Post by Hennessy Macklemore III on Nov 20, 2020 3:07:44 GMT
Stuart Block (November 26, 1977 - )
Years active: 1998-present
Country of origin: Canada
Recorded vocal range: E♭2-C6 (D♯2-C6)
Band history:
- 2002-2005 - Omega Crom (lead vocals)
- 2005-2013 - Into Eternity (lead vocals)
- 2011-2021 - Iced Earth (lead vocals)
- 2019 - Aflockalypse (vocals)
- 2020-present - Alley Cats Duo (lead vocals)
- 2021-present - Into Eternity (lead vocals)
- 2022-present - The Midgard Project (lead vocals)
Recorded high notes:
C6: "Kicked", "Working for the Weekend"
B5: "Exodus from Orion"
A♯5/B♭5: "Chasing the High", "Cthulhu", "Dark City" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Fukushima", "Heavy Metal Maniac", "Nothing", "Out", "Painkiller" live 70,000 Tons of Metal 2016, "Plagues of Babylon", "Red Baron/Blue Max" live Philadelphia 2014, "Seven Headed Whore", "Suspension of Disbelief", "Tides of Blood", "Timeless Winter", "Working for the Weekend"
A5: "Before the Storm", "Chasing the High", "Dark City", "Exodus from Orion", "Indignation", "Kings of Earth", "Let the Fire Rain", "Moonlight and Frostbite", "On Steel Wings We Rise", "Painkiller" live 70,000 Tons of Metal 2016, "Starman", "Tides of Blood", "Valley of Lycans", "Winter Slumber"
G♯5/A♭5: "A Question of Heaven" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Army of One", "Ascension (Shovel Your Grave)", "Black Flag", "Boiling Point", "Burning Times" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Caylee's Law", "Chasing the High", "Come What May" live Lancaster 2015, "Couple Suicide", "Cthulhu", "Declaration Day" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Demon of Retribution", "Democide", "Dystopia" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Eternal", "Fukushima", "Iced Earth" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Indignation", "My Vengeance is Everything (Chaos Reigns)", "One Funeral Hymn for Thee", "Plagues of Babylon", "Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza" live Regina 2015, "Romeo Delight", "Surrounded by Night", "Suspension of Disbelief", "The Hunter" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Tides of Blood", "Tomorrow Never Comes", "When the Night Falls" live Kourion Theater 2012
G5: "Among the Living Dead", "Another Fallen Dreamland", "Army of One", "Ascension (Shovel Your Grave)", "Avoid Her Wrath", "Beginning of the End" live Montreal 2005, "Blessed Are You" live Athens 2014, "Couple Suicide", "Detonation", "Divine Plane", "Heavy Metal Maniac", "Indignation", "Kicked", "Let the Fire Rain", "Mimir's Well", "Mindflayer of the Deep", "One Funeral Hymn for Thee", "Painkiller" live 70,000 Tons of Metal 2016, "Paralyzed", "Parasite", "Pure Evil" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Red Baron/Blue Max" live Columbus 2014, "Romeo Delight", "Sandstorm", "Shallow" live Montreal 2005, "Suspension of Disbelief", "The Day the Sea Came In", "The Deafening", "The Hunter" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Tides of Blood", "Timeless Winter" live Zombiefest 2008, vocal lesson, "Warriors of Fate", "War Within", "When the Night Falls" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Working for the Weekend", "Yuki-Onna"
F♯5/G♭5: "A Black Light Ending", "Angel's Holocaust" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Anthem" live Bloodstock 2012, "Ascension (Shovel Your Grave)", "Black Flag", "Blessed Are You" live Antwerp 2014, "Boiling Point", "Burning Times" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Cthulhu", "Days of Rage", "Damien" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Declaration Day" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Defiance", "Democide", "Demon of Retribution", "Dystopia" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "End of Innocence", "Great Heathen Army", "Heavy Metal Maniac", "Indignation", "My Vengeance is Everything (Chaos Reigns)", "99 Bottles", "Painkiller" live 70,000 Tons of Metal 2016, "Parasite", "Plagues of Babylon" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Romeo Delight", "Seven Headed Whore", "Ten Thousand Strong" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Tomorrow Never Comes", "Torch of the Unbroken", "The Trooper", "Travel in Stygian" live Sacramento 2018, vocal lesson, "Wolf" live Kourion Theater 2012
