martindavey87
‘Enter the Realm’ is the 1989 demo EP for American power metal band Iced Earth. It was remastered in 2002 for the ‘Dark Genesis’ box set. Offering just six tracks, four of which would go on to feature on the groups self-titled debut album, the quality of this demo is remarkable, considering the year it was originally released, the bands budget and the music in which they played. It’s no wonder they were signed and went on to have the level of success that they did.
So why the two-star rating, you ask? Simple, really. This is a demo and really not all that worth owning unless you’re a fan who must own everything. The songwriting is pretty polished for such a young band (or songwriter, since pretty much all the credit goes to guitarist/leader Jon Schaffer), and the playing is of a high quality, but ultimately Iced Earth’s debut album would see these all get slight improvements in sound and in some cases arrangements and vocal melodies.
An impressive demo, which is certainly a collectable for fans if you can find an original cassette tape from 1989, but otherwise, just get the band’s debut album.