Dark Genesis

This probably one of the best pieces in my collection, the set I have dreamed of! Iced Earth's best albums all bundled in one package along with some cool bonus material. I am late on buying this because at the time I was just a kid and wasn't into metal music. but i have since developed to be a huge Iced Earth fan. I bought this set about two months ago from a merchant on Amazon.com for a very good, actually a steal at the price I got it for in amazing shape. It arrived within a few days, not as long as i thought but I was very happy, it was like Christmas morning! and to my relief all 5 disks are in working order and play like new.

I really like the presentation this box set has, it comes in a longbox with a slipcover which has very awesome artwork and it folds out like a hardcover book. It actually contains texts, liner notes from the members of the band and contain some rare photos which are very cool and in my opinion appeal to a more serious fan like me. The albums are placed in order and come with reworked art, which I really like and probably like more than the original, it's more of a "comic" style, not really my thing, but it looks more appealing. Also it includes their demo "Into The Realm" which is an interesting listen, but not anything that is amazing, just shows the humble beginnings of the band. Possibly my only complaint is the "Tribute to the Gods" cover album, which I didn't have interest for at first because I could care less about cover albums. But i sucked it up and played it, and was entertaining not not something that is full of shock and awe. Also I feel it got left out because the album got a slip type slot in the box and not a normal holder like the rest.

So in all this is probably the best package Iced Earth has ever released. 3 great albums and some extra goodies all packaged in a amazingly well made and designed box, I say is a winner in my book. A must have for any die hard iced earth fan or collector...if you can find it.

It seemed like it took forever for Dark Genesis to arrive in the mail. When it finally came, I was jumping with joy. This box set features Iced Earth's last demo (Enter the Realm), their first three albums - remixed and remastered - (Iced Earth, Night of the Stormrider, Burnt Offerings), and a tribute CD with cover songs of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Blue Oyster Cult, KISS, Alice Cooper, and AC/DC (Tribute to the Gods). I paid $35 for five Iced Earth CDs...pretty damn good!

The packaging is great, except for the sleeve for which Tribute to the Gods was put in (which is why I didn't rate this boxset higher). The sleeve would easily scratch the CD in a short period of time, so I keep it in a CDR case. The other CDs are well-placed within the sleeves, with built-in jewel cases, I guess you could say. There's an extensive biography of the band, and each CD has its own page with the cover art and all of the lyrics (no lyrics for the tribute CD, though). There's a lot of cool pictures of the band through the years as well.

The remastered albums sound excellent. The s/t sounds crisp, but I can't compare it to the original, since I don't own it. Night of the Stormrider sounds extremely better than the original release - much crisper...John Greely's voice is more audible and shows that he was pretty good too...and the drums have new life to them. Burnt Offerings was improved some as well, although I like the original. The sound is thicker, but I think it's not as dark anymore. I also don't like how some of the songs were changed - in "Last December", the echo is much more audible and very annoying. In "Diary", Matt's scream lost its punch...and there were other minor details I didn't like. But it was still a good album. The tribute CD is good, not great. It's fun to listen to, though. All the songs are done good, and I enjoy them.

Dark Genesis is something every avid fan of Iced Earth should have. It's also a good thing for newbies to pick up as well. It's limited though, so you might want to pick one up quick.

This is not a new album, but in fact, five albums, four of which are old material, remastered and repackaged. I bought it because I'm a big fan of Iced Earth, and wanted to get my hands on the cover album and the original demo.
The demo itself contains different versions of songs we all know and love, while the other three re-released albums are wonderfully remastered. I bought this thinking that it would have Matt Barlow replacing the original vocals. It doesn't. I was slightly saddened by this, but at the same time, glad they didn't just throw away their past.
For your information, the three remastered albums WILL be released individually, replacing the original versions. So, if you don't own the first three Iced Earth albums, get them now before they're gone. I'm not aware of the demo nor the cover album being sold individually, so if you want them, it would likely be best to go and buy this set.
The covers album ranges from okay to awesome. It has a couple bands repeated in it, so there isn't as much variety of bands covered as one would hope, but what is covered is done quite well. Songs like Kiss' "God of Thunder", Alice Cooper's "Dead Babies" and Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath" have a difinitively new sound to them (though I still think the best version of Black Sabbath I've ever heard was Solstice of Suffering's). Other songs hold true to the original sound. The most suprising band I heard on the album was probably AC/DC. I was also hoping for a cover of a Metallica song, but to no avail.
All in all, a good boxed set, but a bit too much to pay for if you're not a big fan of Iced Earth.