review by: Jez Andrews

This was a very nice surprise. A 5-disc box set from the power metal kings. Their earlier material was completely uncharted territory for me, so I naturally leapt at the chance to give this stuff a listen.

One thing that particularly interested me about this collection was the inclusion of Enter the Realm, a CD containing the band's original demo recording. True, it doesn't have that big Iced Earth sound that has become so essential, nor would anyone expect it to. An enjoyable set of tunes, with a definite leaning towards the late 80's thrash of Exodus, Testament, Dark Angel, Megadeth, etc.

The eponymous 1991 debut album is yet again very thrashy in nature. The vocals of Gene Adam come in on the title track in a peculiarly black metal fashion. The overall feel of the music is more akin to the Iced Earth of today, especially with the improved drum sound and riffing style.

Night of the Stormrider is a different matter altogether. It's more the total power metal that Iced Earth are now known for, and quality power metal it is too. The likes of "Desert Rain," "Pure Evil" and "Travel in Stygian" are some of the album's finer moments. The Jon Schaffer chugga-chug guitar crunch is being brought out well in the mix, giving some real strength to the tunes.

Burnt Offerings seemed to me like a turning point for the band. The recruitment of vocalist Matthew Barlow (current Iced Earth) was truly inspired. The music reached new heights. It was a fantastic album to listen to, each track having its own punch and finesse. From "Burnt Offerings" to "Dante's Inferno," it must have become clear to the world that Iced Earth were of the power metal elite by the time this bastard was released. The sound was stronger than ever, and it has continued to improve in recent times, thanks to latter-day Deicide producer Jim Morris.

There is also the Tribute to the Godz that completes the set, featuring covers of the some of the band's heroes. Here I found the third cover of Iron Maiden's 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' (the other two of course being Steel Prophet and Cradle Of Filth, and doubtless there are others I haven't yet heard). This was probably the most solid sounding of the three, though I would still rate Cradle's as the most worthy. The rendition of "Number of the Beast," however, was somewhat flat. Some nice covers of AC/DC, Kiss, Blue Oyster Cult and Black Sabbath, but the crowning moments on the disc, to my mind, were Judas Priest's "Screaming for Vengeance" and a delightful blast through "Dead Babies" by Alice Cooper.

Iced Earth. It just gets better and better.

review by: Roberto Martinelli

I'm totally impressed by this compilation as well. Not only do you get one sweet package with totally redone artwork (the old stuff is included too) and a big, bodacious A4 sized box with slipcase, but you get what is perhaps the best re-mastering job ever. Seriously. In fact, I wonder if some of the stuff wasn't snuck in there in the studio while re-mastering. Night of the Stormrider has got bits and nuances that sound totally new to me. (if only they could have re-mastered out the singer on Iced Earth. My rant ends.) Whatever the explanation (who cares, really?) this is so essential for Iced Earth fans.