The Dark Saga 1996

""The Dark Saga" is less aggressive than earlier releases by power metal behemoths Iced Earth, and it is also more straightforward with less twists and turns and shorter songs. I think that there are also more corny elements that on previous releases, but, thankfully, we are not cast into Cheese Hell.

I really like Jon Schaffer's psycho-galloping guitar-riffs, but these are not as prominently features on this albums (there's some typical Schaffer riffage in"Vengeance is Mine", though). This is not a weakness though, as it frees up some space for other things like twin leads, clean guitars on top of distorted ones, and heavier riffs. Some tracks, like "Dark Saga", "I Died for You", are"Scarred", are quite melancholic and contain several ballad elements. There is also a lot of emphasis on melodic vocal lines (which fits Matt Barlow's unique voice quite well).

There are also fast, almost thrashy tracks like "Violate", which contains some pretty cool breakdowns and some insane vocal lines, too, and "The Last Laugh".

Certainly recommended to fans of power metal, and I think that fans of traditional metal will appreciate it, too."