JON SCHAFFER Discusses DEMONS & WIZARDS And The Future Of ICED EARTH

That's So Metal recently conducted an in-depth interview with Jon Schaffer of ICED EARTH/DEMONS & WIZARDS. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

That's So Metal: When writing music for DEMONS & WIZARDS, do you ever write in the style of BLIND GUARDIAN?

Jon Schaffer: "No, that never enters my mind. The only thing that separates a DEMONS or an ICED EARTH track that I have co written with somebody is that I didn’t come up with the vocal melody. Most of the ICED EARTH stuff it all comes to me rather fast and furious, especially if I have a specific theme in mind like with 'Gettysburg', if I have a specific theme then that's what I write alone just for ICED EARTH. If there are things like a music arrangement or a part that sounds cool musically but I can't hear a melody then I save it for the future for someone else to contribute to it. Maybe that will inspire someone else. That's basically how I write for either DEMONS or co-write with ICED EARTH. If a person listens to DEMONS & WIZARDS and they say, 'Well that sounds just like ICED EARTH,' then they are not really listening. If you take all of the vocal tracks off a DEMONS & WIZARDS song, yeah, it probably will sound like ICED EARTH, but when it comes to the vocal melody, it sounds like DEMONS & WIZARDS. Hansi [Kürsch] has a challenge writing vocal melodies to my music because when he writes with BLIND GUARDIAN, their guitarist Andre writes the music in a different key than I do. When Hansi writes his vocal melodies for DEMONS, it's always darker than what you would hear with BLIND GUARDIAN. There's still that majesty thing but it's darker and more ghostly. Hansi, to me, is like the Freddy Mercury of metal and nobody sounds like or does what he does. A lot of guys try, but he is the master. He doesn't write the musical passages of BLIND GUARDIAN either, Andre does. What he does comes after — the music always dictates what the vocal melody will do, same thing with the guitar solo. It creates its own monster and most people won't point that out DEMONS & WIZARDS has its own sound. Like 'Touched by the Crimson King' has that sort of a BLIND GUARDIAN side to it, but musically it's nothing like them. You know, most people will be superficial and say, 'Oh, yeah, it has fast double bass and a big vocal part — that's BLIND GUARDIAN,' and that's so not correct. Maybe this is something they shouldn't be listening to if you can't hear the difference. Yes, there are similar elements, but when we put our musical styles together, it's definitely different.

"I have not done that much press yet, but I think you are the first person to really pick out and be able to hear what we are doing with the sound of DEMONS and can distinguish that it's neither ICED EARTH or BLIND GUARDIAN."

That's So Metal: Here in the States, major market radio has given little to no support for this genre of heavy metal. The metal community on the other hand, has recognized and embraced bands like ICED EARTH and BLIND GUARDIAN as the successors to the throne seated by bands like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and DIO. My question is, what are your thoughts on the media's lack of may it be recognition, or pure ignorance to your importance to the history and present of heavy metal?

Jon Schaffer: "Well . . . I also think many people don't know we exist. But then again if we were marketed by a major label corporation, then would anyone give a fuck? It's been the same as long as I have been doing this. We were always the band that never had the big tours and the financial backing but still had the loyal following, that's what ultimately matters. Obviously, we would like to be bigger and sell more records but if that's not in the cards then that's ok. At one point that would bother me, but not now. Things were different in the industry even when we got signed in 1990. There used to be a time in the '70s when a label would look at a band as something you would put some money and time into for decades, it's a career. Now it's a saturated market and with everyone in every genre, it's overkill. If one formula works then that's what the labels want to market and support, I never gave a fuck about that. ICED EARTH is my visual vehicle and that's all I have ever really concerned myself with. If we always remain a fairly small underground band then I want to make sure I maintain the integrity of the band, that's the most important thing. If we are going to have 10,000 loyal fans then I want to make sure that they know they will never get a rap metal record or something. Even if we made it really huge at some point I would make sure that ICED EARTH remains true to the sound and vision that I have created."

Read Jon Schaffer's entire interview with That's So Metal at this location.