Metal Wani’s, Jessie David had a chance to chat with Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth) about the highly anticipated third studio album “III” from Demons and Wizards.
During the interview, the two touched base on the making of the album, the song structure, the inspiration behind the songs, the artwork and the possibility of a supporting tour.
The album “III” is geared up to be released February 21st, the album is 11 new songs, 65 minutes and the opening track is “Diabolic”, which is a sequel track to “Heaven Denies”.
Though the album took nearly 15 years in the making, Jon and Hansi have both been working on it for some time. Jon said that some of the songs he’s been working on since the “Incorruptible” times with Iced Earth.
Just like their last two albums, each song holds a story or meaning. A great example is the track “Midas Disease” when asked about the track Jon said that the songs working title was “Unbroken” at the time, and was a dedication to Malcolm Young from AC/DC.
The song itself really comes down to corruption says, Jon. Originally, they weren’t sure about it, because it was so different from Iced Earth or Blind Guardian and no Demons and Wizard songs sounded like it. The track itself is raw and heavy and a very welcoming change of pace on the album. Jon said that he and Hansi wanted to release an album that was all killer and no filler.
The inspiration for the artwork of the album is inspired by the opening track “Diabolic” which in the video has two fallen, rebel angels who get cast out. One of the artists who designed the album is also Jon’s tattoos artist who was also involved with Iced Earths projects
Demons and Wizards finished up a huge tour this year including a bunch of festival tours like Wacken and Metal Days, when asked about the possibility of releasing a live studio album from the 2019 tour, Jon reassured that they definitely will be doing that. When is an entirely different question, but they are aiming for 2021 after they finish supporting “III”
During the interview, Jessie asked if Demons and Wizards would be going on tour in 2020 to support the new album. To everyone’s surprise, Jon said no. Both him and Hansi have to get back to work with Iced Earth and Blind Guardian but there is a chance they could tour in the following years.