Customer Reviews

Blessed & Damned

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a 'greatest hits' album so it doesn't really offer anything new. It is, of course, a good way for new fans to get a good look at the band for relatively little money. However there is not much to offer the hardcore fan except for the booklet which offers an interesting discography of the various albums and a brief history of Jon Schaffer, IE's main man as he comments on the various albums of his career. As with most 'best of' records there are some good tracks and ones that at first glance don't seem quite worthy, but isn't that always the way? I could go over a list of songs that I thought should have been on the album but I don't really see the point in it.

Anyway, I'm giving this a five star rating just based on the quality of the songs but there is no reason for someone who has all or even most of the Iced Earth catalouge to buy this. Just go ahead and buy all the records and make your own "Blessed & Damned" album.

I'm deeply loyal to a select few power metal bands, Iced Earth being one of those few. So when I found this on Amazon I ordered it without reading anything about it at all. Just clicked and spent $20 bucks without thinking, because it's Iced Earth for god's sake!

So a little curious, I found I had just bought a compilation of songs from all the other albums I already owned. DAMMIT!

Anyway the little money I had spent was not missed when I found it in my mailbox. The included album artwork and booklet are top quality. A problem with many 'best hits' albums is the exclusion of the lyrics (*cough* Helloween's treasure chest *cough*); But Iced Earth was keen and included them. Also, several of the older songs have been remixed / so when comparing the remixes to the older albums I'm deeply satisfied with the new mixed versions: They sound much better.

Overall, if you are new to Iced Earth this would be a good buy to get a good mix of their history. If you are a fan of Iced Earth - you'll probably end up buying it regardless. Hail Iced Earth!

This is what a greatest hits package should be. The songs flow together seamlessly, even the live ones fit right into the mix with the studio tracks. Overall a great collection of Iced Earth tunes that rock from begining to end. The only very small thing I have to complain about is the booklet that it comes with. It's so packed with stuff, it just fits into the case and I mean just fits *lol*. The band logo is also a sticker on the outer cd cover and not part of the jacket? Anyway other than that this package is worth every penny.

BUY IT NOW!!

Iced Earth will never acheive the success of their idols, like KISS or Iron Maiden, but they will always have a strong and faithful following among the headbangers of the world. Their epic good vs. bad lyrical content has always amazed me, ever since I purchased their debut album on that day in 1991. Although this collection should have included some songs from 'The Glorious Burden', my favorite of their albums, this career retrospective showcases the best of their 1990's work. Another standout is the booklet, over 20 pages long, with a biography of metal-god guitarist Jon Schaffer and commentary, as well as lyrics. Long live Viking metal!!

I've never been a huge fan of Iced Earth, yet I do quite enjoy them. This greatest hits package is just perfect for people like me. I'm not interested enough to buy their whole catalogue, but it's great to have a couple discs full of all the great songs. The only setback is that there are no songs from their latest cd with Owens, but I still think this is a great double disc set to pick up.

Well, what can I say? It's Iced Earth, it's topnotch. You should definitely get this if you're a casual fan, die hards like me will buy it anyway. Oh, and if you think you're not missing out on anything by not having Days of Purgatory, think again. Matt singing these tunes puts a whole new spin on things. I have nothing against IE's previous singers (Night of the Stormrider got me into IE) Matt just does it better. IMO for the casual fan, get that and this and you won't be disappointed.

Greatest hits albums are generally the record label's attempt to squeeze more money out of people, and sadly this is probably no exception. That said, this is a decent and fairly complete compilation of Iced Earth's catalogue. However, for those not willing to simply buy all their albums (which, excluding the overwrought cheese-fest "The Glorious Burden", are all fantastic), I would greatly recommend getting the band's live album, "Alive in Athens", instead of this. It is one of the best live albums ever made (in terms of both music and recording quality), and the setlist is just perfect.

Musically, this isn't a bad buy, but don't be a sucker. Get the live album instead.

