Fans of American metal act Iced Earth have long hoped for a new sign of life from their icons. On 28 April 2023, the wait will be over at last: the band has announced the release of two new EPs on Greek label ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records.

Entitled Hellrider and I Walk Among You, these releases will include rare recordings from the transition phase between singer Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens and his predecessor/successor Matt Barlow in 2007 and 2008, a particularly exciting and eventful period in Iced Earth’s band history.

The Hellrider EP consists of the songs Prophecy, Birth Of The Wicked and The Coming Curse, which originally featured on the album Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998), a release that was voted one of the best power metal records of all time by Metal Hammer magazine. In late summer 2007, all three tracks were re-recorded, featuring Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens. The second EP, I Walk Among You, includes the studio tracks Setian Massacre, A Charge To Keep and The Clouding from the 2007 album Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part I), which were remixed and remastered in 2008 and feature the recently-returned Matt Barlow. In addition, there are the live tracks Dark Saga, Pure Evil and Iced Earth, cut at the 2008 Graspop Metal Meeting and also featuring Barlow.

Iced Earth comments on the EPs: “Before now, these releases hadn’t been issued on anything other than CD. Now they’ve been remastered, with new artwork, new mastering, new formats on vinyl, picture disc, and they’ll be available for digital download for the first time.”

Hellrider line-up:
Jon Schaffer – Rhythm, Lead, Bass Guitars, Backing vocals
Tim Owens – Lead Vocals
Brent Smedley – Drums
Tim Mills – Guitar Solos

I Walk Among You line-up:
Jon Schaffer – Rhythm, Lead, Bass Guitars, Backing vocals
Matt Barlow – Lead Vocals
Brent Smedley – Drums
Troy Seele – Guitar Solos

Graspop Raw 2008 line-up:
Jon Schaffer – Rhythm Guitar, Backing vocals
Matt Barlow – Lead Vocals
Brent Smedley – Drums
Troy Seele – Lead Guitar
Freddie Vidales – Bass Guitar