This was the first Iced Earth album I ever bought and listened to, and while there have probably been better albums in their discography, it was a gentle introduction to the band for me.
I enjoy the concept of the album, taking on the monsters of history, both real and fictional, and doing songs on them. In the main, it works quite well.
The album begins strongly, with both “Wolf” and “Damien” showcasing Matt Barlow’s distinctive vocals and the double click drumming of Richard Christy. Like many bands of this generation, their best songs are when the drums are driving the pace, through double-kick and flying on the high-hats. Here the guitars aren’t being forced to go ‘fast’, but the feel is that anyway.
From here on though, the album is a bit mixed, neither one thing nor the other. In the main the songs are fine, but they are not outstanding, and in a funny way they are not memorable, in that they begin to blend into each other and it becomes difficult to differentiate. I can see why trying to set different moods in different songs is necessary to the theme of the album, but I don’t think it works overly well. “Ghost of Freedom” to me just halts the whole momentum of the album, whether you like the song or not.
The cover of Iron Maiden’s “Transylvania” is probably the highlight of the album – a bit of a giveaway really…
Rating: Just rises above average. 3/5.
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