

News Press Release, July 16th, 2020 VIRGIN STEELE

Unleash.....

THE GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS “MOVIE”/DOCUMENTARY, PLUS 9 OTHER VIDEO CLIPS

- "A MARATHON/EPIC VIDEO ALBUM RELEASE"



VIRGIN STEELE has released a Marathon/Epic Video Album of 10 Video Clips.

The first clip is a full-length “Movie”/Documentary type video clip. This documentary is an in depth, “INSIDE THE MUSIC” look into the GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS album, which is one of the 3 new releases included in the SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE 5 CD BOX SET. It takes the viewer/listener on a journey through that album and explores the origins of that style and how the Group arrived at that particular place for that release. It also ventures far beyond that album and discusses the beliefs & philosophies of the group, the songwriting ideology, etc.



In addition to this “movie”/documentary: INSIDE THE MUSIC- A JOURNEY THROUGH THE GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS ALBUM, VIRGIN STEELE issued 9 more video clips of tracks from that specific GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS release. So yes a total of 10 new videos in all are available now….



THE INSIDE THE MUSIC~A Journey Through The GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS ALBUM “A MOVIE”/DOCUMENTARY

And The additional video clips are:



1. I WILL COME FOR YOU (Orchestral Version)

2. THE BLACK LIGHT BACCHANALIA (Orchestral Version)

3. ZEUS ASCENDANT/BY THE HAMMER OF ZEUS (And The Wrecking Ball Of Thor) (Orchestral Version)

4. QUEEN OF THE DEAD (Orchestral Version)

5. THE GOTHIC VOODOO SUITE-Featuring: (RUMANIAN FOLK DANCE No.3, THE DELIRIUM EXCERPT & SNAKESKIN VOODOO MAN)

6. THE ENCHANTER

7. THE FIRE & ICE MEDLEY: Featuring: (Bone China/No Quarter & Bone China Reprise)

8. THE PASSION IN THE FRENCH QUARTER MEDLEY: Featuring: (Chloe Dancer & Gentle Groove)

9. DEATH LETTER BLUES



The group states, “we could have decided to drag everything out… releasing the videos bit, by bit, but… instead we have decided to unleash everything all at once, as the GOTHIC VOODOO “Movie” and all the other 9 video clips work together, and capture a day in the life, since they are all part of one day’s performance”.



MASTER PLAYLIST INFO:



THE GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS EPIC VIDEO COLLECTION: Featuring: The "GOTHIC VOODOO" Documentary, Plus all Video Clips Playlist.

LINK for all:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfxuekdhzqBT5lSG9WoNcy-dDCT0JqStR



This Playlist/Link Above contains the full-length documentary for the GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS Album, plus all the various videos associated with this documentary and with the album.



Following next will be the completion and release of a brand new studio album, which as discussed before will be a full on Epic, Barbaric-Romantic Metal style album.



Noble Hails, Cheers and a most Glorious Summer Season to you All! BY THE GODS & GODDESSES,





The Only Official VIRGIN STEELE VIDEO CHANNEL IS:

http://www.youtube.com/user/VirginSteeleTV $nbsp; VIRGIN STEELE NEWS PRESS RELEASE REGARDING: 2 NEW Video Clips From THE HOUSE OF ATREUS ACT 1: The Song: 1. KINGDOM OF THE FEARLESS (The Destruction Of Troy) Link: https://youtu.be/q6apiLJhzSg And From GHOST HARVEST VINTAGE 1 (Black Wine For Mourning) The Song: 2. BONEDUST (Live Orchestral Version) Link: https://youtu.be/Q7V80df0sAQ As you may know, we very recently put out three video clips from the VISIONS OF EDEN album: (SEE These 3 here below): 1. "VISIONS OF EDEN" (The Lilith Project- A Barbaric-Romantic Movie Of The Mind)... "AN INSIDE THE MUSIC" DOCUMENTARY... https://youtu.be/RPGO_EABOOM 2. GOD ABOVE GOD https://youtu.be/sjvIIur7kvw 3. THE HIDDEN GOD https://youtu.be/2MCKsAtyp-A and... As mentioned in our Press Release for those 3 clips, we informed you that in addition to those clips from "VISIONS", we also had several more videos ready to go from various other VIRGIN STEELE albums. This particular KINGDOM OF THE FEARLESS clip arose spontaneously in the following manner: About a week ago we were asked to contribute a very short "Greeting/Shout Out" to the KEEP IT TRUE FESTIVAL audience, which we did and our clip aired on Saturday April 25th. Well...immediately after completing that "Greeting" in which I used part of the song KINGDOM OF THE FEARLESS, I thought.... "HELL...BY THE THUNDER OF ZEUS...I'm already halfway there, why don't I complete the whole song"! So that is just what I did...I carried on working and now we have the full-length version of KINGDOM OF THE FEARLESS. Using both rehearsal footage, and live footage, plus some still photos, I believe we have crafted something that both reflects the energy of the song, and invokes the mood of where this song (that I wrote about Agamemnon's conquest of Troy) came from...the album...THE HOUSE OF ATREUS "ACT 1". THE HOUSE OF ATREUS ACT 1 and ACT 2 Works, discuss the events directly following the war in Troy and what happened once the warriors returned home. This Work was the first of the three "Metal-Operas" we unleashed, and like the LILITH PROJECT/VISIONS OF EDEN/BACCHANALIA albums...it too was presented on the Theatrical Stage in full over the top fashion. Speaking of VISIONS OF EDEN...the other video clip we are releasing today is BONEDUST. I wrote this song for the VISIONS OF EDEN album, where it appears with the instrumentation of vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. The version presented here is quite different. This is the live orchestral take that appeared on the GHOST HARVEST VINTAGE 1 (Black Wine For Mourning) album. This song perhaps acts as a "bridge" between those 3 "VISIONS" clips we just issued on video a week or so ago, and what will be forthcoming in the next week or two...(those clips we finished for tracks from the GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS album). This version of BONEDUST was actually recorded during those live sessions for the GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS album, but I chose to put it on GHOST HARVEST (Vintage 1), as it seemed to fit in nicely in between the tracks: PSYCHIC SLAUGHTER and HEARTS ON FIRE. Using vocals, piano, some angry cellos, keyboards and orchestral percussion, this is a very different take on the song. This version presents the more Bluesy Voodoo-esque side of the song as well as the Gothic, Barbaric-Romantic nature of what we do. We wanted to strip things down to their basic raw essence and present a different view...a different flare if you will. We carried that idea forward and on through, continuing working with these concepts for all the GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS album's tracks. Again all the songs were recorded live and then I went back in and added a bit more orchestration on some of the songs later on. As we said earlier...more videos will be appearing within the next few weeks and yes we are also now quite deep into completing what will be the next new full-length Epic, Barbaric-Romantic VIRGIN STEELE studio album. Cheers! Keep well...keep Healthy and Remain...INVICTUS... STEAMHAMMER / SPV - News