F5: "Another Fallen Dreamland", "Avoid Her Wrath", "Before the Storm", "But I'm Not Afraid", "Chasing the High", "Clown Parade", "Dark City", "Dark Saga" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Detonation", "Downright Dominate", "Dracula" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Embraced by Desolation" live 2011, "Equilibrium", "Eternal", "Fractured", "Fukushima", "Haunted", "Iced Earth" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Indignation", "Moonlight and Frostbite", "Motivation of Man" live Kourion Theater 2012, "My Own Savior" live Bloodstock 2012, "Paralyzed", "Red Baron/Blue Max" live Columbus 2014, "Resistance", "Setian Massacre" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Smothered", "Soylent Green", "Spiraling into Depression" live Quebec 2007, "Splintered Visions" live Galaxy Theatre 2005, "Ten Thousand Strong" live Kourion Theater 2012, "The Day the Sea Came In", "The Wolf and the Raven", "Tides of Blood", "Time Immemorial", "Travel in Stygian" live Sacramento 2018
E5: "At the Failing of the Light", "Blessed Are You" live Athens 2014, "Boiling Point", "Crimson Wings", "Dark City", "Days of Rage", "Detonation", "Dystopia", "Exodus from Orion", "Haunted", "Heavy Metal Maniac", "Journey's End", "Kings of Earth", "Slave to the Dark" live Kourion Theater 2012, "The Wolf and the Raven", "Valley of Lycans"
D♯5/E♭5: "Absolution of the Soul" live at The Exchange 2009, "Among the Living Dead", "A Question of Heaven" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Avoid Her Wrath", "Burning Times" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Come What May" live Lancaster 2015, "Couple Suicide", "Cthulhu", "Dark Saga" live Nürnberg 2014, "Days of Rage", "Democide", "Detonation", "Dracula" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Dystopia", "Equilibrium", "False Prophet", "Fractured", "Fukushima", "Haunted", "Heavy Metal Maniac", "I Died for You" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Indignation", "Kicked", "Mimir's Well", "Pain Through Breathing", "Paralyzed", "Parasite", "Plagues of Babylon", "Resistance", "Romeo Delight", "Severe Emotional Distress", "Slave to the Dark" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Spiraling into Depression" live Quebec 2007, "Sun May Shine", "The Deafening", "The Incurable Tragedy I (September 21, 2006)", "Time Immemorial", "Tomorrow Never Comes", "Travel in Stygian" live Sacramento 2018, "V", "Wolf" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Working for the Weekend"
D5: "Absolution of the Soul" live at The Exchange 2009, "Army of One", "Ascension (Shovel Your Grave)", "But I'm Not Afraid", "Chasing the High", "City of the Moon", "Clown Parade", "Dark City", "Demon of Retribution", "Diagnosis Terminal", "Downright Dominate", "Exodus from Orion", "Let the Fire Rain", "Mimir's Well", "On Steel Wings We Rise", "Painkiller" live 70,000 Tons of Metal 2016, "Revelations", "Spent Years of Regret", "Spiraling into Depression" live Quebec 2007, "Splintered Visions" live Galaxy Theatre 2005, "The Day the Sea Came In", "The Wolf and the Raven", "Torch of the Unbroken", "Winter Slumber"
C♯5/D♭5: "A Black Light Ending", "Ascension (Shovel Your Grave)", "Diagnosis Terminal", "Embraced by Desolation" live 2011, "Eternal", "Great Heathen Army", "Love & Postcards", "Me and Bobby McGee" live 2023, "My Vengeance is Everything (Chaos Reigns)", "Nothing", "One Funeral Hymn for Thee", "Out", "Paralyzed", "Rise Again", "Spirit of the Times", "Suspension of Disbelief", "Ten Thousand Strong" live Kourion Theater 2012, "The End?", "The Veil", "The Wolf and the Raven", "Tides of Blood", "Time Immemorial", "Tomorrow Never Comes", "Torch of the Unbroken", "Wolf" live Kourion Theater 2012
C5: "Alissa", "Avoid Her Wrath", "Beginning of the End" live Montreal 2005, "But I'm Not Afraid", "Cloud Parade", "Couple Suicide", "Dark City", "Detonation", "Diagnosis Terminal", "Embraced by Desolation" live 2011, "Equilibrium", "Eternal", "False Prophet", "Jingle Bells" livestream 2020, "Let the Fire Rain", "My Own Savior" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "One Funeral Hymn for Thee", "Out", "Pain Through Breathing", "Paralyzed", "Red Baron/Blue Max" live Columbus 2014, "Resistance", "Revelations", "Severe Emotional Distress", "Shallow" live Montreal 2005, "Spent Years of Regret", "Spiraling into Depression" live Regina 2014, "Splintered Visions" live Galaxy Theatre 2005, "Suspension of Disbelief", "The Deafening", "Time Immemorial", "Timeless Winter", "War Within", "Working for the Weekend", "Yuki-Onna"
B4: "Anthem", "Before the Storm", "City of the Moon", "Clear the Way (December 13th, 1862)", "Clown Parade", "Crimson Wings", "Cthulhu", "Dante's Inferno" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Dark Saga" live Nürnberg 2014, "Days of Rage", "Declaration Day" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Demon of Retribution", "Divine Plane", "Downright Dominate", "Dystopia", "Equilibrium", "Exodus from Orion", "False Prophet", "Iced Earth" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Journey's End", "Kicked", "Mindflayer of the Deep", "My Vengeance is Everything (Chaos Reigns)", "On Steel Wings We Rise", "Origin", "Peacemaker", "Raven Wing", "Smothered", "Sun May Shine", "The Chain" livestream 2020, "The Culling", "The End?", "The Final War", "The Incurable Tragedy II (November 10, 2006)", "The Veil", "Tides of Blood", "Tomorrow Never Comes", "Torch of the Unbroken", "Tragedy and Triumph", "V", "Vengeance Is Mine" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Warriors of Fate", "Winter Slumber"
