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Alive in Athens

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Alive in Athens
Live album by
Iced Earth
ReleasedJuly 27, 1999[1]
October 30, 2006 (DVD)
RecordedJanuary 23–24, 1999
Genre
Length
  • 180:06
  • 162:27 (DVD)
LabelCentury Media
Producer
Iced Earth chronology
Something Wicked This Way Comes
(1998) 		Alive in Athens
(1999) 		Horror Show
(2001)
Iced Earth video chronology
Gettysburg (1863)
(2005) 		Alive in Athens
(2006) 		Festivals of the Wicked
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Metal Storm (DVD)[2]

Alive in Athens is a live album by American heavy metal band Iced Earth. It was recorded on the nights of January 23 and 24, 1999,[1] in front of sold-out crowds of approximately 2000 people (on both nights) at the Rodon Club in Athens, Greece. Iced Earth was supporting the Something Wicked This Way Comes album and were on tour. It was turned into a single DVD, and released in October 2006. The album features the return of former drummer Brent Smedley, who did not record on the band's previous album.

At the conclusion of "Violate", the band plays the opening riff of "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden. "Colors" was also played at this concert, but was not included on the CD due to a track listing mix-up. It is, however, included on the reissue of The Melancholy E.P..

Next to the CD version, there also exists a vinyl box version. It was released in 1999 and contained five pictures of the band's albums. One had the Alive in Athens artwork, the other ones had the Night of The Stormrider, Dark Saga, Days of Purgatory and Something Wicked This Way Comes artwork. It came originally with an Alive in Athens poster signed by Jon Schaffer. This box had the same track list as the three-disc version.

In 2008, Century Media reissued the three-CD release in a limited mini-LP gatefold sleeve. It included "Colors" as a bonus track on disc two.

According to a 2003 post by Jon Schaffer, the album was certified Platinum in Greece.[3]

Track listing

[edit]

Disc I

[edit]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Burning Times"Matt Barlow, Jon Schaffer
  • Barlow
  • Schaffer
4:06
2."Vengeance Is Mine"Barlow
4:42
3."Pure Evil"Schaffer
  • Shawver
  • Schaffer
6:32
4."My Own Savior"Barlow
3:42
5."Melancholy (Holy Martyr)"SchafferSchaffer4:55
6."Dante's Inferno"SchafferSchaffer16:23
7."The Hunter"SchafferSchaffer4:09
8."Travel in Stygian"SchafferSchaffer9:02
9."Slave to the Dark"SchafferSchaffer3:52
10."A Question of Heaven"SchafferSchaffer8:17

Disc II

[edit]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Dark Saga"SchafferSchaffer4:02
2."The Last Laugh"Barlow
  • Shawver
  • Schaffer
4:38
3."Last December"SchafferSchaffer3:37
4."Watching Over Me"SchafferSchaffer4:53
5."Angels Holocaust"SchafferSchaffer4:31
6."Stormrider"Schaffer
  • Shawver
  • Schaffer
4:50
7."The Path I Choose"Schaffer
  • Shawver
  • Schaffer
5:44
8."I Died for You"SchafferSchaffer4:44
9."Prophecy"SchafferSchaffer6:10
10."Birth of the Wicked"SchafferSchaffer5:42
11."The Coming Curse"SchafferSchaffer8:56
12."Iced Earth"SchafferSchaffer6:58
Bonus track (2008 reissue)
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
13."Colors"Schaffer
  • Shawver
  • Schaffer
5:13

Disc III

[edit]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Stand Alone"
  • Barlow
  • Schaffer
  • Barlow
  • Schaffer
3:30
2."Cast in Stone"Barlow
6:02
3."Desert Rain"Schaffer
  • Schaffer
  • Abell
7:19
4."Brainwashed"Schaffer
  • Shawver
  • Schaffer
5:12
5."Disciples of the Lie"SchafferSchaffer4:11
6."When the Night Falls"SchafferSchaffer7:47
7."Diary"Barlow
  • Shawver
  • Schaffer
  • Abell
5:52
8."Blessed Are You"SchafferSchaffer5:46
9."Violate"SchafferSchaffer3:53

DVD

[edit]

On October 30, 2006, Century Media released a DVD version featuring live footage of the concert.

Shortly before the DVD was publicly released, Iced Earth rhythm guitarist and founder Jon Schaffer offered a statement which voiced dissatisfaction with Century Media (with whom Iced Earth was no longer signed at the time). A portion of this statement reads:

"I want you all to be aware of what it is that they [Century Media] are releasing. This is a very low-budget, badly edited video of an amazing concert and an awesome period in the history of Iced Earth. They promised me that they are going to keep the price down and that they are not going to market it as something it's not. But I feel it's my responsibility to let you know the reality of the situation."

Schaffer did not, however, go so far as to call for a boycott of the product, saying, "The decision to purchase the 'Alive in Athens' DVD is up to you. I just want you to be aware of what it is you're getting should you choose to do so."

The song order is not identical to that featured on the album version. A few songs are also missing, including "Slave to the Dark", "A Question of Heaven", and "Iced Earth". "Colors" was played at this concert as well, but was not included on the CD or DVD due to a track listing mix up. It is however included on The Melancholy E.P. and the 2008 re-release of Alive in Athens.

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Intro"Instrumental 1:53
2."Burning Times"Matt BarlowJon Schaffer3:32
3."Vengeance is Mine"Matt Barlow
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Randall Shawver
2:13
4."Dark Saga"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer3:30
5."The Last Laugh"Matt Barlow
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Randall Shawver
4:16
6."Cast in Stone"Matt Barlow
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Randall Shawver
5:53
7."Last December"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer3:29
8."Pure Evil"Jon Schaffer
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Randall Shawver
6:16
9."Desert Rain"Jon Schaffer
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Dave Abell
6:29
10."Dante's Inferno"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer16:20
11."The Hunter"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer3:59
12."Melancholy (Holy Martyr)"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer5:04
13."Angels Holocaust"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer4:39
14."Stormrider"Jon Schaffer
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Randall Shawver
4:45
15."The Path I Choose"Jon Schaffer
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Randall Shawver
5:39
16."Watching Over Me"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer4:53
17."Diary"Matt Barlow
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Randall Shawver
  • Dave Abell
5:52
18."Blessed Are You"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer5:46
19."When the Night Falls"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer7:47
20."My Own Savior"Matt Barlow
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Jim Morris
3:42
21."Travel in Stygian"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer9:02
22."Violate"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer3:53
23."Stand Alone"Matt BarlowJon Schaffer3:30
24."Brainwashed"Jon Schaffer
  • Jon Schaffer
  • Randall Shawver
5:12
25."Disciples of the Lie"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer4:11
26."I Died for You"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer3:47
27."Prophecy"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer6:10
28."Birth of the Wicked"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer5:42
29."The Coming Curse"Jon SchafferJon Schaffer8:56
30."Epilogue"   

Bonus features

[edit]
  • Iced Earth Backstage
  • Jon Schaffer in Athens

Personnel

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Hundey, J. (2011). "Alive in Athens - Iced Earth | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  2. ^ Metal Storm review
  3. ^ "ICED EARTH's JON SCHAFFER: 'We Are Kicking Serious Ass'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. November 24, 2003. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
[edit]
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