i found this review which corroborates an interview Jon Schaffer did in this month's Metal Hammer with regards to a new box set Iced Earth will be releasing soon:

http://www.metalsucks.net/2008/10/02/iced-earth-deliver-something-wicked-with-matt-barlows-return/

Quote:

Allow me to begin by stating unequivocally that I am a Matt Barlow fan. I know there are plenty of Iced Earth devotees out there who were (rightfully) upset by Tim “Ripper” Owens’ unceremonious dismissal and felt he was a stronger vocalist for this act as they moved onward after Barlow, who struggling with his allegiances earlier this decade involving his love of Country, dropped out to take up law enforcement. But Barlow is family (he’s married to guitarist Jon Schaffer’s sister) and, I believe, he’s the more dynamic singer. His emotive wail often resembles Fates Warning’s Ray Alder. His subdued baritone comes close to Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate. He can also reach the searing, Halfordesque heights Owens is known for though he tends to use them more sparingly. And then he has that snarling growl which is entirely his own. Beyond that he’s much more of a performer who falls into and maintains a character the way an actor might. I don’t dislike “Ripper” Owens but he doesn’t seem to embody the people about whom or situations about which he’s intoning quite as well as Barlow. Also, in a live setting he doesn’t really possess the energy one might want out of a frontman. He has an amazing voice that served the last couple Iced Earth releases well but I’m more a fan of the band’s earlier output, such as ’95’s Burnt Offerings and ’96’s The Dark Saga. Enough with the diplomacy, though. You’re either going to dismiss this review based on my own stated preference or you’re going to hang in there with me for a spell. The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 ends up a vital return for Barlow that, while it may fall short of Iced Earth’s classic material ends up more satisfying than its Part 1 predecessor. The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 is the conclusion of a storyline that began with the arc of the last three tracks on ’98’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. The saga of IE mascot Set Abominae was given the full length treatment on last year’s Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1 and now wraps up with a kind of “Part 3″ that’s actually labeled as “Part 2″ because the original song trio was just back-story for the two follow-up albums. And that original “trilogy” was re-recorded as an EP with Ripper on vocals because Schaffer thought he would be around for the completion of the story. Since this is not the case, Schaffer now wants to re-record Part 1 with Barlow on vocals and release everything in a box set. Confused? If you haven’t been following along as everything has unfolded in real time I can’t say I blame you. Only in metal could something this convoluted come to fruition. Well, never mind all the nonsense. Is the music of Part 2 any good? Upon initial spins my reaction was generally negative. However, this review is late because I’ve discovered that the more you keep listening, the more the album grows on you and ultimately becomes more satisfying than its predecessor. It certainly doesn’t compare with the band’s classic material, as Scaffer’s rhythmic style is no longer as inventive and vital as it once was, but from a melodic standpoint there’s a helluva lot of memorable material here that sticks with you in an almost haunting way. There’s a full choir on hand with this venture, and that adds a lot of dramatic weight to the music. Aside from a big, impressive chorus, the first proper track, “Behold The Wicked Birth,” doesn’t really make a striking album opener but the raw, mid-tempo “Minions Of The Wrath” has a middle-Eastern undercurrent and a great vocal performance by Barlow. Yet, we’re left waiting for the speedy and intense galloping rhythms we’ve come to appreciate from Iced Earth. Things pick up with “The Revealing” somewhat but then dissolve into the lush ballad “A Gift Or A Curse.” “The Dimension Gauntlet” is one of the most impressive and concise moments on the album with its razor-sharp riffs and a rapid, percussive bite. Even more aggressive and unrelenting is “Divide And Devour,” an all-out thrash attack and a highlight of the second half. It leads into “Come What May,” an epic number along the lines of The Dark Saga’s “A Question Of Heaven” with its acoustic breaks and strings mixed with an emotionally dramatic melody that builds to a wailing climax as Barlow reaches for the very top of his range. Dropping the excess of the interludes from Framing Armageddon in favor of straight-ahead storytelling and concise songwriting, The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 actually makes for an impressive late-in-their-career stand and a triumphant return for Barlow whose performance at times surpasses some of his finest periods with the band. They’re not the youthful and vibrant bunch they used to be but Schaffer’s progression as band-leader/control freak and his songwriting maturity hasn’t yet evolved to the point of growing stale and obsolete. While you may at first find this album to be a little too subdued I would recommend not writing it off altogether as subsequent listens reveal great rewards.