A♯4/B♭4: "A Black Light Ending", "Absolution of the Soul" live at The Exchange 2009, "Among the Living Dead", "Angel's Holocaust" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Anthem", "A Past Beyond Memory", "Army of One", "Beginning of the End" live Montreal 2005, "Black Flag", "Clear the Way (December 13th, 1862)", "Clown Parade", "Come What May" live Lancaster 2015, "Couple Suicide", "Cthulhu", "Damien" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Dante's Inferno 2011", "Dark Saga" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Democide", "Detonation", "Dystopia", "Fukushima", "Great Heathen Army", "Haunted", "Heavy Metal Maniac", "I Died for You" live Kourion Theater 2012, "If I Could See You", "Indignation", "Into the Fire", "Iron Will", "Journey's End", "Kicked", "Kings of Earth", "Melancholy (Holy Martyr)" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Mimir's Well", "My Vengeance is Everything (Chaos Reigns)", "Shallow" live Montreal 2005, "My Own Savior" live Bloodstock 2012, "Out", "Pain Through Breathing", "Plagues of Babylon", "Raven Wing", "Red Baron/Blue Max" live Columbus 2014, "Resistance", "Romeo Delight", "Sandstorm", "Smothered", "Spent Years of Regret", "Spirit of the Times", "Surrounded by Night", "The Culling", "The Day the Sea Came In", "The End?", "The Great Divide", "The Hunter" live Kourion Theater 2012, "The Incurable Tragedy II (November 10, 2006)", "The Little Drummer Boy" livestream 2020, "Time Immemorial", "V", "Vengeance Is Mine" live Athens 2016, "War Within", "Watching Over Me" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "When the Night Falls" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Winter Slumber", "Wolf" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Working for the Weekend", "Yuki-Onna"
A4: "Alissa", "Another Fallen Dreamland", "Army of One", "At the Failing of the Light", "Before the Storm", "Blessed Are You" live Athens 2014, "But I'm Not Afraid", "City of the Moon", "Clown Parade", "Couple Suicide", "Crimson Wings", "Dante's Inferno 2011", "Defiance", "Diagnosis Terminal", "Divine Plane", "Downright Dominate", "End of Innocence", "Equilibrium", "Exodus from Orion", "Haunted", "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" live at Revival Music Room 2021, "Highwayman", "Jingle Bells" livestream 2020, "Kings of Earth", "Let the Fire Rain", "Love & Postcards", "Nothing Else Matters" live 2023, "On Steel Wings We Rise", "Origin", original Christmas song livestream 2020, "Plagues of Babylon", "Revelations", "Rhiannon" live at Revival Music Room 2021, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" livestream 2020, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" livestream 2020, "Smothered", "Stairway to Heaven" live 2020, "Starman", "Sweet Home Alabama" livestream 2020, "The Chain" livestream 2020, "The Day the Sea Came In", "The Final War", "The Little Drummer Boy" livestream 2020, "The Mob Rules", "The Trooper", "The Wolf and the Raven", "Thither Whence", "Torch of the Unbroken", "Vengeance Is Mine" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Warriors of Fate", "War Within", "When the Night Falls" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Winter Slumber"
G♯4/A♭4: "A Black Light Ending", "Absolution of the Soul" live at The Exchange 2009, "Among the Living Dead", "Angel's Holocaust" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Anguish of Youth", "Anthem", "A Past Beyond Memory", "A Question of Heaven" live Athens 2014, "Army of One", "Boiling Point", "Brothers", "Burning Times" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Clear the Way (December 13th, 1862)", "Clown Parade", "Come What May" live Lancaster 2015, "Crimson Wings", "Cthulhu", "Damien" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Dante's Inferno 2011", "Dark City" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Declaration Day" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Defiance", "Democide", "Diagnosis Terminal", "Dystopia", "Equilibrium", "Great Heathen Army", "Heavy Metal Maniac", "Iced Earth" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Into the Fire", "Iron Will", "Just the Two of Us" live at Revival Music Room 2021, "Mimir's Well", "Motivation of Man" live Kourion