Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida and cur… Read Full Bio ↴Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida and currently based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer and original drummer Greg Seymour. Iced Earth released their debut album in 1990 and have since released twelve studio albums, four EPs, three compilations, three box sets, three live albums and eleven music videos.

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)

Life and Death
Iced Earth Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I came into this world
A screaming infant
Forced entry into this life
As I grow the pain sustains
Deep inside my soul
Visions come and visions go
But hate will never leave me
As I grow the pain sustains

Deep inside my soul
Visions come and visions go
But hate will never leave me
Life and death never again
I shall not return
Soul sucking pious man
I shall not return
The reflection, an aging soul
My body's old and cracked
Death soon will be with me
Coldness, inactive pain
Soul sucked at the speed of light
Trapped in someone else
No please not again
Evil reincarnated

The cycle's spun once more
Soul sucked at the speed of light

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Life and Death" by Iced Earth seem to explore the idea of the cyclical nature of life and death, and the inevitability of pain and suffering. The song begins with the singer reflecting on their difficult entrance into the world as a screaming infant, and how throughout their life, pain and hate have sustained deep inside their soul. The repeated phrase "As I grow the pain sustains, deep inside my soul, visions come and visions go, but hate will never leave me" emphasizes the persistence of this inner turmoil.

The second half of the song shifts to a focus on death and the afterlife, with the singer asserting that they will not return after death. The lines "Soul sucking pious man, I shall not return" suggest a rejection of religious authority and the idea of being judged after death. The final lines of the song, "No please not again, evil reincarnated, the cycle's spun once more, soul sucked at the speed of light" convey a sense of exhaustion and despair at the thought of the cyclical nature of life, and the possibility of being trapped in an endless cycle of pain and suffering.

Overall, the lyrics of "Life and Death" suggest a deep contemplation of philosophical and existential questions around mortality, suffering, and the afterlife.

Line by Line Meaning

I came into this world
I was born into this world

A screaming infant
I was crying loudly as a newborn baby

Forced entry into this life
I had no choice but to be born and live my life

As I grow the pain sustains
As I get older, the pain I feel in my soul continues to exist

Deep inside my soul
The pain I feel is in the deepest part of me

Visions come and visions go
I have thoughts and ideas that come and go in my mind

But hate will never leave me
However, the feeling of hatred never disappears from my being

Life and death never again
I will not be reincarnated

I shall not return
I will not come back in another life

Soul sucking pious man
A religious person who drains the soul

The reflection, an aging soul
Looking at myself, I see that my soul is getting old