Press Release April 10th, 2020 Greetings Friends! We are currently in the middle of recording what will be the next brand new VIRGIN STEELE studio album…(more details will be forthcoming in the weeks and months ahead), but right now we can tell you that it is very much in the Epic, BARBARIC-ROMANTIC Metal vein, and we do intend to have it ready for a 2020 release. Meanwhile, since we recently had some downtime from the studio due to some much needed renovations that just couldn’t wait and… since we had recently released the vinyl version/edition of the VISIONS OF EDEN, album we thought… “BY THE GODS & GODDESSES…let’s not just sit around doing nothing”…we had a drink…thought for a bit and then exclaimed ”hey why not release another video clip or two for the “VISIONS OF EDEN” vinyl edition re-issue, perhaps the tracks…“GOD ABOVE GOD & THE HIDDEN GOD”. Decision made…using old school, barebones, technology, we began filming, and… while we were at it there in film mode, we also ended up filming even more material which quickly became this “VISIONS OF EDEN” ~ “AN INSIDE THE MUSIC DOCUMENTARY”. Plus…we also ended up doing quite a few videos for tracks from the “GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS” album. (That being one of the 3 brand new releases that we included inside our mammoth 5 disc: “SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE” BOX SET…) The GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS album contains Live-Orchestral versions of VIRGIN STEELE Music, plus a few re-written/re-imagined covers. These “GOTHIC VOODOO” clips will be issued shortly, hot on the heels of these 3 new “VISIONS” clips. We are over the top, so yes…as we were filming/working on all of the above, we also filmed some tracks from the GHOST HARVEST VINTAGE 1 & VINTAGE 2 albums, which will eventually appear in due course as well… But…now… back to the first group of videos…back to the VISIONS OF EDEN album…. The “VISIONS OF EDEN” album concerns Lilith….the first “wife” of Adam….. In actuality Lilith is the Female Principle Of Divinity, and…She is a rebel. Should you need a frame of reference from the male perspective, perhaps She can be considered as something akin to a female Prometheus if you will? However…She is actually something infinitely more powerful. She is the manifestation of the Primal Energy, the Life force, and Creativity. Indeed She is a major part of the Origin Of All Life itself. Due to the tremendous appeal, power and popularity of the Great Goddess within early “Pagan” Society/ Religions / “Mystery Cults”, etc., Patriarchal, Male God worshipping Societies felt their status threatened, therefore they enacted laws and actions in which the worship of the Goddess was made illegal. She was demonized, and many attempts were made to make her become hateful to women. These attempts were only too successful. My story seeks to parallel what occurred so long, long ago, concerning this paradgim shift and destruction, and the reverberations that can still be felt all along the corridors of Time through to our own era today. In our “Inside The Music Documentary” for VISIONS OF EDEN…(The Lilith Project-A Barbaric-Romantic Movie Of The Mind), we explore this tale in audio/visual fashion. This video/documentary functions as a brief essay that explores and explains (track by track)… what the album contains. Using narration, film clips, still photos and of course lots of music, we dive into both the album and the Lilith Metal-Opera that we presented in Germany. As mentioned above, we also completed two new individual clips of songs from the album, one for the song, GOD ABOVE GOD… & one for the song, THE HIDDEN GOD. The GOD ABOVE GOD video discusses both the paradigm shift mentioned above, and the idea of how the “Black Angels” (3 rather unpleasant Beings on the album)…try to “turn” LILITH into the opposite of what She actually is. This video begins with a short summation that depicts the idea that everything that is occurring in the album is all happening now, in the mind of a real life modern day woman as she is being raped…As the video develops the viewer becomes privy to LILITH’S torment, and hears her cries and appeals to…the GOD ABOVE GOD… The HIDDEN GOD video features a very atmospheric take on what the lyrics describe. It features a style somewhat akin to the two video clips that we had previously issued from the “VISIONS” re-issue; the songs: “ WHEN DUSK FELL” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Oosxv2IIVo And… “ BLACK LIGHT ON BLACK” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUAxA98Oh0M. We also previously released a “Lyric Video” for the song: “ THE INEFFABLE NAME” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPe7ZQA3Nbc As stated earlier the VISIONS OF EDEN album is a “Metal-Opera”, or what we prefer to call “A Barbaric-Romantic Movie Of The Mind”, and was re-released in a 2 Disc format, featuring both a re-mixed version, as well as a re-mastered version, and…now of course we have a vinyl edition. In keeping with the impressionistic nature of the “VISIONS” album, the video for THE HIDDEN GOD is performed from the perspective of the Character SAMAEL…who is actually also the Character ADAM. He has this dual nature aspect…our main Character “LILITH” is of course clearly represented in all her various aspects as well. This clip is atmospheric, also quite hallucinogenic and dark…for as you know by now, the subject matter for the entire album and the song itself is actually quite dark, dealing with rape, murder, the death and destruction of certain ancient societies, certain beliefs, and a particular philosophy and way of life, to name but a few concepts expressed within the album…In the case of this particular “HIDDEN GOD” clip you will also find a sardonic sense of humor injected into the proceedings as well…. ‘ Tis The Season Where The Great Goddess Rises…therefore we will be issuing these 3 “VISIONS clips : Friday April 10 th , 2020… 1. The “INSIDE THE MUSIC” DOCUMENTARY… “VISIONS OF EDEN” (The Lilith Project-A Barbaric-Romantic Movie Of The Mind)… will appear at… https://youtu.be/RPGO_EABOOM Plus…. 2. the video for GOD ABOVE GOD…will appear at: https://youtu.be/sjvIIur7kvw and 3. THE HIDDEN GOD…will appear at: https://youtu.be/2MCKsAtyp-A Over the following week or so we will next start to release the various “GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS” album clips. We hope that you are all doing well and maintaining your health and sanity during this mad season…and we hope these videos and this music will bring some comfort during this isolation time…. We look forward to getting onstage and seeing you all again as soon as possible… Keep well, Keep healthy and remain…INVICTUS! VIRGIN STEELE The Only Official VIRGIN STEELE VIDEO CHANNEL IS: http://www.youtube.com/user/VirginSteeleTV www.virgin-steele.com (Official Website) STEAMHAMMER / SPV - News

Press Release January 23rd, 2019



VIRGIN STEELE







IN THE DEVILS GARDEN

An Audio/Visual Sampler or Psychodrama



Above, below, behind, and inside The MusicAn intimate look deep inside the Pagan Heart of the SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE 5 CD BOX SET



