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The Crucible Of Man (Something Wicked Part II) | 
 enlarge | Artist: Iced Earth
Label: Steamhammer / SPV
Category: Music
List Price: $17.98
Buy New: $11.39
You Save: $6.59 (37%)
New (44) Used (12) from $9.97
Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 2242
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.7 x 0.5
MPN: 91592
UPC: 693723915920
EAN: 0693723915920
ASIN: B00151A6TS
Release Date: September 9, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | In Sacred Flames | | • | Behold The Wicked Child | | • | Minions Of The Watch | | • | The Revealing | | • | A Gift Or A Curse | | • | Crown Of The Fallen | | • | The Dimension Gauntlet | | • | I Walk Alone | | • | Harbinger Of Fate | | • | Crucify The King | | • | Sacrificial Kingdoms | | • | Something Wicked (Part 3) | | • | Divide And Devour | | • | Come What May | | • | Epilogue |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
While the 1998 album provided a general overview of the story, Jon Schaffer has been conceptualizing for well over a decade. The saga is being fully brought to life with the release of the back-to-back conceptual albums "Framing Armageddon" and "The Crucible Of Man." While both albums provide answers to mysteries the previous releases would create, the timeliness of the story in today s world is guaranteed to keep people thinking and guessing. Schaffer s ability to convey the central themes and events of the story without always revealing exactly why characters decisions are made and how events come to pass, will keep fans of the saga coming back as future mediums for the "Something Wicked" storyline are revealed.
The Crucible Of Man is the culmination of the storyline. The absolute pinnacle of the American Metal Powerhouse s career, and happily the full-length return of singer Matt Barlow.
Album Description
While the 1998 album provided a general overview of the story, Schaffer has been conceptualizing for well over a decade. The saga is being fully brought to life with the release of the back-to-back conceptual albums "Framing Armageddon" and "The Crucible of Man." While both albums provide answers to mysteries the previous releases would create, the timeliness of the story in today's world is guaranteed to keep people thinking and guessing. Schaffer's ability to convey the central themes and events of the story without always revealing exactly "why" characters' decisions are made and "how" events come to pass, will keep fans of the saga coming back as future mediums for the "Something Wicked" storyline are revealed. "The Crucible of Man" is the culmination of the storyline. The absolute pinnacle of the American Metal Powerhouse's career, and happily - the full-length return of singer Matt Barlow.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Awesome! November 19, 2008
B. Hooper (Perth, Australia)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Firstly, I have been an Iced earth fan for quite some time now (I.e. 10+ Years)
I just picked up the 'Framing Armageddon' and 'Crucible of Man' albums after avoiding Iced Earth since the departure of Matt Barlow. Basically, the music no longer interested me and I found the vocals to be atrocious.
Pleasently, Matt barlow is back for Crucible of Man and it has paid off no end! This album is magnificent!
This fan is back!!!
P.s. I don't rate Framing Armageddon. The music is ok, but the vocals are rubbish. Very hard to listen to.
 Something Wicked 2 November 17, 2008
MAK
I liked this.
Really, that's all there is to say.
It's Iced Earth.
Fans will dig it.
Don't like Iced Earth?
Kill yourself.
In a Fire.
 It seems bad karma for booting Owens has made it's mark on this lackluster record from one of the best metal bands of all time. November 5, 2008
DAVID M. Guissarri
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
With the return of the famed vocalist Matt Barlow, this album had alot of expectations to live up to, sadly it rarely does. For the record, I think both Owens and Barlows are some of the best metal vocalists out there.
I have to say this is one the most disappointing albums from Iced Earth, I would never ever expected this from a genius like Schaffear. Owens gave new life to Iced Earth. Glorious Burden was amazing, and I thought it was a fluke, and they could never pull it off again. 3 years later I was blown away with Framing Armageddon. I could not believe how amazing that album was. It fitted Owens new vocals perfectly and Schaffaer clearly poured his heart and soul in that album as all his previous records. Iced Earth was reborn with it's new singer and was on top of their game as always. Then out of nowhere Owen gets the boot and this gets released...
I was very disappointed with this album. 2 main reasons, it was clearly rushed out the door, as the album is mostly repetitive. Alot of the tracks feel like fillers. This doesn't feel like a true Iced Earth album. The second reason is nothing stands out at all, there is no songs that made my jaw drop like on any other albums. As I said, alot of repetition and guitar riffs. Barlow is amazing as ever, but the lack of creative songwriting I have come from Iced Earth is not here, and even the amazing voice of Barlow cannot save the album, all in all the album feels very lackluster. There are a few good tracks such as Behold the Wicked Child, I Walk Alone and Come What May(my favorite off the album), overall I think this album clearly needed alot more time in the studio, because it feels incomplete and rushed, and it was clear Schaffear wanted this out the door to please the fans with the return of Barlow.
