Matt Barlow has once again left, so welcome Canadian, former Into Eternity singer Stu Block as Iced Earth's fifth lead vocalist for "Dystopia" the tenth studio album from American have metal troopers Iced Earth. "Dystopia" is everything you would expect from an Iced Earth release, with Block's vocal range bringing the band into territory that they've never quite reached before. Block doesn't sound unlike Barlow, but his voice is much more powerful, with a bigger range, and brings a new sound to a band who have been accused of stagnating in the past.
Not to say that "Dystopia" is a wild departure for Iced Earth though, as even on a first casual listen, it's very obvious who you are listening. But again, that's no bad thing - no-one wants to hear Iced Earth do a black metal album for example - as the songs feel instantly familiar, and there are tracks on this album which sound like they could be live staples for years to come.
"Anthem" is just that, an anthemic heavy metal song reminiscent of the original "Something Wicked..." album (the "Something Wicked" saga continues on the album's opening and closong tracks if anyone's keeping score by the way) while "End of Innocence", a song written by Block about his terminally ill mother, has all the hallmarks of a classic Iced Earth metal ballad in the vein of "I Died For You" and "Watching Over Me". In fact, Block's lyrical contributions to eight of the twelve (on the special edition) songs on the album give another songwriting dimension to the band whose lyrics have been dominated by Jon Schaffer's (admittedly very strong) contributions over the years.
"Dystopia" is not a perfect album, but well over 20 years since their first release, it is highly impressive and inspiring to see this band still producing material of this quality. The members may be a revolving door, but the music never seems to suffer.
****
Watch: "Dystopia"
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