ICED EARTH mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer has released
the following statement regarding the departure of
singer Tim "Ripper" Owens and the return of Matt
Barlow:

"It will be sometime before I'm going to be doing
press due to the holidays and the fact that I'm still
deep in the final writing process of ['Something
Wicked' album] Part 2. I'm aware that the news of Matt
coming back into to the band has taken many people by
surprise so I'll try to explain the situation a little
better.

"I do love Tim's voice and it is the kind of voice I
hear when I write, and he's a really cool person. And
I do not want an unnecessary war of words started
because certain journalists like to create controversy
to sell their magazines. I love Tim as a person, a
friend and a musician, and I do not have negative
feelings towards him at all. We would all appreciate
it if the trash pedlars would respect the situation
and keep their venomous speculations to themselves. An
unlikely request I'm sure, but it would be nice. On
the other side, Matt and I are brothers and there was
a very deep and spiritual connection that came through
in the music that we created and performed together
over the years.

"ICED EARTH has always been about passion and honesty
in the music — I'm talking about real, raw emotion.
That's what has always made the relationship between
the band and the fans a very special thing and it is
the thing that made the chemistry that Matt and I had
together so special.

"When we split before, our relationship had suffered
from various things, but mostly it came down to not
communicating like we should have, which led to things
being blown out of proportion. All of that is behind
us and we have grown and matured and will have an even
more fulfilling relationship because of what we've
experienced and learned from the past.

"ICED EARTH activities will be more limited now
because Matt will still be carrying on his career as a
law enforcement officer. I would rather we do it this
way and have the shows that happen be very special
events than to carry on and feel like what's happening
isn't genuine. This is NOT a cut on Tim. It's just
that ICED EARTH really began to blossom after Matt
joined the band and for years we worked our asses off
together, on stage and off. Those years of work and
commitment defined what ICED EARTH truly is, and
frankly I would rather end it than to carry on without
Matt involved. All of this has been coming to a head
for a while, and the talks with the fans in Europe
helped cement what I already knew needed to happen.

"I wish only the best for Tim, this is not a standard
bullshit statement, it's the truth. A guy with so much
talent and personality only deserves the best in life
and that's what I wish for him completely."



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