Matt Barlow Says He’s Open To Rejoining Iced Earth: ‘That Would Be Entirely Up To’ Jon Schaffer. ‘That’s Jon’s Band’

Former Iced Earth vocalist Matt Barlow has indicated he would be open to rejoining the band, stating that such a decision “would be entirely up to” founder and guitarist Jon Schaffer. This revelation comes as Barlow prepares to celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary of Iced Earth‘s seminal 1996 album, The Dark Saga, with his current band, Ashes Of Ares.

Ashes Of Ares, which also features former Iced Earth guitarist Freddie Vidales, will embark on a European tour in September/October 2025 to perform The Dark Saga in its entirety. Released in 1996, the album was a concept piece based on Todd McFarlane‘s comic book character Spawn and was lauded for Barlow‘s powerful vocals and the guitar work of Schaffer and Randall Shawver.

Speaking to Canada’s The Metal Voice, Barlow explained the profound significance of The Dark Saga in his career. He contrasted it with his initial foray into Iced Earth with the 1995 album Burnt Offerings. “I can’t talk about Iced Earth without talking about, for me, entering the band with Burnt Offerings. That was huge for me… But along with that kind of came a dark side of it because it was a really tough time for the band,” Barlow recalled (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), noting Schaffer‘s tendency to pour his current emotional state into his songwriting, as seen with the Dante’s Inferno-inspired tracks on that album.

“So The Dark Saga, for me, and I think for Jon as well, was a renewal, a reinvigoration for the band,” Matt explained. “For me, it was really a really good time. It was really a positive time for the band. And we did some amazing sh*t, man. We were able to do a lot more touring on that. We got a lot more recognition. A lot of the songs obviously sounded a little more mainstream, I guess you’d say. The European fans just ate it up… It’s got all the cool sh*t that you would relate to Iced Earth.”

Addressing the sensitivities surrounding Jon Schaffer‘s recent legal issues, Barlow emphasized that the anniversary tour is purely a celebration of the music and has Schaffer‘s blessing. “We don’t live in a tube of silence here… I think for me, and I think for people that are fans of the music, they don’t care about that… it’s the music,” Barlow stated. “And I hope that everybody’s respectful because I’m gonna celebrate Jon and what he’s done. He’s written some f**king amazing music, and I’ve been fortunate to be a part of that… We’re just talking strictly music… We’ve been given blessing to do so by Jon, so that’s super important to us as well.” He confirmed they sought permission and will ensure no Iced Earth logos are used improperly, with Schaffer receiving royalties for the live performances.

When asked directly about the possibility of rejoining Iced Earth if Schaffer decides to reactivate the band, Barlow made his position clear while underscoring Schaffer‘s ownership of the group. “That’s something that would be entirely up to, obviously, when Jon… That’s Jon‘s band — a hundred percent — so that’s something that Jon would have to decide, whether I would be a part of it or not, either way, but whether Iced Earth goes out and does it,” Barlow said. “But I look forward to that, whether it would be me involved with it or somebody else, if that were to happen.” However, he added a note of caution about the current prospects: “And I can’t speak to it, ’cause I don’t think at this point that… It’s not even in the long distance at this point.”

Matt Barlow served two distinct periods as the frontman for Iced Earth, from 1993 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2011, leaving an indelible mark on several of the band’s most acclaimed albums. His upcoming Ashes Of Ares tour offers fans a chance to relive a classic era while he remains open to what the future might hold with his former band.