Plagues of Babylon

Plagues of Babylon is the eleventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Iced Earth. Released in January 2014, the album is the group's first studio release with bassist Luke Appleton and the only with drummer Raphael Saini who was a guest on the album. According to rhythm guitarist and band leader Jon Schaffer, half of the album is focused on his "Something Wicked" concept, while the other half are stand alone songs. Plagues of Babylon received mostly positive reviews overall from music critics. In January 2014, the album reached position #5 on the German Media Control Charts. This is the band’s highest chart position in their entire career. The band also reached #34 on the Ultratop Charts in Belgium. Meanwhile, in the US, the album sold approximately 6,300 copies in its first week to debut at #49 on the Billboard 200.