Interview by: DJ
Photo Credit: Elias Aravides
Few voices in metal carry the weight and recognition of Matt Barlow. The Delaware native first captured the metal world’s attention as the powerhouse vocalist behind Iced Earth’s most celebrated era, lending his commanding pipes to classics like “The Dark Saga,” “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” and the legendary live album “Alive in Athens.” After departing Iced Earth in 2003 to pursue law enforcement, Barlow’s brief return from 2007-2011 only reinforced his status as one of metal’s most distinctive voices.
Since 2013, Barlow has channeled his creative energy into Ashes of Ares, a collaboration with former Iced Earth guitarist Freddy Vidales that has produced four studio albums of uncompromising heavy metal. Balancing his duties as a police officer with his musical passion, Barlow continues to prove that great metal knows no boundaries—whether geographical, professional, or temporal.
With “New Messiah” set to drop August 8th via Roar Records, we caught up with Barlow to discuss the new album’s thrash-influenced direction, his unique long-distance creative process with Vidales, and the upcoming European tribute shows that will see him revisiting Iced Earth classics for rabid Greek audiences. As always, Barlow remains refreshingly candid about the realities of modern metal—doing it for the love, not the money.
MGM: So let’s get into the new record “New Messiah” coming out on Roar. First, can you talk about how you guys connected with Roar Records, which is now a division of Reigning Phoenix Music?
Matt Barlow: We were actually already on Roar for the last two albums. Essentially, Roar rolled over into them when they brought Roar into the fold. That merger is part of why things got pushed back – we became fish in a larger pond. You want to stagger releases so artists don’t get missed, and so everyone gets proper attention during their release dates. As a business, you don’t want to overwhelm your promotion team or have all releases at the same time.
MGM: You’re still working with longtime partner Freddy Vidales. You guys have been tag-teaming since 2013. Talk about your process together.
Matt Barlow: We’ve done it the same way since the beginning, though it was a learning curve for us old-school guys who were used to getting together and hanging out to write music. Since I live in Delaware and Freddy’s in Arizona, we had to adapt. Freddy’s more of a computer nerd than me, so he embraced the technology. We ended up getting identical Pro Tools rigs so we could share files back and forth.
The first song we actually wrote together in person was “This Is My Hell” – that was kind of the start of Ashes of Ares. Since then, it’s been sharing files, getting on the phone, texting about ideas until we get a complete record. Usually we shoot for ten songs, and anything extra is just extra.
MGM: How was the adjustment from old-school recording to the modern file-sharing approach?
Matt Barlow: It’s different, but I had the benefit of starting with two-inch tape on “Burnt Offerings” – that was a lot of analog recording. There’s something about that warm analog sound, which is probably why vinyl is coming back so strong. But this method works for us because of our schedules, our budget, and honestly, our reality. We don’t rely on music to make money – we have other jobs. Every bit of money from the record company goes to the record: paying musicians, engineers, producers, studio time. We do it for the love of it.
Photo Credit: Elias Aravides
MGM: Let’s talk about the title track “New Messiah.” That song has a great galloping sound right from the start.
Matt Barlow: That’s exactly what we intended – really in your face. The lyrical content is very tongue-in-cheek, inspired by how Iron Maiden wrote about certain things with sarcasm in the delivery. It’s about power struggles and dominance – “we’re here to help, but you have to do what we say.” And guess what? Human beings hate being told what to do.
MGM: I really like “Two Graves” – the interplay between your vocals and Freddy’s guitar melodies works great.
Matt Barlow: That’s something we’ve built upon with each record. I’ll ask him more often now – “I’m doing this part, can you match it with your guitar?” We’re getting more detailed and taking more care with every record. Hopefully that will continue.
MGM: The press mentions this album has more of a thrash metal sound. “Atrophy” really stands out as old-school Bay Area thrash.
Matt Barlow: Absolutely, it’s definitely Bay Area influenced. When I was coming up in the ’80s, I was 13 when “Kill ‘Em All” dropped – that changed everything. Chuck Billy’s a huge influence for me. That’s what my brother and I were doing in our band Dream – very thrash oriented. I’m very percussive, rhythmic, aggressive in my vocal delivery. I have a relationship with the drums and bass. A lot of Freddy’s riffs just lent themselves to going that direction.