Featuring the albums:





GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS (the Not exactly Acoustic Sessions)

GHOST HARVEST (The Spectral Vintage Sessions) VINTAGE 1- BLACK WINE FOR MOURNING

GHOST HARVEST (The Spectral Vintage Sessions) VINTAGE 2- RED WINE FOR WARNING

THE BOOK OF BURNING

HYMNS TO VICTORY



Using cool bare bones old school technology, informal personal at home footage, live rehearsal footage, both moving video clips, & still photos, plus musical excerpts/samples and narration, we have crafted & assembled what we call: an Audio/Visual Symphony. Something like a Radio-Play (think H.G.Wells War Of The Worlds for example.) or perhaps more accurately what we have created is a Psychodrama describing, detailing and providing an above, below, inside & behind the music view so to speak, of what this SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE BOX SET contains, and what it is all about. This Work is raw, wild and untamed, bruised yet beautiful and noSteven Spielberg was not involved. Enjoy!



You can watch the full movie here:



https://youtu.be/07UtK0dJkQs





David DeFeis discusses the SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE MOVIE.:



"I wanted to have this Movie out sooner but my father became quite ill and he passed away on December 20th, 2018 so I was quite involved with many other matters for quite some timebut now we have finally completed this very huge audio/visual documentary, and wellhere it is Like the albums found within the SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE Box Set this Psychodrama also takes one on a tripa journey through the Kingdom of Steele, offering a behind the scenes look into the 5 albums contained withinit is a sort of Photo-Essay, part documentary, and part audio samplerit works strictly from the aural perspective like a Radio broadcast, with voiceover details and musical excerpts/samples from about 40 or so songs out of the 88 pieces found within the collection, butwith the inclusion of all the visuals it has become something even more descriptive and revealing. I originally thought it would be about 8-10 minutes longbut like the Box Set, it grew and grew into this monumental, Epic Road-Trip we now have. This Audio/Visual sampler is an anniversary celebration of our History, as well as a glimpse into some of what we have been doing for the past year, and it is also a depiction of what life is like for us. Here you will find energy, passion, drama, a whole lot of darkness, as well as light (the Danse Macabre is ever present) and yes within all that turbulence there is also a sense of humor as well The visual imagery get more & more elaborate as we delve deeper into the Chaptersand like some of our more Operatic musical moments there are recurring visual themes that are introducedand which develop and morph throughout this Movie. In the weeks ahead we will select and prepare certain songs from each of the 5 discs, and present their full-length video versions.



Hail & Thanks so very much for listening and for being a part of our World"

David DeFeis

(January 22, 2019)



SPV / Steamhammer released the boxset "Seven Devils Moonshine" on November 23rd, 2018 incl 5 CDs (a total of 88 songs) where 3 CDs contain totally new songs and new versions.

The package include a sticker and a 24 page booklet with new lyrics and photos by David DeFeis. SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE-(5 Disc-BOX SET) LINER NOTES:

Cheers, Greetings & Salutations Dear Ever Faithful Eternal Metal Listeners and Friends of the Musical Realm & Written Word Domain! I am putting pen to paper today to inform you all about what we have been doing over the past year and what this Box-Set you are now holding in your hands is all about, its backstory…how we arrived here at this place, and perhaps a bit more about where we might be heading.



As some of you may know we have been re-issuing the VIRGIN STEELE Catalogue bit by bit over the past several years, and in doing so we have consistently been adding copious amounts of Bonus Material to accompany all these various re-issue offerings. The last two albums scheduled as part of the re-issue campaign we began, are the albums: THE BOOK OF BURNING & HYMNS TO VICTORY. When those two albums first appeared they were released simultaneously, therefore we thought why not once again issue them at the exact same time, but…this time let’s include a brand new album and create a kind of Box Set package. Well…once we began planning and recording for such an endeavor we very soon accumulated far more material than what could possibly fit on one disc…so…we thought OK fine…we’ll plan on releasing two new discs chock full of new material to go along with these last two re-issues…and…shortly after that decision was made, we managed to record even more new material, so now we have in addition to the two re-issues, (which by the way do contain one bonus track each), well Friends we now actually have three brand new discs of VS material included within this special Box Set release!



I wish to stress the fact that what we have done here with our Box Set is include 3 brand new albums, not bundle in merely a collection of old bonus tracks we had hanging around for ages and ages… These 3 new discs contain either brand new original songs written and recorded within just these past few months, or brand new re-written covers of songs that we enjoy and felt could be re-cast in the VS style, or…new recordings of classic VS material done either in a special orchestral type setting or stripped way down and re-imagined in vastly different form. Again at the risk of repetition…these aren’t tracks that have been sitting around in the vaults waiting…these are all newly recorded tracks completed specifically for this particular Box Set release. I don’t know if anyone has ever done this kind of thing before, but we felt that for us it was absolutely necessary to do this, and it makes perfect sense for where we are…at this moment.



OK Friends with glass in hand as is only proper as proprietor of the Vineyard, I shall be your guide to this Netherworld and I shall discuss and try to reveal a bit of something about the “Spirit” and “Flavor” of each of the 5 Discs contained within this Epic Box Set we call: SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE. I will begin with the two re-issues….



THE BOOK OF BURNING-when first released featured new versions of classic VIRGIN STEELE tracks like DON’T SAY GOODBYE, A CRY IN THE NIGHT…. etc., but that wasn’t all…It wouldn’t have been VIRGIN STEELE if we didn’t include a full-length album’s worth of brand new material inside it as well, so…that’s just what we did, adding songs like CONJURATION OF THE WATCHER, RAIN OF FIRE, ANNIHILATION, etc.…Since we had already maxed it out so that it was quite a long album originally, we were only able to add one Bonus track to it at this time, but with 3 discs of new material included…we felt that this was acceptable. Anyway…as the bonus track we chose to include for this re-issue an early raw version of the song QUEEN OF THE DEAD, (The Nordic Twilight Version). This version was made for a Radio Broadcast…kind of a live BBC type thing, but it never actually aired so we thought let’s put it on here as it has the same kind of manic energy that the other tracks on this release have. Aggressive, wild, raw and Bombastic this album makes a wonderful companion piece to stand alongside…





HYMNS TO VICTORY-This release features a collection of very over the top Barbaric-Romantic VIRGIN STEELE classic “Hymns” like A SYMPHONY OF STEELE (the special Battle Mix version), NOBLE SAVAGE (the long Lost early Mix Version), and CROWN OF GLORY (Unscarred)-(The In Fury Mix)…to name but a few. Again this album was also already quite long so there actually wasn’t much room left to add a ton of Bonus material. However, we did manage to put a few things on; the “Orchestral Versions” of the songs DUST FROM THE BURNING & its companion piece/coda AMARANTH to be specific. Over the past several months we managed to record quite a bit of material in this kind of stripped down, yet bombastic orchestral style, (more about that in a moment), and these two particular tracks included here are from some of those special recording sessions.



