Customer Reviews

I Walk Among You (CDS)

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

 

 

I've been a devoted Iced Earth fan even since a chance discovery of the 1998 "Something Wicked This Way Comes" album. I was lucky to see the "Glorious Burden" show in Providence, RI and have been waiting for another chance ever since. The vocals of Barlow and Owens are very distinct and to me they feel like stone vs. fire. Barlow's voice is strong, dark and steady. Owens' reaches out and grabs you. As far the new "I Walk Alone" single it gets 5 stars. Pure Iced Earth. I give the CD 4 since I personally enjoyed the Owens versions of "Setian Massacre" and "The Clouding" more. I played both versions one after another, again and again, but the Framing Armageddon versions felt more alive and tore harder at me. Still, I expect the new full length album will be another brilliant piece of art.

People people,, comparing vocalists wont lead us anywhere. Matt and Tim cannot simply be compared since they are both with a different style. I respect Jon because he managed to fit his music to both vocalists.
As for Matt, he is the original vocalist, wherever we remember Iced earth we remember Matt..
I loved the new single and the remakes were interesting.
Let's give it a 5... and its worth buying.

Iced Earth are my favorite band, and it seems they can do no wrong. They top themselves every time. Something Wicked, Pt. 1 to me is probably their best yet with it's rich and metaphorical storyline, the bombastic sound effects and atmosphere, and best of all, Jon Schaffer's impeccable rhythms. I absolutely love Tim Owens' vocals, and I find it frustrating that it's become such a big deal to the point where fans are focusing more on who was a better frontman than the music itself. After all, it is Schaffer who started and runs the band, and he is what makes Iced Earth what it is.

This new single is a valued entry in my extensive Iced Earth library, but in all honesty, it's simply because it has their name on the front. Don't get me wrong, "I Walk Alone" is an incredible track, and Barlow sounds better than ever. But the remaining two exist solely to show us how much better of a singer Barlow is than Owens, which I think is unfair and redundant, much like the revamped, Owens-fronted "Wicked" trilogy on the "Overture of the Wicked" EP last year.

Owens and Barlow are two completely different artists, and in comparing them we are losing sight of the incredible music they front.

As I said, though, "I Walk Among You" is a beautiful track, and makes me thirst for "Something Wicked Part 2" even more. It's going to be an incredible album, and I am very happy Barlow is back with my favorite band, if anything just to shut people up so we can focus on why we listen to Iced Earth in the first place.

Wow, I don't know what the author of that previous review is talking about. Perhaps he is a disgruntled Ripper Owens fan. This is the penultimate Iced Earth sound. As soon as I heard Barlow's distinctive growl fronting Shafer's complex, beautiful, and ultimately brutal melodies I got chills. This is Iced Earth. Perhaps it was just his absence, but I swear Barlow's vocals sound better than ever. Don't get me wrong, Owens is a remarkable vocalist, and I think it's unfortunate that he just keeps landing replacement spots in major bands. I would love to hear him fronting his own band. And I still think that if anyone could replace Barlow it's him. However, while it could easily be argued that he is just as good a vocalist as Barlow, he just did not produce the distinctive Iced Earth sound. The Glorious Burdon was an amazing album, and Framing Armageddon was also excellent (though not as remarkable as Burdon). But in just these three songs it is immediately apparent what we missed with Barlow's departure. I cannot stress this enough. Whatever sacrifices we need to make to keep Barlow in the band, fewer shows, more sporadically released albums, whatever, it is worth it. There is a reason that Iced Earth is so often compared to Iron Maiden, and just like Bruce Dickenson with Maiden, Barlow is an integral part of the chemistry and magic that is Iced Earth. Buy this album now.

This single was released basically as a teaser to the Crucible of Man. The lead track (I Walk Alone) is a total rocker. Matt Barlow sounds better than ever. That was to be expected after his great "warm-up" performance on the Pyramaze album "Immortal." I do not want to appear to bash Tim "Ripper" Owens, but this sounds like pure 100% Iced Earth as it should be. Although I am sure I would still love this single even if Ripper was behind the mic.

As far as the other songs, I am indifferent to Setian Massacre. I like this version and the part 1 version equally. It is nice to have the choice though. This version of The Clouding is definitely superior to the Part 1 version. I can not believe how great the re-recorded vocals turned out. Especially approaching the end. Some will say that the original version is better simply because it was done first, but I don't buy that argument at all. It is just the type of song that Matt Barlow's voice compliments very well.

Only complaint is that the CD is missing "A Charge to Keep." That was released as an itunes exclusive. Although it wasn't one of my favorites from the part 1 album, it would be nice to have it on the CD so I don't have to listen to it as a compressed mp3. I actually think the part 1 version of this may be better, so some might say it is a good thing that the band decided to leave this off of the CD version. Either way, that was worth the extra star to me. So I rate it a 4 out of 5.

