ICED EARTH — Dystopia (review)

ICED EARTH — Dystopia album cover Album · 2011 · US Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Stephen
'Dystopia' featured the debut performance of Stu Block, ex-singer of INTO ETERNITY, that replaced Matt Barlow and many doubt how Stu will carry ICED EARTH's torch, maybe because he has a different style of singing, but honestly this album clears the smoke and I think this is a really very good album, a huge surprise to see their progress, and I consider this a big scene-comeback after laying low for a while.

The first track is fast paced, wrapped with a fantastic riffs, and a highly melodic chorus. A nice move to start the album, and the next track, 'Anthem', started slow, reminds me of METALLICA's 'Sad But True' chugging style, is also good, though I kinda favor the string mix on the bonus track. Another reason to go after the special edition is the other bonus track, 'Iron Will', is a monster, I can't think how ICED EARTH can compose such furious riffs yet very melodic.

'Boiling Point' is bone-cracking and you can hear how Stu scream his lungs out here, another awesome short track, and 'Anguish of Youth' sounds so contrast, an accessible ballad for the non-metal community. I found this to be okay, nothing's special, and I felt the same way with the other ballad, 'End of Innocence', but a bold move to put such things because their loyal fans might not dig it.

'Days of Rage' and 'Soylent Green' are quite average to me, but 'Dark City' and 'Equilibrium' are two big songs here. 'Dark City' reminds me a lot of IRON MAIDEN, especially on the riffs part, while 'Equilibrium' is incredibly fast, stampeding, and also very catchy. Other fans might rate this higher, but to me, a 80% is quite reasonable and a must-try if you're a fan of the band or curious to see how Stu blend with ICED EARTH here.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

A Sonication Technical Death Metal
OBSCURA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed