Iced Earth

Photo: Florian Stangl / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

CountryUnited States
Formed1988
StatusOn hold
GenreHeavy metal, Power metal
LabelCentury Media, Century Media Records

Iced Earth are the American band from Tampa, Florida, who were founded by guitarist and songwriter Jon Schaffer and reached the top five of the German album chart with Plagues of Babylon. They have released twelve studio albums, most recently Incorruptible in 2017.

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Jon Schaffer founded the band in Florida, where it played under other names, including Purgatory, before becoming Iced Earth. The debut album, Iced Earth, came out on Century Media in 1990, followed on the same label by Night of the Stormrider in 1991, Burnt Offerings in 1995 and The Dark Saga in 1996.

Something Wicked This Way Comes followed in 1998 and Horror Show in 2001. The band then released The Glorious Burden in 2004, the two-part concept Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1 (2007) and The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 (2008), and Dystopia in 2011.

Plagues of Babylon was released by Century Media on 6 January 2014 and reached the top five of the German album chart. Incorruptible followed in 2017 and remains the band’s most recent studio album.

In January 2021 Jon Schaffer took part in the attack on the United States Capitol. In February 2021 singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton left, while guitarist Jake Dreyer distanced himself from the group. Schaffer was sentenced to three years’ probation in 2024 and was pardoned in January 2025. In September 2025 he said that a return of Iced Earth would not happen “anytime soon”, and the band has released no new studio album since 2017.