After releasing the demo EP Enter the Realm (1989) and signing to Century Media Records, the band released two full-length studio albums – Iced Earth (1990) and Night of the Stormrider (1991) – before taking a two-year hiatus from 1992 to 1994, after which the band returned with new lead vocalist Matt Barlow. Iced Earth went on to release four studio albums with him in over half a decade: Burnt Offerings (1995), The Dark Saga (1996), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) and Horror Show (2001).
After Horror Show, Barlow quit the band and joined the police force, while Iced Earth continued on with Tim "Ripper" Owens, formerly of Judas Priest, on vocals. With Owens, the band released two studio albums (2004's The Glorious Burden and 2007's Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1). In late 2007, Barlow rejoined the band, and they recorded one more album with him: The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 (2008). In 2011, Barlow once again left Iced Earth, and was replaced by Into Eternity frontman Stu Block. Dystopia, Block's first album with the group, was released that October; the album received a positive response, while some critics called it one of Iced Earth's best albums. The group recorded two more albums with Block: Plagues of Babylon (2014) and Incorruptible (2017).
Before arriving at their current lineup, Iced Earth has had numerous line-up changes, with founder Jon Schaffer as the only founding member remaining. As of 2021, there have been over thirty musicians in and out of Iced Earth since its formation in 1984.
The band is composed solely of Schaffer and drummer Brent Smedley, with all other band members having departed following Schaffer's January 2021 arrest by the FBI for his involvement in the Capitol riots. Schaffer is in FBI custody on felony charges, which has generated new publicity for Iced Earth and has resulted in the band being dropped from their longtime label Century Media.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iced_Earth
Studio albums
Iced Earth (1990)
Night of the Stormrider (1991)
Burnt Offerings (1995)
The Dark Saga (1996)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998)
Horror Show (2001)
The Glorious Burden (2004)
Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1 (2007)
The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 (2008)
Dystopia (2011)
Plagues of Babylon (2014)
Incorruptible (2017)
A Narrative Soundscape (2022)
DYSTOPIA
Iced Earth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hijack your city state, a prison nothing more.
Rounded up like cattle, you're forced in to the trains,
Nothing that you've ever known will bring you so much pain.
If you try to resist me you'll find me inhumane,
But if you just submit you'll live your life a slave.
Your love, your servitude will medicate your pain,
Microchipped by darts, their thoughts are not their own,
All that's left of human kind is now in their control.
Planned out through centuries, patient and contrived,
Pray of man's naivety, gullible and blind.
If you try to resist me you'll find me inhumane,
But if you just submit you'll live your life a slave.
Your love, your servitude will medicate your pain,
With our technology, we'll always keep you safe.
[Chorus]
The nightmare unfolds before my eyes
I will resist ‘til the end of time
A spirit born free has to break these chains
We're lost, we must find our way.
We must find our way.
We'll find our way.
They say that you're a danger to everything that's pure,
There are too many of you, they're offering the cure.
Swift extermination if you refuse the game,
Arrested development, your vaccinated fate.
If you try to resist me you'll find me inhumane,
But if you just submit you'll live your life a slave.
Your love, your servitude will medicate your pain,
With our technology, we'll always keep you safe.
[Chorus: x2]
We must find our way,
We'll find our way.
The lyrics to Iced Earth's song Dystopia describe a terrifying future where citizens are living in a prison-like city state, rounded up like cattle and forced onto trains. They are microchipped with darts and their thoughts are not their own. The government controls every aspect of their lives with technology and medication which is used to medicate the pain of their enslavement. If anyone tries to resist, they are met with inhumane treatment, but if they submit to the government's control they are forced to live as slaves.
The song carries an underlying theme of the dangers of a dystopian society, where the government has too much power and control over its citizens. The band urges listeners to resist and fight against such a system, to find their own way to freedom. The lyrics remind us that freedom is not something that can be taken for granted and must be constantly fought for and defended.
Overall, Iced Earth's song Dystopia is a powerful message about the horrific reality of a dystopian society and the importance of resisting it. It serves as a warning to society about the dangers of giving too much power to our governments and the importance of remaining vigilant in the defense of our freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Enter the nightmare, this future does implore,
This is a bleak and terrifying world begging for attention and warning against its dangers.
Hijack your city state, a prison nothing more.
A totalitarian regime has taken control of society and turned it into a jail for its citizens.
Rounded up like cattle, you're forced in to the trains,
Individuals have lost their autonomy and are being forced into transportation in a dehumanizing way.
Nothing that you've ever known will bring you so much pain.
The future is bleak, and will bring unparalleled suffering to all who enter it.
If you try to resist me you'll find me inhumane,
Those who attempt to fight against the regime will be met with brutal force and cruelty.
