The heavy metal legends ICED EARTH have moved on with their 10th studio album, entitled "Dystopia" - introducing a new breed of music with vocalist Stu Block joining on board. And before I get into how incredibly awesome this album is, I want to get something out in the open, concerning the change in vocalist, because I believe it needs to be explained.

     I'm not ignorant to the fact that there are different ICED EARTH fans. There are ones who choose Matt Barlow over any ICED EARTH vocalist, and there are a few fans out there that like any of the vocalists. No opinion is right or wrong. To me, if it's one thing that Jon Schaffer has not led us down on, it's choosing the right vocalist. ICED EARTH is a unique band, and one of those legendary bands who are still going strong to this day, no matter how drastic the change.

     I believe ICED EARTH has never put out a bad album. Some I like better than others, but I never once complained about the vocal work from any ICED EARTH vocalist. For those who aren't familiar with Stu's voice, he is known for his hybrid vocal work with Canadian progressive death metal band INTO ETERNITY; Whether you like them or not, Jon knew what talent he was dealing with when Stu joined, just as he did with Ripper and Matt. So, even if Stu weren't one of my favorite vocalists of all time, I'd listen to this album with open-ears; because I am one of those ICED EARTH fans that loved every vocalist, just as much as I do with every aspect of ICED EARTH.

    Onto the review! I know what you all are really wondering. What makes this album different from the rest? The music is just as gritty, powerful and emotional as any album. I believe the songwriting and vocal melodies are strong and catchy - but what makes it different? To be honest, it probably wouldn't have grasped my attention as much if Stu weren't on it - it's nothing we haven't heard before. Not that isn't good, because it is good. It's accomplishment that not many bands have done, especially a band that's been around for so long. They've somehow held onto their original sound, modernized it to where they wouldn't sound exactly the same, but not drastically different either. And they've accomplished this with many line-up changes throughout their career.

   With that said, I believe a vocalist can enhance a band's sound drastically. Stu doesn't growl like he does in INTO ETERNITY, but he still remains aggressive and raw, like Barlow... but he also doesn't abandon his own unique style - he performs his high, jaw-dropping falsetto screams, just like Ripper. His voice doesn't exactly mold ICED EARTH's sound into something completely different.  So... what am I exactly saying here? 

    The vocal work featured on "Dystopia" has the best of both worlds, which makes this album definitely stand out from ICED EARTH's entire career. The music matches the strength and intensity as it's lyrics, and take it from me - I *still* have the chorus to 'V' stuck in my head. What does "Dystopia" mean to me? It means a new era of ICED EARTH has begun - the classic ICED EARTH songs will be paid with impressive homage, and future albums will only get better from here, folks.