And now on to discuss the 3 brand-new discs…



GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS-features the full range of these stripped down yet quite bombastic orchestral versions of VIRGIN STEELE material that I was just discussing above. The 19 Tracks found on this album are all part of what I call “The Not Exactly Acoustic Sessions”. While they are stripped down and there is no full on drum kit, there is a healthy amount of over the top orchestration, including orchestral percussion, with smashing cymbals, pounding toms and bashing bass drums abounding, so this is definitely NOT a laid back Folk Rock affair, or a mild mannered unplugged situation! No not at all…we are most definitely plugged in and turned all the way up!



The origin for these recordings resides in the live show set list of the stripped down but “not exactly acoustic” show that I have performed on several occasions with my good friend Lynn Marie Delmato. She and I have about 3 hours worth of music that we can perform, and some of what we recorded here comes from that extensive set list.



The initial recordings of piano and vocal and the occasional keyboard, were all performed live and recorded straight up in one go. On some tracks additional orchestration was added later on. You can hear and appreciate the spontaneity, the rawness…the liveliness as we kept in all the various between song and/or during song banter, as well as the various bits of feedback that crop up now and again because we were playing live and really quite loudly throughout these recording sessions. On one track you can even hear my bracelets jingling as I swing my arms around! At times the piano bleeds into the vocal microphone creating an interesting texture, and these natural proceedings bring the listener directly into the room with us. We also left all the various mistakes in, as we wanted all that live chaos to be kept intact…I personally love albums like THE WHO’S LIVE AT LEEDS, were you can hear all that madness…all the noise…quite clearly. It makes for a nice intimate experience. If you are wondering what that little bit of conversation is about during SPOONFUL, well normally from that song we segue into LED ZEPPELIN’S “DANCING DAYS”, and because of the particular note I hit Lynn Marie thought I wanted to head into that song…but…I wasn’t quite done with SPOONFUL yet…hence the “there’s another verse” line…the DANCING DAYS portion was left off this disc due to the fact that it didn’t fit time-wise…perhaps it will appear on another album one day… I wasn’t quite aware of it while we were recording, but upon listening back I found that in many ways these new versions come across as even heavier than the original “full group” recordings. For what is interesting is that the less instrumentation there is being recorded, the larger the existing sound of what you are actually using can become. For example the song THE BLACK LIGHT BACCHANALIA is incredibly explosive, completely over the top, and for me manages to capture just as much and perhaps even more darkness, power and energy than what we achieved on the original recording. To me it sounds like what Blues giant Robert Johnson might sound like today had he really sold his soul to the Devil. It reminds me of the first time I heard LED ZEPPELIN, and how in awe I was of the raw power of those first two incredible albums…



In order to fully appreciate these Works, I think it’s important to try to understand where we are coming from and what we tried to achieve with this particular album and by extension also the other two new releases contained within this Box Set package. Our interest is capturing the emotion of a song, keeping it as raw as possible, and based on our initial instincts. We try to maintain and be true to our own particular sonic landscape, and musical ideology.



Tracks like THE ORPHEUS TABOO, KINGDOM OF THE FEARLESS, etc., are Barbaric-Romantic Metal songs, but with this type of orchestral interpretation the “Classical” nature of what we do pushes itself deep into the foreground crystalizes, and its presence and purpose appears more clearly in focus. Some straight up “Classical” people who have heard this album have suggested that this kind of performance leaves the door open for that type of audience to perhaps enter into the mix. Do they mean a gig at The New York Metropolitan Opera House…who knows? We shall see…regardless…for us the album is pure VIRGIN STEELE…with all its attendant violence and drama, and both the Metallic/Barbaric-Romantic Nature on full display, as well as the more down and dirty Rock or Bluesy vibe quite prevalent and abundant and intent on making itself known within the structures of the various selections. We approached all the performances from a purely emotional standpoint…using the voice as weapon- and/or like a guitar solo, against that surging orchestral sonic soundscape to invoke a cauldron of Dark Magick…and the beating of a wicked black heart…. The GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS album starts out in full on BARBARIC-ROMANTIC mode, with the orchestral version of I WILL COME FOR YOU, and proceeds to take the Listener on a vast sweeping journey that encompasses a world, wealth and breadth of moods, styles, emotions and musical terrain, gradually morphing and culminating into a kind of Deep South very GOTHC VOODOO BLUES vibe by album’s end. In addition to these alternate takes on the various VS songs, there are also several covers that were all re-arranged…re-imagined and performed live and raw…from the icy grandeur of LED ZEPPELIN’S “NO QUARTER”, (with its swirl of demonic wind against a black snow sky ambiance), to SON HOUSE’S sweat and pain drenched “DEATH LETTER BLUES”. We discussed this song and rehearsed it only once before we recorded it. This is the one and only take of this track. This version managed to capture everything we envisioned or wanted for our interpretation. Within this album you will find Metal, Romanticism, Beauty, Tenderness and also as I said earlier an incredible Violence, a focused rage…that I believe makes for a Dramatic Musical Experience. For us the album provides an intimate inside look into the songs and what makes them tick, and presents an unvarnished, passionate statement. It stands as a testament to our way of life and our commitment to the Immortal Spirit Of Music.



GHOST HARVEST (The Spectral Vintage Sessions) Disc 1-(VINTAGE 1)-BLACK WINE FOR MOURNING:



Ahhhh my Friends…make no mistake…this is a brand new album. This Work features 11 brand new recordings of new tracks written over just these past few months, plus 2 re-written…re-imagined covers. The full group instrumentation was implemented on these tracks and the songs burst with a passionate onslaught of drama, power, mystery, and eternal longing, The majority of the songs on this album portray real life incidents and experiences, and do relate to each other. Musically the album runs the gamut from Barbaric-Romantic Metal, to Bluesy explorations of a Dark Voodoo-like nature. The songs FERAL and GREEN DUSK BLUES are over the top Gothic Style Blues Epics, which burn with tempestuous fire, while the songs, PSYCHIC SLAUGHTER and SEVEN DEAD WITHIN are aggressive, wild Metallic experiences performed with unbridled passion. In addition to all the full group instrumentation recordings you will also find an orchestral version of the song BONEDUST here. This was actually something we intended to put on the GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS album, but it seemed to fit quite comfortably here directly after PSYCHIC SLAUGHTER. The two covers we present are WICKED GAME and LITTLE WING. WICKED GAME just grew and grew…our version is very Gothic Voodoo-esque. It continually rises and seems about to peak/climax but just when you feel like the denouement is finally upon you, another new rise begins to develop. This keeps up until the final onrushing moment and even then the song won’t quit. It eventually explodes and finally dissolves ever so gradually leaving the listener spent with the afterglow of a mighty climactic moment. LITTLE WING was also reconfigured in this “Gothic Blues” style, and it segues directly into a track I wrote called THE GODS DON’T REMEMBER, which brings an infernal closure to Disc One’s “Spectral Black Vintage” in proper glass draining fashion. GHOST HARVEST (The Spectral Vintage Sessions) Disc 2-



