This five-CD box set commemorates the never-say-die philosophy of Iced Earth, arguably the most important power/thrash metal band to come out of America during the 90's. (It also celebrates the Century Media label's valiant efforts to save extreme metal from utter oblivion during this most unforgiving decade, but that's another story.) But as the word "genesis" in its title would suggest, this is not a career-spanning retrospective, but rather a re-mastered and re-mixed look back at the band's at times hit-and-miss formative years, omitting all of their post-1995 albums. Why this is the case remains a mystery, but what you do get are Iced Earth's first three releases, their ultra-rare Enter the Realm demo, and, most collectible of all, an entire disc (affectionately called "Tribute to the Gods") of classic metal cover versions. Many of these can be heard here for the very first time, and they range from the obvious influences (Maiden, Priest, Sabbath) to the not so obvious (AC/DC, Kiss, Blue Oyster Cult). The lavish packaging also makes this a very attractive present for die-hard Iced Earth aficionados (in Greece, its probably triple-platinum already), but the casual fan will most certainly want to take a pass. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia|

Rovi