ICED EARTH

Time For Opus Magnum

3 long years have left since “The Glorious Burden” release but those who think that Jon Schaffer has been lazing around must be wrong. Pull the other one. This guy lives, breathes and shits with heavy metal 24 hours a day. He’s bursting with energy so much that he prepared stuff for 2 full-length releases linked by one story. The boss himself describes it as his life’s work and hearing the first part it’s hard not to believe him, since ICED EARTH of AD 2007 is the band being in an excellent artistic condition. In addition Schaffer can tell about his greater passion in a long and interesting way. And so I invite you to read this exhaustive interview. You’ll find here all the answers to your questions about “Framing Armageddon” which you’re afraid to ask.

- Hi Jon. I won’t quibble. The new stuff kicked my ass. Finding ICED EARTH’s fan who doesn’t like „Framing Armageddon” must be a real Mission Impossible, I guess. There’s everything we know and love in the classic band’s style. And although we can’t speak about revolution, I wonder if you see an evolution between „The Glorious Burden” and the newest album. If so, which are the most distinctive determinants then?
First I’d like to thank you for all the compliments. I’m glad you like the album as I’ve put a lot of work in it. The substantial difference between the new material (including „Something Wicked Part II” which is going to come out in the Spring next year) and the previous one is the fact that “Framing Armageddon” is a part of a huge concept. The history I tell there is so extensive that I had to use many different means, different layers referring to particular elements of the concept. I reached for many instruments and solutions which I hadn’t used so far. When recording previous albums we didn’t have much time. We had to set the sound of drums or guitars and keep going. Now, as I have my own studio, I could use various sounds and settings which matched different parts of the story. For instance in „When Stars Collide” we made the drums sound as if in a huge hall. We wanted them to sound like John Bohnama’s drums. In some tracks I used a baritone guitar, various amplifiers and pick-ups. All this resulted in a great variety of colours of this album. The first part lasts 69 minutes. The second one will last for at least 60. I want the listener to go through them both and feel still new emotions, as on a rollercoaster. That’s why the variety was so vital.

- As you’ve said „Framing Armageddon” is a concept album in a way subjected to the story presented in lyrics. Did it influence making the music? Did the lyrics determine the whole composition?
When I write the music, lyrics always come at the end. I start the process of creation with a draft title or I imagine the scene which a given track is to be about. E.g. I tell to myself – now I’m going to write about an invasion or a massacre. About one of the crucial moments in history. Then I try to make the music which lets me close my eyes and imagine the story. When I have a rhythm guitar ready I record it and add drums to it. Then go other guitar parts making the music emanate with a specific atmosphere and match a described theme. The last thing to do is to make vocal parts. Among other things I think out the rhythm in which a given part has to be sung. Only then I create a text which must fit the scheme and the rhythm of a vocal part. That’s how I do it. So lyrics are important but are the last element. It’s not them but a story what influences riffs and melody.

- So if a story is that important, why did you decide on dividing it into two parts? Didn’t you think about enclosing it in, let’s say, a double release?
No chances for that. Never would any label release a double album with so extended content. Unless it is a crappy stuff (laugh). But here you have at least several great tracks. That’s why it resulted in two very strong full materials.

- Let’s continue with the texts. The concept of the album isn’t actually anything new. It carries on the story told in the trilogy ending „Something Wicked This Way Comes” from 1998. What’s the reason for your decision on such move?
This idea came up long ago. Just when I started to work on that story. I decided on a foretaste in a form of mentioned trilogy and was going to record an album fully based on this concept afterwards. I didn’t want, however, to leave this project in CENTURY MEDIA’s hands, as I knew that they’d fuck it up. So I put the idea aside for some time. We recorded “Horror Show”. Then I signed a contract with SPV. But I didn’t want to start our work with such a big deal. This project was something I protected and was bearing inside of me for years. It was my child. It’s like “Star Wars” for George Lucas. It’s a life’s work. I was waiting for the right moment to give it life. Because I knew how powerful it was. I wanted the people who I would work with to treat it really seriously. As you can see, nothing happens incidentally. And the story itself had already been completed when the trilogy was being created. Trilogy only slightly touches the matter. “Prophecy” is a moment in history, „Birth Of The Wicked” takes place 10,000 years later. „The Coming Curse” tells about what was happening on earth when Set was doing his work. It’s a very superficial presentation. Now the rest of the story would be revealed. But I must emphasize that both music and texts of the new albums is a brand new thing. I started working on them in February 2006. For the next 12 months until February 2007 I was in the studio every day. I had only 4 days off during this year. I’d been working for 15-16 hours a day. Every fucking day. 90% of the time I spent with my guitar and a computer. I was recording and programming. It was almost an ordeal. I have already recorded drums, bass, rhythm and acoustic guitars for the second part but still lot of work has left. Of course I was feeling wonderful when we finished the first part. But only when everything’s done it’ll be really fine (laugh).