(VINTAGE 2)-RED WINE FOR WARNING:



“VINTAGE 2” continues our Spirit drenched exploration and celebration of all things Barbaric-Romantic, Bluesy, melancholy, Dark as well as Light…It kicks off with a piano vocal version of the NOBLE SAVAGE album track, “THE EVIL IN HER EYES”. This is a stripped down version performed with just me on piano and vocal. I had awakened one morning and the thought popped into my head to attempt a really raw version of the song, and I went into the studio straightaway and began exploring how it could possibly be done and here…is the result. Disc 2 (VINTAGE 2-Red Wine For Warning), is the more eclectic album of this GHOST HARVEST series, and contains tracks that several people who have heard them suggest that with such songs we could possibly reach an entirely different type of audience all together, for example like the way QUEEN did with some of their more esoteric tracks. Only time will tell about that, but I can honestly tell you that type of thinking did not factor one bit into why we did some of the more left hand path tracks found on here like the song “SISTER MOON” for example. This was again simply a thought in my head one day and before the night appeared this song was being recorded. We kept that particular dreamlike, otherworldly mood up with the “SUMMERTIME DARKNESS SUITE”. I wanted something that had the dual nature of “Classical Music & a “Jazz-like-Ragtime” attitude like some of Debussy’s piano Works, something that had a hallucinogenic New Orleans to New York City quality…and this “Suite” along with the previously mentioned track and also “THE GODS ARE HUNGRY TRIPTYCH”, achieved that aim.



Once again you will find new material on this disc, as well as several re-written, re-imagined covers, and also a few more really raw, very, very stripped down live in the studio tracks that were recorded during the GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEM sessions. We put them on here as they easily fit in with the overall lysergic ethereal mood of this particular disc. The “LATE NIGHT BARROOM HOODOO MEDLEY” is a good example of that psychotropic barrelhouse style!



The one track that you may have heard before is the song THE BIRTH OF BEAUTY. This song was originally released on Disc 2 of our NOCTURNES OF HELLFIRE & DAMNATION album. I used some of the lyrics from this song for THE GODS ARE HUNGRY POEM…and even though the music is light years apart, I found a beautiful connection materialized between these selections, along with another track I wrote called, “THE POISONED WOUND”. I felt that these tracks belonged together and made a complete tri-part statement thus the inclusion of THE BIRTH OF BEAUTY here. The lyric on this song where I sing, “A Pagan Bonfire ‘round which we Dance while the Harvest Lord burns gladly…Praising You…” sums up the violence, the beauty, the melancholy…and the darkness of the entire 2 disc GHOST HARVEST set… There is also an Epic piece called THE TRIPLE GODDESS which features spoken poetry a bit of psychotic “Opera”, Metal, and a very “Classical” music section that reveals the qualities and characteristics of The Great Goddess in Her 3 aspects and Her relationship with the Moon…



Whatever one may think of these left hand path explorations I know that the attitude of “go for it…the world be damned METAL” lives inside all of it. I don’t know of too many other Groups who would have the balls to do what we do and just did.



You will find the idea of “3”…appearing often here, plus the Lunar Cycles, sowing and then reaping or the harvesting of many “Ghosts” and the Wine Theme, and the…well…the absinthe and the scotch/whiskey/Moonshine…”SPIRITS” theme all quite prevalent throughout these recordings and some tracks conjure the Dark Juju mood and vision of despair at the crossroads…the gallows…or the feeling of being in a long after midnight attic, or some smoke filled barroom with the newly risen full moon shining through making Shadows dance, and memories cry…here Agony or Ecstasy is just a sip away…Is that an Angel next to you or a Devil…or a DEVIL/ANGEL…? As I mentioned above many of the tracks do relate to each other. It is not a concept album per se, but there is an overall theme…a sense of malevolence unseen yet lurking just around the bend, darkness, longing…the so-called forbidden…anti-authority, danger, sweat, love, lust, & death…and the drive and unbridled passion of living life to its fullest before the final curtain comes down Over the years many people from serious Journalists to serious Fans on the street have discussed and said that we have created our own unique brand or style of Metal…call it Epic…Bombastic Symphonic…Power Metal, etc., or what we call “Barbaric-Romantic”, I truly believe that we have kept that forward momentum going, and with the later Works and most certainly these 3 new discs contained within the SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE Box Set, have also crafted a new sound & style for ourselves…call it GOTHIC VOODOO ANTHEMS if you will…Dark, Gothic Blues-Metal…BARBARIC-ROMANTIC VOODOO…EPIC-BLUES…whatever…the sound is recognizable, it is honest and it is us.



We knew that it was going to be quite an ambitious undertaking to do all this and we went for it with full on enthusiasm and commitment. And now upon completion we find that for us these 3 new albums summon a Pagan Majesty that burns with its own unique incandescence, transcends time, and place, and reaps a rich reward…an abundant sonic “harvest” if you will, for the adventurous musical palette with full bodied flavors both earthy and ethereal, spicy, and exotic, inviting, yet foreboding, structured, and untamed, deliriously stormy, chaotic and tranquil, with an undertone of smoke abounding, to exhilarate the sensibilities of those who dare to enter this Bacchic-Orphic-Dionysian Realm where Fire-Spirits burn and explode with mad Delirium on a quest for Immortality, to reach that place where the Lifestream touches Eternity…



These Works are for you and for both the long and recently departed and well-loved Spirits; and also for those yet to come….



