VIRGIN STEELE

track-list:
The Gethsemane Effect
You’ll Never See The Sun Again
A Song Of Possession
The Ritual Of Descent
Spiritual Warfare
Black Earth & Blood
The Passion Of Dionysus
To Bind & Kill A God
Unio Mystica
I Will Fear No Man For I Am A God

Virgin Steele are:
David DeFeis – vocals, keyboards, bass, drums and orchestrations
Edward Pursino – 6-string guitar
Josh Block – 7-string guitar

At a time when cultural innovation is being side-lined as never before and many unusual forms of music are succumbing to the temptation of the commercially more lucrative mainstream, Virgin Steele are the shining silver lining.
For over 40 years, mastermind David DeFeis has kept one of the most imaginative bands in the power metal genre on track with his excellent songwriting and charismatic voice.
At the same time, DeFeis has never stopped evolving as a composer, musician and producer, updating his symphonic-tinged sound with exciting new influences.
He has already accomplished this many times over with classics like ‘Invictus’ (1998), ‘The House Of Atreus I & II’ (1999/2000) or ‘Visions Of Eden’ (2006).
In his current album ‘The Passion Of Dionysus’, DeFeis surpasses himself in his unbridled creativity.
Eight years after the acclaimed studio opus ‘Nocturnes Of Hellfire & Damnation’ (2015), DeFeis` brilliant signature maneuvers the album through a gripping parable about control and freedom, creating another highlight of the Virgin Steele career.
‘The Passion Of Dionysus’ will be released on 30 June 2023 via Steamhammer/SPV as a digi-CD (including a poster), as a gatefold double LP and in digital form.
Virgin Steele will also release three singles in advance.
As usual, DeFeis has chosen a downright epic theme that delves deep into the annals of human history, while maintaining a concrete reference to the present:
“The album deals with the concept of duality. Where something is both one thing and its opposite simultaneously”,
he explains the underlying message of the new record.
“It obviously has to do with Dionysus and, as the title suggests, his ‘Passion’ or suffering, and his coming to Thebes to avenge the slander of his mother, as well as punish the King of Thebes for denying his worship there. But that being said, more is going on.”
In ‘The Passion Of Dionysus’ DeFeis tells the epic struggle between the twin forces of control/restraint and freedom/release, as well as dealing with the question of
“whether or not there is room in society for the irrational, the wild, the letting-go aspects of ourselves.”
To showcase this exciting juxtaposition, the singer/multi-instrumentalist has produced ten new songs with a total playing time of more than 77 minutes, including the first single ‘Spiritual Warfare’, which will be released on 12 May 2023, followed by ‘The Gethsemane Effect’ on 2 June 2023 and – one week before the album release – the single ‘Black Earth & Blood’ on 23 June 2023.
All three songs already show the great musical and lyrical intensity of the new album, the basic concerns of which DeFeis states as follows:
“I am always exploring and striving to document what life is like for me and the people that I choose to spend time with. Because I am always trying to learn something, trying to forge ahead in all aspects of my existence, I discover things and I am able to bring what I discover out into the dark and light of the music I create.”
There is no doubt that David DeFeis is not only an ingenious composer and musician, but also a true visionary who – with his band – has the perfect medium at his disposal to evolve both humanly and culturally:
“I see Virgin Steele as a way of life. The band is my vehicle with which I traverse vast oceans of experience. We are always doing things our own way, on our own specific terms.”
Looking at the grandiose ‘The Passion Of Dionysus’, it’s no wonder at all that his fans accept this approach unconditionally!