ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer, who is man enough to express his opinions in the most honest manner, without ever worrying about the ongoing politically correct non-sense, doesn't hesitate to spoil the fans by releasing each new album with as many delights as possible. Like its predecessor ("The Glorious Burden"), "Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1)", comes in a beautiful package, which makes it worth the purchase, rather than simply downloading it on iTunes. The album cover as well as the artwork inside the jacket is amazing.

"Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part I)" is a concept album, which could easily be considered as a follow-up to "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (1997), picturing our world in a near future, where religious fanaticism has evolved into different sectarian orders bringing mankind to the brink of extinction. Besides being a history geek, Jon Schaffer also appears to be a fan of Science Fiction, except that on this disc his pessimistic view of the future happens to be horrifyingly realistic. After getting past the "Overture", the opening track "Something Wicked Part I" opens the hostilities in the most brutal fashion and reminds each and everyone metalhead smart enough to acquire this album, that when it comes down to killer riffs, Mr. Schaffer stands high and tall at the top of the food chain. Tim Owens' vocals (BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST) are more aggressive than ever and he uses the capabilities he was blessed with to the fullest.

The only reproach I would make, as far as this album is concerned, is that a stellar track such as "Motivation Of Man" only lasts 1:34 minutes. Quite fortunately, it is followed by "Setian Massacre", which clearly seems to be an extension of it, and in my opinion should already be considered as a classic. Brent Smedley's drumming capacity just gives a new dimension to Heavy Metal. The mid-tempo of "A Charge To Keep" doesn't take away the strong spirit of the band and the catchiness of the chorus remains purely ICED EARTH. Once the very short ballad "Reflections" is over, it most likely appears as an intro for the very aggressive "Ten Thousand Strong". In a super-heavy fashion, "The Order Of The Rose" comes up with some of the best vocal harmonies recently heard in Metal. On the other hand the acoustic guitar on the ballad "The Clouding" reminds me somewhat of PINK FLOYD, before evolving to an NWOBHM tempo toward the end the of the song, which ends up going beyond the nine-minute benchmark without ever becoming boring. "Infiltrate And Assimilate" keeps up with the old-school spirit of the previous tune, but also turns up the head-banging factor by a few notches.

"Retribution Through The Ages" rapidly evolves back to the Power Metal style ICED EARTH is known for with its very Middle Eastern-inspired guitar solo, which could be considered as a prelude to the next track in line, the instrumental "Something Wicked Part 2". Rather than using the usual keyboards on "The Domino Decree", ICED EARTH have obviously decided to go vintage with DEEP PURPLE-style keyboards and pull it off with undisputed success. The title track, "Framing Armageddon", reveals what ICED EARTH is all about and goes way beyond the Power Metal boundaries by growing to become a very sophisticated Thrash Metal item. The slow and very heavy tempo of "When Stars Collide" doesn't take away any attention from the very infectious melodic vocals. "The Awakening" then closes out the album, which except for a few musical instruments, is mostly performed in acapela.

It's hard to believe that this album lasts an hour and ten minutes. As far as I'm concerned, it's a shame it didn't come out as a double album with bonus material. Without question, Jon Schaffer's creative abilities are beyond impressive and one can only wonder why he hasn't written a book yet. "Framing Armageddon" is probably one of the best things ICED EARTH have come up with since the beginning of their career. Five stars classic Heavy Metal!