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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh, for newbies too., April 3, 2002
I've written a pretty detailed review for this boxed set already, and though I said it was good for new fans of the band, I didn't really describe the music in any helpful way. That review was more for the fans.If you haven't heard Iced Earth before, you can get remastered and remixed editions of their first three albums in this box. Given the big leaps in popularity Iced Earth has picked up over the past few years, their earlier music may have gone unnoticed. For this reason, Dark Genesis is a helpful release. When describing Iced Earth, I like the description: "Melodic power thrash." To me, they blend fiercely heavy, fast, and muscular riffs like early Metallica with the melodic qualities of Iron Maiden. Progressive touches are explored here and there. I'd go as far as to call them the best heavy metal band ever, for (a) songwriting talent and (b) beautifully heavy guitar tone. Iced Earth's heaviness is thick and chunky (again, like Metallica), but the tone is very, very, VERY good. Plus, Jon Schaffer is an outstanding rhythm guitarist, whose intricate, fiendishly fast right-hand picking is becoming legendary in heavy metal circles. Now, a brief discussion the boxed sets musical contents: ENTER THE REALM: This is the band's original demo. Most of the songs (except for "Nightmares") are found on Iced Earth's self-titled disc. It's more of a novelty item for the fans. ICED EARTH: This is the band's debut. Warning, the vocals are awful. Gene Adam sounds like a cartoon character when he's trying to scream. It's actually pretty funny, but he's definitely the weak link. It's not too bad though, because the music is quite excellent. Some progressive song structures, melorable melodies, and classic riffs. NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER: The European crowd worships this album. For thrashy songs, this is a classic. Relentless chugging riffs, some progressive elements, and the new vocalist John Greely is a big improvement. The songs are GREAT, but the _one_ problem is that they all follow roughly the same structure -- verse, chorus, instrumental section, verse, chorus. But since the songwriting is intense and addictive, it's no big deal really. By the way, it's a concept about a warrior who goes crazy and gets possessed by dark forces, then winds up in Hell. That's always fun. BURNT OFFERINGS: This is the band's most progressive release to date. It's also their darkest and bloodiest. The songs are mostly pretty long, with the apogee being the hellish 16-minute epic "Dante's Inferno". The songs all follow progressive structures, sometimes completely abandoning verse-chorus approaches. It also features the band's first ballad, "The Pierced Spirit", which is short and even ::gasp:: pretty! Perhaps most notable is the recruitment of vocalist Matt Barlow. It would be fitting that the best metal band have the best metal vocalist...I think that's the arrangement here. Matt Barlow is a vocal monster, capable of tremendous diversity, emotion, and fierceness. He's got great baritone pipes, a deadly growl, and an mind-shattering scream. (Not much screaming on this disc, however...more later in the career.) TRIBUTE TO THE GODS: On this disc of cover songs, Iced Earth pays homage to some of their heroes, including Kiss, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, and Black Sabbath (you can check my other review for all the tracks). There's also a detailed history of the band, a message from Jon Schaffer, a bunch of pictures, and amazing artwork. Enjoy!
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