ICED
EARTH
Iced Earth are one of the
most famous metal bands in Greece. This year they have a new member in
the band, Tim “Ripper” Owens (ex Judas Priest) and they released another
masterpiece album called “The Glorious Burden”. Let’s see what the mastermind
of the band Mr. Jon Schaffer and Tim Owens have to say to Behind The Veil.
BTV: From what I have heard so
far, many of the songs of “The Glorious Burden” sound more aggressive than
before. What music direction did you want to give to the sound of your
new album.
Jon Schaffer: What direction? (laughs)
well it is done now. It’s Iced Earth man. It’s dynamic like all the stuff,
you can find heavy parts, melodic parts and orchestral parts, fast parts,
slow parts. Every emotion that we have it’s there.
BTV: I was impressed by Waterloo song,
there is something different about it..
Jon Schaffer: Different…..
Tim Owens: I think that it’s a classic
stuff Jon wrote but it’s different because there is a new singer (laughs).
You know the voice is different. If you are get used to a voice and then
you hear the same song with a new one, then it sounds a bit different.
BTV: can you tell me in short the concept
of the Glorious Burden? Besides the American Civil war, are there any other
songs with different concept?
Jon Schaffer: Yes, there are other
songs. You know “The Glorious Burden” is not a concept album, but there
are songs with military history. The first song, “Declaration Day” is about
is the declaration statement of the American Revolution. “When the eagle
cries “ is related to the 11th of September. “Waterloo” is about Napoleon,
the battle of Waterloo, “Red Baron/Blue Max” is about the German Fighter
pilot.
BTV: What kind of problems did you
experience with the production procedure? I read your statement on June
2 and told through your web board to the fans of Iced Earth that you have
some technical problems with the voice of Matt Barlow in the “Gettysbourg”
song. You could not find the appropriate mixing to the sound. How
did you surpass this problem? Did you experience any other problems?
Jon Schaffer: Other problems….
Tim Owens: No….(laughs)
Jon Schaffer: Well, as you know,
we had this problem when we are mixing the record in our studio in Florida.
When we are mixing “Gettysbourg”, I wasn’t very satisfied. It didn’t have
the right passion. Mat was going though emotions and he couldn’t manage,
he could put his heart into them, and that was acceptable for this record.
BTV: Did you experience the same problems
with the “Horror Show” album? As a fan, I felt something strange in that
album, but I couldn’t explain it.
Jon Schaffer: Well in the Horror
Show, Mat did his best job, his best performance. But it was the album
that started the problems. He was going through emotional phase and that
was the beginning of his end with the Iced Earth. He did a very good job,
but he couldn’t be so emotional. His heart wasn’t “there” much.
BTV: Well Tim, before you left Judas
priest it was said that you would be a guest musician, now will you be
a regular member of the band?
Tim Owens: Yeah! Definitely! You
know I did the vocals before Judas Priest and I split so, and that’s all
it was going to be, I really enjoyed the album, there was an opportunity
to sing for Iced Earth and I left it to see what is going to happen in
the future. More likely we were going to work with Jon in the future somehow.
And then we split with Judas Priest and I thought that this would be the
best decision to join Iced Earth, the opportunity came up. I listened a
couple of times to the records, I went back home and I returned again after
my split with Judas Priest. I think that it was the best decision, definitely
the best decision. I wanted to be sure that my heart was going to be inside
the album. I didn’t want to be just a singer that worked with Iced Earth.
BTV: How well do you think you are
going to perform the songs from the previous albums of Iced Earth. In Judas
Priest you had to overcome a colossal name like Rob Halford and I think
you managed it very well, now you have to face up the trademark voice of
Matt Barlow. How are you going to perform live? In the songs I heard I
noticed that you can change your voice a lot, you can be melodic and as
rough as you have to be to perform the Iced Earth songs, How do you manage
to do that.
Tim Owens: Oh, I just what I do
man, it was something that I was blessed with. I was fortunate to have
this voice, but I work with it. I am not lazy either. I work to change
my voice, I work to learn, I work hard, and like to sing in different ways
I would be quite bored If I sound the same in every song I sing or every
record. It’s what I do, I want to feel every song I sing. I think the fans
are possibly going to be surprised.
BTV: Jon , in your previous tour, when
you came for two live shows in Greece, it was said that you are planing
to make a DVD in the Sporting Hall Show. But you didn’t make it, did you
have to cancel it because the departure of Matt Barlow?
Jon Schaffer: No, we didn’t make
it, it was a talk about a DVD, but that was all. There are a lot of times
that many things are discussed and people think that its concrete, and
it’s going to happen. We didn’t make it, that had nothing to do with Matt
because that time, we didn’t know that we are going to split.
BTV: In your statement on June 2nd
you called the music business as an illusion, a big lie. Can you give me
an explanation about this. The fans want to know. How is the music
business actually and not in the dreams of the fantasies of the musicians.
