Year: 2008
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
A true magnum opus and tracking in at over one hour, “The Crucible of Man” is a diverse, heavy, and shadowed soundscape the showcases the band at the absolute peak of its power in an illustrious career that has spanned over two decades. After fully absorbing, “The Crucible of Man,” it would seem that the innumerable trials and tribulations mainman Jon Schaffer has undertook over the decades as an uncompromising and never-totally-satisfied songwriter/musician were part of an otherworldly grand design that gave Schaffer the beastly prowess he needed to tell a story of unprecedented originality in metal music. That story is of course the “Something Wicked Saga.” While Schaffer hinted at what was to come on 1998’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” disc, it wasn’t until 2007 that the stars aligned and the story could be revealed in detail with the release of “Framing Armageddon – Something Wicked Part I.” And although “The Crucible of Man” is the hard-charging sonic conclusion of the “Something Wicked Saga,” fans can expect the story to continue in other media such as print and possibly film in the future.
Tracklisting:
- In Sacred Flames [Music/Lyrics: Schaffer]
- Behold the Wicked Child [Music/Lyrics: Schaffer]
- Minions of the Watch [Music: Schaffer. Lyrics: Barlow]
- The Revealing [Schaffer/Barlow]
- A Gift Or A Curse? [Music: Schaffer/Morris. Lyrics: Schaffer]
- Crown of the Fallen [Music/Lyrics: Schaffer]
- The Dimension Gauntlet [Music/Lyrics: Schaffer]
- I Walk Alone [Music: Schaffer/Mills. Lyrics: Schaffer]
- Harbinger of Fate [Music/Lyrics: Schaffer]
- Crucify the King [Music: Schaffer. Lyrics: Barlow]
- Sacrificial Kingdoms [Music: Schaffer. Lyrics: Barlow]
- Something Wicked (Part 3) [Music: Schaffer. Lyrics: Barlow]
- Divide Devour [Music/Lyrics: Schaffer
- Come What May [Music/Lyrics: Schaffer]
- Epilogue [Music/Lyrics: Schaffer]
2008 Touring Lineup:
- Jon Schaffer | Rhythm, Bass, and Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Matt Barlow | Lead Vocals
- Brent Smedley | Drums
- Troy Seele | Lead Guitar
- Freddie Vidales | Bass Guitar
Additional Information:
Produced by Jon Schaffer and Jim Morris.
Recorded at Soaring Eagle Sound in Nashville, Indiana.
Mixed and Mastered by Jim Morris at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida.
All principal recordings were conducted from February through April 2007 along
with Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1). Lead Vocals and remaining Lead Guitars, as well as mixing and mastering were completed during the months of March through May 2008.
Cover Art by Nathan Perry and Felipe Machado Franco. Interior Booklet Art by Nathan Perry, David Newman-Stump, Felipe Franco Machado. Layout by Felipe Franco Machado. Iced Earth logo designed by Jon Schaffer
Additional information on this release including guest musicians can be found in the jackets and sleeves accompanying the officially released CD/vinyl copies.