Iced Earth

Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida, and currently based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer and original drummer Greg Seymour. Iced Earth released their debut album in 1990 and have since released twelve studio albums, four EPs, three compilations, three box sets, three live albums and eleven music videos.

After releasing the demo EP Enter the Realm (1989) and signing to Century Media Records, the band released two full-length studio albums – Iced Earth (1990) and Night of the Stormrider (1991) – before taking a two-year hiatus from 1992 to 1994, after which the band returned with new lead vocalist Matt Barlow. Iced Earth went on to release four studio albums with him in over half a decade: Burnt Offerings (1995), The Dark Saga (1996), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) and Horror Show (2001).

After Horror Show, Barlow quit the band and joined the police force, while Iced Earth continued on with Tim “Ripper” Owens, formerly of Judas Priest, on vocals. With Owens, the band released two studio albums (2004’s The Glorious Burden and 2007’s Framing Armageddon). In late 2007, Barlow rejoined the band, and they recorded one more album with him: The Crucible of Man (2008). In 2011, Barlow once again left Iced Earth, and was replaced by Into Eternity frontman Stu Block. Dystopia, Block’s first album with the group, was released that October; the album received a positive response, while some critics called it one of Iced Earth’s best albums. The group recorded two more albums with Block: Plagues of Babylon (2014) and Incorruptible (2017).

Before arriving at their current lineup, Iced Earth has had numerous line-up changes, with founder Jon Schaffer as the only founding member remaining. As of 2021, there have been over thirty musicians in and out of Iced Earth since its formation in 1984.

The band is composed solely of Schaffer and drummer Brent Smedley, with all other band members having departed following Schaffer’s January 2021 arrest by the FBI for his involvement in the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Schaffer is in FBI custody on felony charges, which has generated new publicity for Iced Earth and has resulted in the band being dropped from their longtime label Century Media.

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