MGM: Do you have any favorite songs from this new record?
Matt Barlow: It’s like trying to pick your favorite kid! “Keep on Walking” is special to me – I wrote it for my kids. I’m an old guy, and the older I get, the more sentimental I get. Someone said they couldn’t relate to it, but maybe that’s because they don’t have kids. Not every song is for everybody, but this one’s for me. Freddy doesn’t have kids either, but he did a phenomenal job with the music.
“Atrophy” is a big one for me too. Even the way we mixed it – guitars panned one way, you hear that one pan guitar first then it goes – it’s just fun. It reminds me of my idols and how they would have done it.
MGM: Your vocals have always been versatile. When you started Ashes of Ares, did you get pushback about it not being Iced Earth?
Matt Barlow: Mixed bag. Some people instantly hear my voice and think Iced Earth, but we’re not trying to be Iced Earth. I literally can’t change my voice – you’re still going to hear that it’s me. I’m proud of what I do, so I’m going to use my voice to the best of my ability. Jon Schaffer’s not there, and he writes completely different from Freddy. We’re not trying to write Iced Earth – we’re Ashes of Ares.
MGM: Let’s talk about the upcoming tribute shows in Greece and Germany where you’ll be playing Iced Earth material.
Matt Barlow: Those Greek fans were literally blowing us off the stage during the “Alive in Athens” recording. They were so loud I couldn’t hear anything – I was going off muscle memory for most of that recording. That definitely changed my outlook on in-ears. Now I use them even if it’s just one ear to hear that note.
Matt Barlow Interview from 2013, on tour in Europe first time opening for Battle Beast and Powerwolf. Photo credit: Adrian Hextall
We’re doing “Dark Saga” material, which is going to be interesting. Those songs were designed to have group interaction – John was very intentional when writing that record. When we went to Greece and started touring on it, people knew all the songs instantly. They were singing parts that weren’t even singing parts – they were singing guitar parts!
MGM: You mentioned you’re still working as a police officer. That must make touring challenging.
Matt Barlow: I have a lot more responsibilities now than when I went back to Iced Earth. I can’t be gone for huge swaths of time. I do my best utilizing vacation time for these shows. Hopefully people understand and maybe meet me halfway – go to Greece, have a holiday around an Ashes of Ares show!
It’s crazy though – I’ve actually done more studio records since I’ve been a police officer than before. Pyramaze, Iced Earth, four Ashes of Ares records, the project with Jonah, guest spots. My discography has grown bigger since becoming a police officer.
MGM: Tell us about the Elton John cover “And the House Fell Down.”
Matt Barlow: Freddy really wanted to do a tribute to Sir Elton, and I was 100% cool with it. My wife is a big Elton John fan, and this song was in her YouTube rotation. She said she liked the message about addiction and getting out of that darkness – that’s something I see a lot in my everyday work.
I wanted to take it in a different direction, give it a darker, grittier feel. It reminded me of the witch doctor character from Disney’s “Princess and the Frog” – that creepy, low delivery. Some people have said it sounds a little like Tom Waits, which is cool. We wanted to make it different from every other song on the record.
MGM: Any final thoughts on Ozzy’s passing yesterday?
Matt Barlow: [Barlow gets emotional] People see Ozzy in different ways – in his stage mode mostly. But I saw this older photo where he’s just a young man at the beginning of his journey. That’s how his family sees him – as a human being. We see him as a character, but he’s not a character. His contributions are timeless. He’s joined Ronnie James Dio, Lemmy, and so many others I grew up idolizing. At the end of the day, we have to remember they’re human beings who have loved ones that miss them deeply.
MGM: The record comes out August 8th on Roar Records. Any final words for the fans?
Matt Barlow: We’re doing 13 shows in two weeks across Europe – more shows in more countries than our last tour. We rely on local promoters to get us places. If we could do it ourselves, we would. In Europe we can sell out shows and that pays the bills. The US is huge with its own challenges. We have to be able to pay our musicians and sound people. But we do it for the love of it and want the product to be solid. Every bit of our heart and soul goes into this music.
“New Messiah” is out August 8th via Roar Records. European tour dates are being announced with confirmed shows in Greece and Germany featuring classic Iced Earth material alongside new Ashes of Ares songs.
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