Andy Lye of JukeBoxMetal.com recently interviewed ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer and vocalist Stu Block, an excerpt follows:

Indeed, Jon is very enthusiastic when it comes to recounting the writing and recording process of (new album) Dystopia (due in stores October 18th). “The thing is man, everyone’s been able to contribute before, but I have a pretty high threshold of quality; I’m not gonna use people’s ideas just to be nice to ‘em. It needs to work, it needs to be up to the level that I expect for all Iced Earth stuff, and he (Stu)’s got that. I mean, I wasn’t sure if he was writing the chorus melodies for INTO ETERNITY at the time, so I asked him that over the phone because there’s big hooks there, and if you’ve got two guys that can write a big vocal hook: awesome! Fuckin’-A! Lyrically we worked together on it. That’s the first time I’ve ever shared lyric duties with anybody. It was fun! The whole process was fun, and energising, so I’m very happy, very happy with the result.”

The process of trying Stu out on old Iced Earth material, and then developing the new material, led both men to discover that he was capable of a lot more than he’d been doing in his career so far. Into Eternity’s material uses death metal growling and very high pitched wails, and not a lot in between those two extremes, but Iced Earth music requires more than that. “You don’t really write with a singer in mind. You have the song, and then you have to have a singer that’s capable. And every Iced Earth singer, with the exception of the guy on the first album, was capable of doing what needed to be done for the songs; they had the range. Stu has a much bigger range than before. He’s discovered his middle voice. We coached him and pushed him and got him to work in a different area, which is where most of the Iced Earth stuff lives. When you’ve got that kind of talent, that’s one thing, and when you’ve got that attitude, the killer attitude and the willingness to try everything, and to be coached, then that’s something else. And that’s exactly what Matt was like too, when he joined originally. Totally willing to do everything to make it the best it could be. No ego resistance, no bullshit, no drama, and that’s the same with Stu.”

To read the interview in its entirety, click here.

Dystopia features the following 12 songs:

'Dystopia'

'Anthem'

'Days Of Rage'

'Soylent Green'

'V'

'Boiling Point'

'Anguish Of Youth'

'Iron Will'

'Dark City'

'End Of Innocence'

'Equilibrium'

'Tragedy And Triumph'

The release of Dystopia will be followed by the most extensive world tour Iced Earth has ever undertaken. The band recently announced their upcoming European tour for the end of 2011.

"This is a new beginning," says Schaffer. "Iced Earth is going to record and tour like it never has before. The band is really amped-up and ready to hit the ground running in November.”

Tour dates are as follows:

October

30 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche

November

1 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
2 - Uden, Netherlands - De Pul
3 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
4 - London, England - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
5 - Birmingham, England - O2 Academy
6 - Bristol, England - O2 Academy
8 - Paris, France - Alhambra
9 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
10 - Barcelona, Spain - Salamandra 1
11 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Heineken
12 - Bilbao, Spain - Rock Star Live
14 - Milano, Italy - Alcatraz
15 - Rome, Italy - Alpheus
18 - Athens, Greece - Gagarin 205
19 - Athens, Greece - Gagarin 205
20 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Principal Club
21 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Yubileina Hall
22 - Bucarest, Romania - The Silver Church
23 - Belgrade, Serbia - SKC
24 - Budapest, Hungary - Club 202
25 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Majestic Music Club
26 - Warsaw, Poland - Stodola
27 - Vilnius, Lithuania - Forum Palace
29 - Moscow, Russia - Tochka Club

December

1 - Helsinki, Finalnd - Nosturi
3 - Copenhagen, Denmark - The Rock
4 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
6 - Herford, Germany - X
7 - Köln, Germany - Essigfabrik
8 - München, Germany - Backstage Werk
9 - Geiselwind, Germany - Christmas Metal Festival
10 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
11 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
13 - Istanbul, Turkey - Refresh The Venu