ICED EARTH - Festivals Of The Wicked

This DVD release has been hotly anticipated. Since Alive in Athens [2006] Iced Earth fans have been awaiting a follow up; especially Jon Schaffer [founding member, guitars] himself, who was extremely critical of the release. Festivals Of The Wicked rightly so involves performances by both former vocalists, Matt Barlow and Tim “Ripper” Owens, and involves three different festival performances. The packaging for this release is quite impressive – a box with two DVDs, a CD, booklet and a poster flag of the cover artwork – especially in a time of downloads and burning, this is worth spending your precious financial resources on!

Three performances, two different vocalists across different European festivals: Metal Camp Slovenia 2008, Rock Hard Festival 2008 and Wacken 2007, and obviously each performance has slightly different picture and sound quality. I am a huge Ripper fan and seeing him with Iced Earth at Wacken is amazing! The production for this performance is big and it works from start to finish. Highlights of this gig are definitely “Declaration Day” and “Ten Thousand Strong” and Ripper settles into the fold very well. Schaffer is solid and a class act and he comes across really well on this gig. 

It is hard to top a Wacken gig and all shows that I have seen filmed at this festival are amazing. Saying all this and being a big Ripper fan I can see why Schaffer wanted Mat Barlow back as his vocalist. I've always respected Barlow but seeing him on this DVD proves just what an outstanding vocalist and front man he is. Barlow is Iced Earth, and I pity the vocalist who is now fronting the band as he is a tough act to follow. 

The Metal Camp gig definitely tops the performances. The sound is the best and the picture quality is also strong, but it is Barlow that tips the overall balance. From the opening “Dark Saga” until the inevitable “Iced Earth”, it is a compelling show that demands to be watched more than once.

The bonus footage on this release is a breath of fresh air, compared to what you regularly get with regard to DVDs. The Documentary of the Wicked is insightful and very easy to watch. There are so many documentaries attached to live DVDs that are tedious and virtually impossible to sit through, even once, but this material highlights exactly what Iced Earth has endured - the drive, motivation and intelligence of Schaffer himself - and an insight into the band who works with him. I have always admired this guy and the documentary has really reinforced this. There is no stupid footage of musicians trying to be funny or involving themselves in at risk behaviour, thank god!

Now to the live CD - it is split over the three gigs, with four songs represented from each show. I enjoyed it, but it is a little disjointed as different vocalists kick in, not to mention the obvious distinction in overall sound and mix. Taking into consideration the actual size of the packaging, it would have been a lot more favourable to have released the entire Metal Camp gig with Barlow, and the entire Wacken gig with Ripper on two separate discs. This would have rounded off the release more appropriately and made the disc(s) a little easier to digest.

Ultimately, this is a celebration of the fact that Iced Earth has released some amazing material and a thorough cross-section is well represented within the performances. The only real criticism here is the fact that all three set lists are very similar, however, after sitting down in one session to watch all shows it actually isn’t an issue. Both front men stake their claim to the songs and do themselves and Iced Earth proud. I have been a fan of Barlow since he joined the band, and well, Ripper, what needs to be said? The quality of the footage, with regard to both the audio and the picture varies, as I have stated, but all three are of a high worth.

All metal fans need a copy of the Festivals Of The Wicked. It is a no nonsense release with three intense performances involving two brilliant vocalists and one of the best song writers in metal. If you are a diehard Iced Earth fan, you’ll love it, and if this band is an unknown entity to you, after you watch it you to will become a diehard Iced Earth fan!

Festivals Of The Wicked is available now through Century Media.