After a career that spans nearly thirty years since the days of Purgatory, Iced Earth have slowly but surely built up a dedicated, rabid fan base. Despite the constantly shifting lineup changes in the early 2000s, the faith that the fans have in main man Jon Schaffer has remained constant. After losing the talismanic Matt Barlow for a second time, Stu Block (formerly of Into Eternity) has stepped into the fold to provide the voice that Iced Earth need.

From the finale of the Something Wicked saga, we’re cast forward in time to darker, more relevant lyrical content. Even the title track itself, Dystopia, bristles with the fiery defiance that the band’s roaring anthems (no pun intended) embody perfectly. The classic Iced Earth signature sounds are in there, the machine gun riffing on the bottom E string is perhaps lessened on Dystopia then previous records, but the spidery 9ths and variety of obtuse chord accents penetrate the album completely, Soylent Green‘s meandering riff snaking sublimely under Stu’s concrete voice.

Speaking of the man himself, getting right to the point, he completely delivers. From the vicious lows he barks in Days Of Rage, to the shrieks he sustains in the backing vocals and especially during the finale of Anthem. The fantastic emotional performance in End Of Innocence completely takes you by surprise, demonstrating a totally unexpected versatility that until now he may not have completely displayed. The backing vocals especially are impressive with (I assume) the rest of the band joining in. The album fades on the chorus of Tragedy & Triumph as everyone joins in on the refrain. While the lyrical content does lend significantly to the recent Sons Of Liberty project, it’s reined in by the dark, fantastical twist that Iced Earth lyrics are renowned for.

Dystopia brings a few new additions to the table as well. As minor as it is, acoustic guitars that aren’t drenched in reverb really complement Stu’s voice in Anguish Of Youth. The standard Iced Earth clean tone makes an appearance at the beginning of Dark City, a song that also throws Troy Seele out to the front and seems to say “You’re a guitarist, play a solo!”. While perhaps his tone may not have been as much his choice as he’d like, as it sounds like every solo sound since Days Of Purgatory, the actual stuff his fingers come out with is absolutely titanic and is some of the best lead work on any Iced Earth record to date.

Iced Earth prove, once again, they are still very much alive and have made their strongest album in the last decade. A stone cold classic, and just as heavy

8/10