Jon Schaffer: The music business
is an illusion, you built up an image and then the record companies give
direction to the people, to the fans, They give a look, a selling look
, they make photos and make people believe that we are the persons in the
photos and not real persons. The fans believed that Matt was the person
from the photos and he acts in real life, in the same way that he acts
on stage. And that’s not the real Matt Barlow. People tend to be obsessed
with their fantasies.But they don’t know the real people behind the image.
And what I said in my statement is real and honest. The music business
is fake. For the most part, I think Iced Earth is honest band. I am the
same person wherever I go. Matt was different people in his real life.
I think that people must no be so obsessed with their fantasies about individual
artists, they must focus with their own eyes and not with other’s eyes.
What I wanted to say with that statement is that people tend to be carried
away by other people. I am not saying that what Iced Earth do is a lie,
it’s not a lie, it’s real. There is honesty behind every decision we make
and every song we sing, but in general music business is a lie, a big lie.
Take a product, built an image and then you sell it. And the artists behind
this image are totally different.
BTV: Tim, I saw you in a rockwave festival
which Judas Priest were headlines, and you were very energetic, you had
effect on the people, you climbed in the stairs. What people can expect
from you in Iced Earth shows?
Tim Owens: Well I was younger (laughs),
I was 2001 and I was getting to my own self. I am not energetic, I don’
think that they expect to run all around, I am energetic with my fists
and in my voice…
BTV: I liked the robe you wore…
Tim Owens: My Robe yeah, and my
glasses…I am sure that it was my glasses (laughs). You know I will be up
there, angry with a little smile. I want to have fun on stage. I take my
singing seriously but I want to have fun and sense of humor. Before I go
on stage I might be bitching about something but when I am on stage I forget
everything and I want to have fun. That people saw on the Priest shows,
I have blasts on the stage. We will see how I am going to be on the stage,
we haven’t decided yet… but I don’t like the midgets on the shows, yeap
definitely I don’t like midgets(laughs).
BTV: Jon, your last show with Iced
Earth was very impressing, you had many sceneries, you changed costumes
and many effects. What can we expect in “The Glorious Burden Tour”?
Jon Schaffer: It’s not going to
be the same, the last tour was a very special gift to the fans, you can
say that it was a presentation of the Iced Earth History and we are not
going to do that again. We will make something different, something new,
something cool but we haven’t figured out how the show is going to be.
It’s going to be awesome, we will play a lot of new stuff, the people are
going to get excited because the new album is very powerful. In the Horror
show they were songs that I wanted to put out but I couldn’t, in the Glorious
Burden almost every song is a blast. We have a lot of stuff to choose from
between “The Glorious Burden”, “The Dark Saga”, “Something Wicked” and
the “Stormrider”. I think that these are the best albums we’ve ever done.
But with no doubt “ The Glorious Burden” is by far the best.
BTV: You both do projects. Tim
you said you are going to make a metal project that will sound like Pantera.
Tim Owens: Yes, I think that I
will do that, I am going to do side projects. It’s on my plans, it’s going
to be a heavy metal record without midgets! I am going to make an in your
face, sing along record. I am still writing it, I have 4-5 songs recorded
on a demo, I cant wait to do it. On the time that Jon will make the next
album of Demons and Wizards, I will do my own project. It’s going to be
different from what I do with Iced Earth.
BTV: You made me a very good pass for
my next question. Jon when it’s going to happen the next Demons & Wizards
album?
Jon Schaffer: I am just started
working on. We have 10-9 songs about 8-9 months ago and Hansi is working
on them, I think probably next year it’s going to be ready. He is very
busy with Blind Guardian, I am very busy with Iced Earth it’s going to
take some time, but it’s going to be awesome.
BTV: Because we had a short interview,
I want you to tell me in short, maybe a YES or NO, did you have hard feelings
about splitting you Tim with Judas Priest and you Jon with Matt Barlow.
Tim Owens: No
Jon Schaffer: No, I think I am happier
than ever, I think that this was the best thing that happened to Iced Earth.
And the best thing that happed to Matt because he needs to find out what
he really is . He was not living his life the way he wanted and that’s
not a good think to do, I wish only the best for Matt, we had a lot of
good times in the previous years, I am glad that he is gone, I am glad
that he have to do, what he needs to do. I think that Tim and I are going
to have a long period together and kick some ass.
BTV:I also think that Tim was the best
decision.
BTV: When are you planing to come to
Greece?
Jon Schaffer: I don’t know, but
we will be here, we are making the Tour book and we don’t know yet, but
we will be here, definitely man. Greece is like home of Iced Earth. We
will be here.
BTV: Thank you very much!
Jon Schaffer: Thank you man!
Costas “C.O.B” Meidanis
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