The Glorious Burden

Artist: Iced Earth
Label: Hunter
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 693723749723
EAN: 0693723749723
ASIN: B0000CAXVR

Release Date: 2004-01-13

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Listmania:

The Best of Iced Earth
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Tracks:

Star Spangled Banner
Declaration Day
When The Eagle Cries
Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me), The
Greenface
Valley Forge
Attila
Hollow Man
Red Baron/Blue Max Gettysburg (1863)
Devil To Pay, The
Hold At All Costs
High Water Mark

Similar Items:

Horror Show
The Dark Saga
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Burnt Offerings
Iced Earth

Customer Reviews:

Military History Metal Opera Wins the Day.......2007-03-09

The Glorious Burden is a masterpiece! I'm not normally enamored with the concept of the "concept album" but this one, based around various (mostly American) wars and the history thereof, is a winner. It's a winner because the song writing is superb; the vocals--well, it's Tim "Ripper" Owens--and the musicianship, excellent. This album is so well put together, so intelligent, and dare I say...at times, so moving...that it absolutely deserves the five-star rating I'm giving it. And I don't give out that many. Well done, Iced Earth. Well done, Ripper. And by the way, I first heard this CD through a listening center at Tower Records...farewell, old friend. Farewell. -Buy the CD; crank it up; allow yourself to be inspired.

Baseball, apple pie, and Iced Earth?.......2006-10-16

I have to admit I was nervous when I heard former Judas Priest fill-in Tim "Ripper" Owens was taking over as lead vocalist for Iced Earth, since Matt Barlow's distinctive vocals were the reason I was an Iced Earth fan to begin with. To my surprise, he did a pretty good job (though it didn't hurt that Barlow provided some excellent backing vocals), and the Glorious Burden's shortcomings have nothing to do with his performance. What tends to drag the album down a bit is Jon Schaffer's over-the-top patriotism. His sentiments are admirable, but his flag-waving could end up alienating the large segment of the group's fan base that is not American. Songs like When the Eagle Cries (which basically sums up all of those patriotic bumper stickers that showed up post 9-11) and Valley Forge (where Schaffer explains how the soldiers who fought that historic battle would be disgusted at modern Americans) are almost too cheesy to be taken seriously. The Reckoning and Green Face suffer from this to a lesser extent, but are easier to forgive since they flat-out rock, and are full of those Schaffer riffs that define Iced Earth's sound. Other standout tracks on disc 1 include Hollow Man, Attila, and Waterloo, which is not a cover of the Abba song of the same name (though that might have been more interesting). Red Baron/Blue Max is decent, but never comes close to the original ode to fighter pilots - Iron Maiden's Aces High. The limited edition release of the Glorious Burden closes out disc 1 with the acoustic version of When the Eagle Cries, which was previously exclusive to the single release of the Reckoning.
Disc 2 contains the 3-part 30+ minute epic Gettysburg (1863). You can tell Jon Schaffer put his heart and soul into this one, and for the most part it really works. It has some great arrangements, powerful guitar work, and having an orchestra accompany the band is a nice touch. The lyrics get a little cheesy at times, and Owens' delivery is sometimes too melodramatic, but overall it is an impressive piece that helps to make up for some of the shortcomings on disc 1.

Overall, the Glorious Burden is a decent album. It has its flaws, but also has its share of high points. I don't think it's the career-defining epic that Schaffer intended it to be (that honor goes to the band's Something Wicked This Way Comes album), but it is a solid release that should appeal to most Iced Earth fans.