NEXT:



With the variety of material presented here within, one might be tempted to ask, ”Well what’s next”? I can tell you that we have already begun recording what will be the next two full-length VIRGIN SEELE albums. The first of these will be a concept type album in the vein of perhaps something like THE HOUSE OF ATREUS or THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN & HELL, something very heavy, dramatic, very Metal and very “Classical”…Barbaric-Romantic…if you will. Yes I already have the titles and all the lyrics but I will wait to reveal them…and the one after that…which at the present moment is actually already a double disc affair, is for lack of a better word…very “Autumnal” in tone and again quite heavy, quite Gothic, mysterious and very dark. And in keeping with the idea of forward momentum I honestly feel that once again we have broken new ground with the albums that will appear next. A Royal Thanks and a Triple Round Of Drinks to Edward Pursino, Josh Block, Lynn Marie Delmato, Matt McKasty, Robert Esposito, Ed Warrin, Lisa Rose, Mark Edwards, (aka Geoff Fontaine), Olly Hahn, Frank Uhle and all at SPV, Jens Reinhold, and all Our Friends all around the World….



Cheers to you ALL! May you Burn with Noble Fire all the Days & Nights of your incredible lives….



BY THE BLACK SUN & MOON,



David Dionysus DeFeis



August 2018 Photo credits: Damina Rath, Lisa Rose, Gail Flug, Ed Warrin, Matthias Handrek & Michelle Francis STEAMHAMMER / SPV - News

Press Release September 18th, 2018



VIRGIN STEELE

US Metal legends VIRGIN STEELE will release on November 23, 2018 "Seven Devils Moonshine" a special 5 CD boxset for their 35th anniversary.



Founder and mastermind David DeFeis explains the whole boxset:



“Cheers, Greetings & Salutations Dear Ever Faithful Eternal Metal Listeners and Friends of the Musical Realm & Written Word Domain! I am putting pen to paper today to inform you all about what we have been doing over the past year and what this Box-Set you are now holding in your hands is all about, its backstory…how we arrived here at this place, and perhaps a bit more about where we might be heading.



As some of you may know we have been re-issuing the VIRGIN STEELE Catalogue bit by bit over the past several years, and in doing so we have consistently been adding copious amounts of Bonus Material to accompany all these various re-issue offerings. The last two albums scheduled as part of the re-issue campaign we began, are the albums: THE BOOK OF BURNING & HYMNS TO VICTORY. When those two albums first appeared they were released simultaneously, therefore we thought why not once again issue them at the exact same time, but…this time let’s include a brand new album and create a kind of Box Set package. Well…once we began planning and recording for such an endeavor we very soon accumulated far more material than what could possibly fit on one disc…so…we thought OK fine…we’ll plan on releasing two new discs chock full of new material to go along with these last two re-issues…and…shortly after that decision was made, we managed to record even more new material, so now we have in addition to the two re-issues, (which by the way do contain one bonus track each), well Friends we now have actually three brand new discs of VS material included within this special Box Set release!



I wish to stress the fact that what we have done here with our Box Set is include 3 brand new albums, not bundle in merely a collection of old bonus tracks we had hanging around for ages and ages… These 3 new discs contain either brand new original songs written and recorded within just these past few months, or brand new re-written covers of songs that we enjoy and felt could be re-cast in the VS style, or…new recordings of classic VS material done either in a special orchestral type setting or stripped way down and re-imagined in vastly different form. Again at the risk of repetition…these aren’t tracks that have been sitting around in the vaults waiting…these are all newly recorded tracks completed specifically for this particular Box Set release. I don’t know if anyone has ever done this kind of thing before, but we felt that for us it was absolutely necessary to do this, and it makes perfect sense for where we are…at this moment.



OK Friends with glass in hand as is only proper as proprietor of the Vineyard, I shall be your guide to this Netherworld and I shall discuss and try to reveal a bit of something about the “Spirit” and “Flavor” of each of the 5 Discs contained within this Epic Box Set we call: SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE.”



SPV / Steamhammer is proud to release this boxset on November 23rd, 2018 incl 5 CDs (a total of 88 songs) where 3 CDs contain totally new songs and new versions. The package will also include a sticker and a 24 page booklet with new lyrics and photos by David DeFeis.



NEW EASY TO USE SMART LINK FOR PRE-ORDERS:



SmartLink for Pre-Orders



MORE PRE-ORDER LINKS FOR THE SEVEN DEVILS MOONSHINE BOX SET: Germany - thalia.de

Germany - mediamarkt.de

Belgium

Japan

Italy - amazon.it

Italy - amazon.com PRE-ORDER LINKS: Germany

UK

France

All of Europe



TRACKLISTINGS:



CD 1 “Ghost Harvest (The Spectral Vintage Sessions)” Vintage 1 – Black Wine For Mourning (new album)

1. SEVEN DEAD WITHIN

2. GREEN DUSK BLUES

3. PSYCHIC SLAUGHTER

4. BONEDUST (Orchestral Version)

5. HEARTS ON FIRE

6. CHILD OF THE MORNING STAR

7. MURDER IN HIGH-GLOSS RELIEF

8. FERAL

9. JUSTINE

10. PRINCESS AMY

11. WICKED GAME

Clouds Of Oblivion Medley (Tracks 12 & 13)

12. LITTLE WING

13. THE GODS DON’T REMEMBER…



CD 2 “Ghost Harvest (The Spectral Vintage Sessions)” Vintage 2 – Red Wine For Warning (new album) 1. THE EVIL IN HER EYES (Piano & Vocal Version)

2. FEELIN’ ALRIGHT

3. SISTER MOON

Summertime Darkness Suite (Tracks 4, 5, & 6)

4. SWEATING INTO DAWN

5. SUMMERTIME

6. BLACK LEAVES SWIRL DOWN MY STREET

7. RIP OFF

The Gods Are Hungry Triptych (Tracks 8, 9, & 10)

8. THE GODS ARE HUNGRY POEM

9. THE POISONED WOUND

10. THE BIRTH OF BEAUTY

11. PROFESSION OF VIOLENCE…

12. ROCK STEADY

13. NUTSHELL

14. SLOW & EASY “INTRO”

15. JESUS JUST LEFT CHICAGO

Late Night Barroom Hoodoo Medley (Tracks 16, 17, 18, & 19)

16. SOUL KITCHEN

17.WHEN THE MUSIC’S OVER

18. CRAWLING KING SNAKE

19. WHEN THE MUSIC’S OVER “Reprise”

20. IMHULLU

The Drained White Suite (Tracks 21, 22, & 23)

21. AFTER DARK

22. WAKE THE DEAD

23. THE GRAVEYARD DANCE

24. THE TRIPLE GODDESS

25.TWILIGHT OF THE GODS (Live Acoustic Rehearsal Version)

26. TRANSFIGURATION (Live Acoustic Rehearsal Version)



CD 3 “Gothic Voodoo Anthems” (new album) 1. I WILL COME FOR YOU (Orchestral Version)

