ICED EARTH founder Jon Schaffer says he feels a pull to record new music under his SONS OF LIBERTY banner, describing the project as an outlet for expressing where he is personally rather than a vehicle built for touring.
"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," Schaffer said. He was careful to frame the idea as a studio pursuit rather than a live one, noting there are "no immediate plans to take it on the road," though he left open the possibility that could change.
Schaffer also revealed he has only recently returned to playing guitar after an extended period away from the instrument. "I just started playing guitar a few weeks ago for the first time in years," he said, crediting newly added SONS OF LIBERTY guitarist Matt O'Rourke with bringing fresh arrangement ideas into the fold.
Asked about ICED EARTH's own future, Schaffer was hopeful but noncommittal: "I'm certain that there's gonna be more ICED EARTH off in the future, but I don't know right now 100% because... I'm just now starting to come out of this nightmare and starting to play." Schaffer was sentenced in October 2024 to three years of probation and community service after pleading guilty to a charge stemming from the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol — a period he has referred to in past interviews as a significant disruption to his musical career.
SONS OF LIBERTY began in 2009 with the album "Brush-Fires Of The Mind," followed by the 2011 EP "Spirit Of The Times." The project resurfaced this month with "Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2)," a remixed compilation featuring new drum tracks from Mark Prator and modern mixing by Jim Morris, giving longtime fans an updated look at the project's earlier material ahead of any potential new record.
With ICED EARTH's own next steps still undetermined, Schaffer's comments suggest SONS OF LIBERTY could be where his creative energy lands first as he eases back into playing and writing after a difficult few years.