ICED EARTH mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer has issued the following update:

“Once again the winds of change are upon us, and this time I can say that I am very happy about the result.

While out on the European tour I had several in depth discussions with many loyal ICED EARTH fans. A common theme of these discussions was how much Matt is missed. I agreed with the fans that things were not the same and that it was a very special period in ICED EARTH’s history.

When I heard several months ago that Matt was going to be doing a project in music again, I was thinking about contacting him and seeing what his intentions were. I didn’t act on this because I was so focused on the writing of the new epic, and frankly, it just didn’t seem realistic.

Well, after getting out on the road and speaking with many of you directly, I decided to call Matt and see how he was doing and if he was interested in working together again. I am proud to say that he is coming back to ICED EARTH and we will be getting back to work in the studio very soon.

Matt will be singing on Part 2 of the ‘Something Wicked’ concept CD and we will be looking forward to getting out on tour and delivering a series of ICED EARTH shows that will rival any in the history of the band. And there will be a proper DVD filmed from this period, something we’ve all been waiting for.

I want you all to know that it was you who made this a reality. I have missed Matt’s presence onstage and in my personal life in a big way over the past few years, so I appreciate your honesty in our discussions. It did help me realize the decision to move forward with pursuing this. The fans have spoken and we have delivered!

You true fans know that I’m a straight shooter, I say what I mean and mean what I say. And though I value your opinions greatly, you must believe that this is a decision that comes completely from the heart and is not motivated by anything other than what feels the best for ICED EARTH. This is the way that things have always been dealt with, for better or for worse, but always honestly and from the heart.

Tim Owens is a great and talented singer and I wish the best for him and his future on a personal and professional level.

There will be more news soon as to further developments and plans. This will push back the release of Part 2 a bit. Not because we couldn’t be ready to record in time, but because of a new addition to Matt’s family in early 2008!

I am very happy to announce that ICED EARTH is truly BACK!”

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 at 6:02 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Llama2022 wrote:

Amazing news

December 11th, 2007 at 6:27 pm

Rino wrote:

fuck yes

December 11th, 2007 at 6:42 pm

kill_for_weed wrote:

Wow, I just came a little.

December 11th, 2007 at 6:54 pm

Lumbergh wrote:

best news i’ve read all day.

and

I came.

December 11th, 2007 at 7:23 pm

Defleshuary wrote:

About fucking time! I hate Tim Owens.

December 11th, 2007 at 7:23 pm

Matt Barlow vuelve a Iced Earth wrote:

[...] oficial | Iced Earth Vía | SMNnews Más en Hipersónica | Iced [...]

December 11th, 2007 at 7:33 pm

Nikki444 wrote:

December 11th, 2007 at 7:36 pm

hunter_killer wrote:

Good news, now write a better fucking album! There were maybe 2 good songs on Part I.

December 11th, 2007 at 7:38 pm

Crucified Coma wrote:

Owens was cooler.

December 11th, 2007 at 8:13 pm

tattooedsean777 wrote:

while I like both singers and slightly prefer Matt, I think the timing of this sucks as you will have one cd with tim and one with matt.

Plus, It makes it sound like the years with Tim were meaningless.

December 11th, 2007 at 10:58 pm

Defleshuary wrote:

The years with Tim were meaningless to me. I completely ignored them.

December 11th, 2007 at 11:26 pm

Im Voraus wrote:

The gods of metal smile upon us…

This is pretty freaking incredible news.
Vocalist MATT BARLOW Rejoins ICED EARTH
I giggled with joy when I read this. Barlow is a metal legend, who left Iced Earth after 9/11, because he felt that at such a crucial time in American history, he should b…

December 12th, 2007 at 7:39 am

DoomDruid wrote:

Oh thank god…now I can listen to Iced Earth again and actually enjoy it.

Ripper has a great voice and is an amazing vocalist, but he could just never seem to fill Matt’s shoes.

And naturally, I came…and sweet lord I came hard.

December 12th, 2007 at 5:29 pm

Eric Paradox wrote:

“hey Ripper. laterz!”

December 12th, 2007 at 7:55 pm

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