Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer Photo: Andy Laudano

“I wanted to make it so these songs could stand on their own as individual tracks,” explains Iced Earth singer/songwriter/founder Jon Schaffer on the band’s latest epic, The Crucible Of Man: Something Wicked Part 2. “A lot of concept albums tend to be just jam-packed, full of filler or musical ramblings that don’t go anywhere or have a story with any directive. Somebody can not know anything about the story but still get some meaning out of it”

The Crucible Of Man marks the final chapter to the Something Wicked saga created in 1998. “The original plan was that the trilogy on Something Wicked This Way Comes would be the introduction to this album,” Schaffer explains. “We always planned for a two-album epic and were supposed to do it then (1998).” It first surfaced in 2007 as Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1. This album was also the last to feature vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens before the return of Matt Barlow (who sang for the band from 1994-2003).

“It wasn’t working out with Tim on a few levels, so there would have been a change regardless of whether or not Matt was to come back,” Schaffer notes. “Now Tim is the most amazing singer I’ve ever worked with, so it didn’t have anything to do with ability. It was more of a spiritual thing that wasn’t there. At the end of the day, Tim was more interested in doing his solo thing. That’s certainly where his head was while in Iced Earth. From a performance standpoint, Tim was the only singer who’s ever been in this band that I didn’t feel was really a true believer, and that’s not an option for anybody in Iced Earth.”

Schaffer didn’t have to look too far when it came to a new singer. “It just so happened that Matt and I got back in touch with each other,” recalls Jon. “Actually, the first thing we talked about doing was like a side project. But it became clear he’d be able to do things, and it didn’t really make sense for us to something and not call it Iced Earth. It is what is, and Matt stepped in. It didn’t really change anything for me in terms of writing, because the album was already written.”

Schaffer came up with The Something Wicked concept in 1997. “It hit me like a ton of bricks. I mean literally hours back in 1997,” he states. “I had the imagery of the story. It’s really kind of a twisted sci-fi tale.”

It evolves around the figure, Set Abominae, who has graced the covers of Iced Earth albums since Something Wicked. The Anti-Christ to mankind, he’s born to take avenge for his ancestors, the Setians. Framing Armageddon lays the foundation for his coming.

Schaffer describes Crucible as “a very dark story, and this whole thing is really spooky. Part I is more like the Star Wars prequels as compared to Part II. For the most part, Crucible is coming from Set’s perspective, so it’s really dark. He’s the embodiment of an entire wiped-out civilization, plus he’s got a human being’s DNA — bits of some of the ancient high priests that were in the elder council from centuries back. Once he realizes this is his destiny and this is who he is, he embraces whole heartedly that he’s the one charged with bringing mankind to its knees.”

When Iced Earth makes a stop at the Ridglea on November 11, they’ll be playing a few new tracks along with a mix from their vast catalog. “I’m looking forward to seeing everybody. We all are,” states Schaffer. “We’re gonna put on a good impassioned show like we always do, and it should be cool. We’re pumped.”