Newsgroup: it.arti.musica.metal
Titolo: Matt Barlow lascia gli Iced Earth

Posted by Matthew Barlow on Monday, June 02, 2003 at 9:15AM :
In December of last year, prior to Iced Earth signing a new record deal,
Jon and I had a sit-down concerning what I felt was best for my future
and the future of Iced Earth. I told him that my heart was no longer
into performing music and I intended to stand down from my position in
the band in pursuit of what I felt would be a more satisfying career and
consequently a more fulfilled life. Jon was very adamant that I should
not leave the band, and  asked me not to do something that I might live
to regret. I was compelled to stay with it, but as it turns out my
course had remained altered.
For you to understand my position on this matter, I feel I must explain
myself. As for many people, in and outside of the United States, the
events of September 11, 2001 had a profound impact. For me personally,
it shined a new light on life. It forced me to realize how precious and
how short life is. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of
something that has affected so many throughout the world, but I believe
that what I am striving for will also reflect positively on those I come
in contact with.
I am presently going to school in order to obtain my Bachelor's Degree
in Criminal Justice Administration. When I have received my degree, I
intend to follow with a career in law enforcement administration.
I realize that it may be difficult for some of you to understand the
decision that has been made, but please believe that it has been made to
preserve the integrity of Iced Earth. I know that there will be people
who bad-mouth the band and me for this and that there will never be a
good enough explanation.
For those people, I feel pity that they must live through others and I
hope that someday they will find themselves in another place. I have
been on a  great
ride with all of you and I have not a single regret. There are great
things to come from Iced Earth and we will all be there to witness them.
I wish Jon and the guys well and I thank you in advance for your support
and understanding.
Best wishes,
Matt
Posted by Jon Schaffer on Monday, June 02, 2003 at 9:16AM :
If you haven't seen Matt's message, please go read that first.
Hello All,
As you can see from Matt's post a very difficult decision has been made.
The events of 9-11 have affected us all in very different ways. I think
it made most people step back, take a look at their lives and change
their priorities. I certainly did and so did most of the people I know.
In fact,  I would bet that the whole reason I chose the theme of "The
Glorious Burden" for the next CD was probably because my sub-conscious
is dealing with what happened that day. I realize that some of you don't
care about what happened, and actually that's your problem, but I know
that most of you do. We have never been afraid to show our loyalty and
love of country way before 9-11, and anyone who has paid attention knows
that. The reason that I'm explaining all of this is  so that you know
how close Iced Earth came to being a memory. After the attacks I was
also questioning what I had done with my life and if there was some way
that I could help people and do something that really mattered instead
of this "illusion" called the music business. When something this real
and tragic  happens it has a huge effect on guys like Matt and I, who
come from families who have served, and who have a fierce dedication to
our republic.
The music business is a big lie, plain and simple. It's an illusion
that's marketed and sold. It's the big production, photos, videos,
promotion and  image building and all the other shit that makes you the
fans think and feel a certain way about whatever band or style it is
that you're into, and you  don't even know it, that's the amazing thing.
However, what happens behind the scenes in the real world is often very
different from the fantasies that the fans create in their own minds
about their favorite artists. Fans base these  fantasies on the images
they are fed.
The point to all of this is that it's pretty hard to stay positive and
take it seriously when you figure out what a huge lie it is. After 9-11
I nearly dissolved the band because I thought that what I do with my
band is pretty insignificant in the big picture, and it is. However,
after months and  months of very heavy thought I realized that it
doesn't really matter that the music business is a big fucking lie
because my songs are not, and my songs are  the only reason that I do
this. I've said it before, I don't care about the rock  star or guitar
hero bullshit, this thing called Iced Earth from the very beginning has
been a vehicle for my songs and that's it. If some fans have created
another "reality" about I.E. in their own minds, I can't help them with
that, that's the "illusion" that's getting them. Iced Earth is and
always has been my band and my vehicle to get my songs out, no matter
the members that are involved.
It's entertaining to see and hear some of things people come up with
when they have absolutely no facts. Some people get it and some don't
and that's ok because in the end the only person that I need to please
is me, and  usually if I am pleased then the majority of the fans will
be as well. I have no need or desire for Iced Earth to have fair weather
fans. I realize that comments  like this make people think I must be a
real prick, and maybe they're right, but I know who I am and what I
stand for and that scares some people.
I hope that this long and wordy post will help you all make sense of the
changes that are taking place.
Matt called me a few weeks before we started pre-production and said
that he wanted to quit the band and pursue a career doing administrative
work for the Department of Homeland Security. He feels that because he
is not a songwriter he'd have a more secure future and would be happier
doing some good in the real world rather than living the illusion of
something as shallow as a "rock star." I asked him to not do something
he would live to regret, we have a new label and I've written by far the
strongest and most compelling material  ever and we basically have a new
beginning. In hindsight I should not have pressured him into staying but
there was no way I could have predicted what would happen,
Matt had already quit in his heart, yet out of loyalty he was willing to
give it a shot. The recording of the vocals did not go smoothly. It was
obvious to Jim Morris (producer) and me that something was very wrong.
However, we pushed forward and Jim felt that we may have to change the
way we mixed  the vocals but that we'd basically be ok. After tracking
was done we proceeded with the mix. I was becoming more and more
disturbed with the way things were sounding and by the time we started
the mix on the 32 minute Gettysburg (1863) epic I knew I had to make a
serious decision. It was not a decision that I ever  wanted to make; I
always expected Matt and I to jam together until we were grumpy old
men.
Here's the not so glorious burden of being the guy who makes tough
decisions: I decided to stop production and shelve the album until I
find a new singer.
Matt's heart was not in it and it showed in his performance. I'm sure
that's hard for some of you to believe but it's simply a fact. There are
a lot of things you can do with today's technology to make a singer
sound better  but you can't add feeling with a computer. And we all know
from past recordings  that Matt has never had a problem delivering
feeling, so it was obvious that it was over and he just didn't have it
in his heart to really feel the album.
The Glorious Burden is without a doubt the best album I have ever
written. It is the first time that I've written about such serious and
important events.
It's also the first time that I've written about something as near and
dear to my heart as the history of our country. It probably sounds corny
to some of you but I've often used the American Revolution as
inspiration to give me the strength to carry on in this constant uphill
battle. My love and passion for the study of the Civil War is being
translated to music for the first time in the history of the band and
that's what makes this album so special. I spent countless hours
creating what is most definitely my masterpiece as a songwriter.
This is not just another album about dark fantasy/sci-fi/horror
material.
After Horror Show, which is a good record but the personal touch is 
missing on a lot of it; I felt this would be the best way to bring that
personal passion back into the music in a new and fresh way.
So it really comes down to the fact that I still feel like I've got
something to say as a song writer, so I'm going to keep going. I would
have rather continued the way things were but I can't make someone want
to do something, no one can. This has been a very hard decision, and a
costly one, but I would rather not release an album at all than to have
it haunt me for the rest  of my life because I knew it wasn't the way it
should be. Also, I will carry on because I can't see flushing nearly 20
years of hard work down the toilet because a member has had a change of
heart. I don't think real Iced Earth fans would wantthat either.
I have spent some of the best times of my life with Matt. We have been
able to experience many things in our travels together and I hope he
finds what he seeks for his future, I truly wish him the best for his
life.
And so another chapter in the struggle for Iced Earth and my love of
metal begins. I have to say I feel great and completely energized and am
very optimistic for our future. A strange thing considering the
uncertainty  that lies ahead, but if you know me, you know I love a
challenge.
The Glorious Burden will come out in all it's glory when I find the
right guy to redo the vocals. If it takes 2 months, 6 months, a year;
whatever it takes to do it right we will get it out the way it's meant
to be. The true and dedicated fans should not be concerned that this is
the end; it most  definitely is not, before you know it the album will
be out and it will be the best thing you've heard from Iced Earth.
I hope most of you will understand the situation that I'm in and will be
confident that I will carry on in the same I.E. tradition as I always
have; quality, honesty and integrity...
Stay Metal!
Jon Schaffer
-- 
"As I paint this picture gray and taste the pain...
 I'll play the optimist!" (Dane)
STARGAZER: 
www.stargazer.it
 - Le stelle della scena Hard & Heavy!

