Set Abominae - Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer wields the lyrical and musical pen, crafting Something Wicked indeed


By Anthony Morgan

Way back in the year 1998 before the eve of the millennium, Iced Earth issued Something Wicked This Way Comes which proved to be their final 20th century full length studio effort. Closing that album's musical offerings proved to be a trio of tracks, now commonly referred to as the Something Wicked trilogy. Comprising the songs “Prophecy”, “Birth of the Wicked” and “The Coming Curse” respectively, it introduced the character of Set Abominae with a background on the tale. Set Abominae's story was to be the catalyst for a mammoth two album concept meant as the follow ups to their 1998 release, an intention stated in various press interviews by guitarist / lyricist Jon Schaffer at the time.

Despite these statements, the project was shelved due to the fact that Iced Earth didn't wish to extend their contract with Century Media. Fulfilling contractual obligations with material such as 2001's The Horror Show, Iced Earth eventually found a new home at SPV Records. Monitoring how the relationship went, in early 2006 Schaffer opted to dust away the cobwebs and finally follow through on the promised concept. The original Something Wicked trilogy was rendered a modern reinterpretation via the Overture of the Wicked EP in June 2007, boasting erstwhile Judas Priest vocalist Tim Owens this time around. The first album in the tale, Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1), will see the light of day in September while the second is projected for early 2008 (whose working title is Revelation Abomination (Something Wicked Part 2)). Both studio albums were recorded at Schaffer's Soaring Eagle Sound studio and mixed and mastered by Jim Morris at Morrisound.

Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer kindly granted Lucem Fero a short snippet of his time to discuss the multi-layered story, a tale which begins twelve thousand years ago and leads us to the modern day. Slated as an “in depth look into this very tragic, heavy and apocalyptic sci-fi / fantasy story”, the grandiose expectations have proven tantalising for Metal fans and pundits alike. Is the forecast all hype, or actually a sign of things to come? The axeman behind the tale offers his perspective.

 

  • Hello, how are you Jon? Alright?
  • Yeah, I'm good man.
  • Yeah, I'm alright. Is it alright if I start the questions now?
  • Yeah.
  • Can you give me an overview of the Something Wicked story, and what it's about and so on?
  • Well, an overview is really pretty difficult because it's so complex. Basically the story that I wrote back in late 1997, an original album called Something Wicked This Way Comes, ended with the trilogy.That trilogy was a point in time in the story that I wrote, so it's always been planned to actually do this big giant concept album. We had to put it on hold for a while due to changing record companies and what not, but it felt like it was time about a year and half ago to carry it on which is what I did. It's a big science fiction, fantasy thriller oriented story. It basically comes with the idea that mankind is alien to the planet Earth, and that there was a culture in ancient Earth, a culture here before us. The ones who had survived mankind are actually manipulating, and manipulating everything that we do now by the creation of religion - mankind divided, and blah blah blah. It's a big story which covers the period of about twelve thousand years, and that's what I mean when I say we could talk about it for hours. There's not any way to give you a short overview of the tale.
  • Did you originally plan to do the story with Matt, before he left of course?
  • Yeah. I was going to do it originally after Something Wicked This Way Comes, and it was going to be the next record. When I then decided that I wasn't going to sign with Century Media, I put the record on hold. Matt didn't have anything to do with it. It's my story and it's my melodies, so it wasn't really relevant whether he was in the band or not. It was a matter of time.
  • Did you face any legal obstacles from Century Media which may delayed the concept albums coming together and so on?
  • No, it definitely didn't have anything to do with it. I just I didn't want to give them a record. I couldn't write one record only and tell the story, and we were leaving the record company. I wasn't going to sign with them again, so I didn't want to give them an important work of my career. That's why Horror Show came out. When we signed with SPV, I wanted to see how SPV worked and how the relationship went before I gave them this. That's because the thing is very special. I knew what it could grow into and what it could be, and I just wanted to make sure that I was involved with people who could do it justice. That's why it was delayed, so it has nothing to do with Century Media. They don't have anything to do with it whatsoever.
  • Do you feel that the concept has benefited because you've had so many years to ponder about it and so on?
