Horror Show

Iced Earth | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B00005K9ZU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,504 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #51 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Progressive
  • #97 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Hard Rock & Metal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do the monster mash!, November 27, 2001

By 

Lord Chimp (Monkey World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horror Show (Audio CD)

Anyone who suspected Iced Earth might get lazy for their last release with Century Media would have never seen this one coming...

Horror Show, while not consistently the band's strongest writing, does tend to exhibit more progressive songwriting. It's still Iced Earth -- Schaffer's devastating chugga-chugga riffing, Barlow's dynamic voice -- but there's also a good deal of diversity and musical exploration. For those who expected a bunch of CHEESE coming out of the Horror Show's theme -- which, obviously, deals with monsters from popular literature and film sources -- you will be impressed to see that there is none. Lyrically, the band maturely handles the true nature of the subjects: the mournful romance of "Dracula"; the arrogance and obsession of "Frankenstein"; the ill-starred tragedy of "The Phantom Opera Ghost." Schaffer's lyrics on "Dracula" are especially stirring (with clever internal rhyming to boot!). "Do you believe in love?"

Before I talk more about the horror theme and its songs, I want to mention the one song that contrasts with the main subject matter. That song is "Ghost of Freedom," which, aside from being one of my favorite Iced Earth songs, is one of my favorite songs by _anyone_. It's difficult to describe the music in such a way that I explain its power. It's familiar territory for the band -- largely acoustic, with a heavy section during Tarnowky's lead, not unlike "Consequences" from Something Wicked. The ending is SO powerful. I guess it's best described as a "patriotic power ballad." Barlow's lyric is beautiful -- a tribute to those who have fought for our freedom through the years. It is especially poignant with the painful resonance of the Sept. 11 attacks... "Ghost of Freedom" captures the heroic spirit of national loyalty that has encapsulated the US for all these years. Bravo to Iced Earth for creating a song that identifies and preserves that spirit. I also say that anyone who says a metal band can't have soul is incurably stupid.

Anyway...Monsters! We all like monsters! I'm especially a fan of vampires, so "Dracula" is naturally a favorite of mine. It's not just the vampire I like though...it's the omnipresent sense of romance, even heard in the tormented, fierce vocals of Barlow and the characteristically heavy riffing of Schaffer. "Dracula" is one of Barlow's best vocal performances ever. Over the acoustic beginning, he presents an anguished, plaintive character. When the epic, melodic-but-heavy riffing kicks in, he commands a similar tone, but suffused with added wrath. That's emotion! The band also packs reams of passion into "The Phantom Opera Ghost," where Barlow is joined by female vocalist Yunhui Percifield as Christine. She's a pretty little singer (whose enunciation suffers on a few lines, but nobody's perfect), and her interaction with Barlow is part of what makes this song so good. The emotional level is heavy, and the songs dynamics run from as peaceful as a placid woodland pool (mandolins!) to as violent and inclement as a storm (heavy sh!t!!). The heavy moments of this song are truly some of Iced Earth's most brutal rhythms.

This review may be suggesting that Horror Show is a romantic album, but I want to say that's not always the true. One listen to the thundering opener "Wolf" will make my case. The best word to describe this song is "sick." New drummer Richard Christy (formerly of Death) rides the double-bass drums so fast it sounds LITERALLY inhuman. Seriously! It's so fast, I don't think it's good for my heart. (I like it though...sometimes pain is fun.) The de facto chugging riffs pummel with full force, and Barlow's murderous bellows are truly bestial. "Dragon's Child," based on the creature from the Black Lagoon, is a melodic track with mid-tempo, tuneful riffing and myth-like lyrics from Barlow. "Im-Ho-Tep" implements a mesmerizing Eastern chord progression over a crunchy, staggering riff.

And it looks like Set Abominae has competition as the Anti-Christ! The 9-minute "Damien" delivers a frightening account of the malevolent son of Satan. An evil bass line layers gothic choir work before muscular rhythms grind around Barlow's baneful singing (with a cool "high-over-low" vocal harmony). With its orchestral instrumental interplay, prophetic chorus, evil narrative interlude, and spooky piano outro, it comes close to the symphonic/progressive metal of bands like Symphony X. It's interesting new territory for the band. Memorable line: "I embrace the hounds of hell and the power they oblige."

