American Cool

"I think heavy metal's always been that consistent thing,” suggests Stu Block. “It's not as big anymore, but everything is cyclical. Everything comes in cycles, so I can see in certain markets it's big, other markets it's not, but we'll have to see the way people's tastes are. At our level, we're just lucky enough that we can make a living doing what we're doing.”

Spearheaded by hard-nosed guitarist Jon Schaffer, the US metallers have dodged numerous trends for close on three decades now. The versatile Block (formerly of under-rated Canadian prog-death outfit Into Eternity) was enlisted for 2011's Dystopia, and he's comfortably transitioned to fronting an established, acclaimed band, despite succeeding much-loved Matt Barlow and Tim 'Ripper' Owens.

“Jon and I have the same type of chemistry,” Block says of new disc Plagues Of Babylon. “I write lyrics, melodies, cadences and choruses, he writes the music, arranges it and everything else. It was great; same chemistry, same energy level. When we wrote the first song together, End Of Innocence, it was good.”

An ongoing thread that has perhaps aided Block's assimilation into the ranks – and simultaneous acceptance by their dedicated fanbase – is the continuation of the long-standing 'Something Wicked' concept on selected Plagues… tracks. “I like it. I'm a big horror movie fan and Jon is too, and I think it was just a fun thing to write about. [The other lyrics] are all different subject matters.

“The first half tells the story of the apocalyptic from beginning to end, and then the second half of the album is standalone songs. If I Could See You is a song that Jon wrote for his grandfather, who went through a lot of things in his life. There was a song called The Culling, and that's sort of just about separating the weak from the strong, and how society does that sometimes. There's the Highwayman cover, which was a fun cover we could do with Russell [Allen, Symphony X] and Mike [Poulsen, Volbeat]. There's a lot of cool stuff spawning from different influences.”

Perhaps their unwillingness to kowtow to fads has ensured Iced Earth remains a sizeable draw on the European festival circuit, while still garnering positive reviews, worldwide chart positions and expanding their road itinerary. First visiting here in 2012, they return this month. The Music suggests there may be a feeling within the camp that their time has finally arrived.

“I don't know if it's my time, but I'm here making music with some great guys, we're having fun doing it, and time flies when you're having fun,” finishes Block. “It's actually almost been three years coming up here for me, so I'm looking forward to many more years. It's gonna be great.”