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)
Equilibrium
Iced Earth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love, hate, and sorrow leads us to eradication
Mankind survives, to see another lifetime
What is the final price our people will be paying?
Our lives so colorless and ruled with false devotion
Destroying anything that triggers our emotion
The enemy is one who feels the world around them
Destroying our stimuli
Force us too defy all that is human
The serum keeps us pacified
Stand to feel alive
Our instinct will take over
Annihilation of our feeling
Emancipation our minds healing
Determination defines existence
Eradicate with our resistance
If people awake they’ll be free from this daydream
Human instinct will break through and keep us feeling
We will not medicate, their grasp will surely crumble
Take back humanity and devastate their power
Destroying our stimuli
Force us too defy all that is human
The serum keeps us pacified
Stand to feel alive
Our instinct will take over
The lyrics to Iced Earth's song Equilibrium are quite thought-provoking and introspective as they delve into the theme of control and suppression of human emotions. The opening line of "Inject and suppress the human feeling" sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the idea of a serum or substance being used to numb emotions and create a colorless existence. The lyrics suggest that love, hate, and sorrow are what "leads us to eradication," implying that it is our emotions that make us vulnerable to destruction.
The song then goes on to criticize the concept of false devotion and blind obedience, stating that it can lead to the destruction of anything that triggers an emotional response. The enemy is portrayed as someone who feels the world around them, suggesting that those who are aware of their emotions are seen as a threat. The lyrics describe the singer as feeling interrogated and facing their own judgment, perhaps implying that struggling against these suppressive forces can be an internal struggle.
The chorus of the song speaks of the need to destroy our stimuli, to defy that which is human, and to take back our instinct for survival. The message here is one of resistance and returning to a state of humanity that is not numbed by a serum or substance. The lyrics suggest that by awakening to our emotions, we can become free and take back our power.
Line by Line Meaning
Inject and suppress the human feeling
Deny our emotions so we don't feel
Love, hate, and sorrow leads us to eradication
Our emotions destroy us
Mankind survives, to see another lifetime
We continue to exist, but for how long?
What is the final price our people will be paying?
What is the ultimate cost of our actions?
Our lives so colorless and ruled with false devotion
We live without passion or true purpose
Destroying anything that triggers our emotion
We eliminate anything that might make us feel
The enemy is one who feels the world around them
Those who have emotions are seen as a threat
Interrogated, now they’re facing their own judgment
Those who feel are punished and judged
Destroying our stimuli
Eliminating anything that could provoke emotion
Force us too defy all that is human
We are forced to suppress our humanity
The serum keeps us pacified
We are kept numb with drugs
Stand to feel alive
We must resist and embrace our emotions to truly live
Our instinct will take over
Our natural impulses will eventually prevail
Annihilation of our feeling
Our emotions are being destroyed
Emancipation our minds healing
Freeing ourselves from emotional suppression will heal us
Determination defines existence
Our willpower gives us purpose
Eradicate with our resistance
We must fight against those who suppress our emotions
If people awake they’ll be free from this daydream
If we awaken to our emotions, we can break free from this dull existence
Human instinct will break through and keep us feeling
Our natural impulses will allow us to embrace our emotions
We will not medicate, their grasp will surely crumble
If we stop taking the drugs, those in power will lose control
Take back humanity and devastate their power
We must rebel and overthrow those who suppress us
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
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