Alive in Athens

Alive in Athens
Live album by Iced Earth
Released July 27, 1999
Recorded January 23–24, 1999
Genre Thrash metal, power metal
Length 180:06
Label Century Media
Producer Jon Schaffer, Jim Morris
Iced Earth chronology
Something Wicked This Way Comes
(1998)		 Alive in Athens
(1999)		 Horror Show
(2001)
Alive in Athens
Video by Iced Earth
Released October 30, 2006
Recorded January 23–24, 1999
Genre Thrash metal, power metal
Length 96:20
Label Century Media
Iced Earth chronology
Gettysburg (1863)
(2005)		 Alive in Athens
(2006)		 Festivals of the Wicked
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Metal Storm (DVD)[2]

Alive in Athens is a live album by American heavy metal band Iced Earth. It was recorded on the nights of January 23 and January 24, 1999 in front of sold out crowds of approximately 2000 people (on both nights) at the Rodon Club in Athens, Greece. Iced Earth was supporting the Something Wicked This Way Comes album and were on tour. It was turned into a single DVD, and released in October 2006. The album features the return of former drummer Brent Smedley, who did not record on the band's previous album.

At the conclusion of "Violate", the band plays the opening riff of "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden. "Colors" was also played at this concert, but was not included on the CD due to a track listing mix-up. It is, however, included on the reissue of The Melancholy E.P..

Next to the CD version, there also exists a vinyl box version. It was released in 1999 and contained five pictures of the band's albums. One had the Alive in Athens artwork, the other ones had the Night of The Stormrider, Dark Saga, Days of Purgatory and Something Wicked This Way Comes artwork. It came originally with an Alive in Athens poster signed by Jon Schaffer. This box had the same track list as the three-disc version.

In 2008, Century Media reissued the three-CD release in a limited mini-LP gatefold sleeve. It included "Colors" as a bonus track on disc two.

According to a 2003 post by Jon Schaffer, the album was certified Platinum in Greece. [3]

Track listing

Disc I

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Burning Times"Matt Barlow, Jon SchafferBarlow, Schaffer4:06
2."Vengeance Is Mine"BarlowRandall Shawver, Schaffer4:42
3."Pure Evil"SchafferShawver, Schaffer6:32
4."My Own Savior"BarlowSchaffer, Jim Morris3:42
5."Melancholy (Holy Martyr)"SchafferSchaffer4:55
6."Dante's Inferno"SchafferSchaffer16:23
7."The Hunter"SchafferSchaffer4:09
8."Travel in Stygian"SchafferSchaffer9:02
9."Slave to the Dark"SchafferSchaffer3:52
10."A Question of Heaven"SchafferSchaffer8:17

Disc II

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Dark Saga"SchafferSchaffer4:02
2."The Last Laugh"BarlowShawver, Schaffer4:38
3."Last December"SchafferSchaffer3:37
4."Watching Over Me"SchafferSchaffer4:53
5."Angels Holocaust"SchafferSchaffer4:31
6."Stormrider"SchafferShawver, Schaffer4:50
7."The Path I Choose"SchafferShawver, Schaffer5:44
8."I Died for You"SchafferSchaffer4:44
9."Prophecy"SchafferSchaffer6:10
10."Birth of the Wicked"SchafferSchaffer5:42
11."The Coming Curse"SchafferSchaffer8:56
12."Iced Earth"SchafferSchaffer6:58
Bonus track (2008 reissue)
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
13."Colors"SchafferShawver, Schaffer5:13

Disc III

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Stand Alone"Barlow, SchafferBarlow, Schaffer3:30
2."Cast in Stone"BarlowShawver, Schaffer, Dave Abell6:02
3."Desert Rain"SchafferSchaffer, Abell7:19
4."Brainwashed"SchafferShawver, Schaffer5:12
5."Disciples of the Lie"SchafferSchaffer4:11
6."When the Night Falls"SchafferSchaffer7:47
7."Diary"BarlowShawver, Schaffer, Abell5:52
8."Blessed Are You"SchafferSchaffer5:46
9."Violate"SchafferSchaffer3:53

DVD

On October 30, 2006, Century Media released a DVD version featuring live footage of the concert.

Shortly before the DVD was publicly released, Iced Earth rhythm guitarist and founder Jon Schaffer offered a statement which voiced dissatisfaction with Century Media (with whom Iced Earth was no longer signed at the time). A portion of this statement reads:

"I want you all to be aware of what it is that they [Century Media] are releasing. This is a very low-budget, badly edited video of an amazing concert and an awesome period in the history of Iced Earth. They promised me that they are going to keep the price down and that they are not going to market it as something it's not. But I feel it's my responsibility to let you know the reality of the situation."

Schaffer did not, however, go so far as to call for a boycott of the product, saying, "The decision to purchase the 'Alive in Athens' DVD is up to you. I just want you to be aware of what it is you're getting should you choose to do so."

The song order is not identical to that featured on the album version. A few songs are also missing, including "Slave to the Dark", "A Question of Heaven", and "Iced Earth". "Colors" was played at this concert as well, but was not included on the CD or DVD due to a track listing mix up. It is however included on The Melancholy E.P. and the 2008 re-release of Alive in Athens.

Bonus features

  • Iced Earth Backstage
  • Jon Schaffer in Athens

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Hundey, J. (2011). "Alive in Athens - Iced Earth | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Metal Storm review
  3. ↑ "ICED EARTH's JON SCHAFFER: 'We Are Kicking Serious Ass'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 2003-11-24. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
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