 the mix on the 32 minute Gettysburg (1863)
32 minute?! O_O
--
__________
EmptyWords
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The more that things change,
the more they stay the same.

 trovare un altro cantante così particolare.
[CUT]
Si, il cantante era forse l'unico "passabile" degli IE...e' il gruppo in se'
che mi pare inutile a dir poco, almeno dai 3 dischi che ho sentito io ("The
Dark Saga", "Something Wicked..." e "Horror Show").
Mi hanno detto che i primi sono migliori, ma dovrebbero essere mooolto
migliori per interessarmi, anche minimamente, visto che dai 3 suddetti
dischi mi riesce difficile "salvare" dal piattume generale, anche solo
qualche pezzo...
--
Alessio "The Sentinel"

 wrote in message
[Cut]
;-((((((((((((((((((((((
L' unica consolazione è quella di essere riuscito a sentirli suonare assieme
almeno una volta (concerto favoloso, peraltro): sarà dura per gli IE trovare
un altro cantante di quel livello ...
Solid

 Dark Saga", "Something Wicked..." e "Horror Show").
A me piacciono, ho persino due loro magliette, ma non posso negarne che
siano molto sopravvalutati e che di difetti ne abbiano, a cominciare dal
continuo riciclo di riff da parte di Schaffer.. ma credo sia semplicemente
questione di gusti il giudicarli o no inutili. Il loro "Alive In Athens" č
per davvero molto bello, uno dei piů belli che ho sentito nel metal (e qui
pioveranno i "allora non ne hai sentiti molti", "allora hai sentito solo i
peggiori", "allora hai dei gusti della minchia" ecc ecc).
--
__________
EmptyWords
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ


 per davvero molto bello, uno dei più belli che ho sentito nel metal
Come raccolta e' molto bella... il problema e' che di live c'ha solo i
rumori del pubblico...
ciao, teo

 qualche pezzo...
Cercati "Night Of The Stormrider" e "Burnt Offerings", molto belli, ma
nulla di epocale, almeno per me. Di sicuro sono migliori dei seguenti.
ciao, teo

I miei sicari mi hanno informato che Daniele Purrone - Avatar of Chaos, 
lun 02 giu 2003 08:10:12p, andava su it.arti.musica.metal a spifferare 
che:
[CUT]
E' un vero peccato xchè il suo modo di cantare mi piaceva parecchio :(
Ha una di quelle voci un pò particolari che rimangono impresse e si 
distinguono subito nel marasma di voci da speudo-finocchietti (kotipelto 
e co.)
Speriamo che ritorni sui suoi passi e torni a cantare magari non con gli 
IE
ma con un gruppo che sappia valorizzarlo ancor di +.
Con tutto rispetto x gli IE che mi piacciono ma che negli ultimi album 
sono diventati un pò ritetitivi e noiosi!
E' proprio vero che in ambito metal, a fare i soldi sono veramente in 
pochi e gli altri sono costretti ad un certo punto a dire basta
e mettersi a fare un lavoretto normale x tirare avanti.
-- 
drMetal
"Chi sogna di giorno conosce molte cose che sfuggono a chi sogna solo di 
notte" E.A.Poe
Gates Of Madness: 
http://utenti.lycos.it/labyrinth

 trovare un altro cantante così particolare.
CAZZOOOOOOO, E DOVE VAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! brutta perditaaaaaa

 CAZZOOOOOOO, E DOVE VAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! 
Leggi quello che c'e' scritto.
Non va da nessuna parte, lascia la musica per dedicarsi a questioni di
giustizia.
Daniele


 nulla di epocale, almeno per me. Di sicuro sono migliori dei seguenti.
Stormrider non l'ho mai sentito (tutti me ne parlano bene cmq), mentre
cobnfermo le parole sulla bonta' di Burnt Offerings. Tutta la discografia
successiva a BO, secondo me, va dal sufficiente (Dark Saga) all'orrido (il
resto, escluso il live perche' non l'ho sentito).
Niccolo'.
--------------------------------
Inviato via 
http://usenet.libero.it

