By the time they recorded their eponymous debut, heavy metal traditionalists Iced Earth were seasoned veterans, having gradually climbed their way to the surface of a Florida club scene swimming with hundreds of death metal bands.
And it shows, for despite a few production kinks, their sound (combining a tremendous Iron Maiden influence with a few thrash metal tricks, namely double kick drums) was almost fully developed.
Led by rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer, the group storm their way through a series of galloping anthems filled with guitar harmonies, complex time changes, and admirable musical chops, especially from lead guitarist Randall Shawver.
"Written on the Walls," "Colors," "The Funeral," and "When the Night Falls" are only a few of the highlights -- most of which were later re-recorded with new players for 1997's Days of Purgatory compilation.
Purists may prefer the raw original versions.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iced EarthTom Schaffer | Iced Earth | Play | 05:23 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 2 | Written on the WallsDave Abell, Tom Schaffer, Randall Shawver | Iced Earth | Play | 06:08 | 14 MB | 43 MB |
| 3 | ColorsTom Schaffer, Randall Shawver | Iced Earth | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 4 | Curse the SkyTom Schaffer, Randall Shawver | Iced Earth | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 5 | Life and DeathTom Schaffer, Randall Shawver | Iced Earth | Play | 06:08 | 14 MB | 44 MB |
| 6 | SolitudeJon Schaffer, Randall Shawver | Iced Earth | Play | 01:44 | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| 7 | When the Night FallsJon Schaffer | Iced Earth | Play | 08:44 | 20 MB | 61 MB |
| 8 | Funeral | Iced Earth | Play | 06:16 | 14 MB | 45 MB |
| 44 mins | 100 MB | |||||
| 44 mins | 315 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave Abell | Composer, Guitar (Bass) |
| 2 | Gene Adams | Vocals |
| 3 | Rick Borstelman | Artwork, Paintings |
| 4 | Iced Earth | Primary Artist |
| 5 | Mike McGill | Drums |
| 6 | Tom Morris | Engineer, Producer |
| 7 | Jon Schaffer | Composer, Design, Guitar (Rhythm), Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | Tom Schaffer | Composer |
| 9 | Randall Shawver | Composer, Guitar |
| 10 | Terry Stevens | Photography |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |