New Virgin Steele Album...

[Fire breath]

coming out in November on their new label SPV. I thought SPV went bust but hey it seems not. Being a huge fan of the Virgin Steelers I always look forward to what Mr. DeFeis and his cohorts put out. Visions of Eden was a good album songwise but the production was completely subpar and lessened the impact of the songs which were still mighty and epic but the toothless sound robbed the album of might and splendour. The new album is called The Black Light Bacchanalia and features 11 songs of which the length is not known but you would guess it ain't less than 70 minutes knowing VS!

tracklist:

1. By The Hammer Of Zeus
2. Pagan Heart
3. The Bread Of Wickedness
4. The Orpheus Taboo
5. In A Dream Of Fire
6. Nepenthe
7. Necropolis (He Answers Them With Death)
8. To Crown Them With Halos Parts 1 & 2
9. The Tortures Of The Damned
10. The Black Light Bacchanalia (The Age That Is To Come)
11. Eternal Regret

Typically epic and intriguing song titles there. 1 song with "fire" in it. There's always a fire in VS song titles, wouldn't be VS without it! I just hope that the production matches the ambition this time and they don't cut corners. Make it sound HEAVY Mr. DeFeis cause your songs deserve it. Track 9 better be a damn monster heavy tune. In fact the whole album sounds very heavy and I'm struggling to spot the ballad or the slow songs.Maybe Nepethe is the ballad. The two part track 8 is going to be EPIC and magnificent. No we just have to wait....anyone else excited for this release?

 

[Sir Exar Kun]

....and can someone PLEASE buy the man a keyboard made post-1985?!? Cannot STAND the keyboard sound on VS....

 

[labrekk]

Let's just hope that the guitars are upfront and heavy, otherwise, I'll pass cause I haven't enjoyed a complete VS album since Invictus (I enjoyed several songs off Atreus, but both albums as a whole bored me) and it's been 12 fucking years...

 

[RagePSV]

Yes please.

 

[DarkOne]

Love VS, but didn't care much for Visions of Eden. I'm hoping for a better follow up.

Steve in Philly

 

[templeofmax]

where is the song with ´fire´?

 

[RagePSV]

where is the song with ´fire´?

5. In A Dream Of Fire

 

[booB]

Love VS, but didn't care much for Visions of Eden. I'm hoping for a better follow up.

Steve in Philly

+1!!!!!!!!

 

[Cheiron]

Finally. In Atlanta, Dave said that he said he had 3 albums in the works. Greatly looking forward to this one. Enjoy everything they've put out.

 

[Fire breath]

Since David is pretty good friends with Joey and VS played MCM festival dates, what are the chances of a Joey produced album. I think a Manowar-y production would suit VS down to the ground. VS shouldn't have shiny power metal or prog metal type sound. It should be heavy but a litttle bit raw and barbaric. Something close to the sound of Invictus but with bigger everything. I thought the last 2 manowar album had great sound. Gods of War and Warriors of the World both have nice heavy sound which would suit VS down to the ground.

 

[Metal_Camden]

keith is going to shit his pants.

 

[DarkOne]

Since David is pretty good friends with Joey and VS played MCM festival dates, what are the chances of a Joey produced album. I think a Manowar-y production would suit VS down to the ground. VS shouldn't have shiny power metal or prog metal type sound. It should be heavy but a litttle bit raw and barbaric. Something close to the sound of Invictus but with bigger everything. I thought the last 2 manowar album had great sound. Gods of War and Warriors of the World both have nice heavy sound which would suit VS down to the ground.

Yes, but will that be Manowar produced album bring out a bombastic sound (which would be great), or would it steer DeFeis to a 5 minute orchestral opening 'song', as Manowar is doing now (which would be terrible)? That's the important question.

Oh, and also, would they compare swords?

Steve in Philly

 

[Dustin]

I'll probably buy it, but more so because I am a compeletist. I haven't been overly impressed with the last few albums. I will probably get lynched for saying this, but Life Among the Ruins is by far my favorite album along with Age of Consent as a close 2nd. The combination of U.S. power metal anthems and AOR melodic rock songs totally works for me with those two efforts. When I hear "romantic metal" coined as the phrase to describe VS, I always think of these album… not the latter ones.

I would hope at the very least, David returns to the Marriage of Heaven and Hell-era style. Those albums were a good combination of early hard rock/melodic rock VS and the latter post-Invictus power/symphonic-era.
I have to agree with Sir Exar Kun, I don't think the totally dramatic and overbearing symphonic material of the last 4-6 albums would be so abrasive and dated sounding if he invested in updating his system with some more modern keyboard patches. Hearing authentic sounding strings/brass and even a grand piano to where you couldn't tell the difference would make his music 10x more epic. But I have seen the cost on those software programs… not cheap, no sir. Let's hope SPV give him an ample budget to work with, assuming they have the money to invest, and it is a platform for something good.

Oh, and just as a personal preference as a bassist and a VS fan - he seriously needs to reconsider his position concerning the bass guitar both live and the studio. ...I'm just sayin.

 

[KingsGene]

VIRGIN STEELE – Exclusive In-Studio Listen To The Black Light Bacchanalia
by Mark Gromen

"The more technology man relies on; we lose another piece of humanity. Knowing VIRGIN STEELE founder/vocalist David DeFeis for years, I feel safe in saying he would concur. So it’s only fitting that I record our telephone interview on tape, he playing yet-to-be-completed compositions down the line. No file sharing, cell phone or I-pad trickery, just old school reliability.