"Daniele Purrone - Avatar of Chaos" ha scritto 
[cut]
Un gruppo inutile che scompare definitivamente?
Ogni tanto, nonostante Berlusconi, succedono cose buone...
Ciao
Pietro

 delete *Pòg_mo_thòn* to reply
icq# 3346238 - 
http://eirinn.cjb.net/
 - "Per aspera ad astra"

 course had remained altered.
[MEGA-CUT]
Mi spiace di questa dipartita Mattew è un gran cantante, l'unica pecca che
avevo per me è il riciclaggio dei riff, quello si ma di song molto belle ne
han fatte parecchie.
Gran gruppo, un altra bella mazzata arghh :-(.
Peccato! un vero peccato, vabbeh speriamo che con la nuova attività si trovi
bene e che si realizzi.
Maurizio

 In December of last year, prior to Iced Earth signing a new record deal,
... 
Che palle! Perche' almeno non ha finito il disco? Che razza di
comportamento! Roba da calci in culo.
E non mi si venga a dire 'non ci metteva il giusto feeling'. Un
professionista con anni di esperienza che non riesce a cantare
soddisfacentemente un disco? Perche' ha la testa da un'altra parte?
Ma vaffanculo.
NP: Masterplan - Kind Hearted Light
-- 
  Giuseppe "Cowo" Corbelli \/\ My software: 
http://cowo.yoda2000.net
    **ANTI-SPAM** -- **Substitute IHATESPAM with cowo to reply by mail**
  -<! Take It All, Our Gold, Our Homes, Our Life, But We Didn't Kill 
	    Your Christ! !>- Blind Guardian - The Script For My Requiem

 rumori del pubblico...
Echecazzo! E' finto pure questo?
E comunque non c'e' storia. Il live migliore del mondo e' il Japan 94 dei
Savatage :-)
NP: Masterplan - Enlighten Me (inizia a piacermi, e' grave?)



proteggere gli innocenti.....sembra un supereroe!!!!
sir mustaine

 comportamento! 
Leggi quello che c'e' scritto: lui il disco lo stava completando, ma a
Schaffer non piaceva il risultato perche' lo considerava "senz'anima".
Daniele



c'e' ancora bisogno di supereroi..
ciao
^M0rk^
-- 
"DEATH TO FALSE METAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 c'e' ancora bisogno di supereroi..
Dopo l'ultimo disco dei Megadeth direi proprio di no :P

 Schaffer non piaceva il risultato perche' lo considerava "senz'anima".
Evidentemente è una scusa! 
Il fatto secondo me è che sapendo che poi se ne sarebbe andato a schaffer 
gli giravano le palle a 6000 giri/s e ha preferito bloccare tutto e far 
fare la cosa al nuovo cantante che potrà poi portare anche in tour!
Secondo me in tal senso ha fatto bene, che senso ha fare un album sapendo 
che poi in tour sarà cantato da un'altro?


 Echecazzo! E' finto pure questo?
E' piu' finto delle tette di Pamela Anderson!
ciao, teo

Daniele Purrone - Avatar of Chaos ha scritto:
[megacut]
Mi sorge un dubbio... mica cerchera' di prendere Tim Aymar come
cantante? Si era gia' preso Christy e Di Giorgio...
A proposito, speriamo che stavolta per le parti di batteria abbia
lasciato carta bianca a Christy, senza imporgli di suonare quelle
schifezze di "Horror Show".
ciao, teo

 nulla di epocale, almeno per me. Di sicuro sono migliori dei seguenti.
ok, me li segno...nel caso mi "passassero" sotto mano :-)
--
Alessio "The Sentinel"

 ha scritto nel
messaggio news:1fvxzi0.1qavd9mn477xrN%purp...@despammed.com...
<cut>
Non ho tempo di leggere tutto, ma sara' mica per partecipare alla reunion
dei Take That?
--
Mark Lije Baley - From The Caves of Steel
.......       
www.outofrules.too.it
      ..............
______TFC #039 - BAT #014_________
-----MGCFC #031 - MDZIS #005--------

