Band : Iced Earth

Album title : I Walk Among You

Label : Steamhammer

Distributor : SPV - CNR

Release date : 09/06/2008

Release : CD-single

Dear Iced Earth fans, rejoice...for vocalist Matt Barlow is back with your favourite band! Of course, the réal Iced Earth fan already knows this, as mastermind Jon Schaffer already announced the fact in December of last! He'd heard that Barlow was goin' into a music project again, and had thought of contacting him then and there, but somehow didn't because he was too focussed on writing the follow-up to the 2007, and he felt the chance of his favourite singer to be too slim at that anyway. But then Iced Earth was on the road again, and during that tour Schaffer talked to many of the fans, which prompted him to contact Barlow...ask him if he'd be interested in working together again. Well, you already know what the result is, eh?!

Barlow was, after all, the singer who was with the band in its most interesting period from 1994 to 2003 (when he left to pursue a career in law enforcement), giving his wonderful vocals to the albums Burnt Offerings (1995), The Dark Saga (1996), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998), Horror Show (2001) and Tribute To The Gods (2002. Although former Judas Priest singer Tim "Ripper" Owens is a truly great singer in his own right, he was apparently never really as accepted as Barlow was. Still, the return of the veteran singer doés mean certain things were to change. For starters, the release for the new album were postponed somewhat, to allow Barlow to celebrate the addition of a new member to his family in the appropriate way. Also, the band's touring schedule will be drastically changed to accomodate Barlow's family needs. Which means that in stead of doing massive tours, the band will concentrate on large scale festivals and smaller tours in stead.

As a very nice in-between collectable, the band now releases the 3-track I Walk Alone EP, featuring the title track as a preview to the upcoming album Revelation Abomination (Something Wicked Part 2), and man...does Barlow ever sound good! This is how Iced Earth is supposed to sound like, and the track certainly promises great things for the full-length! Additionally, Barlow is found bringing hís vocals to the tracks "Setian Massacre" and the longer (over 9 minutes in length) "The Clouding" of the Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1) album, and these are indeed improved versions! Barlow also recorded vocals for the track "A Charge To Come" (from the same album), but that track is only available as a bonus on the iTunes version of the EP.

For a while there, you could listen to all tracks at myspace.com/icedearth, but for some reason the band has (only recently) disabled that possibility. You've still got a choice selection of tracks off a variety of the band's albums, but that don't exactly give you a preview on the upcoming record. Anyways, if you're into what Iced Earth has become musically in the latter years, but prefer the vocal stylings of Mr. Barlow, you really shouldn't hesitate about getting yourself the album, scheduled for release in the Fall! Meanwhile, I know you just gótta get yourself this unmissable collactable!

98/100

Tony.