Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York originally formed in 1981.

In recent years, they have displayed musical theatre, progressive and symphonic metal elements in their sound developing & writing "never done before" projects such as the Metal Opera "The House of Atreus" (based on Oresteia & the greek myth related to the Atreides) in 1999/2000 and the soundtrack for an immaginary movie "Visions of Eden " aka "The Lilith Project" (based on the sumerian legend of Lilith) in 2006.

Barbaric Romantic Music

They play what they call "barbaric romanticism" which is a symphonic, romantic & bombastic music with many elements from classical music and fantasy/mythological lyrics based on real life events.

David DeFeis (all vocals, keyboards, orchestration, synth bass, swords & effects) about Virgin Steele's music: "From a whisper to a scream, barbaric, romantic, bombastic, yet subtle, grandiose, yet earthy. A call, a shout, an invocation to Freedom and the continual awakening to the awareness that every moment of life is lived to its fullest potential. It is a force, a sacred quest which drives Virgin Steele on". : Official Site Info

Typically, during Virgin Steele's concerts a sword is burnt on stage.

In some special show they use to play a truly long live set called "Three hours extravaganza".

Fans consider "The Burning of Rome (Cry for Pompeii)" the most representative song of the band.

Barbaric Romantic Synopsis

Many Virgin Steele songs are mythological, dealing with subjects from especially Greek mythology and the Christian religion.

Most of their albums are concept albums.

The later albums tend to be more epic and mythological. On the early albums (up till Life Among the Ruins), many songs are more real-life based stories of love and sex.

According with german artists Walter Weyers : Walter Weyers de.wikipedia and Martina Krawulsky, with the name "Klytaimnestra": "The House of Atreus" Metal Opera ("The House of Atreus Act I", "The House of Atreus Act II") was performed on stage in Germany theaters by Landestheater Production. : Landestheater Schwaben Official Site
The result, very different from an heavy metal concert, is a metal based dark Broadway style musical really powerful and energetic with actors only. : Klytaimnestra review (2000 Munich, Reithalle)

The premiere of "Klytaimnestra" in Memmingen, the 5th June 1999, : Klytaimnestra premiere review has been the first ever regular musical theatre show based on heavy metal concepts.

After "Klytaimnestra" success, David DeFeis & Landestheater Production extracted a second Metal Opera musical, named "The Rebels", from the Marriage of Heaven and Hell trilogy ("The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II", "Invictus") using the characters of Emalith and Endyamon previously appeared in the lyrics of the albums "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II" and "Invictus".

According to David DeFeis, all the lyrics he writes are based on real life in some form or another. : Band F.A.Q.

Biography

At the beginning of the Eighties, Jack Starr (a guitarist of French origins) was looking for the right elements to form the ultimate heavy metal band. The first to answer his call was drummer Joey Ayvazian, and together they start auditioning singers. They auditioned around 40 singers before David DeFeis was introduced to Jack by a friend of Joey.
With an astounding interpretation of "No Quarter" by Led Zeppelin, "Child in Time" by Deep Purple and "Catch the Rainbow" by Rainbow: David got the vacant role of singer, bringing with him bassist Joe O'Reilly. At the end of 1981 the first line-up was ready.

Virgin Steele debuted in 1982 with "Children of the Storm" (a song loved by Metallica), included in the compilation "U.S. Metal Vol. II". A bit later they issued their self-titled first album. Their style was and remains very original, a melding of American heavy metal and Rainbow's epic atmospheres. David, who also plays piano and keyboards, shows a particular liking for pompous and melodic arrangements, while Jack goes for a harder and more immediate assault.

Fan mail was becoming more interesting. Two letters in particular stand out, one from a young band, who were from Seattle. Their name was - Queensryche. The other, from California, also a band, who called themselves Metallica.

The following year (1983): "Guardians of the Flame". The album is supported by a mini LP called "Wait for the Night" ("A Cry in the Night" in the English version).

After this, Jack Starr left in a dispute with DeFeis' over the direction the band should take, and afterwards recruited former Riot vocalist Rhett Forrester (killed in 1994 by someone unknown) and Rods' rhythmic section and releases a powerful heavy metal album called "Out of Darkness". Jack and his new venture tried to keep the Virgin Steele name for themselves, appearing with this moniker at the Breaking Sound Festival (Paris). They had a weak claim to the name, though, and so David DeFeis and the rest of the band (completed by guitarist Edward Pursino) managed to keep the Virgin Steele name after a victorious legal case against Jack Starr.

Virgin Steele new lineup recorded "Noble Savage", which melts classic and epic music. Today, this album is still considered one of the most important manifests of heavy and epic metal.

In 1987 rumors are spread around that Virgin Steele released a thrash metal album under the name Exorcist: DeFeis denies all and no one has ever found proof.

