Burnt Offerings (album)
Burnt Offerings is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Iced Earth. Released on April 18, 1995,[4] it was the group's first album since 1991's Night of the Stormrider, after which the band took a three-year layoff.[1] During this time they recruited drummer Rodney Beasley and singer Matthew Barlow, replacing Rick Secchiari and John Greely, respectively.
Burnt Offerings | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 18, 1995 | |||
Recorded | Morrisound Studios, Tampa, Florida[1] | |||
Length | 52:39 | |||
Label | Century Media | |||
Producer | Tom Morris and Jon Schaffer[1] | |||
Iced Earth chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
2001 reissue cover |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Metal Storm | 10/10[3] |
Burnt Offerings has been described as Iced Earth's heaviest and darkest record.[1][3] Rhythm guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer has said that the heaviness of the songs were a result of his frustration with the music industry.[5] Schaffer's frustration is particularly evident in the title track, which talks about the problems the band had to endure during its downtime.[1]
The album is also notable for including one of the longest songs Iced Earth has ever recorded; "Dante's Inferno". Clocking in at 16 minutes and 26 seconds, "Dante's Inferno" is based on the Inferno segment of Dante Alighieri's epic poem, the Divine Comedy.[6] The album starts with a spoken line from Bram Stoker's Dracula. The album's original cover art was also a painting by Gustave Doré, of Lucifer from the Divine Comedy.
Track listing
All lyrics and music written by Jon Schaffer, except where noted.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Burnt Offerings" | Schaffer, Randall Shawver | 7:22 | |
2. | "Last December" | 3:23 | ||
3. | "Diary" | Matt Barlow | Dave Abell, Schaffer, Shawver | 6:14 |
4. | "Brainwashed" | Schaffer, Shawver | 5:22 | |
5. | "Burning Oasis" | Abell, Schaffer, Shawver | 6:00 | |
6. | "Creator Failure" | Abell, Schaffer, Shawver | 6:02 | |
7. | "The Pierced Spirit" | Abell, Shawver | 1:54 | |
8. | "Dante's Inferno"
| 16:26 |
On the original CD, released in 1995, "Dante's Inferno" was divided into three parts on a single track.[7] On subsequent re-releases since then, the song has been listed as one track.
2008 Slave to the Dark bonus disc
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Burnt Offerings" (Rough mix) | Schaffer, Shawver | 7:13 | |
2. | "Last December" (Rough mix) | 3:25 | ||
3. | "Diary" (Rough mix) | Barlow | Abell, Schaffer, Shawver | 6:17 |
4. | "Brainwashed" (Rough mix) | Schaffer, Shawver | 5:26 | |
5. | "Burning Oasis" (Rough mix) | Abell, Schaffer, Shawver | 6:06 | |
6. | "Creator Failure" (Rough mix) | Abell, Schaffer, Shawver | 6:06 | |
7. | "The Pierced Spirit" (Rough mix) | Abell, Shawver | 1:57 | |
8. | "Dante's Inferno" (Rough mix) | 16:22 |
Personnel
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References
- "Burnt Offerings". Icedearth.com. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
- "Burnt Offerings review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- "Burnt Offerings review". Metal Storm. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- "Burnt Offerings at Amazon.com". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- "Jon Schaffer interview from 1996". 1996-12-08. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
- "Iced Earth re-record "Dante's Inferno" and give it away for free | The Official Iced Earth Website". Icedearth.com. 2011-09-05. Archived from the original on 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- "Burnt Offerings at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- Burnt Offerings album credits. Century Media. 2001.