I added a star a month or so - but still 5 stars.......2006-06-12

This one really grew on me. I am in the habit of only publishing 5 star reviews. If it isn't 5 star quality, I don't want to waste other people's time with it. This album absolutely grew on me. At first it was a disappointment. But I was letting my political prejudices get in the way of my judgment of the album - incorrectly viewing it as a cash-in on all the fake flag-waving and magnetic ribbons on cars being foisted on us by an administration I believe is abusing and dishonoring our troops by abandoning them upon return (I say this as someone who has designed reintegration and vocational rehab programs for guard and reserve who have lost careers in this conflict). Anyone can stick a magnet on their car - now let's see them all DO something. But as I listened repeatedly with my prejudices removed I grew to love it. The album is a fantastic tribute to the many thousands of brave men and women who have defended our nation and even brought it into being - with a few other military themes thrown in (Atilla The Hun, for example). Having been to the Smithsonian and the national archives, I believe that The Star Spangled Banner, presented here with some of the same contrapuntal lines used in orchestral arrangements, is both respectful and inspiring, and the thunderous intro to Declaration Day which starts just beneath the last noted of the Anthem reflects the awesome foreboding of tyhe great nation which would arise from the actions of our forefathers, who coul only have dreamed of what kind of incredible future their sacrifices woul bring. And When The Eagle Cries is the ONLY song ever written about 9/11/2001 that is not morose, sickeningly politicized, or hamfisted - it does justice to its theme and reflects the experience as ALL Americans of ALL political persuasions felt on that horrible day. The Reckoning is an intelligent exploration of the end of vigilante justice in the west and the "taming" of the frontier that brought an end to a sick vigilante code and brought true American civilized justice to the west. I know many men who serve in Iraq today and who served in Vitnam, and "Greenface" is a terrifying tribute to those men who make the great sacrifice of becoming killers in the name of justice and freedom and ONLY in the name of justice and freedom. "Valley Forge" takes us back to the Revolutionary War again, making us realize the incredible hardship and sacrifice our bluecoated forefathers made for the principles they held sacred. "Atilla" evokes the awesome fierceness of the true warrior with its unique combination of choir and metal arrangement. "Hollow Man" is really the only filler here, and even it is quite listenable. "Red Baron/Blue Max" does one of the best jobs of evoking imagery - that of airborne combat and the hail of bulets in a dogfight - ever committed to a metal recording. And the incredible dichotomy and cognitive dissonance evoked by the idea of friends and brothers taking arms against one another is masterfully portrayed in the last three songs which comprise an epic about the civil war and Gettysburg, and Jon Schaffer's writing and Tim "Ripper" Owens' singing portray Gen. Robert E. Lee as a truly conflicted, tragic figure that lends a geat historic perspective to the events of the civil war. And musically this combines some of the heaviest metal ever laid down with some truly brilliant arrangements and inventions on the part of Iced Earth. If you truly love heavy metal, get this, and listen to it until you understand it - it is worth the investment of time and thought it takes to truly understand this brilliant piece of work. Oh yes - I also hope that Tim Owens will remain with the band. They were great with Matt Barlow, but Ripper's unique style which still manages to incorporate influences of Rob Halford (of course!), Bruce Dickinson and John Bush makes Iced Earth possibly the most formidable metal act around.

Best Metal Album of the Year.......2006-04-02

After seeing Iced Earth on the Horror Show tour, I proclaimed them as the band carrying the torch for Heavy Metal. Fast forward a few years, I felt a little dissapointed as I was watching practically a whole new band playing on the Glorious Burden tour. Matt Barlow's presence was sorely missed, and the rest of the band just seemed kind of hidden in the background.The show definately felt more like a project, rather than a band. Despite the Glorious Burden being the theme, some of the material did not pull off well live. But,that is subjective, depending if you want the show to reflect the main theme of the album, or want more of a straightforward rock show. Anyways, that coupled with Jon's "seemingly" dislike for Horror Show,(I hate when bands take themselves too seriously) for a long time, I was really scared to buy The Glorious Burden. Big mistake. Ripper Owens is just as good, and possibly better than Barlow. There are some great songs ,my favorite being Valley Forge. This is also one of the best packaged cds ever with loads of artwork, so don't download this album.Lots of great themes and harmonies.Unfortunately, when this album first came out, it was an album of American pride,history, and patriotism soreley needed after the 9/11 attacks. Since then, America has become this century's first imperialist power, teeters on fascism, and is hated worldwide for our warmongering and torture camps, so this album definately can hit a sour note with phrases like "Stay the Course", "Freedom Is not for Free" ect. especially with our friends and fellow metal heads overseas.
Despite that, this is a solid metal album that deserves to be in any metal fans' collection, anywhere in the world.

4.5 stars- Good debut of Ripper Owens, and great concept album.......2006-02-17

I just played this for the first time a few days ago, and this cd sounds like a winner to me, and is one of the best concept metal albums ever. Except for DAYS OF PURGATORY, Iced Earth albums take a little while to sink in and grow on me, but eventually most all of them turn out to be winners in the end. Ripper Owens seems like a very good fit for this subject matter, and I'm not sure Barlow could have pulled off this stuff, but still, he's my favorite ICED EARTH singer until Owens gets a few more great albums under his belt. I've never heard any of Owens Priest albums, because I never thought they should stay together after Halford left, and anyway Priest sounded a lot sicker and darker especially with the release of JUGULATOR, but he really kicks ass on this great concept album. I still would like to see Barlow sing at least on parts of their next few albums because he is still a kick ass vocalist. In short, this is a killer album that most metal fans should fall in love with. Enjoy!!!

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