  • The basics of the concept were there back then, so it wasn't like a matter of really sitting down to ponder and contemplate through the years. I already knew what it was that I was going to do. I started collecting the world instruments and so on because I knew that was going to be a texture of it back seven or eight years ago, so this isn't really a new thing. It was February 2006 when I built my studio and got the Pro Tools ready and everything, and that's when I started writing. For a year straight I basically worked on it like every day, and I took about four days off in a year. We started cutting drum tracks in February 2007, so I've been working really hard on this thing for quite a while.
  • Do you feel the fact that you've been working on it really hard has benefited the albums? Has your work paid off so to speak?
  • Yeah, I think the effort is paying off for sure. I'm really happy with it man; it's the most intense, in depth epic writing that I've ever done. I'm really really happy with it, and I feel pretty good about it. I've got to finish up - you know, I'll really feel relieved when I get Part 2 released.
  • Has Part 2 been finished yet then?
  • No, it's not finished. All the rhythm tracks have been recorded; the bass, drums, and rhythm guitar. I've done most of the lead guitar melodies, but I still have to write lyrics and vocal melodies. I then have to get those parts recorded and mixed, so we still got some work to do.
  • Are there any lyrics written yet for that second album?
  • No, but I know the themes of the songs and the titles of the songs and everything. I designed the music around that, but I haven't really sat down and started working on it. That's going to happen after Wacken, in between Wacken and the headline tour that starts in October. I will finish all the writing of the lyrics and the vocals, and then we get done touring the UK with Heaven and Hell. We then come back, go into the studio and finish recording the album.
  • Could you tell me about some of those themes? You said there's some themes for the second album you got in your mind, so could you tell me about them?
  • Yeah, of course there's themes. No I can't tell you though because I don't want to give much away, but I can tell you that Part 1 ends with the song “When Stars Collide”. Oh, it actually ends with “The Awakening”, but the song “When Stars Collide” sets up up what's going to happen in Part 2. Basically Part 2 opens with....
  • Is there anything you can tell me about Part 2 maybe?
  • That's what I'm doing, man (laughs), and that's what I was getting ready to tell you. Part 2 opens with the ritual that is the birth of Set Abominae. All you got to do is look online at the website and see the working titles that are there - I've already posted them out.
  • Where did the original idea that inspired the story come from?
  • It came from within. It didn't come from anywhere else except from something that came into my mind, so I don't know where half of the shit that I think comes from. Its of my soul though.
  • Will this story end up in book form or anything like that?
  • It's very possible. I'm working on a comic right now.
  • Will that compliment the two albums? This comic?
  • It will be released after the two albums.
  • Yeah, but it will it act as a companion and compliment those two albums so to speak?
  • Yes. The artwork is going to be throughout the entire CD booklet.
  • You said “it's a bit like Star Wars”. Could you expand upon that?
  • No, it's not like Star Wars in any way at all. The only exception is that it's a big epic story that covers a wide period of time, and that's the only thing that makes it like Star Wars.
  • What were your reasons for extending the story beyond the three songs which appeared in 1998?
  • It's always been the plan, I said that. It's always been the plan.
  • I was just wondering why you put only three songs on Something Wicked This Way Comes, instead of doing a whole album based on the story.. at first?
  • Because it was an introduction to the story.
  • It was something to give the fans a taster?
  • Exactly, yeah.
  • Could you tell me your favourite song on Framing Armageddon?
  • Not really. I like them all, but I'd say probably “The Clouding”.
  • Could you tell me why?
  • Why? Because it's probably the most different track for Iced Earth, and has sort of a Pink Floyd type of ring to it. It's very evil, so it's like a big epic track and is almost two songs in one. That's why I like it.
  • Is it really progressive then?
  • I don't think it's really progressive. Actually, it's really ethereal and very mellow.
  • What are the lyrics about on that specific song? What part of the story does that document?
  • That is the song where mankind actually loses its memory of where we come from. As a result, it's a global, cataclysmic event where the Earth erupts and the magnetic pull just... it's like earthquakes, tornadoes, sandstorms, volcanoes, everything. In that time period, human beings that have invaded the planet Earth lose their memory of where they come from. So, “The Clouding” is a key point in the whole entire story of Part 1. The song, when it starts off, is from the human perspective.