Theater 2012, "My Own Savior" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "One Funeral Hymn for Thee", "Out", "Parasite", "Peacemaker", "Plagues of Babylon", "Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza" live Regina 2015, "Pure Evil" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Resistance", "Rise Again", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" livestream 2020, "Sandstorm", "Setian Massacre" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Shallow" live Montreal 2005, "Slave to the Dark" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Soylent Green", "Spent Years of Regret", "Spirit of the Times", "Surrounded By Night", "Sweet Home Alabama" livestream 2020, "The Culling", "The Deafening", "The End?", "The Final War", "The Great Divide", "The Hunter" live Kourion Theater 2012, "The Incurable Tragedy I (September 21, 2006)", "The Mob Rules", "The Relic (Part 1)", "Tragedy and Triumph", "V", "Vengeance Is Mine" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "When the Night Falls" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Winter Slumber", "Yuki-Onna"
Recorded low notes:
E3: "At the Failing of the Light", "Before the Storm", "Crimson Wings", "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" live at Revival Music Room 2021, "Jingle Bell Rock" livestream 2020, "New Year's Canon Rock" livestream 2020, "O Holy Night" livestream 2020, "(Oh) Pretty Woman" live 2020, "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer" livestream 2020, "Santa Clause Is Coming to Town" livestream 2020, "Silent Night" livestream 2020, "The Chain" livestream 2020, "The Wolf and the Raven", "Valley of Lycans", "Winter Wonderland" livestream 2020,
D♯3/E♭3: "Angel's Holocaust" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Anguish of Youth", "A Question of Heaven" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Army of One", "Cthulhu", "Damien" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Dante's Inferno 2011", "Fractured", "Iced Earth" live Kourion Theater 2012, "I Died for You" live Kourion Theater 2012, "If I Could See You", "Mimir's Well", "Peacemaker", "Raven Wing", "Romeo Delight", "Sun May Shine", "The Relic (Part 1)", "The Veil", "Watching Over Me" live Kourion Theater 2012, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" livestream 2020, "When the Night Falls" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Wolf" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Yuki-Onna
D3: "Auld Lang Syne" livestream 2020, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" livestream 2020, "Jingle Bell Rock" livestream 2020, "Nothing Else Matters" live 2023,"O Holy Night" livestream 2020, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" livestream 2020, "Stumblin' In" rehearsal clip 2020, "The Day the Sea Came In", "The Wolf and the Raven", "Thither Whence", "What Child Is This?" livestream 2020
C♯3/D♭3: "A Question of Heaven" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Crimson Wings", "Damien" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Dracula" live Kourion Theater 2012, "If I Could See You", "Melancholy (Holy Martyr)" live Kourion Theater 2012, "My Own Savior" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Origin", "Peacemaker", "Raven Wing", "Rise Again", "Silver Bells" livestream 2020, "The End?", "The Wolf and the Raven", "Watching Over Me" live Kourion Theater 2012
C3: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" livestream 2020, "My Own Savior" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Nothing Else Matters" live 2023, "O Holy Night" livestream 2020, "Silent Night" livestream 2020, "Yuki-Onna"
B2: "Army of One", "End of Innocence", "Jingle Bells" livestream 2020, "Me and Bobby McGee" livestream 2020, "Melancholy (Holy Martyr)" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Origin", "Rise Again", "What Child Is This?" livestream 2020
A♯2/B♭2: "Dante's Inferno 2011", "Dracula" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Iced Earth" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Journey's End", "Resistance", "Yuki-Onna"
A2: "Blessed Are You" live Athens 2014, "Kings of Earth", "Oh Metronome" livestream 2020
G♯2/A♭2: "A Question of Heaven" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Dante's Inferno 2011", "Dark Saga" live at the Bang Your Head Festival 2016, "Kings of Earth", "Slave to the Dark" live Kourion Theater 2012
G2: "Valley of Lycans"
F♯2/G♭2: "Dante's Inferno 2011", "Dark Saga" live Nürnberg 2014, "Dracula" live Kourion Theater 2012, "Jingle Bells" livestream 2020, singing in livestream 2020
E2: "Dante's Inferno 2011"
D♯2/E♭2: "Dante's Inferno 2011", "The Veil"
.......................................................
