Iced Earth

On Tour
Play Radio
Listen to Iced Earth Radio, featuring artists like Demons & Wizards, Pyramaze, Blind Guardian, Grave Digger and more…

18,433,085 plays (413,710 listeners)

Shop now at Amazon | Send Iced Earth Ringtones to Cell
More options
Add to my Library

Tampa, Florida (1984 – present)

Iced Earth is an American band that combine and / genres in their music. The band was formed by Jon Schaffer, the lead songwriter and rhythm guitarist, in Tampa, Florida in 1984. The original name of the band was Purgatory but was then changed to Iced Earth.

Iced Earth’s music is often described as the style of Iron Maiden combined with 80’s thrash metal. The most distinctive element of the band’s sound is the stuttering right-hand gallop of rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer, which sounds something like the ‘eighth-note, two-sixteenth-notes’ gallop made famous by Iron Maiden’s bass player/songwriter Steve Harris (in such songs as “Run to the Hills”, “The Trooper”, and “Caught Somewhere in Time”), varied rhythmically. Overtop of this gallop are typically laid strong melodic hooks, sometimes doubled by two guitars playing in harmony. The vocals are often high-pitched, but express a full range, while the rhythm section uses thrash and power metal techniques such as double-bass-drumming to keep the speed and energy high. Iced Earth’s drummer is known for his frequent use of drags and flams on the bass drum.

Today, Jon is the only original member in the band, having changed multiple guitarists, drummers, and vocalists. The two most recognized vocalists of the band are Matt Barlow and Tim Ripper Owens, the former vocalist of Judas Priest. Matt Barlow ended up marrying Jon’s sister, making Matt the brother-in-law of Jon Schaffer.
Read more… Edit

Popular tags: power metal, heavy metal, metal, thrash metal, progressive metal  See more

Shouts: 3,533 shouts

Share this artist:

Top Albums

See more

Top Tracks

1
644
2
634
3
631
4
618
5
567
6
506
7
V
484
8
483
9
451
9
451
11
415
11
415
13
414
14
409
15
399
Buy all tracks at Amazon MP3
See more

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

  • Ritual_Suicide

    Jon probably had more to do with the way Stu sang on Dystopia than anything else.

    4 hours ago

  • Piske81

    Stu is surely a great singer, maybe the problem is a little lack of personality, he tries too much to sound like Matt and Ripper, but I can understand that, he wanted to be accepted by IE fans and let everybody hear that he knows what is dealing with, Iced Earth is no Into Eternity and he couldn't sing as he used to in that band. Now that the first step has been made (Dystopia), I'm sure on the next album he will be able to show more personality!

    yesterday evening

  • mitth77

    best Iced Earth = with Matt Barlow : d

    Wednesday afternoon

  • FilthyBorgir

    try out Mystic Prophecy if you're looking for a new power metal band! They're fucking great!

    Monday afternoon

  • Munkwunk

    I just saw Iced Earth with Symphony X in Portland last night. Anyone who says Stu Block isn't up to the task, let me politely suggest that you go see them live. Matt Barlow will always be one of my favorite vocalists, but Stu Block KILLED. His performance was top-notch and, I dare say, he handled some of Barlow's old parts just as well (if not, I hesitate to admit, even better) than the originals. Stu Block is the perfect replacement for Barlow, and I hope they let him rip loose as much on their next album as he did live last night!

    Sunday morning

  • Kellsr9

    Stu vocals on Dystopia isn't good as it used to be when he was a member of Into Eternity. Too bad. I wish he was back to IE... Iced Earth should get someone else instead of him. Iced is just unfit for Block, isn't technical enough..

    last week

  • TheMukeyMu

    Scorched Earth Policy

    last week

  • Bolthorn79

    Iced Earth made our MSRcast 121: 2011 Rewind Part 2 http://www.metalinjection.net/podcasts/msrcast/msrcast-121-2011-rewind-part-2

    12 days ago

  • PuroMetal666

    Iced Fucking Earth

    13 days ago

  • xSKHRNYKHSKx

    Iced Earth - Mob Rules (Black Sabbath Cover) - http://www.mediaboom.org/364454-iced-earth-dystopia-itunes-exclusive-bonus-track-2011.html

    13 days ago

  • Nordmar_Hammer

    You say Miley Cyrus-I say Led Zepplin You say Flowers-I say Accept You say Pink-I say Iron Maiden You say Hip Hop-i say shut the fuck up You say Pop-I scream Heavy Metal! You say Hannah Montana-i fucking punch you in the face 92% of teenagers have turned to Hip Hop and Pop.If you are part of the 8% that still listen to real music,copy and paste this message to another 5 bands.DONT LET THE SPIRIT OF ROCK DIE!

    14 days ago

  • TrebuchetUK

    Confirmed for Bloodstock! http://www.trebuchet-magazine.com/index.php/site/item/sepultura_and_iced_earth_on_the_bill_at_bloodstock/

    18 days ago

  • Rogoza88

    After couple of years power metal is getting boring, but I always like to go back to Iced Earth :).

    18 days ago

  • SepulTeraHead

    Damn, I should make an Iced Earth cover band and name it Ked Earth.

    19 days ago

  • veroniska

    they put on a great show friday night! love love loved it!!

    19 days ago

  • dp263

    mmm ... their latest album "dystopia" sounds better, than i've ever expected ... will probably take some more plays for me to decide, whether i definetely like it or not but from the first hearing, it sounds not too bad :-)

    19 days ago

  • dp263

    yeah, you are right ... "curse the sky" is great!

    19 days ago

  • DarkEpitaph

    Curse the Sky is one of their best imo, it's a shame they never play it live... same with Mystical End

    19 days ago

  • dp263

    @McMartin06: i would definitely recommend "night of the stormrider", too ... but the first album is fucking awesome, too ... check it out!

    19 days ago

  • dp263

    can't help ... i love "the path i choose". imo definitely one of their best tracks. the guitar at the beginning is so typical iced earth ... fucking awesome.

    19 days ago
See all 3,533 shouts

Videos

See more

Events

See more Add event

News

ICED EARTH ANNOUNCE FIRST-EVER DATES IN AUSTRALIA

23 Nov 2011 | from blog.myspace.com/icedearth

Fans in Oz get ready: Iced Earth is heading Down Under. "We are extremely happy to finally play in Australia for the first time," Schaffer said. "It is something that is way overdue and I am …

Add comment

See more

Listening Now

Top Listeners

See more

Recent Activity

Related Journals

See more

Groups (516)

See more

More Information

Links
Band Members
Labels
“The Last.fm of Confidence.”

More Last.fm Sites: Blog | Music Manager | Build | Playground (Subscriber VIP zone) | Best of 2011

© 2012 Last.fm Ltd. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | Updated Feb 11, 2009
Some user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Text may also be available under the GNU Free Documentation License.