Iced Earth's Jon Schaffer's new solo project - Sons of Liberty

[AMBR]

My issue is that they often concentrate on the wrong things. While Schaffer is worried about Bilderbergers and the Fed, he's missing the fact that Congress is spending us into bankruptcy right under our noses, in plain site. First you deal with the problems that are out in the open, then when those are solved you can worry about what is hidden. It's like worrying about alien abductions while your house is on fire.

Not for nothing, but that is a really good point.

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

I just want to hear the damn thing and decide for myself. Guess I'll have to scout around for a link...later.

http://www.sons-of-liberty.net/

There's a link on his site for a free download of the album. The lyrics are available there, too. If you dig the album, and want the high-res version, it's just $7.99, also available from the site. You pay via PayPal.

I'm interested to know your opinion. You're a worldly and wise-to-the-ways-of-metal kind of gal. Give it a listen and tell us what you think.

Bill

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

My issue is that they often concentrate on the wrong things. While Schaffer is worried about Bilderbergers and the Fed, he's missing the fact that Congress is spending us into bankruptcy right under our noses, in plain site.

Actually, he's worried about both sides of your equation. And he sings about both on his new album.

At this point, he and people who agree with him are well past your house-on-fire-or-alien-abduction analogy. They believe the aliens are on fire and they're burning up everyone's house.

Bill

 

[Rycher]

This is a very cool project! I'm streaming the songs on the site and am completely impressed. I can't say that my political leanings go quite as far as Jon's, but they're definitely in line with his.

Love the "live free or die" attitude that comes across in the music.

 

[General Zod]

Lyrically, it's very reality-based.

It's certainly not the fringe of the Right wing set to Maidenesque triplets.

Glad to see I was wrong on that. I'd hate to lose respect for someone whose music I admire.

Zod

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

It's certainly not the fringe of the Right wing set to Maidenesque triplets.

Glad to see I was wrong on that. I'd hate to lose respect for someone whose music I admire.

Zod

Yeah, he's only "fringe" in this project in that the information he writes/sings about (the Federal Reserve, the Constitution, freedom, money, etc.) is stuff most Americans should know, but don't. Or don't embrace to this extent.

Emotionally, think Mel Gibson's stirring speech in Braveheart set to Iced Earth-style riffs.

Or, to put it another way, if you dug Iced Earth's Civil War stuff (The Glorious Burden), you'd dig this. Caveat: This is Iced Earth Lite, however.

The controversy with Jon's Sons of Liberty project will likely be the corollary material - all of the links on the web site. It's still factual - for example, the origins of the Federal Reserve, the loss of liberty, what "money" is and is not, what the Constitution says and means, etc. - but such information in this day and age has become political for some reason.

I just think it's great to see a musician so damn transparent. Good things happen when musicians sing from their souls. Warrel Dane's solo album is a good example. It may be negative, cynical, and depressing. But the stuff is all real.

Bill

 

[Sir Exar Kun]

Prog Power XII feature event: Jon Schaffer versus Daniel Gildenlow in a formal debate on the merits of the American capitalist society.

 

[adaher]

I havent' listened to it yet(I have downloaded it), so I can't judge the lyrical content of the songs themselves. I was just commenting on what he was linking to. I like that he linked to Rand and some other good sources, but I don't know about that Bilderberger and Fed stuff.

 

[Harvester]

Prog Power XII feature event: Jon Schaffer versus Daniel Gildenlow in a formal debate on the merits of the American capitalist society.

I'll bring Henry Rollins in to moderate.

 

[General Zod]

Emotionally, think Mel Gibson's stirring speech in Braveheart set to Iced Earth-style riffs.

Perhaps if Keanu Reeves played William Wallace. Jon lacks the ability to vocally convey any of those emotions. He sounds like Barlow... if Barlow had zero range and no power.

Or, to put it another way, if you dug Iced Earth's Civil War stuff (The Glorious Burden), you'd dig this. Caveat: This is Iced Earth Lite, however.

I disagree. Both Matt's and Tim's emotional vocals have always created a sense of validity in Jon's rather pedestrian lyrics. By way of example, look at the song "High Water Mark":

I Look Across This Blood Soaked Land
All This Blood Is On My Hands
God Forgive Me, Please Forgive Me
It's All My Fault, The Blood Is On My Hands

The rhyme scheme is simplistic. The words chosen are almost exclusively monosyllabic. Yet that stanza makes my arm hairs stand on end. It's not because of what Jon wrote, it's because of how Tim conveyed it. The absence of a high caliber vocalist leaves Jon's lyrics exposed as lacking any poetic grace.

Zod

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

I'll bring Henry Rollins in to moderate.