2. QUEEN OF THE DEAD (Orchestral Version)

3. THE ORPHEUS TABOO (Orchestral Version)

4. KINGDOM OF THE FEARLESS (The Destruction Of Troy) (Orchestral version)

5. THE BLACK LIGHT BACCHANALIA (Orchestral Version)

6. ZEUS ASCENDANT

7. BY THE HAMMER OF ZEUS (And The Wrecking Ball Of Thor) (Orchestral Version)

The Gothic Voodoo Suite (Tracks 8, 9 & 10)

8. RUMANIAN FOLK DANCE No. 3 “PE LOC”

9. DELIRIUM “Excerpt”

10. SNAKESKIN VOODOO MAN (Orchestral Version)

11. THE ENCHANTER

The Fire & Ice Medley (Tracks 12, 13 & 14)

12. BONE CHINA

13. NO QUARTER

14. BONE CHINA “Reprise”

Passion In The French Quarter Medley (Tracks 15 & 16)

15. CHLOE DANCER

16. GENTLE GROOVE



17. DARKNESS-DARKNESS

18. DEATH LETTER BLUES

19. SPOONFUL



CD 4 “Hymns To Victory” (re-release) 1. FLAMES OF THY POWER (From Blood They Rise)

2. THROUGH THE RING OF FIRE

3. INVICTUS

4. CROWN OF GLORY (UNSCARRED) (In Fury Mix)

5. KINGDOM OF THE FEARLESS (The Destruction Of Troy)

6. THE SPIRIT OF STEELE (Acoustic Version)

7. A SYMPHONY OF STEELE (Battle Mix)

8. THE BURNING OF ROME (Cry For Pompeii)

9. I WILL COME FOR YOU

10. DUST FROM THE BURNING & AMARANTH (Orchestral Versions) - Bonus Tracks

11. NOBLE SAVAGE (Long Lost Early Mix)

12. MISTS OF AVALON

13. EMALAITH



CD 5 “The Book Of Burning” (re-release) 1. CONJURTION OF THE WATCHER

2. DON’T SAY GOODBYE (TONIGHT)

3. RAIN OF FIRE

4. ANNIHILATION

5. HELLFIRE WOMAN

6. CHILDREN OF THE STORM

7. THE CHOSEN ONES

8. THE SUCCUBUS

9. MINUET IN G MINOR

10. THE REDEEMER

11. I AM THE ONE

12. HOT AND WILD

13. BIRTH THROUGH FIRE

14. GUARDIANS OF THE FLAME

15. THE FINAL DAYS

16. A CRY IN THE NIGHT

17. QUEEN OF THE DEAD (Nordic Twilight Version) - Bonus Track www.virgin-steele.com

https://www.facebook.com/VIRGINSTEELEOFFICIAL

http://www.youtube.com/user/VirginSteeleTV

https://www.facebook.com/steamhammerofficial/



NEWS For August 2018 On September 14, 2018 NO REMORSE RECORDS will release the first 2 VIRGIN STEELE albums in the following configurations: The PRE-ORDER LINKS ARE: https://www.noremorse.gr/product_info.php?products_id=68001

https://www.noremorse.gr/product_info.php?products_id=67999

https://www.noremorse.gr/product_info.php?products_id=67998

https://www.noremorse.gr/product_info.php?products_id=67995

https://www.noremorse.gr/product_info.php?products_id=68000

https://www.noremorse.gr/product_info.php?products_id=67997

https://www.noremorse.gr/product_info.php?products_id=67996

https://www.noremorse.gr/product_info.php?products_id=67994 Hail & all the best to you ALL! VIRGIN STEELE HOME OFFICE NEWS FOR APRIL: ----------------------------------------------------------------- VIRGIN STEELE has released a “VIDEO SINGLE” on VIRGINSTEELETV for the songs “When Dusk Fell” and “Black Light On Black”, taken from the current VISIONS OF EDEN album re-issue.



The links for the clips are:



WHEN DUSK FELL: https://youtu.be/6Oosxv2IIVo





And…



BLACK LIGHT ON BLACK: https://youtu.be/nUAxA98Oh0M





Hail, Cheers and all the best to you ALL!



VS HOME OFFICE









----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS FOR SPRING: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings Friends, While the Group is currently working on what will be their next two brand new albums plus various other musical bits and pieces, they have also managed to keep a hand in the visual side of things, and several videos will shortly be forthcoming throughout the month of April. The band has done several informal filming sessions in their rehearsal space, in their studio and at several locations around Long Island. Footage has been shot and edited for three tracks from their new re-issue of “VISIONS OF EDEN”. The first release of these endeavors will be a kind of “Video Single” featuring the songs WHEN DUSK FELL and BLACK LIGHT ON BLACK. Clips for several tracks from their last album “NOCTURNES OF HELLFIRE & DAMNATION”, were also filmed and will be issued in the weeks ahead, as well as some clips from earlier Works. We thank you kindly for all your strong support, and we wish you an absolutely great Spring & Summer Season and an all around incredible Year! Many Thanks and a Loud BY THE GODS & GODDESSES to you All!!! Cheers, VS HOME OFFICE

Mark Gorman www.virgin-steele.com (Official Website) -----------------------------------------------------------------



INTERVIEW: Gail Flug-(METAL FILINGS RADIO SHOW HOST)-speaks with VIRGIN STEELE about the forthcoming “Video Single” featuring the songs “WHEN DUSK FELL” and “BLACK LIGHT ON BLACK” taken from the current new re-issue of the VISIONS OF EDEN album. Gail questions the Group about the meaning behind those clips and others, plus their plans for brand new sounds, and the next re-issues etc…



Gail Flug: Hail Men Of Steele I really enjoyed the clips! What can you tell me about the meaning behind these visual experiences?



David: Cheers Gail! It’s very nice to speak with you once again so soon after we conversed on your radio program last month. Thanks for stopping by.



Ok…well let’s see…the first few we completed are as you know from the re-release of VISIONS OF EDEN, plus one from the NOCTURNES OF HELLFIRE AND DAMNATION album, and they are…I guess you could say they are somewhat impressionistic expressions or interpretations of the emotions contained within the songs. Visually there is a lot to digest…but that being said…the overall effect is really a personal, intimate look at the band and the meaning behind the songs themselves…and of course the “meaning” can be interpreted any number of ways. At the end of the day, these visuals “feel” very real. I believe that you get a true sense of us and a sense of our place on this Sacred Island Of Long where we all live and that we deeply care about and love. There’s a lot of outside nature in the videos. We captured the long cold winter and those last 2 snow escapades that occurred. The idea behind everything was to keep it raw, honest and present our natural environment. The clips have a lot of character and a lot of life to them, and are uniquely VIRGIN STEELE.



Edward: I don’t think they look like any other group. We have our own style and attitude and you can hear that in the music and see that onstage or in the videos.



