"Iced Earth" has been added to your list of bookmarked artists
close
Iced Earth
Biography
Fashion trends may come and go, but Florida's Iced Earth has remained steadfastly committed to championing the cause of heavy metal through thick and thin. After years of laboring in obscurity and undergoing countless lineup changes, they have slowly emerged as one of the greatest hopes for classic metal in America.

Originally formed as Purgatory by guitarist Jon Schaffer in 1984, the band spent five years in a constant state of flux while paying their dues on the Florida live circuit. They slowly honed their sound by combining '80s thrash influences with the classic metal approach of Iron Maiden. Their 1988 Enter the Realm demo was an underground favorite, and after changing their name to Iced Earth, the band recorded their eponymous 1990 album with a lineup consisting of guitarists Schaffer and Randall Sawver, singer Gene Adams, bassist Dave Abell, and drummer Mike McGill.

Further personnel changes saw the arrival of singer John Greely and drummer Richey Secchiari for 1991's Night of the Stormrider, an ambitious concept album which nevertheless fell on deaf ears. Disheartened, Greely decided to call it quits, but Iced Earth would re-emerge three years later with 1995's Burnt Offerings, released on Century Media Records, and featuring vocalist Matthew Barlow and drummer Rodney Beasley.