Be True to Yourself and True to Your Own: An Interview with Matt Barlow (Iced Earth, Ashes of Ares)
When Matt Barlow announced that he was leaving Iced Earth in 2003, fans and the metal world in general were stunned by the decision. Iced Earth had risen to international acclaim since he joined the band prior to 1995’s Burnt Offerings, ascending with each subsequent release to become one of the most well-known entities in the realm of heavy metal on the back of the powerful combination of Jon Schaffer’s songwriting vision and Barlow’s powerhouse voice. Though he loved the music, fans, and adoration, Matt began to re-evaluate his priorities in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks against the United States and started to reflect on if he were meant for a more meaningful purpose in life. As a result of that pondering, he decided to leave the rock star life, start a career in law enforcement, and focus on his family. While the move may have puzzled and even upset some fans across the globe, Barlow insists that it was the right one for him at the time, even now 20-plus years after the fact.
Though he briefly rejoined Iced Earth in late 2007 for The Crucible of Man and a lighter touring schedule, he would exit again for good after a 2011 performance at Wacken Open Air. The group struggled to strike a balance between accommodating the relaxed concert schedule and profitability, hampered by a detrimental shift in the music industry away from album sale revenue. Barlow wouldn’t be on the sidelines for too long, however, as in 2012 he formed Ashes of Ares with former Iced Earth bandmate Freddie Vidales and Nevermore drummer Van Williams, whom he had been friends with since their bands toured Europe together in 1996 while promoting The Dark Saga. Though Williams departed after the first album in 2013, Ashes of Ares have now released four albums over the last decade-plus, including last year’s New Messiahs. In a bit of a full circle moment, Vidales and Barlow have embarked on a Dark Saga 30th anniversary tour starting last fall and continuing next month, under the Ashes of Ares moniker, to commemorate the legacy of that tremendous record.
Ahead of the next run of dates in Europe, I had a chance to catch up with Matt about the tour, plus a number of other topics, including:
- the reception to Ashes of Ares’ New Messiahs, the song and video for “Keep On Walkin’” Matt wrote for his two sons, fans’ reactions to hearing The Dark Saga in full on the first run of dates last fall, and whether he had to relearn any of the material prior to hitting the road.
- why The Dark Saga may have never been written without a certain Christmas gift, the European tour with Nevermore in 1996 promoting the album, the friendships formed from that and subsequent tours featuring the two bands, and Matt’s thoughts about Nevermore’s return.
- a discussion of the difficulties of running festivals in the United States as opposed to Europe, the anticipation of Ashes of Ares performance at ProgPower this September, the 25th anniversary of Horror Show, and some insight into how Iced Earth approached writing that album.
- the factors that led him back to the group for The Crucible of Man, what he would say if approached about reviving Iced Earth at some point, what the future holds in terms of getting more involved with music again once he retires from the police department, and a fanboy moment for me about Iced Earth’s 2008 show at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square.
You can watch the entire interview HERE:
Matt was more than gracious with his time and responses to everything asked of him. Speaking to him, it’s evident that while he had always had a passion for music and is grateful for everything that his career has given him, his first priority is his family. One of most telling responses he gave through the course of this interview was when reflecting on the prospect of touring for six to nine months out of the year and lamented the amount of time he would have been away from his wife and children. Though others in similar positions may have jumped at the opportunity to continue in the spotlight, Barlow chose to step away and be true to himself and his own, like he wrote in “Stand Alone” on Something Wicked This Way Comes. With Ashes of Ares, he’s found a way to balance his creative output with a traditional family life and career that allows him to work with both of these passions on his own terms. As Matt stated himself, he is approaching eligibility for retirement soon , allowing him the time to possibly renew focus on his musical career, which would be welcome news for fans all over the world, myself included.
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