Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1)
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| Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1) | |||||
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| Studio album by Iced Earth | |||||
| Released | September 11, 2007[1] | ||||
| Recorded | 2007 | ||||
| Genre | Heavy metal, thrash metal, power metal | ||||
| Length | 1:08:56 | ||||
| Label | SPV | ||||
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| Iced Earth chronology | |||||
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Framing Armageddon is the ninth studio album from Iced Earth, released on September 11, 2007. It is part one of two concept albums based on Iced Earth's fifth studio album, Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Framing Armageddon is the band's first studio album featuring lead guitarist Troy Seele, and drummer Brent Smedley, who never played on an Iced Earth studio album during his previous stints with the group. Tim "Ripper" Owens makes his final appearance as lead singer on this record, as well. Also, this was bassist Dennis Hayes' only appearance on an Iced Earth album, though he only appears on two songs. Former Iced Earth guitarist Tim Mills plays the clean guitars on the interlude "Reflections", and assisted in writing two songs.
In December 2006, Jon Schaffer posted a journal announcing that Iced Earth's new album, then titled Something Wicked - Part 1, would be released in September/October 2007. The followup album, then titled Something Wicked - Part 2, would be released in January/February 2008. On March 17, Schaffer announced the final tracklist, and that the album would be renamed to Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1), with a new target release of August or September. On June 25, Schaffer uploaded the cover of the album on icedearth.com. Audio samples of all the tracks have been posted at spv.de, the official site of the band's record label.
A music video for "Ten Thousand Strong" has been released, though lead guitarist Troy Seele was not yet with the band when it was filmed. The video features special effects to make the live action video resemble animation.
The Japanese release of Framing Armageddon featured the album's single, Overture of the Wicked, as a bonus disc.
[edit] Story
Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1) tells the story of the Setians, who were the original inhabitants of Earth, and are directly descended from the "Great Architect". They are said to have nearly omniscient knowledge. Humans, who have developed space travel, invade Earth in a bid for "ultimate power and ultimate knowledge", killing all but ten thousand Setians.
The remaining ten thousand go into hiding in the mountains in the east. The Setian High Council, which consists of the twelve Elders and the High Priest, make a plan to get revenge on the invading human race. They plan to initiate "The Clouding", which involves brainwashing all the humans and making them forget their origins. Once completed, the Setians will manipulate history by creating religions--Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc.,--to further divide the humans. Once human kind is sufficiently divided, after ten thousand years, the Setians will await, as the prophecy told millennia ago, the birth of the Antichrist, Set Abominae. Set Abominae will destroy all of the human race and execute the revenge the Setians have long awaited.
Framing Armageddon tells the story from the prophecy to the events right before the birth of Set Abominae.
[edit] Track listing
All music and lyrics written by Jon Schaffer, except where noted.
- "Overture" − 2:24
- "Something Wicked (Part 1)" − 5:03
- "Invasion" − 1:00
- "Motivation of Man" − 1:34
- "Setian Massacre" − 3:49
- "A Charge to Keep" − 4:24
- "Reflections" (Schaffer, Tim Mills) − 1:50
- "Ten Thousand Strong" − 3:54
- "Execution" − 1:27
- "Order of the Rose" − 4:52
- "Cataclysm" − 1:30
- "The Clouding" − 9:19
- "Infiltrate and Assimilate" (Schaffer, Mills) − 3:48
- "Retribution Through the Ages" − 4:32
- "Something Wicked (Part 2)" − 2:59
- "The Domino Decree" (Tim Owens, Schaffer) − 6:36
- "Framing Armageddon" − 3:41
- "When Stars Collide (Born Is He)" − 4:18
- "The Awakening" − 2:01
[edit] Personnel
- Jon Schaffer - Lead/Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars; Bass Guitars; Backing Vocals
- Tim "Ripper" Owens - Lead/Backing Vocals
- Brent Smedley - Drums
With:
- Troy Steele - Guitar Solos (Tracks 5,6,10,12,14 and 17)
- Dennis Hayes - Bass Guitars (7); Fretless Bass Guitar (12)
- Jim Morris - Lead Guitars (16); Backing Vocals
- Tim Mills - Clean Guitars (7); Lead Guitars (8)
- Howard Helm - Keyboards; Hammond Organ; Backing Vocals
- Steve Rogowski - Cello
- Todd Plant - Backing Vocals
- Patina Ripkey - Backing Vocals
- Debbie Harrell - Backing Vocals
- Kathy Helm - Backing Vocals
- Jason Blackerby - Backing Vocals
[edit] Leaks
On Saturday, July 21, 2007 the promo version of the album had leaked on to P2P websites.[2] All of the songs featured watermarks of Jon Schaffer's voice, to prevent pirating. A full version was leaked onto the internet on September 7, 2007.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
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