Iced Earth - Iced Earth (1990)^{Release ID: 3586}

Iced Earth’s quest to become one of the most popular bands in the power metal genre began back in 1990 with the release of their self-titled debut album, which combined elements of the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) and thrash metal to produce songs which are crammed with intense, galloping riffs, interesting harmonies, and epic vocals.

Power metal has long been the ginger-haired stepchild of metal, but anyone expecting a complete cheese-fest is solely mistaken. Are the lyrics a bit daft at times? Absolutely! But the music here is top-notch. The songwriting, most of which is handled by guitarist and band leader Jon Schaffer, is very well-structured and mature, and although the band would go on to release much better records in the future, their debut still contains some of their best work, such as ‘Iced Earth’, ‘Written on the Walls’, ‘Colors’, ‘Funeral’ and the awesome ‘When the Night Falls’. 

The production is far from perfect, but that actually benefits the record greatly, as it gives the music the exact sound these riffs need. If anything, the only real detriment to the album is vocalist Gene Adam. At times his voice powerfully suits the music, at other times, it comes across as quite forced, annoying, and almost embarrassing.

Other than that, this is a pretty stellar release, and a key moment in power metal history. Worth checking out for fans of all subgenres.