''Burnt Offerings'' is the third studio album by American heavy metal band

Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida and currently based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer and original drummer ...

. Released on April 18, 1995, it was the group's first album since 1991's ''

Night of the Stormrider ''Night of the Stormrider'' is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Iced Earth, released in 1991 through Century Media Records. It is a concept album centered on an idea that was created by the band's leader Jon Schaffer. ...

'', after which the band took a three-year layoff. During this time they recruited drummer Rodney Beasley and singer Matthew Barlow, replacing Rick Secchiari and John Greely, respectively. ''Burnt Offerings'' has been described as Iced Earth's heaviest and darkest record. Rhythm guitarist and main songwriter

Jon Schaffer Jon Ryan Schaffer (born March 15, 1968) is an American heavy metal musician. He is the rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter of the Indiana-based heavy metal band Iced Earth, which he formed in 1985 under the name Purgatory. He is also the ...

has said that the heaviness of the songs were a result of his frustration with the music industry. Schaffer's frustration is particularly evident in the title track, which talks about the problems the band had to endure during its downtime. The album is also notable for including one of the longest songs Iced Earth has ever recorded; "

Dante's Inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem ''Divine Comedy''. It is followed by ''Purgatorio'' and '' Paradiso''. The ''Inferno'' describes Dante's journey through Hell, guid ...

". Clocking in at 16 minutes and 26 seconds, "Dante's Inferno" is based on the ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'' segment of

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

, the ''

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

''. 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 Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engraving ...

, of

Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...

from the ''Divine Comedy''.

Track listing

All lyrics and music written by

, except where noted. On the original CD, released in 1995, "Dante's Inferno" was divided into three parts on a single track. On subsequent re-releases since then, the song has been listed as one track.

2008 ''Slave to the Dark'' bonus disc

Personnel

; Iced Earth * Matthew Barlow − lead vocals *

− rhythm guitar, lead guitar, vocals, co-producer *Dave Abell − bass *Randall Shawver − lead guitar *Rodney Beasley − drums ; Additional musicians *Howard Helm − keyboards ; Other personnel *Tom Morris – co-producer, engineer *Tim Hubbard – photography *Axel Hermann – artwork (on 2001 reissue) * Travis Smith – artwork (on 2001 reissue) *Jim Morris – mixing, mastering (on 2001 reissue)

References

External links

Iced Earth's official website
1995 albums Iced Earth albums Century Media Records albums Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording {{1990s-thrash-metal-album-stub