Ink 19

Here we have the latest album from Nuclear Assault, er I mean Iced Earth (it’s an old metalhead joke). It seems like this band has decided that nothing is going to stop them no matter what the cost. Iced Earth has always kept true to the style of metal that they like best. I have called them Thrash or Speed metal in the past, but that is a little unfair; they do branch out while keeping in touch with all forms of metal before the death metal era. This album is not great departure from that style, it’s just more quality music for fans that enjoy this type of music. To this day, I am a still a true hater of metal ballads, so I won’t talk about that aspect of the album. Instead I’m going to talk about the really thrashed-out tunes like “Stand Alone,” “My Own Savior” and “Birth of the Wicked” from their “Something Wicked Trilogy.” This album may not be for everybody, but those of us who have followed metal in all its different forms over the years can appreciate a band of this caliber. Century Media, 1453-A 14th St., Suite 324, Santa Monica, CA 90404; http://www.centurymedia.com

Jeremy Wernow