Iced Earth
Entry updated 2 September 2024. Tagged: Music.
US metal band formed in Tampa, Florida in 1984, led by guitarist and songwriter Jon Schaffer (1968- ). Their Something Wicked Saga, comprising three albums, has nothing to do with Ray Bradbury, but does form an overarching sf concept about a race called the Setians who were the original inhabitants of Earth, directly descended from the creator of the universe. Humanity arrives on Earth seeking the secret of the Setians' knowledge and power, and ends up wiping out them out. The few Setian survivors plot for thousands of years to regain their power and destroy humanity, by hiding themselves among human power structures. The individual instalments are Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998), which introduces the concept, and two albums telling the main story: Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1 (2007) and The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 (2008). Of their other albums, The Dark Saga (1996) is entirely based on the Comic book character Spawn, created by Todd McFarlane; and Dystopia (2011) is a collection of songs inspired by sf films. To the casual listener, there is little in their music that goes beyond genre Cliché. The band came to an end when Schaffer, a long-time member of right-wing militia groups, was arrested for his participation in the 2021 Capitol riots. [CWa]
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