Jon made reference to it in a metal hammer interview (which for the life of me i can't fucking find online grrr), its slated to come out next year at somepoint, so i'm assuming that means there wont be a new album proper.

for those who are curious to know how Barlow will improve on songs that Ripper was pretty bloody good on, here is Setian Massacre, one of three songs redone on the I Walk Among You EP. The other two being The Clouding and A Charge To Keep

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cr--nPBEEFI

as you can hear, a fucking massive improvement. Barlow proving that he IS the voice of Iced Earth

enjoy
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I dig Tim Owens, but Matt Barlow has always and will always be Iced Earth for me.

To be honest, Matt could not improve "A charge to keep" that song is perfect just the way it is.
On the other hand, Owens could never do "Reaping Stone" any justice.

When Glorious Burden first came out I decided to give it a try even though I knew Matt was gone, it was still Jon's writing, right? I was so disappointed. I realized what had always drawn me to the band was the combination of Matt and Jon. It took me a few years to come to terms with that fact that Ripper was the new singer for Iced Earth, but I did finally start to accept it and even began to enjoy some of Ripper’s stuff. I did not realize how much I missed Barlow’s vocals, until I picked up the new Pyramaze a few months back. He is truly an emotional and dynamic singer. Much better than Ripper. This new box set is great news. I have also heard that Shaffer will be making a graphic novel out of the Set storyline that should also come out some time next year.
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yeah, he mentioned the comic. He alluded to Todd MacFarlane doing it, they became good friends after The Dark Saga

Also, Vilewoman, I thought the same about Charge To Keep, but give it a listen, barlow reinvents the song. His choir vocals are unmatched
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That's awesome, I've always thought Barlow was THE singer for IE. I like the Judas Priest albums with Ripper, Demolition in particular, but he just didn't quite work with Iced Earth. I saw IE at their first show with Barlow back as the singer...holy shit, if you've ever wanted to see them, do it. They're fucking tight and intense live.
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Cthulhu wrote:

When Glorious Burden first came out I decided to give it a try even though I knew Matt was gone, it was still Jon's writing, right? I was so disappointed. I realized what had always drawn me to the band was the combination of Matt and Jon. It took me a few years to come to terms with that fact that Ripper was the new singer for Iced Earth, but I did finally start to accept it and even began to enjoy some of Ripper’s stuff. I did not realize how much I missed Barlow’s vocals, until I picked up the new Pyramaze a few months back. He is truly an emotional and dynamic singer. Much better than Ripper. This new box set is great news. I have also heard that Shaffer will be making a graphic novel out of the Set storyline that should also come out some time next year.

A novel? My my, I do believe I will have to pre-order this.

Vilewoman wrote:

Cthulhu wrote: When Glorious Burden first came out I decided to give it a try even though I knew Matt was gone, it was still Jon's writing, right? I was so disappointed. I realized what had always drawn me to the band was the combination of Matt and Jon. It took me a few years to come to terms with that fact that Ripper was the new singer for Iced Earth, but I did finally start to accept it and even began to enjoy some of Ripper’s stuff. I did not realize how much I missed Barlow’s vocals, until I picked up the new Pyramaze a few months back. He is truly an emotional and dynamic singer. Much better than Ripper. This new box set is great news. I have also heard that Shaffer will be making a graphic novel out of the Set storyline that should also come out some time next year. A novel? My my, I do believe I will have to pre-order this.

VW, I wish he would do a "novel", but this would be a "graphic novel" which wouldn't be a bad thing especially if he teams up with Todd McFarane as JB said. I've listened to the songs about this story, but there were still a few things I didn't quite understand. It wasn't until I heard/read a few interviews with Schaffer afterwards where he went into more detail that I really understood most if not all of the aspects of the storyline, so I will be pretty excited when this book comes out as well.
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Ripper got me into IE, I checked out the Barlow stuff afterwards and just wasnt that impressed.
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Lord Skull Dragon wrote:

Ripper got me into IE, I checked out the Barlow stuff afterwards and just wasnt that impressed.

some people are like that. there is definitely a split in iced earth fans who like barlow and those who like ripper. personally, i think Barlow is amazing. Ripper is a great singer, he slayed with Yngwie when I saw them, but for me, Matt Barlow has the supreme power, range and emotion that Ripper lacks. Ripper is great at shifting dynamics from tenor to extreme falsetto for sections, but Barlow just wipes the floor with him, especially when he jumps octaves mid melody and in some cases, mid word.
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I prefer Barlow. I dig Owen, but Barlow's voice fits the IE style better
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Wicked_Game wrote:

I prefer Barlow. I dig Owen, but Barlow's voice fits the IE style better

agreed.
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