The songs are in various states of completion, some lacking bass or second guitar, none with the final mix. We begin with ‘The Bread Of Wickedness’, which he says is one of the shorter songs he’s written in a while, around 3:30. Introduced with a choir, it’s a fast old-school sounding number with DeFeis’ famous yelp. “The bread of wickedness, it’s in their eyes.” Next up, a healthy portion of the lengthy ‘By The Hammer Of Zeus’. After a wild start, it falls back into a slower, piano accompanied pace. ‘In A Dream Of Fire’ kicks off with keyboards, regal, almost liturgical in feel. Aggressive vocal delivery, with the characteristic DeFeis wail. We close the listening session with ‘Pagan Heart’. With guitar beneath the keys, after a smoothly delivered initial verse, it jumps into a solo spotlight for long-time guitarist Edward Pursino. "

For more, go to http://www.bravewords.com/news/145567

 

[Fire breath]

New Virgin Steele blog by David Defeis: "Well....believe it or not...we have actually finished the album and sent it off to our label, Steamhammer SPV for publication/replication. It was a mad, wild time these past few weeks & days recording and mixing like banshees! But....we made it....A week ago seems like an entire lifetime ago. It seems like every possible situation and change of season has occurred in a matter of hours and days. I personally went through the full dynamic range of emotional upheavals possible....One minute I was on top of the World, the next completely beneath it....and everything in between. Through it all as we say here in the Land Of Steele....we remained...Invictus!
As always when it comes time to actually part with an album and send it off into the World, I get very crazy. I always want to completely re-do it, to go back to the beginning and live with everything longer, but this of course is impossible. I am always frantic and rushed with every album, but this one was exceptionally challenging. Its birth was very much like how they did it in the long, long past, when people like Chuck Berry or Elvis would record a song, and then it would be immediately pressed and released only a few short hours later. After finishing these final mixes, I straight away began the process to send the album over to our label, so I really did not have the opportunity to live with these final mixes, listen back and adjust anything along the way....I trust that all turned out well and can only judge things from my initial gut reaction....which was that everything seems fine and nice and raw! In the end Life goes on and all projects must have their completion, and this one is now well on its way to landing in your hands soon. I hope you enjoy it....All of us here in the House Of Steele stand behind it, and think that it makes a very appropriate soundtrack to the coming Autumnal Season...We poured all of our blood, sweat, & energy into these tracks, and everything from $200 dollar scotch (a very nice gift from a Fan) to 7-ll coffee went into the making of it. May it empower you and take you on journeys both strange & beautiful.... Cheers & By The Black Sun & Moon." - David DeFeis September 27, 2010.
The new album "The Black Light Bacchanalia" will be released in 4 formats with 3 different covers:
Limited Edition Digipak incl. Bonus CD with 2 bonus tracks and a spoken history.
Standard Jewel Version & Download.
LP boxset incl. 3 LPs with printed inner sleeves, the standard jewel version, 10 page history booklet, poster, sticker and postcard (limited to 3.000 copies worldwide).
Tracklisting: 01. By The Hammer Of Zeus (And The Wrecking Ball Of Thor), 02. Pagan Heart, 03. The Bread Of Wickedness, 04. In A Dream Of Fire, 05. Nepenthe (I Live Tomorrow), 06. The Orpheus Taboo, 07. To Crown Them With Halos Parts 1 & 2, 08. The Black Light Bacchanalia (The Age That Is To Come), 09. The Torture's Of The Damned, 10. Necropolis (He Answers Them With Death), 11. Eternal Regret.
Bonus Tracks on the Limited Edition Digipak: 01. When I'm Silent (The Wind Of Voices), 02. Silent Sorrow, 03. From A Whisper To A Scream - (The Spoken Biography) – spoken by David DeFeis.
Release Dates: Germany: October 22, Europe: October 25, USA/Canada: November 9.

The digipak bonus edition will be snapped up as soon as play.com or hmv.com lists it!

 

[1000 Faces]

Since David is pretty good friends with Joey and VS played MCM festival dates, what are the chances of a Joey produced album. I think a Manowar-y production would suit VS down to the ground. VS shouldn't have shiny power metal or prog metal type sound. It should be heavy but a litttle bit raw and barbaric. Something close to the sound of Invictus but with bigger everything. I thought the last 2 manowar album had great sound. Gods of War and Warriors of the World both have nice heavy sound which would suit VS down to the ground.

DeFeis probably has a little more sense than to do business with DeMaio.

 

[Fire breath]

Anyway a new track has surfaced on YT. It's very moody and dark. It's not very heavy but the atmosphere is actually very cool. David is doing his usual stuff on the mic with smooth stuff and sinister to wailing. The sound is not too good on the clip with it being from a radio show. Some people are gonna hate this but I really like the song though it could do with a stronger chorus for sure.

 

[nomisofsiman]

Never gave this band a listen. Not bad, but I'd like to listen to more of their previous efforts after listening to this. What do you guys suggest?

 

[Fire breath]

Invictus first and foremost. Marriage I and II next. Then House of Atreus or Noble Savage then Age of Consent. VS has two styles which is epic barbarian metal or almost glam metal. The glam is more or less gone these since Invictus onwards. Noble Savage is a mix between the two. Actually Age of Consent is the same ithas almight wonderful songs like The Burning of Rome and some real dodgy glam shit as well. Anyway Invictus is truy magnificent and must be owned by any fan of intelligent true epic metal!

 

[BenMech]

Firebreath/Pirage is right, except Invictus is actually Marriage of Heaven and Hell part 3, so listen to it third.
Next, go for Age of Consent because The Burning of Rome is an epic tale not to be missed.