Iced earth's 9th studio album - Framing Armageddon (Something wicked Part 1) was released on September 11th... It took sometime to find its way to my hand.. and it took some more time for me to sit back and listen to it properly.. thus.. the delay in this article..
Either way... I was doing a bit of snooping around on the internet to see what other ppl had to say about the album... well.. they talk about Scheffar's amazing lyrics.. Tim "Ripper's" vocals... the brilliance of music etc etc... all the stuff that you'd hear about an album on a review... but no one seems to be telling what Schaffer is saying.. the story... So instead of talking about the music and lyrics.. I'll tell the story of the Setians... (of coz this is mentioned in Wki)
The story is set twelve thousands of years ago... on Earth....
Setians are Scheffar's fictional group of beings - direct descendants of the Creator (or God) who were full of knowledge, who called Earth home.
Humans... the greed and war hunger driven race... who were capable of space travelling... attacks earth and the Setians to claim their Unlimited knowledge.
This of coz is foreseen by the Elder (Possibly the high priest of Setians)... who conjures the master plan to secure their knowledge and keep it safe from the humans.
The second track.. "Something Wicked Part 1" kick starts the album introducing this... The Vision of the elder and the prophecy of the saviour... and the Master plan... "Framing Armageddon" for the humans... a twelve thousand year plan.... They choose Ten thousand Setians, one for each year... and thirteen including the high priest to council the chosen. They meet in secret and go in to hiding in the mountains...
Then comes the "Invasion" - The human invasion of Earth... If you listen closely the first 30 seconds of the 60 second track possibly represents the peaceful Setian life... and then starts the sounds of the battle... the gun fires the blasts... the invasion on earth by humans...
The "Motivation of man" is clear.... to obtain unlimited power and knowledge and take over the universe and its galaxy's...
They "Massacre Setians".... burning down temples and cities... What the humans didn't know is that the Chosen are hiding in the Eastern mountains... They've lost their loved ones and their land.. but hope remains if the chosen can survive and put the plan in motion... they overcome the lamenting... finding courage and strength.. a view of the current situation from a Setian's point of view is given in "A charge to keep" and the high priests view and in "Reflections"
Setian's grand plan for humans...
they will brainwash the humans... the humans won't know where they come from... and cloud their minds... and divide the humans by filling their minds with differences... Prophets, Saviors and Priests... religions like Christianity, Judaism, Muslims etc... creating dividing among humans...
"Then thousand strong".. (possibly the most powerful track of the album.. of coz we've heard it on the Overture EP...) introduces the master plan... and then comes its "Execution"...
The Setian's ("Order of the Rose") slowly take over the humans.. hiding among them... and "Contriving human decline Instilling those who lead Seizing opportunities" in Schaffer's own words...
"Catacalysm" possibly symbolises the humans falling in to their plan... being brain washed and instilled with new thoughts and ideas...
Setians succeed... "The clouding" is the the brain washed human's point view, Schaffer paints an agonizing picture of pain and empitiness...
Setians carry on with their plot... "Infiltrating and Assimilating" the human mind... creating a "Retribution through ages"... when thousands of years pass by... humans multiply and scattered throughout the world... taken over by their greed, fighting among themselves.. destroying and killing each other...
The next track... "Something wicked part two".. seems like an ironic name to give... coz.. for me it can mean either one of two things... the coming fate of the humans... or the foretold coming of the saviour... Part one - was when the humans came to earth.. hailing the destruction of the Setian's... and its funny how Schaffer decided to name this track Part two - hailing the destruction of humans... ( Its true... wickedness is wickedness no matter who does it or why its done!!!!)
Over years.. Humans go on dividing among thmselves.. just as the Setians planned... Dominated by the Setians... Falling like dominos... "The Domino decree" and "Framing Armageddon" takes us through this...
Continuing with the prophecy... After a millennium..... All the Setians hail the coming of the ONE... Set Abominae.... (from my knowledge he's in the over of Something wicked this way comes, The Overture, and in Framing Armageddon..) hailing the destruction of the man and reinstating the birthrights of the Setians on Earth... ("When stars collide (Born is he)")
This is where the massive 19 track album leaves us... the story will continue with Revelation Abomination (Something Wicked Part 2).
Which I am looking forward to....
In a nutshell... Framing Armageddon is a brilliant album... not only the musical value.. but its a brilliant way of story telling..... Schaffer and the gang has done it yet again...
Long Live IE.....
