Search - Iced Earth :: Dark Genesis

Just when you thought they couldnt get any better...

Xifux | Denver, Colorado USA | 10/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was casually cruising Iced Earth's website one day when I stumbled across a mention of the Dark Genesis Box Set. Inexplicably, neither it, nor Tribute to the Gods is featured on their discography page. So I scramble to find a copy and was pleased that it was not sold out. I was even more pleased when it arrived. The artwork, as in Something Wicked..., is alone worth money, but it really shines in the cd player. I already had Burnt Offerings, but I was surprised at the improvement in quality, particularly in the title song. Now, more than ever, it is one of their best works.I had never heard any of the other albums before. Initially, I was turned off by Gene Adam's vocals, but if you listen to it a few times, you can see, or hear, past the screachy voice and focus on the amazing guitar work that makes Iced Earth what it is. Now, I actually sometimes prefer some of the original songs (namely When the Night Falls) to the remakes in Days of Purgatory. Also, I have since heard the original release of Iced Earth, and it just doesnt compare.Stormrider is very cool, and the vocals were a welcome relief from Gene Adams, though, they are definately not on par with Barlow. Enter the Realm is, for me, more of a novelty item than anything, though it does include "Enter the Realm" and "Nightmares" which I had not heard before, and, I think, a better version of "Colors" than the Iced Earth release.Tribute to the Gods is very cool. I think Matt Barlow sings AC/DC songs better than AC/DC themselves. I'm not wild about Kiss, but I cant say their songs sound bad here. And the cover of Hallowed Be Thy Name is absolutely increadible. I am now looking to get some Iron Maiden who, for some reason, I had ignored to this point. I was surprized to see that there were no Metallica covers on the cd. I can only imagine what Fade To Black or Unforgiven would sound like performed by Iced Earth. But even without Metallica, the cd is great.Overall, this set is definately worth the money. Its a better value than buying them individually, and the remixes are, without a doubt, better than the originals. And I think there are a limited number, so get it now, and share the word of Iced Earth with the world!"

