Artist: Iced Earth 
   Title: Overture Of The Wicked
   Label: SPV Records

Overture of the Wicked is an EP that continues the 'Something Wicked' trilogy that began back in 1998 with the band ‘Something Wicked Comes This Way’ album and will continue with the bands new album 'Framing Armageddon' and on into 2008 with the remaining part of the trilogy.

The EP not only re-familiarises the listener to the original concept of 'Something Wicked', but firstly the opener ‘Ten Thousand Strong’ which will appear on the bands new album ‘Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1), is pure Iced Earth with Tim “Ripper” Owens putting his own unique stamp on the Iced Earth sound.  This is a thumping metal assault with Schaffer’s screaming guitars being the standout feature of the song and with the double kick assault and the pounding bass, this is sure to be only the tip of the iceberg when the album is released later this year.

Now to the trilogy itself, which has been totally redone with a more intense and powerful sound and with Owen stamping his mark on the older material and putting added power and imagination into the songs.  Starting off with ‘Prophecy’ this is a rip snorting version of the original, which it simply puts into the shade as the power a grace of Owens’s vocals and the powerhouse drumming of Brent Smedley are laid waste by the streaming guitars of Schaffer.

The trilogy continues with ‘Birth Of The Wicked’, this revamped version just rises above the original with a more intense ferocity and backbone that has become Iced Earth over the years, with Schaffer once again rising above the pounding drums with some quite superb riffs.

The final part of the trilogy is the fantastic ‘The Coming Curse’ which bombards you with the fantastic drums of Smedley from the off, with Owens made for metal vocals leading the way for Schaffer and the baritone guitar to bring the track to its full potential and intensity.

This taster of what is to come from the new album 'Framing Armageddon' and its follow up in 2008 will have fans drooling with anticipation for the albums when finally released.

All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated.