Sons of Liberty is the solo project of Jon Schaffer, guitarist and singer of Iced Earth. “Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2)” is the reissue and merging of two earlier records of the project — “Brush-fires of the Mind” (2009) and “Spirit of the Times” (2011) — and marks Schaffer’s return to the music industry, 15 years after the events that put him in the spotlight. It was released in 2026 via The Circle Music.
Country: United States
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Iced Earth, Judas Priest, Sabaton
The listen
Musically, Schaffer walks familiar paths: the characteristic galloping guitars, the powerful riffs and the melodic peaks strongly recall the era of Iced Earth’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. “Jekyll Island” and “Tree of Liberty” have his epic power and riff-based logic, while “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Indentured Servitude” adopt a heavier, groove approach. “The Cleansing Wind” stands out for its calmer, more introspective and almost folk character.
Schaffer’s voice is effective, but the guitars are undeniably the strongest element — there are riffs that could easily go on an Iced Earth record. The production remains stripped-down, even though the drums were re-recorded with Mark Prator, known from “The Dark Saga”. The result works more as a vehicle for the ideas and lyrics than as sonically groundbreaking work.
“Thought Crimes” has a strongly politicized message: references to freedom, state power, control, financial corruption and theories about a “New World Order”. Songs like “Alive”, “Full Spectrum Dominance”, “Molon Labe”, “Mind Control” and “Spirit of the Times” are presented as hymns of resistance. This directness is at the same time the record’s greatest advantage and its greatest weakness: whoever shares Schaffer’s viewpoint will find strength here, while whoever disagrees will struggle to get past the rhetoric. The reissue of the material without re-examining the context has also drawn strong criticism, especially after the political path of its creator — which he himself has spoken about on his return.
Leaving politics aside, as pure heavy metal “Thought Crimes” has several strong moments and confirms Schaffer’s ability to write imposing riffs and melodic, martial songs. A record that doesn’t seek to convince everyone, but demands that the listener take a position.
See also
New video from Jon Schaffer and Sons Of Liberty · Jon Schaffer’s Sons Of Liberty release the official video