Make it a Pay-Per-View event and you'll be able to retire to your own key in Florida where you and Jimmy could eat cheeseburgers and drink margaritas until the wee hours of the morning.

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

Perhaps if Keanu Reeves played William Wallace. Jon lacks the ability to vocally convey any of those emotions. He sounds like Barlow... if Barlow had zero range and no power.

I disagree. Both Matt's and Tim's emotional vocals have always created a sense of validity in Jon's rather pedestrian lyrics. By way of example, look at the song "High Water Mark":

I Look Across This Blood Soaked Land
All This Blood Is On My Hands
God Forgive Me, Please Forgive Me
It's All My Fault, The Blood Is On My Hands

The rhyme scheme is simplistic. The words chosen are almost exclusively monosyllabic. Yet that stanza makes my arm hairs stand on end. It's not because of what Jon wrote, it's because of how Tim conveyed it. The absence of a high caliber vocalist leaves Jon's lyrics exposed as lacking any poetic grace.

Zod

I agree 100%, Zod.

That's why I categorized this as "Iced Earth Lite."

I never thought Jon was a lyrical Einstein. Or that Iced Earth was particularly innovative. It's the emotion and the honesty that makes IE what it is, and Jon who he is.

For that reason, I like Sons of Liberty, too. I didn't expect brilliance. And I wasn't disappointed.

 

[Rycher]

The absence of a high caliber vocalist leaves Jon's lyrics exposed as lacking any poetic grace. Zod

These lyrics are his personal beliefs and feelings. In some instances, the project may be better if he's not forcing someone to sing about his beliefs, which could be somewhat awkward. I agree that Jon's not a high caliber vocalist, but I think he sounds really good on this.

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

See, this is what bugs me. What makes it a conspiracy? Just the simple fact that the theories involved are not in line with the "normal" way of thinking? I hate how these ideas and such are automatically discredited or tossed away simply based on the fact that they are branded as "conspiracy theories". Ignorance at it's best. I'm not trying to single you out personally, just an observation I have been making throughout this thread.

My issue is that they often concentrate on the wrong things. While Schaffer is worried about Bilderbergers and the Fed, he's missing the fact that Congress is spending us into bankruptcy right under our noses, in plain site. First you deal with the problems that are out in the open, then when those are solved you can worry about what is hidden. It's like worrying about alien abductions while your house is on fire.

I can agree here.

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

Zod, I appreciate your response above. I worded that wrong, and didn't properly convey my point. I didn't literally mean to ask what actually makes it a conspiracy theory, I know the definition, haha, I guess I was hinting at what makes it have the negative connotation of being one, specifically. People automatically hear those two words together and either they kind of nod to acknowledge that they are in line with your beliefs without making it too obvious (unless they aren't embarrassed by this), they laugh it off as being absurd, or they want to hang you for it, heh. They automatically assume you're batshit crazy (which there definitely are some tinfoil hat wearing nutjobs within some of these movements), and don't give you or your opinions even remotely any real chance of setting in and making them think about the topic(s) at hand.

Brent

 

[Sir Exar Kun]

They automatically assume you're batshit crazy (which there definitely are some tinfoil hat wearing nutjobs within some of these movements), and don't give you or your opinions even remotely any real chance of setting in and making them think about the topic(s) at hand.

I think that the very term "conspiracy theory" is automatically associated with those who believe we never actually landed on the moon, or that the US government actually rigged the World Trade Center to collapse, or (the one I have been pushing for years) the Chinese killed PGA golfer Payne Stewart.

In the more plausible scenarios, the very term "conspiracy theory" can cast instant aspersions against your argument.

 

[nomisofsiman]

I'm not sure I follow. What did I say?

Zod

You said that you enjoyed Ripper a lot more live than Barlow. That was the main reason it seems that Jon had for why he got rid of Ripper that he didn't feel he was with the program live.

 

[nomisofsiman]

I agree here completely, and my opinion is based on more than just a little 30 second conversation or something while getting something signed. I have interviewed him extensively after the release of Demons And Wizards 2, taken him to see a movie with the rest of the band, and met him quite a few times at various shows and such. He is always a pleasure to speak to, speaks his mind, and is a true patriot. I wish more people had his attitude honestly, the world would be a far better place.

Maybe he is fine towards fans. I just think the way he let Ripper go, wasn't the best way to go about it and was rude. That's all I'm basing the opinion on.

 

[eaeolian]

Wow. Three songs in, and I was bored stiff. Ignoring the lyric content, that's just, well, boring.

 

[nomisofsiman]

Idk. I listened to a couple of samples and sort of enjoyed it. I'm glad he didn't do a full right-winged thing. That would've pissed me off. He's not the best vocalist but honestly, there are a lot of worse vocalists and I find this stuff more interesting than the last IE record to be honest. haha.