review by: Roberto Martinelli

This monster release that features 6CDs of largely (officially) unattainable material is as much about the music as it is the packaging. Aside from the disks, you get a large, gorgeous, textured metal box that features an equally cool shot glass with a highly detailed pewter base, and a scroll depicting a complex family tree of everyone that has ever been in Iron Maiden, dating back to the band's inception in 1977. In terms of packaging alone, this is a nigh irresistible product for fans of this most quintessential of metal bands.

In terms of the music featured in this box set, you get all the unique tracks from every single Iron Maiden has ever released. This becomes slightly less attractive if you already own the Iron Maiden First Ten Years set, but to my ear these tracks sound clearer and may have been remastered. (the "Nicko speaks" tracks from the First Ten Years set are also absent). It is here that this box set is the most enjoyable. You know that covers are a success when listening to them makes you want to go check out the original versions. There are so many excellent covers, so full of energy, with such great sound and boasting outstanding vocal performances by Paul DiAnno, Bruce Dickinson and also Adrian Smith (in the marvelous song "Reach Out"). Dickinson's unique voice and charisma really shine on these covers disks, which is even more apparent when suddenly you get an all too long string of songs featuring the woeful Blaze Bayley, who in comparison can't sing his way out of a paper bag. It doesn't help that the songs that Iron Maiden was writing at the time were crap as well.

The other four disks are all live material. Clearly the best group of the four is the two BBC Archives CDs that feature about 40 percent DiAnno and 60 percent Dickinson (and zero percent Bayley, it should be noted). All the tracks sound great, with the DiAnno recordings expectedly being more earthy. The singers and band are in fine form. Most of the songs are from the first three Maiden records with three from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and "The Trooper."

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the two Beast over Hammersmith CDs, which until now had been available only as unofficial bootlegs. While the sound is clear, the guitar tones are often quite bad and grating - falling out of key on several occasions - and Bruce Dickinson gives a very sub-par performance. Fans of the band know that when Dickinson's on, he's great, but when he's off, it can border on painful. This is one of the latter cases: Dickinson misses most of his high notes and doesn't seem to be able to hear his band all too well. Again, all the songs are from the first three studio albums.

Despite the largely regrettable Beast over Hammersmith disks, and the far too limited set lists that totally ignore this bands finest albums, Powerslave and Somewhere in Time (aside from a live version of "Wasted Years"), this box set is still a very coveted and worthwhile item to add to your collection of the greatest metal band there ever was. (7/10)