Matthew Barlow (born March 10, 1971) is an American heavy metal singer. He is the lead singer for Ashes of Ares and former lead singer of

Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band currently composed of only Jon Schaffer, formed in Tampa, Florida, and based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist, ma ...

and Pyramaze. He is Jon Schaffer's brother-in-law.

History

Barlow joined Iced Earth after the '' Night of the Stormrider'' tour with

Blind Guardian Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Nine musicians have been part of the band ...

in Europe, as a replacement for John Greely. The first album Barlow can be heard on is '' Burnt Offerings'' (1995). Barlow left the band in 2003, much to the chagrin of many fans. His reason for leaving was due to personal beliefs related to the

September 11 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. He took a look at his life and realized that he wanted to contribute to the "real world" instead of living the illusion of a "rock star." He approached Jon Schaffer with this in late 2002, but Schaffer, known for his persuasive personality, convinced Barlow to stay with the band. When the band recorded '' The Glorious Burden'', Schaffer decided that Barlow's vocals were not what he desired them to be; he believed they lacked the passion and quality that Barlow was known for. He decided to let Barlow go after all and hired Tim "Ripper" Owens, former lead singer of

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...

. Barlow became a police officer in the police department in

Georgetown, Delaware Georgetown is a town in and the county seat of Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade. Georgetown is pa ...

. He was also a vocalist for the First State Force Band, which is made up of law enforcement members from different departments throughout Delaware. The band performs for schools, aiming to promote positive values through music. On April 13, 2007, Barlow returned to music more fully as the new lead singer of Danish progressive power metal band Pyramaze. Barlow accepted the offer to join Pyramaze because it would allow him to return to the music scene, while still being able maintain his current job. However, on December 11, 2007, it was announced that Barlow had officially re-joined Iced Earth and would be singing on '' The Crucible of Man'' and following albums. Pyramaze confirmed that he would remain with them to record their album '' Immortal'', but that their professional relationship would end there. MattBarlowBrazil

On March 3, 2011, Matt Barlow announced that he will again be leaving Iced Earth after the band finishes its European festival shows, citing his commitment to his family and the need for Iced Earth to tour more as his reasons for retirement. On August 6, Barlow performed his farewell show with Iced Earth at the

Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a Heavy metal music, heavy metal music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all ...

festival. On June 26, 2012, Barlow announced on his Facebook page the creation of a new band named Ashes of Ares with former

bassist Freddie Vidales and

Nevermore Nevermore is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1992. The band was formed after three of its members — vocalist Warrel Dane, bassist Jim Sheppard and guitarist Jeff Loomis — ended their prev ...

drummer

Van Williams Van Zandt Jarvis Williams (February 27, 1934 – November 28, 2016) was an American actor best known for his leading role as Kenny Madison in both Warner Bros. television detective series '' Bourbon Street Beat'' (1959–1960) and its sequ ...

, posting on YouTube two one-minute teaser videos. The band signed with

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

, and the self-titled album released on September 6, 2013. In May 2013, Barlow contributed vocals to American power metal band Artizan's album ''Ancestral Energy'', being featured on the album's final track. On January 1, 2017, a joint project with Jonah Weingarten of Pyramaze named We Are Sentinels was announced by Barlow on his Facebook page. In 2020 he reunited with Jon Schaffer for a christmas EP, ''Winter Nights'' under the banner Schaffer/Barlow Project.

Discography

Cauldron

* Cauldron Demo (1990) * ''Driven by Hate'' (1993)

Iced Earth

Studio albums *'' Burnt Offerings'' (1995) *'' The Dark Saga'' (1996) *'' Days of Purgatory'' (1997) *'' Something Wicked This Way Comes'' (1998) *''The Melancholy E.P.'' (1999) *'' Horror Show'' (2001) *'' Tribute to the Gods'' (2002) *'' The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2'' (2008) Live albums *'' Alive in Athens'' (1999) *''Alive in Athens'' (2006, DVD) *''Festivals of the Wicked'' (2011)

Pyramaze

Studio albums *'' Immortal'' (2008)

Ashes of Ares

Studio albums * '' Ashes of Ares'' (2013) * ''Well of Souls'' (2018) * ''Emperors and Fools'' (2022)

We Are Sentinels

* ''We Are Sentinels'' (2018)

Schaffer/Barlow Project

*''Winter Nights'' (2020)

References

External links

Matt Barlow
on Facebook {{DEFAULTSORT:Barlow, Matt 1971 births American baritones American heavy metal singers American municipal police officers Iced Earth members Law enforcement officials from Delaware Living people People from Biloxi, Mississippi 21st-century American singers