THE Box Set! Or, Here's Why This is a Good Thing to Buy

Barry Dejasu | Rehoboth, Massachusetts | 02/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the absolute must for not just Iced Earth completists, but for any and all aspiring fans. Now one might flinch at the price on this baby, but it's worth it for the Iced Earth completist. Three remasters (of 1991's ICED EARTH, 1992's NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER, and 1995's BURNT OFFERINGS), a tribute album (TRIBUTE TO THE GODS), and a remastered copy of the legendary (and extremely hard-to-find) demo, ENTER THE REALM, all available to the public in this great boxed set!ICED EARTH - WOW! The sound quality is so much better! The guitar crunches come ALIVE! Unfortunately, when this one was remixed, nothing could be done about the irritating screeches of Gene Adam, Iced Earth's first lead singer. But just like how the original fans of Iced Earth thought of this album when it first came out, who cares so much about the bad singing as much as the MUSIC! Awesome CD in itself, but in this remaster, the music has never been better.NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER - I had not had this album prior to getting this box set on Christmas Day, 2002. I had not known one song off of it at all...and then I listened to it one afternoon, and I was simply blown away. The plot behind this excellent concept album is chilling, and the singing is much better (a la John Greely, a much better vocalist than Gene Adam, no comparison to Matthew Barlow though), and the music...ooooh, I feel like those weird women in the Herbal Essance Shampoo commercials when I hear the guitar crunches in the beginning of "Stormrider". Well, maybe not...but I DO love this music! And then one day I bought an original copy of this CD, and...wha? Where's the guitars? Where's the singing? It's just faint buzzes compared to the loud crunches on this version. If you've ever underrated NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER, then get this box set and listen to this version and I GUARANTEE that you'll love it.BURNT OFFERINGS - WOW! Again, another Iced Earth CD that I didn't have to begin with, but now...I'm so in love with it! I'm listening to it as I type this review, and "Burning Oasis" is blaring out of my speakers in the much-deserved volume that has been granted via this remaster/remix. I won't be surprised to find the original copy to have (again like STORMRIDER) bad sound quality in comparison to this. And then there's "Dante's Inferno"...nothing can begin to describe how good that is.TRIBUTE TO THE GODS - Wow! To quote fellow reviewer and friend the_Wickerman (and if you're reading this, e-mail me sometime, dude!), "The Gods Pay Tribute to the Gods". That's a fairly good description of this masterpiece. However, I have two small petpeeves about the song selections for this CD: where is the Megadeth? The Metallica? I mean, yeah, I guess I can see the influences from AC/DC and Alice Cooper, and of COURSE I see the Iron Maiden/Judas Priest covers being on here, but...Metallica at LEAST! The other thing is that I'm surprised that their rendition of Iron Maiden's "Transylvania" isn't on here. That instrumental was so amazing, and while it IS available in a limited, 2-disc version of HORROR SHOW, I'm surprised it's not here. It would have fit perfectly. But otherwise, TRIBUTE TO THE GODS is, quite simply, amazing.ENTER THE REALM--some may recognize a few of the songs here (especially "Colors" and "Iced Earth"), others may not. Though raw, these versions are almost as good as the later ones (and on the aforementioned songs, Gene Adam actually sounds BETTER here!). Superb to finally have a copy of this.And finally, there is the book that comes with this. Holding all the CDs in the inside covers, there are 32 pages of pure Iced Earth in here. 16 of them are a fairly complete biography of Iced Earth and its long history, with tons of rare, never-before-seen photos (my only complaint being that some of them should have mentioned the who's and where's), and some facts that you'd probably never find elsewhere. The other 16 pages are complete lyrics to all of the songs on each Iced Earth album, which is quite a good addition.My major complaint is that the remasters of ICED EARTH, NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER, and BURNT OFFERINGS, as well as the TRIBUTE TO THE GODS disc, are all now available on their own. Why? That de-values this boxed set to 1/5 of its wonders. I just pray that ENTER THE REALM doesn't become available on its own. But regardless, as I said earlier, just get this boxed set, and you'll be getting more for the money, and spending a little less than you would if you bought the remasters/tribute separately. This is, without a doubt, the BEST BOXED SET ANYONE WILL EVER FIND, AND THE BEST ADDITION TO ANY AND ALL ICED EARTH FANS, NEW OR OLD!And some good news to all Iced Earth fans: Jon Schaffer has found a replacement for lead guitar--a former Death touring guitarist. And believe it or not, he's replaced Matthew Barlow with a new singer...TIM OWENS! Yes, the same Tim Owens, AKA "The Ripper," former singer for Judas Priest. The upcoming album, THE GLORIOUS BURDEN, has been recorded, and all too soon...it is coming! Be sure to check out their official site for sound clips of three of their songs...Owens sounds great!"

Once essential, now only for die-hards

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 07/19/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Since you're checking out the listing for the out of print, and fairly expensive Dark Genesis box set, I'll assume you're already familiar with Iced Earth, and are wondering whether this set is worth buying.



Well, here's what the box set has to offer:



Disc 1 - The ultra-rare Enter the Realm demos, remastered. This is the earliest recorded Iced Earth material, and unless you grabbed one of the initial 1,000 copies, the Dark Genesis box set is your only chance to hear them.



Disc 2 - Iced Earth's self-titled debut album, remastered. Sure the vocals are a bit weak, but this is still an important milestone in the band's history. The remastered sound is a big help.



Disc 3 - Night of the Stormrider, remastered. Still no Matt Barlow, but many Iced Earth fans call this one a favorite. It definitely helped the band get some much needed exposure.



Disc 4 - Burnt Offerings, remastered. Enter Matt Barlow. This album gets trashed a bit, but I consider it one of the band's best. Matt Barlow's distinctive voice adds so much power and intensity to the band that everyone else comes off as inferior. Plus, the epic track Dante's Inferno flat out rules.



Disc 5 - Tribute to the Gods. Sure you can buy this one everywhere now, but for a while, the only way to get it was to buy this box set. This set of covers pays tribute to KISS, AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Iron Maiden, and others, and is the last Iced Earth album to feature Matt Barlow on vocals.



The box set also comes with a detailed booklet that covers the bands history. The book is written from a total fanboy perspective, so if you're looking for anything other than absolute Iced Earth/Jon Schaffer worship, you may want to skip it. If you're in the "Jon Schaffer is God" camp, it will no doubt reaffirm your beliefs. If you think he's something of an egomaniac, it will verify that opinion as well.



At the time it was released, Dark Genesis was the only way to get remastered Iced Earth albums, the only way to get Enter the Realm, and the only way to get Tribute to the Gods. As such, it was a must-have for all serious Iced Earth fans. Since you can get all but the Enter the Realm disc elsewhere now, Dark Genesis is only for the most die-hard Iced Earth fans."