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Title: Just not the same....
Review: After giving this CD many opportunities to succeed, I have to finally conclude that this just doesn't compare favorably with Iced Earth's previous work. In my opinion, what made Iced Earth great was crunching, galloping riffage combined with excellent vocals. They were considered "power metal" but really distinguished themselves from the rest of the bands in the genre because a vocal delivery that didn't sound like some opera diva and music that wasn't "wimpified" by cheesy keyboards and riffs that would make make Bon Jovi proud! While the music on this CD is decent, it still lacks something - I'm not sure what. Most of all, the vocals just don't cut it. Ripper is a decent vocalist, but face it, he's ususally been the guy who got brought off of the bench to fill in when the starter left. If you really want to hear Iced Earth at their best, I suggest "Alive in Athens", which showcases most of their good songs and is just filled with intesity and talent.
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