It’s pretty obvious that the question on everyone’s lips is ‘How the hell can anyone replace Matt Barlow?’ To be perfectly honest I was less than enthused when the news broke that Stu Block was recruited to take over vocal duties for Iced Earth. While he is certainly a talented vocalist with a huge range to boot, his stint with Into Eternity left me a bit cold at times and I wasn’t sure if he was the man to fill the gaping void left by Barlow.
Well I’m glad to say that not only has Mr. Block managed to impress me but he damn well left me with my jaw hanging ten feet below my face. Is he really that good you may ask? Well, either Stu Block snuck into Barlow’s room at night and ran away with his vocal chords or he’s the best damn mimic I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Not only does he manage to sound exactly like Barlow but his performance here is nothing short of stellar, clearly revitalizing the band after the somewhat disjointed and uneven Something Wicked double release.
Jon Schaffer’s decision to rope in Stu Block is vindicated spectacularly right from the opening title track to the crushing closer ‘Iron Will’ and the magnificent ‘End of Innocence’. Infusing his penchant for absurdly high pitched yodels with his new found Barlow-isms, Stu Block is far and away the star of Dystopia, putting in a shift that is just as emotional and powerful as nearly anything his predecessor did before him.
Gone is the stop-start vibe that seemed to plague the Something Wicked releases. Although Dystopia is a concept album just like many an Iced Earth album before it, what we have here is Schaffer and co. getting straight to the point with tight, iron clad songs with huge anthemic choruses and their furious trademark gallops. In essence, this is the album Iced Earth has been threatening to make since the first Something Wicked release and they’ve delivered in absolute spades. There is not a hint of filler anywhere in sight and with a strong concept that is more in tune with the fabled ‘Police State’ that the planet is turning into, it’s hard not to get carried away with the gusto of it all.
This could very well be THE heavy metal apex of the year and it will take something truly special from anyone else to top this monster.
Review by Nolan Lewis
“Although Dystopia is a concept album just like many an Iced Earth album before it”. Dystopia is NOT a concept album. Only 2 songs deal with the Set Abominae concept (Dystopia and Tragedy And Triumph). There are some songs that deal with dystopian themes (Dark City, V, Equilibrium), but not a concept at all.
You’re right. It isn’t a concept album per se so my bad. I only read Schaffer’s interview where he says it isn’t a concept album a few days after I wrote the review.