ICED EARTH: New Video Interview With JON SCHAFFER Posted Online

Berlin, Germany's More-Metal.com recently conducted an interview with ICED EARTH mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer. Watch the chat below.

ICED EARTH has just signed a new worldwide deal with Century Media Records. This new partnership sees the band rejoining forces with the label that released the legendary albums "The Dark Saga" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes" as well as all of the early ICED EARTH albums. In addition to ICED EARTH, Century Media will also release the recorded output from Jon Schaffer's SONS OF LIBERTY project.

Antje Lange, managing director of Century Media Records Europe, comments: "We are extremely happy and proud to welcome Jon Schaffer and his bands SONS OF LIBERTY and ICED EARTH back on the label. Schaffer is one of the most talented and charismatic musicians in metal and it is an honor for us as a label to work with him. Despite an already very successful past, we feel that an even bigger success is in the cards for the future."

Schaffer adds: "I am excited about the opportunity to work on SONS OF LIBERTY and ICED EARTH with Century Media. This was the label where my career began and there are many memories, some of them great, some of them not. However, we all grew up and are able to see eye to eye on the mission ahead: making sure my creativity gets the best possible outlet. I am much looking forward to this team delivering the goods and releasing some killer music."

The new SONS OF LIBERTY album, "Brush Fires of The Mind", is set for a July 13 release (one day earlier internationally). Schaffer handles all vocals and instrumentation for SONS OF LIBERTY, but the effort also features guest solos and contributions by legendary producer Jim Morris, ICED EARTH guitarist Troy Seele and world-class bassist Ruben Drake. Born from Schaffer's desire to stimulate curiosity about a pattern of global banking corruption that is undermining the independence of people and their countries, SONS OF LIBERTY aims to spearhead a multi-faceted and peaceful resistance of the tyranny being wrought every day on regular people. Schaffer, in turn, has reverently named his new project after a secret organization comprised of notable United States' patriots that formed in 1765. These patriots worked fervently to expose and resist the tyranny that the colonists were subjected to, which ultimately led to the American Revolution.

ICED EARTH has confirmed four North American tour dates for the fall. Meant as an "escape from the studio," these exclusive shows will also get fans the chance to see SONS OF LIBERTY on stage for its first-ever live performances.

Sep. 10 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Sep. 21 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
Sep. 23 - New York, NY - Nokia Theater Times Square
Sep. 25 - West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues

Commented Schaffer: "It has been too long since we played North America and after the South American shows we felt we should bring a 'greatest hits'-set to our loyal fans in the U.S. "I am also very much looking forward to introducing SONS OF LIBERTY to the Minions."

For the dates listed below, ICED EARTH will be offering a very limited number of fans the opportunity to attend the show as the band's guest VIPs.

Fans who purchase a VIP package with IcedEarth.com will receive the following:

* A general-admission ticket
* VIP meet-and-greet with ICED EARTH
* Autographed tour poster
* ICED EARTH flag
* Limited-edition ICED EARTH t-shirt
* VIP commemorative laminate

The VIP packages are very limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

The VIP package cost is $75 including the concert ticket.

VIP packages via IcedEarth.com are now available.

Regular tickets sales via Ticketmaster and all other outlets will not begin until May 7 and will be subject to local service fees.

ICED EARTH's "Box Of The Wicked" will be released on May 18 in the U.S. via SPV/Steamhammer Records. The set is limited to 10,000 copies worldwide.

While ICED EARTH's 1998 album "Something Wicked This Way Comes" provided a general overview of the story guitarist/songwriter Jon Schaffer has been conceptualizing for well over a decade, the saga was fully brought to life with the release of the back-to-back conceptual albums "Framing Armageddon" and "The Crucible of Man". The albums provided answers to mysteries the previous releases created, and the timeliness of the story in today's world were guaranteed to keep people thinking and guessing. Schaffer's ability to convey the central themes and events of the story without always revealing exactly "why" characters' decisions are made and "how" events come to pass will keep fans of the saga coming back as future mediums for the "Something Wicked" storyline are revealed.

The whole saga is now included in this high-quality hardcover boxset (height 13 cm, depth 4.5 cm, width 14.5 cm) featuring the original digipak CDs "Framing Armageddon" and "The Crucible Of Man" as well as the original digipaks EPs "Overture Of The Wicked" and "I Walk Among You". In addition, the boxset includes a bonus cardboard CD with one song from "Framing Armageddon" now sung by Matt Barlow and three previously unreleased live tracks from the Belgian Graspop Metal Meeting festival in 2008, also featuring Barlow on vocals. The boxset will come with a full-color A1 poster and a 12-page booklet with previously unseen photos and liner notes.

ICED EARTH's most recent full-length studio album, "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)", sold 6,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD continued where ICED EARTH's 2007 release, "Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part I)" left off.

"The Crucible of Man" featured the return of frontman Matt Barlow who was mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer's original voice of choice to introduce the "Something Wicked" saga back in 1998 as a trio of songs which concluded their album, "Something Wicked This Way Comes".