Iced Earth - Framing Armargeddon - The Story of the Setians...

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.....

Becoming Insane....

Infected mushroom - The Israely duo... I enjoy their music....
becoming insane Ep 2007
Quite a video too!!!!

Overture of the Wicked - EP

YES!! after the long waiting... It was "Officially" released on the 4th.... even though it was floating around in the internet since April 24th (According to Wiki)

This is ALL what we expect from IE... The power packed pure brutal, heavy slab of technical Power Metal... nothing more... definitely nothing less!!! Of course the fans of ICED EARTH already know that Schaffer and Co. are something special in the world of Heavy Metal and just why some Metal-fans are wholly ignorant of their recorded output is a mystery and disgrace.

"Ten Thousand Strong" is the single track, and it will appear on "Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1)", albeit a bit different than the single version. - according to the IE website..-
inline with Ten thousand strong comes the "Wicked Triology" from "Something wicked this way comes" (1998) album!!!!

I first got to hear them in 1995; quite by accident I should say..... and it was one of the best accidents ever!!! loved their music... and the next year.... in 1996 - the KNOCKED me out with Dark Saga... man that was good... I'm sure that each and everyone of you who has heard it will agree.... the power... the complex arrangements, orchestrated passages, emotional interludes, huge choruses and just plain good old fashioned Heavy Metal.... How schaffer has breathed life in to a comic book... gave life and emotions to the beast with music.... was truely AWSOME!!!!! and they continued doing that...

The single - is pure evidence that IE will continue to do what they do the best... knock the bearth out of the listeners and kick them around with sound waves....

LONG LIVE IE!!!!!

Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight

The loooong awaited album by a bunch of guys who reallly won the hearts of people.... They're a (C)Rap–Rock band who really made a scene... People of all ages, fans of all genres; not only metal or Rock fans.. Hip-Hop and Pop fans equally like them!!!!

I got the album yesterday... Heard it once.. Liked it... but not enough to really write a comment or an opinion about it... I found this track to track review thing somewhere on the internet... thought I'd post it...

(pls try to disregard the word "heavy" that they use in the review once in a while! coz they aren't "Heavy". I listen to Carcass and.... well.....!!!)

1. Wake
To begin their long awaited album, Linkin Park choose to gently set the wheels in motion rather than forcefully kick-starting lively music which fans have come to expect. Instead, they present a slow, short intro track with a synth-heavy melody and a nice building ambiance, which gradually increases in volume. 4/5

2. Given Up
The smoothness is soon thrown out the window however when the scratchy turntable sound of this second track transforms into a gargantuan heavy rock riff. This is possibly the most in-your-face song on the entire record – the punk rock style drumbeats are brash, the guitars thrash and Chester Bennington sings his lungs out. When it reaches the bridge, he goes from singing to screaming the line, “You put me out of my misery” over and over again. It’s heated, emotional and enjoyable, but the track definitely feels like it’s missing a certain something. 3/5

3. Leave Out All The Rest
From one extreme to another, three tracks in and we’re presented with a ballad. It’s very listenable pop rock with tranquil vocals and dominant bass guitar. It seems odd to position such a slow-paced tune so early into the album but it’s radio friendly style is bound to be popular with many. The piece of music does end rather abruptly though and you may be left wanting more. 3/5

4. Bleed It Out
This is much more like the Linkin Park we’re used to hearing. Mike Shinoda starts off with a casual rap before trading off with Chester and some insightful lyrics, “I bring it out, bring it in deeper just to throw it away.” The song’s structure revolves around four simple chords with screaming vocals leading up to the catchy chorus. Piano adds an extra dimension to the track but overall it’s a little repetitive and flat, ending abruptly again. Saying that, we can see this being released as a successful single in the future. 4/5

5. Shadow Of The Day
Possibly the most listener friendly song on ‘Minutes To Midnight,’ the style is very soft yet clear with both vocals and bass taking a poppy turn. Percussion comes across clear and dominant, but overall the song remains average in terms of technicality. It seems to offer nothing more than a break-up in the record, but its dreamy nature is quite certain to be a hit with the fans. 2/5

6. What I’ve Done
Generally a hit from the moment it is played, ‘What I’ve Done’ soars with a catchy chorus and likeable verses, before developing into a brilliant bridge and climatic ending. A gentle guitar solo midway adds depth and versatility before another welcome chorus. The haunting piano and synthetic drums combine to create a fantastic addition to Linkin Park’s third album and a perfect choice for their first single. 5/5