The Ripper stuff was good but should have been a solo project, THIS IS ICED EARTH with the true voice back at the helm! This is awesome!

Have been a fan of Iced Earth since Burnt Offerings - Matt's voice is the true voice of this incredible outfit. No disrespect to Ripper either. He is a premier vocalist and should stick to fronting his own band. (Beyond Fear) As mentioned before they are 2 very distince vocalists. All that said and done thank the gods Matt is back!!! I will be seeing them on tour and definitely getting the full album. Hail Iced Earth!!!!!

I've been a loyal IE fan for more than 8 years now, and it has been my favorite band ever since. I believe if you call yourself a true IE fan, you know Matt Barlow IS the voice for this band. I don't understand how "The Glorious Burden" and "Framing Armageddon" can be rated by someone as Iced Earth's best, when they truly can't compare to the thrash power of "Night of the Stormrider" (even though it had John Greely on vocals), the melodies and music work in "Something Wicked this way Comes" and "Dark Saga", or the AMAZING vocal prowess in "Alive in Athens".

I recently had the chance to see IE with Barlow back at the Gods of Metal 2008 festival. I can verify that "Declaration Day" and "Ten Thousand Strong" (originally by Ripper) were sung by Barlow in their greatest form. Whoever says Barlow can't hit the high tones Ripper can, obviously isn't fully aware of this vocalist's abilities.

Now, the 5 star rating for this single is obviously because of Matt's return. Even though he "covers" 2 songs originally sung by Ripper, the band itself sounds a lot heavier (the arrangements for Ripper's higher voice affected IE's original sound), like it has for all these years.

Having Barlow re-sing these songs isn't any more blasphemous than having Ripper re-make the Something Wicked trilogy (which I honestly can't listen to). Matt's voice is what gives IE its heavy "thrashy" sound; and even if I can't complain about Ripper's performance (he is a truly talented singer), I'm still amazed at statements like "Ripper sounds better", or "The last 2 IE's records were the best". Seriously, I think you need to listen to the band's earlier work to appreciate its original sound, and come to the conclusion that it is a really good band... its just not awesome without Barlow.

I preordered this album here on Amazon. I eagerly awaited its arrival. I tossed in my CD player the moment it arrived and closed my eyes and enjoyed what I love about Iced earth. The haunting melodies interwoven with the power!!! I loved Ripper in Iced Earth, Priest, Beyond Fear and hoping for Yngvie to be good (but I hope he lets Ripper write the lyrics, Yngvie sure can't). I loved Barlow in Iced earth and if you haven't heard PYRAMAZE with Barlow, you won't be disapointed.

MY POINT. Ripper and Barlow are both incredible vocalists, you cannot compare them the way most reviewers on here are. They are both incredible, both haunting when they want to be and both able to get you out of your seat with a scream.

THIS SINGLE is a wonderful taste of what is to come. That is all. Get it, listen to it, enjoy it. Both versions of the re recorded songs are good, albeit different. One may say one is better, that is total OPINION!!

Listen to it yourself. If you like Iced Earth, Priest, Pyramaze, Nightwish, Beyond Fear or any other metal, prog metal, or whatever other genre they can create then you win't be disappointed.

P.S. Only got 4 stars due to the fact that it is not enough music. I want more.. And this Itunes exclusive crap for the 4th track sucks.

Thank you.

And yet I feel I must be the only person who cried when I heard Tim Owens was replaced by Matthew Barlow... made even worse by the fact that I only learned of this four months after the fact.

I love Matt Barlow and think he is one of the greatest singers in the world. And I love Tim Owens as well... Tim Owens is my favorite vocalist.

And so Iced Earth, one of my all time favorite bands, has departed with my all time favorite vocalist. And just after the spellbinding and groundbreaking albums featuring Owens "The Glorious Burden" and "Framing Armageddon".

I had thought it almost insulting to Matt Barlow to have Tim Owens re-record the original Something Wicked trilogy "Prophecy", "The Coming Curse", and "Birth of the Wicked" for "Overture of the Wicked" prior to Framing Armageddon's release... then I see it happen to Tim Owens even more scathingly so as Matt Barlow is used to re-record "Setian Massacre" and "The Clouding"... but only the voice is re-recorded, whereas with Tim Owens, the entire song was re-recorded.

I love the song (the new song) but as I said, I love Tim Owens, and Framing Armageddon was very strongly ingrained with Owens's vocal stylings. As great as Matt Barlow is, he is not the voice of Set Abominae for me.