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American heavy metal stars
VIRGIN STEELE
will re-release album
‘Guardians Of The Flame’
track-list:
Don’t Say Goodbye (Tonight) – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Burn The Sun – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Life Of Crime – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
The Redeemer – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Birth Through Fire – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Guardians Of The Flame – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Metal City – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Hell Or High Water – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Go All The Way – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Chaos Caprice – (Piano-Solo From The Original ‚Guardians’ Sessions)
A Cry In The Night – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
bonus EP track-list:
I Am The One – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Go Down Fighting – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Wait For The Night – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
additional bonus track-list:
Desert Plains – (Alternate Version Bonus Track)
Dirty Blonde Angel – (New Bonus Track)
The Heaven’s Door Suite – (New Bonus Track)
These men of Steele have been busy!
Hot on the heels of last summer’s brand new Bombastic Epic release ‘THE PASSION OF DIONYSUS’ coming this summer in addition to the re-release of the very first VIRGIN STEELE album, the second VIRGN STEELE album, ‘GUARDIANS OF THE FLAME’, will also be re-released in tandem with the first album, on August 23, 2024, via Steamhammer/SPV in a very special edition, as a digi-CD and as a Gatefold Double Vinyl LP, and also in digital format.
David DeFeis has included an additional moniker to this re-release… ‘The Anniversary Edition’, for like he has done with ‘VIRGIN STEELE 1’, he has completely re-mixed the album from start to finish.
He had this to say,
”I felt compelled to add that additional title because just like with ‘VS 1’ this too is a very special reissue. And again… this too is a great celebration! As I did with ‘VS 1’, once again every song on the album has been lovingly restored, re-mixed with faith, heart & Steele. It was a joy to go back to the original multi-tracks, listen and find all the various outtakes, studio chatter and even a long forgotten about piano solo that I had done. In resurrecting this album, I did my best to try to preserve the original feel and integrity of what we were trying to achieve, while at the same time hoping to make it sonically clearer and more direct. The original energy and exuberant fire remains… and there is greater definition all around.”
It’s to mention how fresh these works sound.
The album sounds like it could have been recorded just this week!
It has that classic 80’s sensibility combined with a timeless yet modern aura.
Probably not an easy thing to achieve.
David continues,
“for me it feels like being back in those days again only with the knowledge gained from having lived several lives since then. The full album is represented in its original entirety, plus we have included the tracks from the extended play single we had issued right after ‘Guardians’, which featured the songs, (‘I AM THE ONE’, ‘GO DOWN FIGHTING’ & ‘WAIT FOR THE NIGHT’) and… in addition we were also able to include several new bonus tracks, such as the lost diabolical piano solo… ‘CHAOS CAPRICE’, (from the original ‘Guardians’ Sessions), a new alternate version of the song ‘DESERT PLAINS’, a brand new track called ‘DIRTY BLONDE ANGEL’, (that I had actually written for the ‘AGE OF CONSENT’ album but we had never recorded until now), and there is also another bonus track in the form of ‘THE HEAVEN’S DOOR SUITE’, which contains a re-written cover of the song ‘KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR’ combined with new music that I crafted…”
American heavy metal heroes
VIRGIN STEELE
will re-release album
‘Virgin Steele I’
track-list:
Minuet In G Minor – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Danger Zone – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
American Girl – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Dead End Kids – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Drive On Thru – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Lothlorien (Orchestral Version) – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Still In Love With You – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Children Of The Storm – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Pictures On You – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Pulverizer – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Living In Sin – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Virgin Steele – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
The Lesson (Demo) – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Life Of Crime (Demo) – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Burn The Sun (Demo) – (Anniversary Re-Mix)
Hell From Beyond The Stars – (New Bonus Track)
The Fire God – (New Alternate Version Bonus Track)
Virgin Steele – (New Orchestral Version Bonus Track)
Hot on the heels of last summer’s brand new Bombastic Epic release ‘THE PASSION OF DIONYSUS’, this summer the very first VIRGIN STEELE album will be re-issued on August 23, 2024, via Steamhammer/SPV in a very special edition, as a digi-CD and as a Gatefold Double Vinyl LP and also in digital format.
David DeFeis has included an additional moniker to this re-release he calls it… ‘The Anniversary Edition’, for he has completely re-mixed the album start to finish from the original multi-tracks.
He states,
”I added that additional title because one, this is indeed a very special re-issue. And two… this is a celebration. Every song on the album has been lovingly restored, with faith, heart & Steele. Incredibly for the most part the original multi-track tapes held up quite well, but now and again some creative decisions had to be made, which not only did not at all hinder the record’s resurrection, but in the end actually resulted in making the album stronger, and the songs even more interesting. The original fire has been kept…enhanced, and sonically there is greater definition all around. You can really appreciate the explosive performances from everyone. It’s like being back in the studio the day it was recorded. In addition to the inclusion of the early demos, we were also able to include several new bonus tracks including a new thrashing doom type song called ‘HELL FROM BEYOND THE STARS’, plus an alternate version of ‘THE FIRE GOD’, and a new over the top version of the song ‘VIRGIN STEELE’ (New Orchestral Version).”
American heavy metal legend
VIRGIN STEELE
will release album
‘The Passion Of Dionysus’
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!