*Blue marks soft falsetto notes.
*Green marks harsh distorted notes.
*Italics mark non-melodic notes.
*Underlines mark notes in backing vocals or otherwise muffled/obscured in the mix.
{Detailed bio}
Stu Block is a metal singer commonly praised for his impressively agile high range and versatility, who has been best known as the singer for the bands Into Eternity and Iced Earth. His vocal evolution over the years has been a somewhat interesting one, as he has changed his vocal style between bands to accommodate the musical style of those bands and imitate their previous vocalists. As a result, he has displayed a variety of different tones, approaches, and techniques in his recorded discography - which include death metal vocal elements such as growls, gutturals, and false cord screams, but also power metal elements such as dramatic, vibrato-heavy singing, piercing high notes well into the upper fifth octave, as well as a strong grit approach that he can use to manipulate his tone and make his voice sound darker and lower.
Stu's career as a musician allegedly dates as far back as 1998, though I have not been able to find any information about any bands that he sang in from 1998-2001. The first band that he is somewhat recognized as a member of was the Canadian band Omega Crom, whom he joined in 2002. However, no recordings of the band with him exist on the internet for public listening as far as I am aware. His career first began to pick up when he joined melodic death metal band Into Eternity in 2005, who had already released three albums at the time and had something of a following already. Stu immediately began touring and writing with the band, and the following year released his first album with them, The Scattering of Ashes. Though Stu served as the band's primary vocalist, he was also joined on frequent harmony vocals by guitarist Tim Roth, with additional support on harsh vocals from bassist Troy Bleich. Together, these three members created the multi-faceted elements of the vocals in Into Eternity's music - with frequent and sudden alternations between clean, harmonious singing to aggressive black metal shrieks and guttural death metal roars. Overall, Stu's clean singing in this band centered around a light, even slightly feminine tone and a very high tessitura, sometimes singing melody lines as high as B♭5, and almost completely avoided any low singing except for the G♯2 from "Fukushima". This continued to be the style for Into Eternity's second album, The Incurable Tragedy, which was released in 2008.
In 2011, Stu joined the famous American power/thrash metal band Iced Earth as their new frontman, replacing Matt Barlow after his second departure from the band. Though he technically remained a member of Into Eternity for the next two years after this, his schedule with Iced Earth prevented him from being able to tour with Into Eternity, which resulted in the band hiring Amanda Kiernan as their touring vocalist instead. In 2013, Stu officially left Into Eternity and began to focus on Iced Earth full time, at which point Kiernan took over as Into Eternity's permanent vocalist. In the meantime, he released his first album with Iced Earth in 2011, entitled Dystopia, which featured a fairly different vocal style than what he had previously demonstrated with Into Eternity. Unlike the very prominently tenor singing that his clean vocals had demonstrated in that band, Stu's singing in Iced Earth heavily imitated Matt Barlow's style - putting on a gruffer, darker tone to make himself sound more like a baritone. Though he has been able to sing Barlow's material quite faithfully for the most part, this "imitation" style of singing has been the subject of criticism of some fans of the band, who consider it to be a forced attempt at sounding like his predecessor, and believe that he would be better-suited singing in his natural voice instead. Additionally, darkening his tone to such an extent has seemingly created something of a break in his high range around B♭4/B4 area. While his high singing in Into Eternity was all very much blended together as one register, his vocals in Iced Earth audibly feature a shift in resonance usually around the upper fourth octave, at which point he switches from his dramatic, darkened belting style to a thinner head voice-oriented approach, which he can then carry into the rest of the fifth octave and sound quite reminiscent of former Iced Earth vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens with.
