Virgin Steele for PP Damnit!

Harvester said:
You know what I find amusing about this thread? If you look back to when I announced a band like Freak Kitchen, the power fans were up in arms chanting "hell no." The progressive fans simply asked them to give them a chance live. From my estimation, they did and were won over based on comments after the festival.

It would appear it's a reverse situation in this thread. Would the "open-minded" progressive fans give a power metal band a fair shake in return? Or just be snobbish & narrow like Chris F5 based on perception instead of actual musical performance?
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Personally, I'm not that big of a fan, but I think they'd do really well. Do *I* see them as a headliner? No. But I don't book the fest. ;) I totally think they should play, though, so if that's what happens, great. I'll be there with my corset and camera. :)

~C
 
VS is easily a headliner. Seniority, extensive high quality catalogue, and miles and miles of talent. Those of you disagreeing may perhaps not be familar enough to understand their high pedigree. Please do yourself the favor and acquaint yourself with them. I mean this in a nice way and not at all in a belligerant way.

None of that matters. It's all about whether people will pay gobs of money and travel all the way to Atlanta to see them headline. I don't think many will. When I look down the list of other headliners we've had, they just don't measure up in terms of putting butts in seats.

Now I do know enough about this group to be willing to bet they'd bring the house down live. But first people have to show up. Which is probably why they'd be more deserving of a 75 minute slot and then a few years down the road if they created enough buzz they could headline.
 
Stardust2112 said:
Headliner? No. Third band on Friday or Saturday? Maybe. I'm not a fan, but I think people would dig them.

Btw, my boyfriend's band Attacker has sold out several gigs in NYC, NJ and even Pittsburgh - hell, they even sold out in Germany and Holland - but that doesn't necessarily mean they should headline ProgPower USA. Doing well at home is one thing. Doing well at ProgPower is an entirely different animal. :)

~C
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Listen, the bottom line is that the band has an extensive catalog and a history behind them. No, they never made it in the U.S., but then again, did Rage ever make it here? I realize what happened during Rage may potentially happen if VS headlined; so I will give you that they may be better suited for a 4 spot based on that. However, suggesting anything below a 4 spot for this incredible band is just downright insulting. I don't care if they draw 10 people when they play the states. They are much more deserving of a 3 spot at this festival. I can guarantee that they will win alot of people over if given the opportunity. David Defeis is a musical genius and i commend him for continuing to write some great music despite the lack of a large fan base. These guys deserve respect just based on their talent level alone. Yes, it is a business for Glenn and he is not in it to lose money, but I don't think booking VS in a 4 spot at a festival they never played will deter people from attending.
 
Just to chime in on the business side of things.....

If you worry about "insulting" a band with placement because of ego or perceived "deserving", then you can hang up your promoter cap now. It just doesn't work that way except in an obvious situation like Nightwish or BG (past references). I think your biasness towards the bands keeps you from accepting this. You rode my ass about Vision Divine in a #2 slot and it worked out just fine and they were happy as hell before and after.

Bear in mind that I say that while calling myself a VS fan.
 
I'd be ecstatic to see VS play the fest, regardless of their position in the lineup. DeFeis is an immensely talented performer and songwriter, and I see him surprising plenty of people choosing to check the band out (particularly those who have the "Manowar" clone idea in their minds).

More importantly though, and based on their relative lack of exposure and succuess in the U.S., I don't see DeFeis being overly "insulted" by not getting top billing at PP. It's a knowledgeable, elite audience that I would think any band in the genre looking to gain more recognition in the U.S. would be more than happy to play in front of.

Jason
 
Harvester said:
You know what I find amusing about this thread? If you look back to when I announced a band like Freak Kitchen, the power fans were up in arms chanting "hell no." The progressive fans simply asked them to give them a chance live. From my estimation, they did and were won over based on comments after the festival.

It would appear it's a reverse situation in this thread. Would the "open-minded" progressive fans give a power metal band a fair shake in return? Or just be snobbish & narrow like Chris F5 based on perception instead of actual musical performance?
Click to expand...
I lived on Long Island my first 30 years,and peosonally know the Drummer(at least if he is still in the band now,Frank),have seen them quite a few times
IMO,they do nothing for me,their flaming sword act is to me what is wrong with traditional power metal.I know there are a few here who beat their meat any time the tru metal sword is unveiled at a show,but to me,its just pure cheese.
And I love Cry for Pompeii,but I cannot remember the last time they played that song live(the only reason I would watch).They didn't do that song at Jax
This band is at best an opener or a 2
 
Virgin Steel is a talented band, we can agree on that. Talent has very little to do with the business side of the music industry. What matters on the business side is sales, and that is it.

The fact is that the majority of people who are potential consumers of the Prog Power festival have not heard Virgin Steel. (Keep in mind that this forum IS NOT representative of the majority of the potential customers) So therefore, Virgin Steel will not be a big draw for the festival. A band that will not be a big draw can not justify anything higher than a three slot - even if they're more talented, have a deeper discography (or whatever criteria other than sales you apply).

However, because of their talent and catalog, I think Virgin Steel would be a great fit for ProgPower, but in a number two or three slot.

Virigin Steel knows what kind of numbers they do in the US, simply by being asked to play the festival would be a huge compliment, not an insult, regardless of the slot.
 
