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Congratulations for your new album “Plaques of
Babylon”! Welcome to Bulgaria again! At your first concert here in 2011 you have
chosen two heavy metal support acts. Now in this part of your tour you brought
thrash metal bands. Is this a reflection of the mood of ICED EARTH or a decision
of the management?
It is my decision. As far as I am concerned they are heavy
metal bands as well. You can divide metal to thrash, heavy or whatever but it is
METAL.
What new could expect the audience in Denmark from your
show?
The pretty new setlist. It’s damned good!
You have fans that live with the mania “ICED EARTH”
from their early years. What should you recommend the young guitar players that
want to achieve fast and precise riffs as yours are?
I think that they have to find their own way in metal.
This is what I do and in my opinion it is the best. You have to find yourself in
songwriting. They have to find their inner voice and make it happen. This is the
whole way I write and play songs. This is my way. Others may think something
else. The process of making music is really cool. And the way of playing needs
practice. But you’ve got to be individual!
I do not know if this is some kind of standard tour
ritual but here I was given a banana from someone from the crew... Pressed by
the short time I have for the interview I just took it as a positive
assessment...
Some of your admirers find references between the new
album “Plaques of Babylon” and your previous conception works (especially
“Framing Armageddon”). What do you think are these stories true or they have
their own life in the heads of your fans?
“Plaques of Babylon” is related to “Something Wicked”. But
it is another story. When you read the lyrics of our new album you will find
that it has a pretty complex story line.
We have listed to a
studio recording of “Dante’s Inferno” performed by Stu Block. Do you plan other
recordings of the old songs with his voice?
I don’t think that we will look back all the time.
Probably if he likes to do it we will record. Usually we do not re-record. It’s
very expensive and it takes time. The mixing process, the master… The people may
find the re-recordings awesome. But this kind of process is hard for us to
justify.
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