Review Summary: Another solid release from Iced Earth. Here's hoping they keep this singer.
Iced Earth. Formed in the mid 90's, the band has provided 12 albums of solid metal music, albeit with a revolving cast of vocalists, including Matt Barlow and ex Judas Priest frontman Tim Ripper Owens. On their Dystopia album they recruited Into Eternity singer Stu Block, who also sang on Plagues of Babylon and this new album.
Incorruptible is a 10 track affair and has no concept, just 10 individual songs.
Album opener "Great Heathen Army" starts off with a definitely not too long intro and epic power chords before Stu bursts into the fray screaming "VAHALLA!", for the most part it is a mid tempo song with a solid solo. Near the end of the song is one of my favourite Stu moments where he sings:
"One thousand heathens breach the gates
Pray to your god you'll meet your fate
Your kingdoms falling one by one
We take control no where to run"
The latter 2 lines sang in a Rob Halford-esque high note.
"Raven Wing" starts off with a soothing acoustic intro, showing Stus' softer side before kicking in a heavy bottom end rhythm riff and melodic lead guitar with a really catchy groove. This song in my opinion would have been better suited as an album opener instead of GHA, because the acoustic guitar allows an easy settling in period and better prepares you for the heaviness to follow.
Other standout tracks include the brutally named "Seven Headed Whore" a really short thrash metal track with a chuggy main riff and blazing drums (at 3:00 it is the shortest song on the album) and really proves Stu's self labelled "hybrid vocalist" style, easily transitioning from screams into melodic powerful high notes.
The albums instrumental "Ghost Dance (Awaken the Ancestors)" is incredibly well composed. Jon Schaffer is an incredible musician and has written all the music and the majority of the lyrics on this album (Barring GHA whose lyrics were written by Stu) After a short almost pagan like chanting intro, we are treated to some of the best melodic lead on the album. The song flows really well and is a joy to listen to. There's even a solid few seconds of just drums, which I found pretty cool.
The closing track on the album "Clear the Way (December 13th, 1862)" is truly an epic. At 9:30 in length it is the longest song on the album, and one of the longest in the bands discography to date. A brooding bagpipe intro gives way to a solid rhythm guitar and well done leads as Stu and the crew blaze their way through the track, singing about the charge of the Irish Brigade at the Battle of Fredericksburg during the civil war. The track, despite its immense running time does not outstay its welcome, and is a fitting way to close out the album.
Production wise, the album is really well produced. All of the components are clear and crisp, nothing is too overpowering and every instrument, including synths and the panpipes (on Ghost Dance). Any extra instrumentation provides a solid foundation to the song and doesn't ruin the tones the band are trying to set.
Lyrically, as stated there is no concept, just 10 individual tracks. But each track has its own flavour in terms of lyrical content, barring the opener and closer which both are about historic battles. "Black Flag" is a pirate story, "Brothers" is about the camaraderie in a band, "Defiance" is your bog standard rise up and fight anthem. I highly recommend you read the lyrics for yourself, they are really well written.
Favourite tracks:
Raven Wing
Ghost Dance
Seven Headed Whore