- Driving this topic to the end I wanted to ask if in the music itself, the compositions and riffs there is any conscious reference to the old trilogy? Sometimes I feel its atmosphere in new tracks…
You’re right. Among the other things it’s what I wanted to achieve. I wanted the new material to be written like a soundtrack. When you listen to the beginning of „Something Wicked Part I” and you hear the verse „I can see clearly now, the painful vision indeed” you feel at home. It’s a conscious move. Also the riff which appears in the same moment derives from the queen part in “Prophecy”; however, it’s much heavier. There are many elements connected with that composition, some of them are based on the same sounds but are played in a different way. In “Something Wicked Part II” there are melodies from „Birth Of The Wicked” and in the third part I’m going to use elements known from „The Coming Curse”. Besides, some melodies are very meaningful. E.g. they come together with a given character. I have certain melodies which will appear on both the albums when Set comes into action. Once it’s played on the sitar, the other time on the cello, sometimes it appears in a solo or in a vocal part. I like the effect very much. I managed to create a soundtrack to the history. Thanks to that when you listen to the album once again, you can still discover new things. After 6 months you’ll be able to state that its elements are not incidental, there’s a certain plan in it. It’s for sure my masterpiece. I’ve been working on it harder than on anything else and I put much more passion in it than ever before.

- We know now that you’re responsible for the vocal parts. So what was the Ripper’s input in what we can hear on the album? Did he have a say this time?
No. He came on “Glorious Burden” and he already had parts done by Matt which he was to sing anew. This time he also did what I told him. I always work with singers in the same way. I meet them and teach them their parts. I sing and when I can’t - I play it on guitar. I even tell them what kind of vocal I want to have in a given place – clear, deep, high or more aggressive. This time Tim started to work with me in January, few weeks before recording the drums. It’s when he heard most of the tracks for the first time. Earlier he was busy with BEYOND FEAR. He put his heart and soul in parts I showed him. He sang it extremely well. I couldn’t expect anything more from him. Tim is fucking gifted. He can sing everything. I press him as long as I squeeze what’s inside of him. All the emotions. However, I said to him that I won’t force him to do anything he finds unnatural. If he feels bad with anything, he can tell me and then we’ll find another solution. But it didn’t happen. He can do everything that’s possible with his voice. He has an exceptional, rough, natural talent. For me, as a composer, it’s great to have such guy in the band.

- Talking about vocals, have you heard about Matt coming back on stage? (Barlow joined Dutch PYRAMAZE–M.M.)
Of course. I think it’s great. He has a chance to earn a couple of bucks and have fun. But it’s going to be a challenge for him too, as in ICED EARTH he was singing what I told him to. It’ll be interesting to see how he’ll deal with another type work, when he’d have to arrange vocal parts on his own. For sure it’ll be something different, as he will sing the parts I haven’t composed. I wish him all the best. But our relations had to end like this, ‘cause what he recorded for “Glorious…” wasn’t good enough. I didn’t want to record another “Burnt Offerings”. In that time “Glorious…” was the best material I’d ever written. I didn’t want the vocal parts to fuck this stuff up. Matt got stale a bit. He wasn’t putting his heart in the band. I think that he missed the music after those 2 years. I wish him luck. Especially as he’s my sister’s husband.