 Schaffer non piaceva il risultato perche' lo considerava "senz'anima".
Ci si puo' credere o no?
-- 
  Giuseppe "Cowo" Corbelli \/\ My software: 
http://cowo.yoda2000.net
	**ANTI-SPAM** -- **Substitute IHATESPAM with cowo to reply by mail**
  -<! When you say "I wrote a program that crashed Windows", people just stare
     at you blankly and say "Hey, I got those with the system, *for free*" !>-
                                (By Linus Torvalds)

 che poi in tour sarà cantato da un'altro?
Boh, almeno ti porti avanti. E fai un disco con uno gia' abbondantemente
rodato nella tua band, mentre uno nuovo si deve ambientare.
Tanto per il tour si puo' riciclare Lande che va con cani e porci :-))
-- 
  Giuseppe "Cowo" Corbelli \/\ My software: 
http://cowo.yoda2000.net
	**ANTI-SPAM** -- **Substitute IHATESPAM with cowo to reply by mail**


 di default uno dice la verita', no?
Si adesso aspetta che uno ti venga a dire la verità! ;)


On Mon, 2 Jun 2003 20:10:12 +0200, 
purp...@despammed.com
 (Daniele
Purrone - Avatar of Chaos) wrote:
[CUT]
Per riformare i Take That?
Boris

 Matt Barlow lascia gli Iced Earth
E meno male! L'ho sempre trovato espressivo quanto un tronco di betulla.
Bye!
N.P. "Alive Again" - NUCLEAR ASSAULT (che figataaaaaaaaa)
--
<---------Txt--------->
"We spit on those who choose to pose,
We thrash with all the rest!" - RAZOR [1985]
www.eutk.net
www.hyadesmetal.com

 Bye!
Esagerato penso sia proprio uno dei pochi cantanti espressivi che ci sono
nel metal.
C'è tanta di quella merda in giro, Matt è bravo ed espressivo, bah peccato.
Maurizio

 C'č tanta di quella merda in giro, Matt č bravo ed espressivo, bah peccato.
De gustibus. Io ho smesso di seguire gli Iced Earth da quando č entrato
lui nella band, non mi č mai piaciuto e lo trovo orrendo come voce. 
Bye!


 E meno male! L'ho sempre trovato espressivo quanto un tronco di betulla.
Sempre piu' espressivo del chitarrista pero'...(vabbe', ci vuole poco...)
:-D
--
Alessio "The Sentinel"

 Si adesso aspetta che uno ti venga a dire la verità! ;)
Ne sono convinto.
Prendi per esempio una situazione come questa:
Io: Belle gambe hai, a che ora aprono?
Lei: Vattene, mi fai schifo.
O sono in molte a mentire allo stesso modo oppure le donne a me dicono la
verita' :-)
-- 
  Giuseppe "Cowo" Corbelli \/\ My software: 
http://cowo.yoda2000.net
    **ANTI-SPAM** -- **Substitute IHATESPAM with cowo to reply by mail**
  -<! I Never Wanted To Be What They Told Me To Be
  		Fulfill My Fate Then I'll Be Free >!- Blind Guardian - Mordred's Song

 verita' :-)
La frase e' carina ma le donne non hanno senso dell'umorismo, non apprezzano
;))
-- 
il *Vide* - ICQ #5301833
Linux user #224141 on Linux machine #106981
http://www.heavy-metal.it
E lo juventino....rosica!!!


de gustibus
la sua voce e' l'unica cosa che mi rendeva interessante quella band.


 la sua voce e' l'unica cosa che mi rendeva interessante quella band.
Idem, rendeva molto gradevoli anche brani tutto sommato banali.
See you,
		Silver Drake
--
We starve-look At one another Short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation Of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new told lies With supreme visions of lonely tunes