Jon Schaffar needs to find some permanent members to really define their sound in the future, especially with the return of Barlow. He cannot continue to have a new lineup every year because it's taking a toll on his song writing skills, and this album definitely proves it. I know not every album from a band can be a masterpiece, and I definitely believe Schaffear still has that amazing songwriting in him, it's just this album clearly needed more time to shine.
"The Watchers Eye has sealed your fate." November 4, 2008
Lord Chimp (Monkey World)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you are going to listen to this album for the first time, I am going to ask you to do something. It will be hard, because you'll want to listen to it as soon as you pick it up, of course. However, you will benefit in the long run I promise. When you get this album, listen to _Something Wicked Part I_ first, THEN put this one on immediately after. Don't think of it as a new Iced Earth album with Matt Barlow back on vocals. Think of it as first and foremost as _Something Wicked Part II_ and think of the other stuff later. The way the story flows over the two volumes, the pacing of songs -- what can I say, Schaffer is a good storyteller, whose medium is music. You can tell he has some very epic ideas in his head while making this music. I am not referring to the sci-fi story of Set Abominae in the concrete, but just the emotional flow of the music on a more abstract level. The story itself that of an impossibly elaborate revenge plot against humanity, stretched over thousands of years, carried out by Earth's original inhabitants.
Musically there is not much need to comment, it's stylistically perfectly consistent with the last one. It does seem heavier though in part because Barlow has a heavier voice than the Ripper. Very power metal and straight-up, with songs and musicianship so strong it conquers the genre. In response to an apparent trend with reviewers to deride the album for being "so mid-tempo", I just don't see it. There is some kind of revisionism going on because Part I was mostly mid-tempo to my ears also. Heck, so was _Dark Saga_. So what? There are plenty of fast songs too. Nor do I see an issue with songs blending together or lacking identity. The guitars have amazing hooks over the usual Iced Earth gallop and huge epic vocal lines and they stand out as well as the first album. Again songs have a lot of the Blind Guardian/Demons & Wizards element, with an army of vocal tracks pounding out super-melodic lines. If you like the first one, I don't really see why one would think this was musically worse (or better for that matter). Every song is excellent and like Part I, there is a lot of variety. An interesting difference though is the lack of interludes. Part II is mostly just songs, except for "In Sacred Flames" and "Epilogue", the latter is more or less a reprise of Part I's "Overture" - a haunting piece with extra power at the end.
And yes there is Barlow! I must of course admit I was wrong about the Ripper, he is a great vocalist, and his performance on Part I is monumental. But Barlow is more than a great singer, he is one of THE metal singers. He just has that "it" factor. His voice is so epic and huge singings lyrics like "Kingdoms fall to the ground, crushed by their own greed!" and "I am your Antichrist, destroyer of mankind." His screaming, growling, and tenor are classic as ever.
The final stretch of songs on this disc is absolutely, the "climax" I would say starts at "Sacrificial Kingdoms", with fast instrumental lines combined in a march of low, brutal forward momentum and epic chorus and awesome Barlow screaming. gallop and classic IE chug , unbelievably good. "Something Wicked Part III" is like all the intensity of built by the previous songs approaching the breaking point. The chorus in the first part of the song is a marvel of tension, with an ascending figure sung by choir countered by a seething phrase from Barlow. "Divide Devour" is the fastest, most brutal song on the album and goes perfectly here, where Set Abominae's ultimate rage is about to be unleashed -- a spasm of punishing intensity, with an interlude of choral exclamations over bionic chugging. "Come What May" ends the album on a note that is ambiguous much like humanity's fate in real life. Just as the fate of humanity in real fate is undecided, the _Something Wicked_ story ends here with a bit of a cliffhanger - does Set Abominae see goodness and spare humanity, or merely ponder man's nature before proceeding with their annihilation? An epic song with an amazing chorus and haunting, slow middle section with some kind of eerie flute-like synth solo. Then the evocative, lamenting instrumental, "Epilogue". With that, Schaffer's epic ends.
Don't let any bad or so-so reviews discourage you from getting this if you liked Part I. This album is amazing and makes Part I seem even better now. The two combined are easily Iced Earth's best, in my opinion.
Moving. November 2, 2008
Erik Elmore
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This album is also a fantastic work on the same level that I expect from all Iced Earth releases.
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