Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Pt. I) [Audio CD] ICED EARTH

Product Description Iced Earth Jon Schaffer and friends tackle the Something Wicked story once again on a collection that feels more like a symphony than a traditional rock album. The symphonic element reveals itself through sonic vignettes such as "Overture," "Reflections," and "Execution," each one serving as a bridge in an intriguing if occasionally nebulous storyline. In its way, the album favors atmosphere over solid songwriting--the epic "The Clouding" has numerous memorable musical moments but fails to fully capture the listener's imagination, despite some well-conceived and thoughtfully executed guitar work from Schaffer; "The Domino Decree" comes off like a Deep Purple retread and although at first exciting, eventually fades into a muddled piece. Part of the problem may be that vocalist Tim Owens often sounds reined in by his surroundings--occasional barbaric shrieks aside; another may be that the music often sounds more like the power metal bands (Kamelot, Blind Guardian) that Iced Earth influenced rather than Iced Earth itself. Framing Armageddon has some fine moments, and some lukewarm ones, as well. The overall impression is that the band might be best served by a fresh perspective and a little more focus on feel over faultlessness. --Jedd Beaudoin