Gettysburg is about as ambitious as metal gets. It's an admirable effort, but the song suffers from a lack of solid lead playing. Iced Earth's earlier epic, Dante's Inferno, is an example of great bridges and transitions with guitar riffs. Gettysburg in comparison seems like a man trying to fit in a suit that's too big for him; there isn't enough here musically to fit into the grand theme Jon Schaffer had in mind, and he ends up padding a lot of it with sound effects, plodding riffs and a curious detachment and anti-climatic finish for the final battle on track three. The listener is left waiting for a pay-off which never comes. It's ambitious and original, but the delivery falls a little short.

I miss Matt Barlow's emotional vocals. He would have sold this record's vocals instead of shrieking his way through them as Tim Owens mostly does.

The Glorious Burden is an album worth picking up, just to hear the ambitious Gettysburg. Everything else is fairly good, but nothing Iced Earth hasn't done and done better on past albums.

Absolutely amazing...
This CD is incredible. Hands down, one of the best metal CDs of all time (in my humble opinion!). There is not a weak spot on this CD. Here's a quick run-down. The CD is based on American and World History. It opens with a cool, electric guitar rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, then launches into Declaration Day. DD is an ass-kicking mid-tempo song with a powerful double bass/guitar solo section in the middle. Then we have the "electric" version of When The Eagle Cries. This son first made its appearance on The Reckoning EP, but returns with a facelift. This song rules. The unplugged version was alright, but this is absolutely stellar. Another great solo. Next is The Reckoning, which is balls-to-the-wall double bass with amazing vocals courtesy of new singer Tim Owens. Tim replaced Matt Barlow when Matt left the band to pursue another career. Not once during this CD did I miss Matt's voice. I think Tim is a better fit for Iced Earth and a more dynamic vocalist. Next up is Green Face, with a quick (3 minutes) ass kicker filled with double bass (notice a trend? This is a heavy CD!!) Owens unleashes an ungodly scream in the chorus. This guy's high vocals are unbelievable. Valley Forge was also on the Reckoning EP, its a galloping, Maiden-esque tune with more fancy lead guitar work by new axe-man Ralph Santolla. Attila will knock you out. This reminds of me of classic, old-school Iced Earth (a la Dante's Inferno or Angel's Holocaust or something). There are amazing choir-like vocals, screams, bludgeoning drums, and some seriously wicked growled vocals that will flat out scare you. Hollow Man is another ballad, well-written and catchy, with more good lead guitar. Red Baron will slaughter you, flat out kick your ass up, down, and around the corner. The middle section of this song will put the old "This is why I love metal" smile on your face. Come to think of it, this whole album makes you feel like that. This is what metal is all about. And then finally, we have the Gettysburg Trilogy. Complete with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and cannons/war sounds, this trilogy is one of the highlights in Iced Earth's entire catalog. The trilogy also features some lead vocals from Jon in one section that are fantastic. The lyrics are wonderful, and this is a multi-faceted approach to a fundamental part of American history. I cannot say enough about this album. For those of you who love intelligent, well-crafted music, you NEED this album. Anyone who is dissapointed by this album had better have some damn good reasons, because this is one of, if not THE best CD Iced Earth has ever put out. Obviously, some people will not accept Tim as the new vocalist after Matt's amazing performances, but TRUST ME, Tim's better! This is absolutely stunning...BUY IT!

Incredible CD. Moving and Patriotic.
There is no need to review the rest of this CD, which is very good. The Gettysburg trilogy is worth the price of admission alone. No, it is not demons, magic, and fantasy (although I still love that Genre), but the material is much more meaningful and timely. Go out and rent the movie Gettysburg (no need to read any 1000 page books). The songs parallel it closely. Then go back and listen to the songs and read the lyrics. It all makes sense and Tim Owen's vocals become more appropriate to tell the story. Nice job Iced Earth.

Buy this album
...and while you are at it, get ALL of the Iced Earth albums, they are all outstanding. Even the self-titled debut, despite Gene Adam's vocals... Tim Owens is a great singer, though I prefer Barlow's style, Owens actually is even more talented than Barlow. His range is amazing. The highlight of the album is obviously the Gettysburg trilogy, but the other songs are also all great, and none are fillers. So buy the album. See them live also (they are amazing).

Iced Earth~~~Glorious Burden
This band is a very good, hardworking band. At first listen i thought it was alright, but i didn't want to buy the album quite yet. after downloading 2 songs, i was thinking about buying the album. then a friend of mine bought the cd, i listened to it. now i think it is horrible!
is this a heavy metal band,
or an opera cd?
the singer is just a little more deeper than that retard vocalist in THE DARKNESS. [they suck also]
i listened to the whole cd with an open mind, then i let my other friend listen to it, he asked if it was some sort of mix between opera and metal. the music is good, but find a better vocalist.
the only reason i am not giving them 1 star is that they dont follow or copy bands, and that is hard to find these days
2004 album from the U.S. progressive metal act. The first with new vocalist Tim Ownes (Judas Priest). Features 11 tracks including the first single 'The Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me)'. Steamhammer.