Iced Earth founding guitarist Jon Schaffer recently addressed the possibility of reforming the band with former singer Matt Barlow.
Schaffer explained that a reunion isn’t off the table. However, it would ultimately depend on whether new, genuinely inspired music comes together, rather than simply revisiting the band’s back catalog.
“I think anything’s possible. I just don’t know, because the music has to be there,” Schaffer said. “I’m not interested in going out and playing old Iced Earth records. I’m not saying that if we put the band back together that we won’t. That’s not what I’m saying.”
He went on to describe his complicated relationship with the music business and why a straightforward reunion doesn’t appeal to him.
“But to do that, it doesn’t feel right. There’s gotta be new music that’s truly inspired,” he continued. “Because I hate the music business. I always have. So to get back into that… I created the cage for myself. Iced Earth is like a cage. It’s a machine. And I don’t wanna get back to the way things were before. So the only way that I would be interested in doing that is if the music is really speaking to me.”
Schaffer also acknowledged how simple it would be logistically to bring the band back together. He stressed that isn’t his motivation.
“It would be pretty easy to put the band back together and to go out and make money and start doing the whole thing over again. That’s, like, probably 30 minutes of phone calls, and it’s on. But I’m not in that space right now. I don’t wanna do that.”
He closed by reiterating that any future reunion hinges entirely on the music itself.
“So it may come, and it probably will at some point, but it’s gotta be determined on the music. That’s it. Because just putting the band back together to go out and play this record or that record — I can’t think of anything that’s less interesting to me to do. It would feel a little bit cheap to do that. So there’s gotta be truly inspired music. If that comes, then everything’s on the table.”
Schaffer’s comments arrive amid ongoing speculation about the future of Iced Earth. The band has remained on hiatus since Schaffer’s legal troubles following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack halted its activities. His remarks add fresh detail to a conversation he has revisited multiple times in recent months. That conversation always circles back to the same condition: the music has to justify the reunion, not the other way around.
Barlow’s history with Iced Earth has already followed a similar pattern of walking away and coming back on his own terms. He first departed the band in 2003 following personal reflections tied to the September 11 attacks. He then rejoined by late 2007 to record “The Crucible of Man.” He remained with the group until 2011, when he stepped away a second time to focus on his family and career as a police officer in Delaware.
Schaffer has kept himself busy outside of Iced Earth in recent months. He has said he only recently picked guitar back up after a lengthy break, describing a renewed sense of creative energy. He has also been promoting a reimagined version of his long-running side project Sons of Liberty. Barlow, meanwhile, has stayed active fronting Ashes of Ares, the band he formed with former Iced Earth bassist Freddie Vidales. The group recently marked the 30th anniversary of Iced Earth’s “Dark Saga” album alongside its 2025 release “New Messiahs.”
Schaffer has made clear he isn’t chasing a comeback for its own sake, despite the steady stream of questions from fans and media. “No. Not right now, no. I have no interest in that right now. There’s been plenty of offers, believe me, but that’s just not something I’m interested in doing, unless there’s new music.”
No timeline for a potential Iced Earth reunion with Matt Barlow has been announced.
