The Glorious Burden
| The Glorious Burden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Iced Earth | ||||
| Released | January 12, 2004 | |||
| Studio | Morrisound Studios, Tampa, Florida | |||
| Genre | Power metal, Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 78:47 | |||
| Label | SPV | |||
| Producer | Jim Morris, Jon Schaffer | |||
| Iced Earth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Metal Storm | (8.1/10)[2] |
The Glorious Burden is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Iced Earth. It is a concept album, which explores various moments in military history, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolutionary War, and Waterloo. It also pays tribute to world events such as World War I, the World Trade Center attacks and the ravages of Attila the Hun. See the track list for links to the historical context of the songs.
The album includes a trilogy entitled Gettysburg (1863). Each of the three songs represents one day in the Battle of Gettysburg, the largest battle ever conducted in the Western Hemisphere and considered the turning point in the American Civil War.[3]
This album features the debut of lead singer Tim 'Ripper' Owens, formerly of Judas Priest. Owens, who at that time was still in Judas Priest, was asked to do the vocals as a side project. However, he joined the band full-time after Judas Priest reunited with Rob Halford. The album was first recorded with Matt Barlow on vocals, but band leader Jon Schaffer was not satisfied with his performance. Due to the events of September 11, Barlow became more interested in law enforcement than the music business, and according to Schaffer "Matt's heart was not in it and it showed in his performance."[4] As a result, Matt left the band and the album was shelved until a new vocalist could be found. However, some of Barlow's initial recordings remain on the record as backing vocals, and he is credited with co-writing two songs.
This record is the only Iced Earth album to feature Ralph Santolla on lead guitars. This was the last studio album for bassist James MacDonough and drummer Richard Christy.
The album was released in three different formats: a limited edition two-disc version in digipak format, an American version and a European version.[5] See the track list for the differences.
"The Reckoning (Don't Tread on Me)", "Declaration Day", and the acoustic version of "When the Eagle Cries (Unplugged)" were all released as music videos.
Track listing
Limited edition digipak version
Disc 1
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Star-Spangled Banner" | (instrumental) | John Stafford Smith | 1:14 |
| 2. | "Declaration Day" | Jon Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:59 |
| 3. | "When the Eagle Cries" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:06 |
| 4. | "The Reckoning (Don't Tread on Me)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:57 |
| 5. | "Greenface" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Attila" | Matt Barlow, Schaffer | Barlow, Schaffer | 5:36 |
| 7. | "Red Baron/Blue Max" | Tim Owens | Schaffer | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Hollow Man" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:25 |
| 9. | "Valley Forge" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:46 |
| 10. | "Waterloo" | Barlow, Schaffer | Barlow, Schaffer | 5:50 |
| 11. | "When the Eagle Cries (Unplugged)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 3:35 |
Disc 2: Gettysburg (1863)
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Devil to Pay (July 1, 1863)" (references "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," "The Star Spangled Banner" and "Dixie") | Schaffer | Schaffer | 12:13 |
| 2. | "Hold at All Costs (July 2, 1863)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 7:06 |
| 3. | "High Water Mark (July 3, 1863)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 12:36 |
American version
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Star-Spangled Banner" | (instrumental) | Smith | 1:14 |
| 2. | "Declaration Day" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:59 |
| 3. | "When the Eagle Cries" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:06 |
| 4. | "The Reckoning (Don't Tread on Me)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:57 |
| 5. | "Greenface" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Attila" | Barlow, Schaffer | Barlow, Schaffer | 5:36 |
| 7. | "Red Baron/Blue Max" | Owens | Schaffer | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Hollow Man" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:25 |
| 9. | "Valley Forge" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:46 |
| 10. | "The Devil to Pay (July 1, 1863)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 12:13 |
| 11. | "Hold at All Costs (July 2, 1863)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 7:06 |
| 12. | "High Water Mark (July 3, 1863)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 12:36 |
European version
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Declaration Day" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:59 |
| 2. | "When the Eagle Cries" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:06 |
| 3. | "The Reckoning (Don't Tread on Me)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:57 |
| 4. | "Attila" | Barlow, Schaffer | Barlow, Schaffer | 5:36 |
| 5. | "Red Baron/Blue Max" | Owens | Schaffer | 4:05 |
| 6. | "Hollow Man" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:25 |
| 7. | "Valley Forge" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 4:46 |
| 8. | "Waterloo" | Barlow, Schaffer | Barlow, Schaffer | 5:50 |
| 9. | "The Devil to Pay (July 1, 1863)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 12:13 |
| 10. | "Hold at All Costs (July 2, 1863)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 7:06 |
| 11. | "High Water Mark (July 3, 1863)" | Schaffer | Schaffer | 12:36 |
Personnel
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References
- ↑ Thom Jurek (2004-01-13). "The Glorious Burden - Iced Earth | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
- ↑ "Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden review". Metal Storm. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
- ↑ "ThinkQuest". Library.thinkquest.org. 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
- ↑ Jon Schaffer explanation of Matt Barlow's departure.Archived February 5, 2004, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Interview with Tim "Ripper" Owens of ICED EARTH". Metal-Rules.com. 2004-01-26. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
- ↑ The Glorious Burden album credits. SPV. 2004.