''Days of Purgatory'' is a heavy metal album by

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 ...

. It is a collection of remixes and remakes from previous albums, with the exception of their then-recent record ''

The Dark Saga ''The Dark Saga'' is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Iced Earth. Released on May 20, 1996, it was the band's first album to feature drummer Mark Prator, as well as the last with bassist Dave Abell and lead guitarist Randall ...

''. Most of the songs from the '' Enter the Realm'' EP, ''

'', and ''

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. '' ...

'' were re-sung by

Matt Barlow Matthew Barlow (born March 10, 1971) is an American heavy metal singer. He is the lead singer for Ashes of Ares and former lead singer of Iced Earth and Pyramaze. He is Jon Schaffer's brother-in-law. History Barlow joined Iced Earth after the ' ...

, and on some of the songs the

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

were redone. The 2- CD version also has rough mixes of several songs from '' Burnt Offerings'' with the opening to the title track re-recorded. The album cover features artwork of the

Chaos Comics Chaos! Comics was a comic book publisher that operated from 1993 until 2002, mostly focusing on horror comics. Their titles included ''Lady Death'', ''Purgatori'', ''Evil Ernie'', ''Chastity'', ''Jade'', '' Bad Kitty'', and ''Lady Demon''. Chaos! ...

character

Purgatori Purgatori is a fictional comic book character, created by writer Brian Pulido and artist Steven Hughes. A crimson-skinned, winged vampire goddess, she first appeared in ''Evil Ernie: Revenge'' #1 (October 1994), published by Chaos! Comics. She ha ...

. The reason for the album was to improve the original songs, create

nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...

for older fans and introduce newer fans to Iced Earth's older work. The 2- CD limited edition was originally produced for European audiences but has since been released in the United States. ''Days of Purgatory'' was the last new release from the band featuring longtime guitarist Randall Shawver, and the first to feature bassist

James MacDonough James MacDonough (born April 3, 1970) is an American bass guitarist. He has played with heavy metal bands Iced Earth, Nevermore, and Megadeth. Career MacDonough was part of Iced Earth's line up from 1996–2000 and again from 2001–2004. W ...

and drummer

Brent Smedley 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 ...

. The song "Written on the Walls" from the band's self titled album was given completely new lyrics and renamed "Cast in Stone". The only songs left unrecorded from the band's first albums were "Mystical End", "The Path I Choose", and "Curse the Sky", though the latter two were both performed live with Barlow on vocals. "Winter Nights" was recorded during early sessions for ''

'' while

Gene Adam 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 ...

was still on vocals, but this was the track which prompted Schaffer to ask Adam to get singing lessons, as it was felt he could not handle the high notes. Therefore, the song was not used on the album due to its acrimonious history, though it would have fit in with the storyline of the album. Live performances of this song from that era (such as Wuppertal '91) show him struggling to sing it, probably contributing to his dismissal. Schaffer eventually dug the song out of the vaults to use on this album with Barlow providing vocals, but, as mentioned in the album's booklet, used a 1986 Purgatory demo for the backing track instead.

Track listing

One CD edition

Two CD edition

Disc one

Disc two

Personnel

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 ...

– rhythm guitar, vocals *Randall Shawver – lead guitar *

– lead vocals *

– drums on tracks 1,2,5,6,9,21 *

– bass on 1,2,5,6,9,21 *Dave Abell – bass on 3,4,7,8,10-20 *

Mike McGill Mike McGill (born 1964) is an American skateboarder who is best known for inventing the trick entitled the "McTwist", an inverted 540 degree mute grab aerial. Professional skateboarding McTwist A McTwist is a transitional trick that was invent ...

– drums on 10,11,13,16 *Richey Secchiari – drums on 3,4,7,8,14,18,19 *Rodney Beasley – drums on 12,15,17,20 ;Additional personnel *Howard Helm – keyboards *Kent Smith – keyboards

References

{{Authority control 1997 compilation albums 1997 remix albums Iced Earth compilation albums Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording