| Days of Purgatory | ||||
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| Remix album by | ||||
| Released | June 6, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | Morrisound Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Century Media | |||
| Producer | Jim Morris | |||
| Iced Earth chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Days of Purgatory is a heavy metal album by Iced Earth. It is a collection of remixes and remakes from previous albums, with the exception of their then-recent record The Dark Saga. Most of the songs from the Enter the Realm EP, Iced Earth, and Night of the Stormrider were re-sung by Matt Barlow, and on some of the songs the drums and bass were redone. The 2-CD version also has rough mixes of several songs from Burnt Offerings with the opening to the title track re-recorded. The album cover features artwork of the Chaos Comics character Purgatori.
The reason for the album was to improve the original songs, create nostalgia for older fans and introduce newer fans to Iced Earth's older work. The 2-CD limited edition was originally produced for European audiences but has since been released in the United States. Days of Purgatory was the last new release from the band featuring longtime guitarist Randall Shawver, and the first to feature bassist James MacDonough and drummer Brent Smedley.
The song "Written on the Walls" from the band's self titled album was given completely new lyrics and renamed "Cast in Stone". The only songs left unrecorded from the band's first albums were "Mystical End", "The Path I Choose", and "Curse the Sky", though the latter two were both performed live with Barlow on vocals. "Winter Nights" was recorded during early sessions for Night of the Stormrider while Gene Adam was still on vocals, but this was the track which prompted Schaffer to ask Adam to get singing lessons, as it was felt he could not handle the high notes. Therefore, the song was not used on the album due to its acrimonious history, though it would have fit in with the storyline of the album. Live performances of this song from that era (such as Wuppertal '91) show him struggling to sing it, probably contributing to his dismissal. Schaffer eventually dug the song out of the vaults to use on this album with Barlow providing vocals, but, as mentioned in the album's booklet, used a 1986 Purgatory demo for the backing track instead.
Track listing
One CD edition
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Enter the Realm" | (instrumental) | Jon Schaffer | Enter the Realm | 0:54 |
| 2. | "Colors" | Schaffer |
| Iced Earth | 4:50 |
| 3. | "Angels Holocaust" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Night of the Stormrider | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Stormrider" | Schaffer |
| Night of the Stormrider | 4:47 |
| 5. | "Winter Nights" | Schaffer | Schaffer | (previously unreleased) | 3:55 |
| 6. | "Nightmares" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Enter the Realm | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Pure Evil" | Schaffer |
| Night of the Stormrider | 6:33 |
| 8. | "Solitude" | (instrumental) |
| Iced Earth | 1:44 |
| 9. | "When the Night Falls" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Iced Earth | 9:01 |
| 10. | "Desert Rain" | Schaffer |
| Night of the Stormrider | 6:56 |
| 11. | "The Funeral" | (instrumental) |
| Iced Earth | 6:15 |
| 12. | "Cast in Stone" (rewritten version of "Written on the Walls") | Matt Barlow |
| Iced Earth | 5:59 |
| 13. | "Reaching the End" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Night of the Stormrider | 1:11 |
| 14. | "Travel in Stygian" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Night of the Stormrider | 9:32 |
| 15. | "Iced Earth" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Iced Earth | 5:22 |
Two CD edition
Disc one
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Enter the Realm" | Schaffer | Enter the Realm | 0:54 | |
| 2. | "Colors" | Schaffer |
| Iced Earth | 4:50 |
| 3. | "Angels Holocaust" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Night of the Stormrider | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Stormrider" | Schaffer |
| Night of the Stormrider | 4:47 |
| 5. | "Winter Nights" | Schaffer | Schaffer | (previously unreleased) | 3:55 |
| 6. | "Nightmares" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Enter the Realm | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Before the Vision" | Schaffer |
| Night of the Stormrider | 1:35 |
| 8. | "Pure Evil" | Schaffer |
| Night of the Stormrider | 6:33 |
| 9. | "Solitude" | (instrumental) |
| Iced Earth | 1:44 |
| 10. | "The Funeral" | (instrumental) |
| Iced Earth | 6:15 |
| 11. | "When the Night Falls" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Iced Earth | 9:01 |
Disc two
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Burnt Offerings" | Schaffer |
| Burnt Offerings | 7:22 |
| 2. | "Cast in Stone" (rewritten version of "Written on the Walls") | Barlow |
| Iced Earth | 5:59 |
| 3. | "Desert Rain" | Schaffer |
| Night of the Stormrider | 6:56 |
| 4. | "Brainwashed" | Schaffer |
| Burnt Offerings | 5:22 |
| 5. | "Life and Death" | Schaffer |
| Iced Earth | 6:07 |
| 6. | "Creator Failure" | Schaffer |
| Burnt Offerings | 6:02 |
| 7. | "Reaching the End" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Night of the Stormrider | 1:11 |
| 8. | "Travel in Stygian" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Night of the Stormrider | 9:32 |
| 9. | "Dante's Inferno" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Burnt Offerings | 16:26 |
| 10. | "Iced Earth" | Schaffer | Schaffer | Iced Earth | 5:22 |
Personnel
- Jon Schaffer – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Randall Shawver – lead guitar
- Matt Barlow – lead vocals
- Brent Smedley – drums on tracks 1,2,5,6,9,21
- James MacDonough – bass on 1,2,5,6,9,21
- Dave Abell – bass on 3,4,7,8,10-20
- Mike McGill – drums on 10,11,13,16
- Richey Secchiari – drums on 3,4,7,8,14,18,19
- Rodney Beasley – drums on 12,15,17,20
- Additional personnel
- Howard Helm – keyboards
- Kent Smith – keyboards