Band:	Iced Earth
Album:	Tribute To The Gods
Style:	Heavy metal, US power metal
Release date:	November 12, 2002
Guest review by:	Justin

01. Creatures Of The Night [Kiss cover]
02. Number Of The Beast [Iron Maiden cover]
03. Highway To Hell [AC/DC cover]
04. Burnin' For You [Blue Öyster Cult cover]
05. God Of Thunder [Kiss cover]
06. Screaming For Vengeance [Judas Priest cover]
07. Dead Babies [Alice Cooper cover]
08. Cities On Flames [Blue Öyster Cult cover]
09. It's A Long Way To The Top [AC/DC cover]
10. Black Sabbath [Black Sabbath cover]
11. Hallowed Be Thy Name [Iron Maiden cover]

Tribute albums can be either great, or a complete waste of time. Thankfully, Iced Earth has provided us with one of the great ones. This eleven-track album gives Iced Earth fans the chance to hear some of the bands that helped shape Jon Schaffer's musical background. This particular album was first available as part of the five C.D. retrospective box set "Dark Genesis".

The bands covered include AC/DC ('Highway To Hell' and 'It's A Long Way To The Top'), Black Sabbath ('Black Sabbath'), Iron Maiden ('The Number Of The Beast' and 'Hallowed Be Thy Name'), Blue Oyster Cult ('Burnin' For You' and 'Cities On Fire'), Alice Cooper ('Dead Babies'), Kiss ('Creatures Of The Night' and 'God Of Thunder') and the legendary Judas Priest ('Screaming For Vengeance'). All the tracks have been given the Iced Earth makeover, and while all the cover versions are true to the original, vocalist Matthew Barlow certainly adds his distinctive stamp to them all.

Jon Schaffer and the rest of Iced Earth give the accompanying music a much-needed punch, and the production is certainly sharp. Of particular note is the version of Kiss' 'God Of Thunder' where Matthew sounds very much like Gene Simmons. The other is the odd inclusion of Alice Cooper to the mix. Iced Earth injects plenty of freshness put into every one of these old classics, making the whole album a classic in its own right.