the work, and did a crazy amount of work. And it's a solid legacy. And so I don't have anything to prove to anybody. I don't miss performing right now. I mean, that was never really my thing anyway. It was always about the songs. That's the number one — period, end of story, that's it. Everything else you do because that's what you have to do to get your songs heard. ICED EARTH, along with [Jon's other projects] DEMONS & WIZARDS and SONS OF LIBERTY, and when my old buddies in PURGATORY and I got back together, that was a fun thing. That was a fun project to do. That was not really because of work; it was because it was a fun thing to do with old friends. It's gotta be inspired. I'm not gonna do this to go out and chase federal reserve notes or euros. That's not the way I'm built. It would definitely make it easier for me to get my financial world back in order, but I don't whore myself out and I never have. And that's the whole point. And just getting off of that hamster wheel of 'album, tour, album, tour, album, tour', it's been a good thing for me. I think that there's a very good chance that something can happen in the future. Right now, my energies are focused on something that is not self-serving that is being part of something that is really trying to make significant change and to try to push our society into a freer society — pointing it back towards the founding principles, even maybe a little bit better, this philosophy, the live-and-let-live philosophy.

"I'm not gonna make any promises about anything right now," Schaffer added. "There's a huge catalog to celebrate. The first album has probably been reissued close to 15 times at this point, which blows me away because I wouldn't have even thought about that when I was however old I was then, 20 years old or whatever. And so that's awesome. The catalog, it keeps going. So that means that there's still demand out there, which is very humbling. But I know the rough spots in my catalog. I know when it was going, I had to do it because of scheduling and because of the business. And you're sort of going through the motions, pushing through things at times you probably shouldn't. So you have to trust me. I know how this works, and I know whatever that we deliver in the future has got to be nothing short of amazing or I'm not gonna do it, because I don't wanna do it if that's the case. It's just not a smart move; it's just not."

Schaffer also talked about his current relationship with two of his former bandmates, ex-ICED EARTH singer Stu Block and BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch, both of whom distanced themselves from Jon's actions following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot. 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." Around the same time, the German-born Kürsch quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer.

Schaffer told Podcast Of The Wicked in part: "Let me just take this opportunity to say, I hope that the fans out there will stop — I mean, my wish is that they would stop hating on Stu and on Hansi… The guys were pressured. Some guys handled it better, some guys handled it very weak and kind of pathetic. And I think the biggest issue when it comes to Stu is that he made a post [on January 6, 2021] cheering it on and then flipped and that looks like a total poser move. You know what? It is a total poser move, but it's okay. Forgive him. We did some great work together. I had some of the best times in my life with Stu… I have very precious memories with Stu, so please just forgive him. I forgive him."

Jon continued: "Everybody is a flawed human being. And the thing is Hansi and I are still close and we are always gonna be. And the difference is that we talked before I turned myself in, several times, and I knew what was coming because the pressure he was under, and he hated it. But it's a witch hunt. It was a witch hunt. And it is what it is. It's a bummer, because we write great stuff together and we were on a serious trajectory. I mean, the last show I played in Europe, headlining Wacken [Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany] on Saturday night in front of a hundred thousand people, and it was fantastic. And SLAYER went on after us and about 70 percent of the crowd left, and it was their last show in Germany. I mean, I'm just saying that's what happened. I was pretty, pretty shocked. The reunion tour of DEMONS & WIZARDS was hugely successful. And we had an amazing contract, actually, a really, really amazing contract. But Hansi had to do what he had to do. It is what it is. I treasure the memories that I've had with Hansi, and we're gonna have more — probably not musically; I doubt that's ever gonna happen. I don't even know if I'm gonna do music again; that's off the table right now. But just as brothers, nothing's going to change that.

"Look, I'm all about free speech, man — I am," Schaffer added. "I'm just asking, try to be a good human about this. You have the freedom to say that. I don't censor anything. I don't have the ability to now, but even when I did, when I had the admin access to those pages, people can te talk shit. There was only one or two times where there was some really vile, hateful stuff directed at Stu that I deleted those posts, but I've never done that because I don't really care. I mean, I believe in freedom. You're allowed to say what you want to say. But let's forget all the division and stuff.

"I'm not an angel. I have behaved poorly in the past. I've made mistakes — everybody has — so let's just forget all that and let's focus on the good stuff, because we did a lot of good shit together. I mean, we really did — with both of those guys.

"The 'cancel culture' mob mentality, it's real, and if you're not really strong and really of your convictions, it's gonna have an effect. So it's, like, I get it, and I don't hold any ill will and I would really love for the fans to just let it go and celebrate… This catalog that's hanging up behind me was done with a lot of very talented, cool people. Whatever drama, whatever shit's happened, let's let it go. I really don't have any ill will. I know [Stu's] true colors, so that's a good thing. I'm not interested in hanging out like we did — I have no interest in that — but he's a part of the band's history and we did some great stuff together. And I wish him well."

Schaffer's involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot also apparently affected his 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.

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.

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."

When Hansi announced his exit from DEMONS & WIZARDS in February 2021, he said in a statement: "I notified Jon and Century Media [DEMONS & WIZARDS' then-record label] on Monday that I was leaving the DEMONS & WIZARDS project with immediate effect. My collaboration with Jon in DEMONS & WIZARDS is over."

Back in December 2022, Hansi declined to discuss DEMONS & WIZARDS while speaking to Metal Hammer magazine, saying: "It's an open case. I believe [Jon] deserves the right to express himself, to explain his side, and we wouldn't want to interfere with that."

In May 2024, Hansi was asked during an appearance on "The Jasta Show", the podcast hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, if he had heard from Jon in the preceding months, with Jasta opining that "everybody deserves a second chance." Hansi said: "Well, I agree. He certainly deserves a second chance. That is the main message which should be spread out in general. And other than that, he's facing his trials. So, it's a very open situation he's in. And, yeah, let him express himself first before anyone else is saying anything about it. That's my opinion, and this is how I treat it."

Asked if he thought there was a road back for Schaffer in terms of ICED EARTH's ability to secure tours in the future and whether European promoters would be willing to book him, Hansi said: "Um, I have no idea. I really have no idea. I haven't spoken to anyone, and that basically is not my business."

Last October, Schaffer 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 in January 2021. At the sentencing hearing, Jon 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 U.S. 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."