Matthew Barlow

Matt Barlow was the vocalist for the heavy metal band Iced Earth. Barlow joined Iced Earth after the "Night of the Stormrider" tour with Blind Guardian in Euro

Matt Barlow was the vocalist for the heavy metal band Iced Earth. Barlow joined Iced Earth after the "Night of the Stormrider" tour with Blind Guardian in Europe, as a replacement for John Greely. The first album Barlow can be heard on is "Burnt Offerings" (1995).

He is considered by many to be the best vocalist Iced Earth had to date. He had left the band in 2003, much to the chagrin of many fans. His reasons for leaving was due to personal beliefs related to the September 11th terrorist attacks. 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 so famous for. He decided to let Barlow go after all.