  • Although it's fantasy story, does it still have themes which you can apply to the modern world so to speak?
  • Um.. Well...
  • Like hidden, subtle meanings?
  • There's not really any, no. It's a fantasy, but yes there are parallels. This is because the whole thing is based on an idea that everything that happens in human history is dictated by this culture that was here, and they're setting us up to wipe ourselves. So everything, from the rise and fall of the Roman Empire to the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK and the crucifixion of Christ and whatever, is a sign of that time.
  • Were all those key moments in history any sort of inspiration on the story?
  • What?
  • Well you mentioned the assassination of Lincoln and so on, so did they inspire the story in any way? Parts of it maybe?
  • Not really, because it's just an idea. The original song “Prophecy” says “Jesus Christ to Kennedy, the Domino Decree”, and The Domino Decree was their commitment to what is going to happen. The Domino Effect is when event leads to another and is what it's going to take to bring down mankind, so it's not necessarily one event. I just mentioned a few in the lyrics on the original trilogy just to try to help tell a story, so it wasn't like those events inspired it. It didn't - I just put them in the story, and those are a few points in history I mentioned. I can't get into a song about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire though because it's big, and you could write a whole fucking album just about that. That's the point, so I could put the main things in Part 1; that's trying to tell the story of the human invasion, what they do which is nearly commit genocide on this Earth culture and what the culture does to set up a retribution and reckoning for themselves. Then, from hereon now, is when Set Abominae appears which is a point that happens the same time as the birth of Christ. What happens then until modern day is what Part 2 is about, covering from 2000 years ago up until now.
  • Would you say it's biblical?
  • Biblical? Only in the sense that the idea of religion is one of the things that makes mankind divided, so Setians are behind the creation of... well not the idea. In the story they are the true descendants of the Grand Architect of the Universe, so they are the real descendants of God. Mankind is an extremely alien, really uninvolved creature that is very selfish so they know that if they create religion it'll be a great way to keep us divided. They create Christianity, Buddhism and all of these different beliefs all around the world because they know that things are afraid of what they don't understand.
  • So there's a lot of religious overtones involved?
  • Oh yeah, there are definitely.
  • Is there a lot of your philosophical ideas about religion in the albums?
  • No not really. It's just the idea that it's a very divisive thing if you keep discussing it.
  • Do you feel these albums will provoke a lot of debate on the themes and so on, and the story et cetera?
  • No, I don't think so. I think it's just a very cool, in depth, science fiction thriller story of sorts, so I don't think there's anything to... I tell you what? Whatever dude. Fucking assholes. Those with those sort of opinions are like assholes, and somebody's always going to have some kind of thing to say about it. The idea though is a very cool sci-fi fantasy story that you take from the realities of the world, and enjoy it being what it is. If they want to play political music and for us to create controversy, then they need to look for a different band because that's not Iced Earth.
  • Does it piss you off when people read more into the lyrics than there actually is?
  • Only when it happens, like in the case of The Glorious Burden album. People tried to turn it into a political album when in actual fact it was a military history record, so I don't happen to be a big fan of the people who tried to turn it into this holistic, political thing that it wasn't. That's what pissed me off, but not even the fans think that. That's shit that journalists pull. They're trying to look for a fucking colourful punch line, so they stir up a bunch a shit so they can try to sell magazines or whatever. That's the only point that makes me angry, though the fans are free to interpret the lyrics any way they want which is the beauty of it in some respects. I might listen to a song and get one feeling about it, whereas you may get another feeling about it. That's a part of art. If somebody tries to change my intentions and tells people, “this is what you meant when you wrote the song”, then I get fucking pissed because they have no idea what I meant.
  • You sound like you're really pissed off at the press.
  • I do get pissed off at the press. Not always, but yeah there's certain things. A lot of them are just...
  • Have you had a lot of shit off them over your years a musician then?
  • Yeah. I have put up with a lot of shit.
  • Would you say a lot of the shit you've had to put up with off the press is unjustified?