But if you just submit you'll live your life a slave.
Those who acquiesce to the regime will be allowed to live but will be stripped of their freedom.
Your love, your servitude will medicate your pain,
The regime will use a combination of chemicals and indoctrination to prevent the population from revolting, in effect medicating their pain and suffering.
With our technology, we'll always keep you safe.
The regime will take away the personal autonomy of the population, but promises that they will be safe and protected under the watchful eye of the authorities.
Microchipped by darts, their thoughts are not their own,
The government has gone so far as to implant chips into individuals, robbing them of their ability to think independently.
All that's left of human kind is now in their control.
The regime has effectively taken control of the population, leaving little hope for any resistance or change in leadership.
Planned out through centuries, patient and contrived,
This is a regime that has been manipulated by rulers for generations and brought to power over careful planning and consideration.
Pray of man's naivety, gullible and blind.
The overseers of this regime count on the fact that human beings can be misled, naïvely believe in authority, and are quick to follow leaders they believe will provide good for their country.
[Chorus]
At this point in the song, the singer is recounting the horrors of this society and emphasizing the need to fight back.
The nightmare unfolds before my eyes
The singer is despairing at what they see around them, a world that is so frightening it feels like a nightmare.
I will resist ‘til the end of time
The singer is determined to fight back against the regime and resist until their last breath.
A spirit born free has to break these chains
Although the regime has taken away much of his autonomy and rights, the singer believes that the human spirit remains inherently free and should be working to break the chains of oppression.
We're lost, we must find our way.
The singer acknowledges that things are dire and people are struggling, but also recognizes that they must fight on despite this.
They say that you're a danger to everything that's pure,
The regime is targeting individuals, specifically those they perceive to be detractors, as being threats to the common good.
There are too many of you, they're offering the cure.
The regime believes that the population has been overgrown and that action must be taken to artificially control the population through genocide.
Swift extermination if you refuse the game,
Those who refuse to bow to the regime will be executed swiftly and without mercy.
Arrested development, your vaccinated fate.
The singer is lamenting that once people have given up their autonomy to the regime, there is no going back, and they have been stuck with their fate, all of which is under the control of the government.
[Chorus: x2]
The chorus repeats a third and fourth time, emphasizing the need for people to resist the regime as long as they can.
We must find our way,
The singer urges people to fight until are able to come up with a way to overcome the regime.
We'll find our way.
The singer believes that, even against all odds, they will eventually succeed.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Baerghet Trulmaelder
Enter the nightmare
This future does implore
A techno city-state
A prison, nothing more
Rounded up like cattle
You're forced into the trains
Nothing that you've ever known
Will bring you so much pain
[Pre-chorus]
If you try to resist me
You'll find me inhumane
But if you just submit
You'll live your life a slave
You'll love your servitude
We'll medicate your pain
With our technology
We'll always keep you safe
Micro-chipped like dogs
Their thoughts are not their own
All that's left of human kind
Is now in their control
Planned out through centuries
Patient and contrived
Played on man's naiveté
Gullible and blind
[Pre-chorus]
If you try to resist me
You'll find me inhumane
But if you just submit
You'll live your life a slave
You'll love your servitude
We'll medicate your pain
With our technology
We'll always keep you safe
[Chorus]
The nightmare unfolds before my eyes
I will resist 'til end of time
A spirit born free
Has to break these chains
We're lost, we must find our way
We'll find our way!
They say that you're a danger
To everything that's pure
There are too many of you
They're offering the cure
Swift extermination
If you refuse the game
Arrested development
Your vaccinated fate
[Pre-chorus]
If you try to resist me
You'll find me inhumane
But if you just submit
You'll live your life a slave
You'll love your servitude
We'll medicate your pain
With our technology
We'll always keep you safe
[Chorus]
The nightmare unfolds before my eyes
I will resist 'til end of time
A spirit born free
Has to break these chains
We're lost, we must find our way
We'll find our way!
John Kiebler
Iced Earth has remained underground and never mainstream. Definitely the most underrated metal group of all time.
beef nacos
@cbrrr96 because they never sold their souls....it's true
cbrrr96
Its very unfair and I cant understand why they are no to popular group..
Brent Logan
Iced Earth never disappoints best part about them is that Jon Schaffer keeps you guessing who gives a shit what kind of metal they play. METAL is METAL
Mediocre Modeler
So are handcuffs and cell doors.
Bottle 12
this dude can see the future
7empest
Here to pay respect for Jon.
Ege Çebi
Listening to this years later and realising how much truth there is to this song...
Luke Hauser
New verse about informing against against fellow DC protesters?
Αποστόλης Βαρλάγκας
2021 and those lyrics come out to be prophetic. Damn we live in strange times