7. Hands Held High
The marching drumbeat and simple melody is an ideal backdrop to Shinoda’s poetic rapping and it has certainly developed in the space of two previous albums and his hip-hip focused side project Fort Minor. Again, Chester’s melodic singing comes in later but the central theme of the song does seem to be soldier’s homecoming in the aftermath of war. Maybe it was written to get those arms flailing lighters around at rock festivals. Either way, it’s still an impressive track. 4/5

8. No More Sorrow
Opening up with a creeping lead guitar, ‘No More Sorrow’ rocks heads with a deep double-bass drumming intro switching over to a simple paradiddle on the snare. Definitely the best chorus of the album so far, with an enigmatic riff and emotional shouting from Bennington. The tune flows naturally with a heavy bridge followed by a modulation and even higher pitched screaming. There’s no DJ elements to this song and it has to be said that some of the vocals and drumming becomes repetitive fast – even more noticeable is the fact that the band don’t seem to be stretching themselves in terms of song writing techniques. 3/5

9. Valentine’s Day
After a somewhat depressive two minutes of ballad-laden lyrics and slow-moving guitars, it finally kicks in with another extremely infective hook and harmonious backing vocals. “On a Valentines day” is passionately sung with interesting vocals spoken over the top, before annoyingly ending abruptly and letting the song down. 2/5

10. In Between
If there’s a point in the album where it’s easy to see that the songs are starting to lose their flair, this is it. Those sweetly spoken vocals are back once again alongside grainy drumbeats, but without any differences in tempo there’s nothing exciting here. It’s peaceful, but there’s no denying this is a weak ballad track amongst Linkin Park’s repertoire of excellence. 1/5

11. In Pieces
Thankfully, faith is restored with quite simply the highlight of the album. This is soft yet rhythmic with synthetic drumming you can’t fail to be taken in by. The stirring piano and powerful bass proves to be a winning combination for the band – with vocals at their best only boosting the song further. Another build up after a few minutes adds more magic to the piece, with sweet sounds and eventually more heavily distorted guitars, minus screaming. The song slows down and ends dramatically with a simple beat and ska-style guitar plucking. 5/5

12. The Little Things You Give Away
Acoustic guitar and Linkin Park in the same sentence? You better believe it. One last ballad, with those great mechanical style drums and melodic vocals from Chester rounds ‘Minutes To Midnight’ off fruitfully. When the bass cuts in, the song hits another dimension before ending a reasonably decent record. There’s not many heavy tracks – instead, Linkin Park have shifted to crafting softer, easier listening songs like this one. Despite it not being a patch on ‘Hybrid Theory, ’it still delivers and the fans will almost surely be lapping this up after its release on 14 May. 4/5

Rock Unplugged!!! slightly plugged!!!

Yep... I did go... and you know that I'd definitely go...

It was awsome... well... it was sometime since I last saw any of the bands playing live... When the Rock Company had "Rock Saturday"s happenning we did see the bands once a month!!

now they say that these will be happennign every sunday at Clancy's... I missed the gig on the previous Sunday... I simply was clueless!!! lets hope they continue!!!

The band listing was good. they had all the bands that were mentioned in the poster!!!!
All of them were good... we have some real talented bunch of guys out there!!! young pups and "experieced" dudes!!!
all of em rocked equally...

it was supposed to start at three - but started way after 4.30PM (I really won't complain about it.. coz i think 3.00 PM is a bit too early.. and it was awkward seeing clancy's in braod daylight!!! he eh he... and since the very first rock company events.. they NEVER started on time... so its kinda ok...) it ended around 8.30 - 9.00 i don't remember exactly... Stigmata gave a brilliant ending... it was heavy - not the real "Acoustic - Unpligged" thingi that u'd expect though!!!

PE - The boys from Kandy
(well yeah.. u can't see shit in the pics!! I'd say its Iron Maiden and Iced Earth playing you'd still wouldn't know the diff!! )
One of the leading bands in the scene these days...

Stigmata
The Aces in Sri Lankan Metal scene!!!
and they're GOOD!!! VERY GOOD!!!
I don't know since when they got that (new) drummer of their's!!
I remember him from long ago.. i think he's from kandy... one of PE's friends or something like that... carrying water bottles and stuff!!! if i remember correctly... he always gave me an impression of a jackass... did a good job doing that too!! he's just a bit too much "wanna be" type!!! He fucking shows off more that Suresh himself!!!
He's ok with the drums though.. but there are better ppl around!!!