SPV/Replica
Release : September 2008

Tracklist “The Crucible Of man” (Something Wicked, Part 2) :
In Sacred Flames
Behold The Wicked Child
Minions Of The Watch
The Revealing
A Gift Or A Curse
Crown Of The Fallen
The Dimension Gauntlet
I Walk Alone
Harbinger Of Fate
Crucify The King
Sacrificial Kingdoms
Something Wicked (Part 3)
Divide And Devour
Come What May
Epilogue

This is the last album from Iced Earth and the second part of “Something Wicked” with “The Crucible Of Man”. This album is also the come back of the vocalist Matt Barlow in the group.
After an intro « In Sacred Flames »with female and male choirs and guitars to accompany them at the beginning, the track becomes heavier and symphonic towards its end; we enter directly in Iced Earth’s world with « Behold The Wicked Child », powerful track on the vocals level as well as on the instrumental one but which stays in the vein of the compositions of the previous albums. The tracks are as a whole powerful with changing in rhythms and in ambiences and the whole of it is relatively epic and give efficient refrains. Matt Barlow ensures with brio his vocals parts, power and melody and still here whatever it is on the powerful and fast tracks, like among others « I Walk Alone » or on slower tracks such as « Harbinger Of Fate ». Jon Schaffer’s riffs are heavy and powerful and the soli well done, he is always in search of complex passages to give richer its songs.
The album mixes powerful, epic tracks, sometimes fast other times slower ones but always melodic. At the end « The Crucible Of Man » is a good album which maybe lacking of some rapidity on some tracks but which will please the fans of the group.

Line up :
Matt Barlow (chant) (vocals)
Jon Schaffer (guitare/backing vocals) ) (guitar/backing vocals)
Troy Seele (guitare) (guitars)
Freddie Vidales (basse) (bass)
Brent Smedley (batterie) (drums)

Contacts :
http://www.icedearth.com
http://www.myspace.com/icedearth