A greatest hits package from Iced Earth is quite appropiate at this point in their career. Jon Schaffer's baby, technically, has seen its highs and lows throughout the years, from constant line up changes to rupturing one of his disks on his neck during a concert. Musically, they've always stayed on top, creating some of the most epic heavy metal, with an emphasis on the heaviness. Songs like "Disciples of the lies" and "Travel in Stygian" showcases just that, while tracks like "Melancholy" show how much power they can throw in a ballad and not sound overtly soft or poppy. This 2-CD package is packed with extensive linear notes from Jon himself in which you can see the tribulations he's gone through to keep his vision alive. Great visual presentation with stunning artwork complete this gem. If you're just getting into this band then this is the perfect vehicle to familiriaze better with them. You will see how they evolved from an early somewhat technical direction to a more straight-forward, stylized form of supreme heavy metal. I guess my only complaint is that many of my favorite songs were not included, but that's just a matter of taste. All hail Iced Earth!

This album was released shortly before Iced Earth moved to a new record label. This is, essentially, just one last cash in attempt by their older label. Not much of the track listing makes sense (like putting the song Damien on the disc titled The Blessed), but they did put most of the bands best songs on here. You would be much better off buying the three disc live album Alive in Athens, of Days of Purgatory.

At least, it's worth the money if you are just getting into Iced Earth. If you already own most of their albums, stop reading now because there are no new songs. The only benefit to you would be the excellent art and liner notes. If, like me, you have heard much about them but heard very little of their actual music, then this is the perfect place to start. There are too many songs to go over each one so I will highlight the best songs on the two discs.

Disc One:
1. Burning Times 9/10- Pretty much the Iced Earth manifesto right here, even though it is slower than some of their songs. Perfect song to lead off a greatest hits package, with vocalist Matt Barlow giving a typical powerful performance.
5. Melancholy 10/10- A powerful ballad off of "Something Wicked This Way Comes." Matt Barlow is fantastic with his emotional vocals.
7. Burnt Offerings 10/10- The greatest heavy metal song of the 1990's (not that there was much competition). You can hear an influence of progressive metal in here as well as hints of death metal. The lyrics look lame but go perfectly with the music. Jon Schaffer has a number of awesome, complex riffs and Matt Barlow's vocals are PERFECT. This is one of the few Iced Earth songs with a memorable guitar solo, a blazing adreniline-pumping solo by Randal Shawver. This is the perfect anger song to make you feel better after a hard day. This disc is highly recommended just for this song.

Disc Two:
1. Angels Holocaust 10/10- This is the re-recorded version from "Days of Purgatory." Jon dislays his trademark galloping riff and probably the only other Iced Earth song with a memorable guitar solo, nearly as fast as the one on "Burnt Offerings."
2. Desert Rain 10/10- This song has the greatest intro of any song EVER made. It seems unfair at first that the intro is blown to shreds by Jon's heavy rhythm guitar, but after a few listens it sounds great. Memorable chorus and several good riffs.
3. Last December 10/10- The lyrics aren't really anything special (looks like it could be about Romeo and Juliet), but it fits with the music perfectly. The song as a whole is fantastic, but the best parts are the PERFECT riff and the powerful and emotional vocals of Matt Barlow. Possibly the greatest metal ballad ever written.
4. Watching Over Me 10/10- Another powerful ballad about the death of Jon's childhood friend. Matt Barlow proves once again what a great vocalist he is with his deep emotions that he conveys in this song.
8. Disciples of the Lie 10/10- At first seems like angry screaming, but several listens will reveal the brilliance of this song. Another great song to listen to when you are really angry.
10. Jack 9/10- One of the few bright spots from the album "Horror Show," which was mostly pure power-metal. This song is closer to thrash.

Iced Earth have been described as a mix of thrash, classic metal (the politically correct term for fantasy-metal), power metal, and progressive metal, but I am going to define their genre once and for all. They are the beginning of the New Wave of American Metal. They, along with Dream Theater, revived metal to the point where it was being listened to by its target audience; angry, white, male teenagers (as opposed to being listened to by 30 year olds with mullets). I wish they had included no songs from their first two albums, instead using the re-recordings from "Days of Purgatory." I usually get angry when bands re-record songs, but this album is worth its weight in gold because the musicianship has been stepped up a notch, while the vocals have been taken up several notches. I wish they had included more songs from "Burnt Offerings," by far their best album, but that is my only complaint. When Matt Barlow left, it was the end of an era, which is why I don't complain about them releasing a greatest hits package before they are done producing music. Matt Barlow's voice and Jon Schaffer's songwriting and galloping riffs defined American metal of the 1990's. This is a must have for any metal fan who is looking to get into Iced Earth.