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What an album! Jon Shaffer and his bandmates have made with this the best live album I've ever heard! Powerful, melodic and intelligent metal. The most striking detail on this CD is the incredible sound throughout the album. Quite an achievement. We can hear everything perfectly and, speaking of perfection, what a performance by the musicians! The fast and precise rhythmic of Jon Shaffer is reproduced here and each note is easily distinguishable. The drum work by Brent Smedley is extremely precise, and the songs are often played at the same speed as on the studio albums, sometimes a little faster. Matthew Barlow's vocals are perfect. Important note: on some songs such as Watching Over Me and I Died for You, he sings with the high pitched vocals that we can on the albums at the end of the songs instead of repeating the chorus, which is really great.

Very good choice of songs except for Disciples of the Lie. I would have preferred Consequences. Stand out tracks are the opener Burning Times, Pure Evil, My Own Savior, The Hunter, A Question of Heaven, Dark Saga, Watching over Me, I Died for You, Desert Rain, When the Night Falls and the famous trilogy Something Wicked this Way Comes.

The Athens crowd is really great, co-operating with the band throughout the whole album, almost enough to make you shiver! The artwork is excellent, with three different artwork included (one for each CD.) The album is available in 2 or 3 CD format (2 CD version is the regular North American version - ed.) and I highly recommend the 3 CD version. I have no negative comment to make about this album. It is a perfect introduction to Iced Earth, and a must-have for any fan of true metal.

Additional Information

- The European version of this album has 3 CDs, while the North American version has 2.