Description

Label: 7 Mater

Format: Triple Gold Vinyl in Luxurious Triple Gatefold

Cat Nr: SM 38170222 

Barcode: 0617669419700 

Release Date: 20.01.2025

Style: Heavy Metal, Power Metal

• Luxurious Triple Gatefold
• Triple Gold vinyl 
• Limited edition (500 copies)

2011 was a sad year for Iced Earth: Favorite singer Matt Barlow has left again after he has released only one album in 2008 since his reunion with the band. Before letting him go, Iced Earth has toured with him through the whole year and concluded this tour with a farewell gift to Barlow on Wacken Open Air, before he passed the microphone to former and now again

singer Stu Block. While everyone was sceptical at first, if an extreme metal singer fits in a power metal band, Dystopia astonished most of the critics because Iced Earth has presented themselves in a light that vanished a long time ago. The success of that album resulted in another tour, this time a world tour, where they have played in basically every corner of the world, including China, Australia and Turkey.

From that world tour, Iced Earth recorded one concert which they have played in Cyprus. On this show, they have played 24 songs – intros and interludes like In Sacred Flames not counted – including the monstruous 16 minutes long Dante’s Inferno. With a total playtime of 2:31:16, this show was only 20 minutes shorter than the legendary Alive in Athens show in 1999.

Back to Live in Ancient Kourion: the show starts with the title track of the back then newest album.  The most exciting part of this album, as mentioned, was Stu Block singing songs that are originally with other singers, which are of course the majority. Here we have to say that we have barely seen a singer with such a stage presence. Tim Owens shined on the two Judas Priest live albums and sang the Halford songs perfectly and studio conform, but Stu goes one step further and gives almost all the songs his own touch. Already on Burning Times he plays the host for the crowd and even though he repeats that thing in many songs, but it doesn’t get annyoing. Some parts are sung differently, others simply more energetically and enthusiastically that from the original singers, especaily the songs originally with Tim Owens like Ten Thousand Strong and Declaration Day, but also When the Night Falls, which he of course sang better than Gene Adam, but also Matt Barlow.

Between the songs there are also some funny and entertaining moments, where Stu Block interacts with the crowd. A really great performance!

This album comes out in deluxe Triple Gatefold edition, in two colors (Gold / Red) 500 limited edition each. Also available a very special Deluxe edition in Box, including poster and a special printing.

Tracklisting:

Side A

A1 Intro
A2 Dystopia
A3 Burning Times
A4 Angel’s Holocaust
A5 Slave To The Dark
A6 V

Side B

B1 When The Night Falls
B2 I Died For You
B3 Invasion
B4 Motivation Of Man
B5 Setian Massacre
B6 Stormrider

Side C

C1 Pure Evil
C2 Wolf
C3 Dark City
C4 Dracula

Side D

D1 Ten Thousand Strong
D2 Anthem
D3 Declaration Day
D4 Days Of Rage
D5 Melancholy
D6 Encore Intro

Side E

E1 In Sacred Flames
E2 Boiling Point
E3 Damien
E4 Watching Over Me
E5 Iced Earth

Side F

F1 Dante’s Inferno
F2 The Hunter