Chris Rifkin(HalcyonF5 and Stu said:
I IMO,they do nothing for me,their flaming sword act is to me what is wrong with traditional power metal.I know there are a few here who beat their meat any time the tru metal sword is unveiled at a show,but to me,its just pure cheese.
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I have no problem with you not liking them or any other traditional type power metal band. Your previous post did not state one thing about them musically (and this one barely did). You continue to hammer away at image instead. That's the same problem Freak Kitchen ran into with their announcement. I'm just pointing out the double standard on this forum.
 
I'm actually surprised at the lack of support, on this forum, for this band. I would have guessed that they would be a welcome addition to a ProgPower line-up and would receive at least a #3 slot, if not higher.

Zod
 
While I enjoyed the band in their early days, they have kind of lost me over the years. To me they seem to not be as much into the straight ahead power metal they were on Guardians Of The Flame or maybe that was just the latest one, Visions Of Eden, i am not hearing this...
 
After reading this thread i went into my CDs and pulled out the two VS cds i have, and to be honest i haven't listened to them in quite a long time. So i sat down and listened to them last night, and when i had finished my reaction was hmmmmmmm not bad at all, maybe i didn't give them the chance i should have. So i brought them in with me to work and listened to them on the way to work also, welllllllll. They provide a very nice relief for the boredom of driving and the boredom of this damn job, in fact they provide, as i call it "good driving music". So i can now say yes they would be welcome at PPVIII, maybe not by all but i would at least give them a chance, as i now at least appreciate their sound. Bring them as a #2 or #3 and who knows they might be the next Freak Kitchen.
 
Harvester said:
I have no problem with you not liking them or any other traditional type power metal band. Your previous post did not state one thing about them musically (and this one barely did). You continue to hammer away at image instead. That's the same problem Freak Kitchen ran into with their announcement. I'm just pointing out the double standard on this forum.
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well,if you are *considering* these guys
put in their contract that they must play Cry For Pompeii
again,most of their music tends to give me the blahs,I remember when I heard this song on Fingers Metal Shop,I taped this and must have wore out the tape with this
heck I like some Manowar(actually threw on Fighting the World the other day)
 
The first rule of thumb in this forum is that a single negative voice can make more noise than ten positive voices. Ascension proved that with the Nevermore threads last time.

If you count the posts in this thread, there are 14 pro, 9 con, and 4 in the middle. If you look closer at the cons, 3 of them were only in reference to the VS as a headliner. Those numbers are a hell of a lot better than FK got last year.

The second rule of thumb is that power fans far outweigh prog fans when it comes to this festival. However, it is the prog fans that dominate this forum so that screws with perception. That fucked my reality last year and it resulted in the first show not sold out in four years.
 
Those of you not familiar with Virgin Steele, I would suggest checking out: Age of Consent, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell pt. 2 and House of Atreus Act I. Personally I am biased because I honestly do not think they have a bad CD in the entire catalouge, but those would be my top 3. Those 3 also represent the different eras of VS and the stylistic differences.
 
I expect there to be a few bands I don't care for each year. That's not a negative in my opinion, just the way things fall into place based on my personal tastes. For Glenn to annouce 10 bands that I love would be an irrational expectation and therefore were he to bring in VS I wouldnt be phased in the least. I didn't care at all last year about Pyramaze, FK, Mercenary or Savage Circus, though I'm quite sure those were the main draws for many. And there in lays the beauty of a fest that features 10 bands.
 
I think Virgin Steele is a terrific band and David DeFeis is one of the metal scene's best composers and singers of the past fifteen years. But I'll bet a used strawberry douche kit that if they came to play Prog Power that they would have a scenario similar to Rage's PP IV debacle. Stellar band, vast discography, yet no audience. That really sucks actually.
 
The sword is a prop. Are props stupid? Maybe. Virgin Steel is all about escapism, and that's just pure metal.
 
Harvester said:
You know what I find amusing about this thread? If you look back to when I announced a band like Freak Kitchen, the power fans were up in arms chanting "hell no." The progressive fans simply asked them to give them a chance live. From my estimation, they did and were won over based on comments after the festival.

It would appear it's a reverse situation in this thread. Would the "open-minded" progressive fans give a power metal band a fair shake in return? Or just be snobbish & narrow like Chris F5 based on perception instead of actual musical performance?
Click to expand...

I can only speak for myself, but I have watched some of every band that has ever played PP. I even watched a bit of the Nightwish set, a band that I really do not like, but figured I've give a chance live (still did nothing for me). While my tastes run more towards prog than power, I often find that the power bands put on a hell of a show and are very entertaining, even if they're playing music that I might not listen to on a regular basis. Vision Divine is a perfect example of this, as I figured I'd check out a few songs and then go get some food, and ended up totally enjoying the show.

I think some people from both the "prog" and "power" sides should really have a more open mind about music in general. They should not be afraid to try new things, and not get all offended when people don't "get" a band that they love. But that's just my dumb opinion.

As for Virgin Steele, I honestly have not heard a tune of theirs since hearing a track on one of those old Mike Varney US Metal albums in the '80's, so I'm really unfamiliar with their music. I don't have a problem with them playing at PP, though, as it sounds like they might put on a good show.

dt
 
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