Iced Earth and Sons Of Liberty guitarist Jon Schaffer recently opened up about the future of both bands. He shared his thoughts in an interview on the Metalópolis podcast.
Schaffer addressed whether Sons Of Liberty is strictly a studio project and whether there are any plans to take the band on the road. He also confirmed that more Iced Earth music is on the horizon.
“Yeah, it is a project. In a way it’s a solo project, but not really, because there’s a lot of different people that have contributed to it. So [newly added Sons Of Liberty guitarist] Matt O’Rourke will be on the next studio album,” he said. “I just started playing guitar a few weeks ago for the first time in years. Matt’s got some great musical arrangement ideas, and mine are starting to happen, so I think we’re gonna do something cool. But who else performs on it, on a record, I don’t know. And as far as touring goes, we don’t have any plans. We may. It just depends on what opportunities arise, but that’s not really the goal with this.”
Schaffer also reflected on his personal journey and what comes next for Iced Earth. He made clear that his immediate focus lies with Sons Of Liberty.
“I’m certain that there’s gonna be more Iced Earth off in the future, but I don’t know right now 100% because, like I said, I’m just now starting to come out of this nightmare and starting to play. And my soul is telling me I need to do another Sons Of Liberty chapter, another record that will show where my head and where my soul’s at now, and then we’ll see what comes later,” he continued. “But there’s no immediate plan. I mean, we’ve had a couple offers, but there’s no immediate plans to take it on the road. We’ll see. Maybe. Maybe it will.”
Fans of both bands will have to wait for further announcements as Schaffer continues his musical comeback.
The “nightmare” Schaffer references is rooted in a years-long legal ordeal that followed his involvement in the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol. That chapter upended both his personal life and his musical career entirely.
Schaffer was the first of hundreds of co-defendants to enter a plea agreement in the Capitol riot prosecution. He pleaded guilty in April 2021 to obstruction of an official proceeding and entering restricted grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon. He entered into a cooperation agreement with the government, providing information to investigators in exchange for a more lenient sentence. In October 2024, he was ultimately sentenced to three years of supervised probation, 120 hours of community service, and a $2,200 fine. He was later pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2025, formally closing the legal chapter.
The period between his arrest and sentencing was far from easy. During his detention at Marion County Jail, Schaffer endured two months of hell, with fellow inmates targeting him with death threats and alleged physical assaults. The trauma of that experience has clearly shaped his cautious and measured approach to returning to music.
The fallout extended well beyond the courtroom. Following the Capitol riot, the remaining members of Iced Earth resigned, leaving Schaffer as the band’s sole member. Century Media Records subsequently dropped both Iced Earth and Schaffer’s other project, Demons & Wizards, effectively cutting ties with his entire musical catalog. The band, which Schaffer founded 40 years ago under the name The Rose, has remained dormant ever since.
Sons Of Liberty, Schaffer’s politically themed side project, is now serving as his vehicle for re-entry into the music world. He had already announced a reworked collection titled Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2), compiling newly remixed versions of songs from the project’s earlier output. The collection features updated live drumming from Mark Prator and was released on July 4, 2026, through Circle Music — a symbolic date that underscores the politically charged nature of the project. The new Sons Of Liberty studio album discussed in the interview would follow as the next step in that creative revival.