Perfectly fitting is the band's cover of Iron Maiden's classic instrumental "Transylvania." I don't have the 2CD limited edition of Horror Show, so "Transylvania" is stuck between "Dragon's Child" and "Frankenstein" on my CD. It fits well, methinks. Anyhow, the fact that this song sounds so suitable is a declaration of Schaffer's strong Maiden influence. I like Maiden, so that's nothing but goodness!

Hmm...this review is getting pretty long, so I'll end here. Let's just say that Iced Earth is better than you, so you should buy Horror Show and grovel before its greatness.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Iced Earth keeps carrying the torch, March 12, 2002

By 

Steve Maxwell (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horror Show (Audio CD)

To start off with, Horror Show is a truly great metal album. With that said, I think the casual metal fan will take a while to warm up to Horror Show because it is a concept album. If you're already an Iced Earth fan and you've read the interviews on the website and listen to the 2nd CD, you'll know ahead of time what to expect and the whole CD will become more accessible.

When I first listened to Horror Show, I thought the engineering sounded a lot different from past IE discs. It didn't turn me off or anything, it just struck me as different. Musically, every track is classic Iced Earth. What that means is driving rythm guitar like no other band I know of coupled with Barlow's timeless vocals (Barlow had to be put on earth specifically to be IE's lead singer). All the songs are full of pure driving energy (with a little drop-off with the Creature from the Black Lagoon song, "Dragon's Child"). "Jack" and "Phantom Opera Ghost" are two instant classics, imho.

I think if you look at the progression from Maiden's "Phantom of the Opera" to Iced Earth's "Phantom Opera Ghost", you realize that IE is one of the main bands keeping metal alive as an art.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So good it will scare you!, October 17, 2001

By 

The Wickerman (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horror Show (Audio CD)

I'll have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I first got this album. But, I gave it time, and now I think it is great, possibly their best yet. I'm just now coming to terms with the fact that an album could actually be better than "Something Wicked", but I figure if anyone can do it, it's Iced Earth. Here's a song-by-song review:

1. Wolf- Fast, hard-hitting opener. Has sort of a Blind Guardian-ish feel to it. Any BG fan would probably like it. Matt even kinda sounds like Hansi in some parts. Great song.

2. Damien- Oh my god! This has got to be one of the most perfect songs ever written. Starting with an eerie choir, followed by a cool little acoustic thing, just before the heavy riffs hit hard. Brilliant song, with a great chorus. The spoken word thing is great too. I wonder if Sam Neill has heard this song?

3. Jack- Hmm, kind of weak for IE, but still better than most of the stuff on MTV. Great riff, but the chorus is just so goofy. I think their cover of "The Ripper" would have been much better.

4. Ghost of Freedom- Time to be blown away again. Unbelievable ballad, with a great concept. I seriously think this should be our new national anthem. If we all banded together and sang this song in one voice, not a terrorist group in the world could touch us.

5. Im-Ho-Tep (Pharaoh's Curse)- I love songs with mid-eastern themes. Great hypnotic riff, and a killer drum intro from Richard Christy.

6. Jeckyll & Hyde- Good song, but it could have been better. I think they should have split it into two distinct parts, one for Jeckyll and one for Hyde. Oh, well. The part where Matt is talking to himself is hilarious.

7. Dragon's Child- Irresistibly great song. Semi-melodic riff, catchy chorus. Just awesome.

8. Frankenstein- No, it's not the Edgar Winter song. This is kind of a short, mid-paced track, with crushingly heavy rhythms. I love that line in the chorus, "I will create in my own image, if God can then why can't I?" Too cool.

9. Dracula- Kind of epic. Starts off soft and acoustic, then rocks hard by the end. Great vocals from Matt. Kind of a Blind Guardian-ish chorus.

10. Phantom Opera Ghost- Another masterpiece of a song. Great female vocals on this one. She's probably not the best choice for this song, but not bad. She sounds sort of like Gwen Stefani, only a little better. Anyway, just a great song, definitely the best duet ever. I love the part where Matt screams "If I can't have you, no one will!".

11. Transylvania- Iced Earth covering Maiden? What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack? Unbelievable interpretation of the classic instrumental. The solos aren't quite as good, but really, who else can solo like Dave Murray? Near perfect cover.

All in all, a brilliant album, the undisputed best of 2001. The new Ozzy, Transatlantic, and Sonata Arctica are the only other albums from this year that even came close. This is so far the best album of the new millenium, other than Maiden's "Brave New World", and one of the top five best albums ever made. If you love metal, you cannot be without this. Hail Iced Earth!