ICED EARTH guitarist/founder Jon Schaffer is featured in a new interview with Matt Coe at Eternal Terror. An excerpt is available below:

Q: What was that final show with (previous vocalist) Matt Barlow like for you and the rest of Iced Earth at Wacken this year?

Schaffer: "Well, I mean it was sad, it was fun, it was an emotional time. I got choked up a few times, I know Matt did. It's the end of an era, man. It was a great day, it was very positive, we had a big party afterwards. Matt and I will very likely do music together again, we talked about it- future projects. You are going to hear Matt do other things, it couldn't work in Iced Earth because we have to function as a touring band- he's limited on how much he can commit to on music."

Q: It's a tumultuous time for the music industry- what are the keys for Iced Earth to survive and thrive?

Schaffer: "I think it's to plant seeds in new markets, which is what we are going to do with this record. We are playing Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, a real world tour this time. It's about really staying busy and staying focused and on point. Building up a database because there will come a time where we will deal directly with the fan base- the writing is on the wall for the record industry. That's important for us to stay viable because in order for us to exist we have to have income. I know there are people who think all of this should just happen without income but it's a business and we have to make money to function in order to record albums. The paradigm is shifting- I am a survivor and I refuse to be a victim, I'm trying to think ten years ahead and how things are going to change and stay on the pro-active side."

Q: Would you ever consider doing any special shows where you perform a classic Iced Earth album front to back in its entirety?

Schaffer: "We've talked about that, it's in the realm of possibility. But I don't know if it's going to be the same to do The Dark Saga with Stu as the singer- as much as I know he's capable of doing it, it's not going to have the same feel with Matt. It's like IRON MAIDEN trying to do Powerslave or Somewhere In Time with BLAZE BAYLEY - they wouldn't have done that. We'll just have to see how that rolls out."

Click here for the complete interview.

As previously reported, the third leg of the largest tour in Iced Earth history was recently confirmed with dates for South America and Mexico.

"We are really excited to go back to South America and Mexico on our World Dystopia Tour,” said Jon Schaffer. “We cannot wait to kick some serious ass with some of the world's greatest fans!"

Support acts will be announced at a later date.

The tour schedule is as follows:

March

20 - Mexico City, Mexico - Gran Forum
22 - Caracas, Venezuela - Anfiteatro El Hatillo
24 - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Espaco Lux
25 - Curitiba, Brazil - Master Hall
27 - Porto Alegre, Brazil - Opiniao
28 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - El Teatro Flores
30 - Santiago de Chile, Chile - Teatro Teleton

The band is currently touring in Europe through December 15th on the first leg of the tour. After a brief rest and time with family and friends during the holidays, Iced Earth teams up with prog-metal legends SYMPHONY X for a co-headline tour of North America (support provided by WARBRINGER) that begins January 31st.

Symphony X leaves the tour on March 11th. Iced Earth continues for another five dates with Warbringer, March 13th – 17th.

VIP ticket packages are available now for all dates, except for South America. VIP tickets for the South American leg of the tour will be available soon. All VIP tickets are very limited, available on a first-come/first-served basis, and apply to meet and greets with Iced Earth only.

For all dates click here.