Review Summary: "Plaques Of Babylon" by Iced Earth is a well done album that deserves more praise.
'Plagues Of Babylon' is the first(?) Iced Earth featuring (former) Into Eternity vocalist Stu Block. If you are a fan of Into Eternity then you should know that this man has one hell of a vocal range. This album (Stu mainly) has received mixed reviews and criticisms. When I review, I focus around three things: the artwork, the vocals, and the way the music works all together. Let's jump in!
The artwork to 'Plagues Of Babylon', like most (if not all) Of Iced Earth's album artwork is absolutely beautiful. It is what I look for in an album. I do not care if I don't know the artist. If they have good album art, I'm buying it. The album showcases a demonic looking figure, and it looks as if the figure is herding a pack of zombies like they are slaves. If you dig deep into the lyrics, this will make sense. Half of this album has a concept, and half is just songs.
Stu's vocals have been criticised for being "bland" and boring. I found Stu's vocals to be rather powerful and at times, soothing. Stu brings an interesting sound to the table. It's questionable that a power-death metal vocalist is taking the front man job for a heavy metal band. Stu Block makes this work. He has the tone, has the pitch, and is an over all good choice to pick up where the previous vocalist left off.
What I love most about this album is not the artwork or the vocals. It's the tracks themselves. I'm not listening to some generic, mediocre album with 3-4 minute songs. This album is an adventure with tracks that reach the eight minute mark. This album keeps up with traditional Iced Earth albums, and always keeps the listeners attention. Some songs are progressive, some are heavy. In the end, it all adds together to make a fantastic album.