  • Umm... Yeah I do, actually. I do. Anybody that really knows me, knows it.
  • Does it get easier to deal with over time though? The shit you've got to put with from the press?
  • It does now, I guess. In between The Glorious Burden and now I had a daughter, and that more than anything else actually is the most important. I don't really let those issues get under my skin as much as it did before, but if I say I'm not going to get pissed? Well.. if somebody tells a blatant lie about me or something, then yes I'm going to get pissed. Though, am I going to let it stick with me and stay angry for a long time? Definitely not, because I've got more important things in life right now.
  • Alright. I noticed you focused on The Glorious Burden album, so was there a certain magazine which wrote a particularly false review of the album?
  • There was a lot of different things that there said about that album which weren't true, so...
  • Did that affect you as a musician at all?
  • Hmm... I don't really think so, though I don't know. I don't think it would affect me as a musician, but it'd affect me as a human being. Not necessarily as a... It didn't change me, so it didn't do anything like that. I guess what it did is make me realise something that I immediately already knew.
  • Would you say you're more defensive with the press nowadays?
  • More defensive?
  • Yeah.
  • Hmm... no, I've always been the same. I'm not an ass kisser, you know what I mean? I've always kind of been the same way. If people understand it, then they understand me. If they get it then that's fine too, but I don't... For me, it's never really been about a popularity contest. I know I'm not going to please everybody, so I don't even bother trying. Iced Earth is who we are, I am who I am and the band is what we are. We do what we do.
  • Do you know if the story will extend beyond these two albums?
  • Well it certainly could, but will it with Iced Earth? I don't know.. I don't know, but I doubt it actually. It's possible, but I doubt it.
  • Would you like it to, or not?
  • I tell you man.. at this point I don't really, though I can't think that far ahead. I just think my guy instinct says right now I really don't want to do that, but in a period of two years I could change my mind. Who knows? I don't make decisions which are set in stone.
  • Did you have to do a lot of research for these songs?
  • No, I didn't do research. I just did a lot of thinking in my own head.
  • How would you describe these upcoming two albums in musical terms?
  • They're very melodic, very heavy, very epic and atmospheric. I also think they're fresh in a lot of ways because there are definitely elements in there that I've never heard mixed with a heavy metal band, though I'm not saying it hasn't been done. I haven't heard it; I've never heard anybody use world instruments in the context I have.
  • Is this something very different for Iced Earth?
  • I think it is in some ways, but at the core it's still the same. There's some very different colours, but at the root it's Iced Earth. Always has been, and always will be.
  • Why was “Ten Thousand Strong” chosen as the first single?
  • Well, it felt like the right one. It's pretty standard Iced Earth sounding; it's got a giant chorus, and a big hook with it. It's very catchy, and it's short. It's not a long song, so it works. It felt like it was the right one to release.
  • Is the music on that song reflective of the new album?
  • In part, but there's actually way more to the album; way more depth and colours. “Ten Thousand Strong” is a pretty straightforward Metal song, though the album has a lot of colours and atmospheres. It's a rollercoaster ride.
  • Do you feel there's something for everyone?
  • Absolutely. I think there's something there for every Metal fan, and there's something there for everyone.
  • If I'm right, you recorded a video for the song? Am I right?
  • We did, yeah.
  • Could you tell me about that video?
  • The video was done in Sweden. We did it all on green screen, and most of the work was done in post-production. It looks almost animated, has a very cool look to it and it fits. A lot of work went into it, but it isn't finished yet. Anyway man, I gotta go anyway. It looks like we're ready to wrap it up.
  • Is it alright if I ask my last question then?
  • Yeah, one last.
  • How would you like the Something Wicked story to be remembered in the coming years?
  • I want people to remember it as something really cool, and as a special record. I hope that Part 1 and 2 will be looked at as a highlight in the Iced Earth catalogue, and it's my goal to make it our Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall or whatever for Iced Earth. So, that's the goal and hopefully people will look at it as really special. The story itself though, beyond the band, and what it develops into... well anything goes. I'm just not going to get ahead of myself.
  • Alright. Thanks for the interview.
  • Ok, man. Got it.
  • Alright. Take care.