Musical eras come and go, as do the lineups of his band, but Jon Schaffer stands immoveable. Like his hero, Steve Harris, Jon remains a figurehead of both his own band and a fixture on the landscape of traditional/power metal. Iced Earth’s aptly titled 12th studio album adheres to their many trademarks, fusing fascinating lyrics with riffs as big as oak trees. Clear The Way (December 13th, 1862) is their latest sprawling, bloody reflection upon the theme of America’s revolutionary war, while Seven Headed Whore and Defiance stand proud as sharper and immediate slabs of galloping heavy metal. Lead singer Stu Block isn’t as famous as Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens or as tied to the group’s history as Matt Barlow, but he’s been Jon’s right-hand man for six hugely productive years, even though nobody but Jon hangs around in IE for too long. Nevertheless, Incorruptible isn’t merely the sound of a band, it’s a microcosm of an artist who refuses to go away because he still has too much to say.
Iced Earth - Incorruptible album review
Florida’s power metal mainstays stay true to the cause
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
“Johnny Cougar was not going to amount to a hill of beans. But, son of a bitch, he’s still hanging around all these years later”: How John Mellencamp went from failed pop star to reluctant American icon
“We’d realised that we were not a part of anything else that was going on with the music scene in England, we were doing our own thing”: Dave Gahan on how Black Celebration changed everything for Depeche Mode
“Getting validation from Beavis And Butt-head was much more gratifying. It showed that people do like this band even if your sales may not reflect fame and fortune”: How stoner rock enigmas Clutch became metal’s favourite weirdbeards