Since Dystopia, Stu has released two more albums with Iced Earth - 2014's Plagues of Babylon and 2017's Incorruptible. Though many recognize his role in the band as a replacement for Matt Barlow, he has actually performed material by every other vocalist that the band has had as well - such as Owens, John Greely, and Gene Adam. As a result, Iced Earth has tested the extents of his vocal range and proven him capable of adapting to a variety of different singing styles, which can be heard on the band's 2013 live album Live in Ancient Kourion. In particular, it has granted him the opportunity to showcase his low range, which had mostly remained unheard in Into Eternity. Though he is definitely more comfortable in his high range most of the time, he is able to sing some of Barlow's lower parts down into the mid second octave well enough, and has occasionally written melodies into the upper second octave in his own material with Iced Earth. Perhaps his most surprising Iced Earth recording range-wise was a 2011 re-recorded version of the 17-minute epic "Dante's Inferno" (originally sung by Barlow on the band's 1995 album Burnt Offerings), in which Stu sings almost all the second octave notes present in the original - B♭2s, A♭2s, G♭2s, some surprisingly solid E2s, and even a quick E♭2 at one point! He also has also performed this song live and hits most of the low notes in it there as well, though he skips a few of the bottom notes.
Stu continues to be active with Iced Earth to this day, though no new material has been released since Incorruptible. On the side, however, he also became involved in the chicken-themed fantasy power metal project Aflockalypse in 2019, which released the EP Rise of the Astral Beast in 2019. In this group, Stu was featured as part of an ensemble of vocalists that played different characters in the album's story. Though the EP has received limited publicity, it features some strong melodic singing from Stu as well as its other vocalists, and some rather enjoyable cheesy power metal. No plans have been announced yet as to whether there will be a follow-up to this album or what vocalists might be featured on it if so, but regardless, I look forward to what Stu will continue to do as a vocalist, whether it be with them or Iced Earth.
Stu Block is a metal singer commonly praised for his impressively agile high range and versatility, who has been best known as the singer for the bands Into Eternity and Iced Earth. His vocal evolution over the years has been a somewhat interesting one, as he has changed his vocal style between bands to accommodate the musical style of those bands and imitate their previous vocalists. As a result, he has displayed a variety of different tones, approaches, and techniques in his recorded discography - which include death metal vocal elements such as growls, gutturals, and false cord screams, but also power metal elements such as dramatic, vibrato-heavy singing, piercing high notes well into the upper fifth octave, as well as a strong grit approach that he can use to manipulate his tone and make his voice sound darker and lower.
Stu's career as a musician allegedly dates as far back as 1998, though I have not been able to find any information about any bands that he sang in from 1998-2001. The first band that he is somewhat recognized as a member of was the Canadian band Omega Crom, whom he joined in 2002. However, no recordings of the band with him exist on the internet for public listening as far as I am aware. His career first began to pick up when he joined melodic death metal band Into Eternity in 2005, who had already released three albums at the time and had something of a following already. Stu immediately began touring and writing with the band, and the following year released his first album with them, The Scattering of Ashes. Though Stu served as the band's primary vocalist, he was also joined on frequent harmony vocals by guitarist Tim Roth, with additional support on harsh vocals from bassist Troy Bleich. Together, these three members created the multi-faceted elements of the vocals in Into Eternity's music - with frequent and sudden alternations between clean, harmonious singing to aggressive black metal shrieks and guttural death metal roars. Overall, Stu's clean singing in this band centered around a light, even slightly feminine tone and a very high tessitura, sometimes singing melody lines as high as B♭5, and almost completely avoided any low singing except for the G♯2 from "Fukushima". This continued to be the style for Into Eternity's second album, The Incurable Tragedy, which was released in 2008.
