EP REVIEW: Purgatory – Jon Schaffer’s Purgatory

Jon Schaffer is arguably one of the most important men in the American style of traditional heavy metal. For 30 years, he has led American traditional metal titans ICED EARTH; he has been involved in the DEMONS & WIZARDS project with BLIND GUARDIAN‘s Hansi Kürsch for over 20 years; and he has been involved in the metal scene at least since he was 16, with his first band, THE ROSE, forming in 1984. His first delve into recorded music came with PURGATORY, who would later become ICED EARTH. With PURGATORY, Schaffer would record a series of demos before the band morphed into ICED EARTH. Now, 33 years after the first PURGATORY demo was put to tape, Schaffer has resurrected the project with a new EP, dubbing the band’s newest incarnation JON SCHAFFER’S PURGATORY.

The five track EP, titled Purgatory, is made up of four songs taken from PURGATORY‘s early demos, and one new offering. Keeping true to the original PURGATORY demos, Bill Owen and original ICED EARTH vocalist Gene Adam – both of whom performed on all of the demos – join Schaffer in JON SCHAFFER’S PURGATORY. For those unfamiliar with the demos, expect a very traditional style of heavy metal – soaring, melodic leads; galloping rythmes and heavy riffs; big, sing-a-long choruses. The influence of JUDAS PRIEST, KING DIAMOND and IRON MAIDEN can be felt all over the EP.

Originally released on the Horror Show demo in ’86 and the Psychotic Dreams demo in ’85, respectively, Dracula and Jack are where we see JON SCHAFFER’S PURGATORY at their most KING DIAMOND-esque. Atmospheric and operatic, Dracula takes the listener on a schizophrenic journey over the 6-minute run time, jumping between soft, melodic sections and nice, heavy stomps with ease, while Jack keeps that galloping stomp running throughout, only letting up to inject a creepy chorus.  In Jason’s Mind could almost be a lost B-side from the Paul Di’anno era of IRON MAIDEN, carrying that punky, old-school metal vibe. A highlight moment from Purgatory, the title track from the first demo, Burning Oasis, is dripping with a Powerslave-era IRON MAIDEN influence that works excellently to close the EP.

Hinting at the direction JON SCHAFFER’S PURGATORY will take should they continue the project, new track In Your Dreams does beg the question of whether more JON SCHAFFER’S PURGATORY would be a tad redundant, as In Your Dreams isn’t a million miles away from the more recent ICED EARTH offerings. However, ramping up the KING DIAMOND influence with the creepy sound effects, and the ever-present dancing between the heavy, traditional metal stylings and a far more stripped back, melodic sound, In Your Dreams is definitely a stand out moment for Purgatory. 

For fans of ICED EARTH looking to dig into some of the material the would later influence Schaffer‘s style of songwriting on early ICED EARTH albums, they can’t really go wrong with this EP. Purgatory gives the early demos a nice, sleek production job, allowing them to be heard and enjoyed in a much higher quality than the original demos, and the new song – In Your Dreams – is an interesting insight into how JON SCHAFFER’S PURGATORY will progress if Schaffer decides to follow the EP with a full album. However, it’s impossible to avoid drawing parallels to ICED EARTH, and unfortunately Purgatory doesn’t hold up against the material from Schaffer‘s main band.

Rating: 7/10

Purgatory is set for release December 21st via Century Media Records.