The band finally manages to come to Europe supporting Manowar and gains great approval from all quarters because of their live performances. When things started to come together, though, some inexplicable laws seemed to apply and the following album, "Age of Consent", got a very narrow distribution and ended up a complete commercial failure. Virgin Steele were then in their darkest period: their label shut down and Joe O'Reilly decided to leave, and therefore the band stopped playing for a while: David finally finished his graduate in piano and composition, and played with a semi-improvised band called "Smoke Stark Lightning", featuring some famous musicians like his old mate Jack Starr and drummer Bobby Rondinelli.

In 1993 Rob De Martino was chosen as the new bass player and the band signed up with Shark, and finally Virgin Steele came back with "Life Among the Ruins", an album of Whitesnake-influenced hard rock with a strong bluesy vein. This album is probably the most atypical in the Virgin Steele discography, and disliked by many fans. Featuring none of the epic elements of the band, and the lyrics are mostly love songs rather than mythology-based.

And one year later the band returned with "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", an album of epic metal full of melodic and symphonic influences, very progressive oriented. Virgin Steele come back to Europe supporting Manowar and Uriah Heep. At the end of 1995 the second part "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II" came out, following the concept of the first one.

After another European tour a new album was released in March 1998: the third and final chapter of the "Marriage" saga, titled "Invictus". This was their heaviest album at the time and also very epic. Lyrically it is a concept album about humanity's rebellion against a pantheon of evil, uncaring gods.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell trilogy signs also the debut of the master drummer Frank Gilchriest.

Between the years 1999 and 2000 (with David DeFeis and Edward Pursino at bass too), the band released the never done before project of a Metal Opera writing the albums "The House of Atreus Act I" and "The House of Atreus Act II".As subject of the Metal Opera it was choosed Oresteia & the greek myth related to the Aeschylus very closer to David DeFeis, from his early years, because of his father theater's background.

A Metal Opera is a mix between "Rock opera", "Broadway style" and "Heavy metal adapted for theater's actors live performances".

With the new bass player Josh Block, while it would be some time for a new studio album, the band did release two compilations in 2002. "The Book of Burning" consists of a mixture of previously unreleased songs, new compositions created by David Defeis in collaboration with original guitarist Jack Starr, and re-recordings of various songs from the first two albums. "Hymns to Victory", consequently, is a best-of album covering the band's career from "Noble Savage" until their latest album "The House of Atreus Act II".

In September 2006, after 6 years without an all-new studio album, the band released its 11th full-length Visions of Eden. The album revolves heavily around Gnostic beliefs and critically revisits the traditional Christian mythology with regards to the creation of the Earth and the Biblical accounts of Adam and Eve. An even darker, more melancholic drama than the House of Atreus saga, the story revolves around Lilith, the first wife of Adam and a symbol of female strength and independence. Representing the female side of the true, higher god, she suffers under the lusting, jealous Demiurge who represents the Christian god, and as an emancipated woman who could not get along with the dominant Adam stands in stark contrast to Eve. Adam's second wife is portrayed as a docile, subservient partner created by the demiurge at the request of Adam, who could not cope with an independent woman on equal footing with him.


"Visions of Eden " aka "The Lilith Project" is based on the sumerian legend of Lilith and it is intended as the soundtrack for an immaginary movie.The band is looking for a producer to bring this concept album story on-screen.

Between 2007 and 2008 the sold out albums "Noble Savage", "Age of Consent", "Life Among the Ruins", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I" & "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II" were reissued (with bonus tracks) by the label Dockyard1.

A new Virgin Steele album is scheduled for 2009.

There are also rumours that a DVD live album is planned.

Line-up

• David DeFeis - all vocals, keyboards, orchestration, synth bass, swords & effects
• Edward Pursino - electric & acoustic guitars
• Frank Gilchriest - drums, chaos & pandemonium
• Josh Block - electric bass & additional rhythm guitar

Discography

Albums

• Virgin Steele (1982)
• Guardians of the Flame (1983)
• Noble Savage (1985)
• Age of Consent (1988)
• Life Among the Ruins (1993)
• The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I (1994)
• The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II (1995)
• Invictus (1998)
• The House of Atreus Act I (1999)
• The House of Atreus Act II (2000)
• Visions of Eden (2006)

EPs

• Wait for the Night (1983)
• Magick Fire Music (2000)

Singles

• Snakeskin Voodoo Man (1992)
• Through Blood And Fire (1998)

Compilations

• Burn the Sun (1992)
• Hymns to Victory (2002)
• The Book of Burning (2002)

Videos/DVD

• Tale Of The Snakeskin Voodoo Man (1992)

External links

• Virgin Steele's Official Website
• ARMS OF MERCURY, Authorized Official Italian Site
• NOBLESAVAGES, Greek Official Fanclub of Virgin Steele

References

Heavy metal musical groupsMusical groups established in 1981

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