In 2011, Stu joined the famous American power/thrash metal band Iced Earth as their new frontman, replacing Matt Barlow after his second departure from the band. Though he technically remained a member of Into Eternity for the next two years after this, his schedule with Iced Earth prevented him from being able to tour with Into Eternity, which resulted in the band hiring Amanda Kiernan as their touring vocalist instead. In 2013, Stu officially left Into Eternity and began to focus on Iced Earth full time, at which point Kiernan took over as Into Eternity's permanent vocalist. In the meantime, he released his first album with Iced Earth in 2011, entitled Dystopia, which featured a fairly different vocal style than what he had previously demonstrated with Into Eternity. Unlike the very prominently tenor singing that his clean vocals had demonstrated in that band, Stu's singing in Iced Earth heavily imitated Matt Barlow's style - putting on a gruffer, darker tone to make himself sound more like a baritone. Though he has been able to sing Barlow's material quite faithfully for the most part, this "imitation" style of singing has been the subject of criticism of some fans of the band, who consider it to be a forced attempt at sounding like his predecessor, and believe that he would be better-suited singing in his natural voice instead. Additionally, darkening his tone to such an extent has seemingly created something of a break in his high range around B♭4/B4 area. While his high singing in Into Eternity was all very much blended together as one register, his vocals in Iced Earth audibly feature a shift in resonance usually around the upper fourth octave, at which point he switches from his dramatic, darkened belting style to a thinner head voice-oriented approach, which he can then carry into the rest of the fifth octave and sound quite reminiscent of former Iced Earth vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens with.
Since Dystopia, Stu has released two more albums with Iced Earth - 2014's Plagues of Babylon and 2017's Incorruptible. Though many recognize his role in the band as a replacement for Matt Barlow, he has actually performed material by every other vocalist that the band has had as well - such as Owens, John Greely, and Gene Adam. As a result, Iced Earth has tested the extents of his vocal range and proven him capable of adapting to a variety of different singing styles, which can be heard on the band's 2013 live album Live in Ancient Kourion. In particular, it has granted him the opportunity to showcase his low range, which had mostly remained unheard in Into Eternity. Though he is definitely more comfortable in his high range most of the time, he is able to sing some of Barlow's lower parts down into the mid second octave well enough, and has occasionally written melodies into the upper second octave in his own material with Iced Earth. Perhaps his most surprising Iced Earth recording range-wise was a 2011 re-recorded version of the 17-minute epic "Dante's Inferno" (originally sung by Barlow on the band's 1995 album Burnt Offerings), in which Stu sings almost all the second octave notes present in the original - B♭2s, A♭2s, G♭2s, some surprisingly solid E2s, and even a quick E♭2 at one point! He also has also performed this song live and hits most of the low notes in it there as well, though he skips a few of the bottom notes.
Stu continues to be active with Iced Earth to this day, though no new material has been released since Incorruptible. On the side, however, he also became involved in the chicken-themed fantasy power metal project Aflockalypse in 2019, which released the EP Rise of the Astral Beast in 2019. In this group, Stu was featured as part of an ensemble of vocalists that played different characters in the album's story. Though the EP has received limited publicity, it features some strong melodic singing from Stu as well as its other vocalists, and some rather enjoyable cheesy power metal. No plans have been announced yet as to whether there will be a follow-up to this album or what vocalists might be featured on it if so, but regardless, I look forward to what Stu will continue to do as a vocalist, whether it be with them or Iced Earth.
{Album ranges}
Into Eternity:
Iced Earth:
Aflockalypse:
Annihilator:
The Midgard Project:
Limuria:
Kaptain Kollnot:
Original thread by Rodney Blazershorts on TRP2.Into Eternity:
- The Scattering of Ashes (2006) - F♯3-A♯5
- The Incurable Tragedy (2008) - G3-B♭5
Iced Earth:
- Dystopia (2011) - B2-G♯5
- Live in Ancient Kourion (2013) - F♯2-A♯5
- Plagues of Babylon (2014) - B♭2-B♭5
- Incorruptible (2017) - E♭2-B♭5
- Bang Your Head (recorded 2016; released 2022) - G♯2-G♯5
Aflockalypse:
- Rise of the Astral Beast (2019) - B2-A5
Annihilator:
- Metal II (2022) - B2-E♭3-B♭5-C6
The Midgard Project:
- The Great Divide (2022) - B♭2-D♭3-F5-A5
Limuria:
- Lunar Sanctum (2022) - D3-F5-A5
Kaptain Kollnot:
- Future Human (2022) - F3-B4-B5