G.F. I was really taken by the clip for WHEN DUSK FELL. That one is very dark, yet quite beautiful.



David: Thanks so very much. Since the music is alternately dark and also empowering, I wanted to try to achieve something similar with the visuals.







G.F. Who shot the footage for all the videos I saw?



David: Ed Warrin wielded the camera. You know him he filmed the radio interview that you and I did together last month…he’s very cool, creative and a pleasure to work with. He shot the videos, and supplied some of those “animation” type things that appear, and I edited the clips and took the still shots that were used.



G.F. So you are Damian Rath right?



David: Ha! Always have been…always will be….



G.F. Great! Where was WHEN DUSK FELL shot?



David: All of it was filmed around my place and the still photos were taken at Saint Charles, you know it…the cemetery off Wellwood Avenue. Some of those stills I shot through my car window while driving around the various pathways, and then I decided to get a bit deeper into the experience so I parked, ventured out and shot several more photos while wandering around on foot in there one really freezing cold day about 2 weeks ago. There is a definite sense of cold, and gloom about that clip that I really enjoy.







G.F. On the VISIONS OF EDEN album in that song during that particular part of the “Opera” the Character of Eve is singing to Adam, but in the video there is a whole other layer of meaning going on. What can you tell me about that?



David: Yes you are correct! In the context of the entire “VISIONS” Work the song itself concerns Eve’s lament and also Lilith’s, but the video simply taken on its own extracted from the album, can probably be conceived of as having to do with the ending of, or the death of a close relationship, or…the actual demise of a lover, a family member, a friend…or even the death of the narrator…a kind of requiem maybe…it is open and rather ambiguous which I think is nice, because what I don’t ever want to do with a video is to have it seem like there is only one possible meaning…there are always several and it all depends on what the viewer or listener brings to it from their life experience. It is open to each individual’s emotions and each person might come away with a different interpretation…



Edward: I was rather surprised when I first saw it. I think that clip is very majestic. It has a real royal, noble quality and a darkness that is moving.



Josh: I found it epic and sad, but really beautiful, and triumphant at the same time.



G.F. The audio is from the Barbaric Re-mix Version right?



David: Yes…absolutely.







G.F. I think the re-mixes are wonderful. There is so much more detail to the songs now. Tell me about the clip for BLACK LIGHT ON BLACK. What is that all about?



David: Thanks a million! Hmmm…well…you will find several recurring motifs in all the ”VISIONS” clips like the snow, and the black and white masks...fire…etc. You will also find some of those motifs in one of the clips we shot for the ”NOCTURNES” album. We did the song WE DISAPPEAR, as you know and just recently saw, and since that album concerns “relationships” and so does the “VISIONS” album though on a different scale, we thought why not connect the visual imagery. We actually weren’t going to do BLACK LIGHT ON BLACK that day in some of those locations…it just naturally happened and it took on a different character than what I had first imagined for the song visually. Due to some of the locations we shot in, it perhaps has a dirtier or grittier quality or “feel”. At first I thought it would have been interesting to do it as a lyric video like THE INEFFABLE NAME clip or LUCIFER’S HAMMER, but it grew along a different path as we were filming, and I think the idea behind the lyric comes through pretty clearly…that sense of loss and the “fall from grace” idea…



G.F. And where was that video shot?



David: Again some of the same locations as WHEN DUSK FELL, but also our rehearsal space and the place where we sometimes store our gear.



Edward: I like the energy of the clip. It steamrolls right over you. The onstage shots combine nicely with the “nature” footage and the whole thing takes you on a special journey, which I think is what is supposed to happen with a video.



Josh: I agree. It is bombastic. It’s like a mini-movie.



David: Yeah maybe eventually we can film the storyline to the whole VISIONS OF EDEN album…the “Barbaric-Romantic-Movie Of The Mind! It is a dream of mine….



G.F. Do it! I also enjoyed the clip for the song WE DISAPPEAR. What does that one represent?



David: Thanks a lot! The song on its own without any of the visuals, speaks of the destruction of relationships beyond just any kind of one on one, person-to-person type relationship…it is mainly about the death of humanity’s relationship with the world and with the self. It also has something to do with the events that occurred here on September 11, 2001. The video clip I believe expresses all that, and maybe the visuals make it a bit more obvious in the idea of the severing of our personal relationship with the self…it shows a kind of dissolving of our being…and on a lighter note it showcases the noble good looks of our new drummer Matt McKasty!



Josh: Indeed! And even though the subject matter is dark, the video somehow manages to capture a more “upbeat” side of the Group.



Edward: Yes! Even though it is very serious, it still captures a hi-energy heroic mood, and almost has a sort of “glam” feel to it in some of the footage that was shot in rehearsal. I mean that in the original sense of the term, as found in groups like T.Rex or Mott The Hoople or Queen.



Josh: It definitely has a different “look” than the others and a more “groovy” vibe.



David: That’s true. It’s strange in that there is this juxtaposition of what the lyrics are expressing and the alternating mood of melancholia and exuberance and anger…there’s a kind of “I’m launching myself into the volcano or the abyss but I am in ecstasy about it”, sort of feeling. You could say that there is always darkness lurking behind the sun…so to speak.



G.F. I like the beard David. It makes you look like BAD COMPANY’S Paul Rodgers.



David: Ha ha, ha! Thanks! In some of the clips I am sporting both looks…the beard and the clean-shaven face…it keeps things interesting for me.







G.F. Will you be releasing any more clips from the “NOCTURNES” album? I do hope so as I really like it, especially the double disc 29 song version.



Edward: Yes. We already finished one for David’s acoustic song, A GREATER BURNING OF INNOCENCE. That clip features just David and I doing our thing.



David: Yeah, that one is pretty cool. We actually shot that one, and believe it or not…a clip for HOUSE OF DUST on the same day and those two visually have a similar vibe. I wrote A GREATER BURNING OF INNOCENCE to be a simple acoustic guitar and vocal piece, and the video nicely captures the chemistry between Edward and I. We are also planning on completing one we shot for FALLEN ANGELS and a few others. We also shot some stuff from THE HOUSE OF ATREUS…it all depends on time, but we do want to eventually complete everything we have filmed. It sometimes takes awhile, but in the end we do complete everything that we set out to do.



Josh: And hey Dave remember you and I also did that rehearsal video for THE BREAD OF WICKEDNESS.



David: Oh yeah! That’s right! That one is crazy. It features just Josh and I running the song down with him on seven-string guitar going through a Marshall amp, and my vocal. That video is already done so it will probably come out fairly soon. That song is pretty short as VIRGIN STEELE songs go, but when I edited it I added a new intro music section, and an outro music section, so there’s all sorts of demonic imagery in there set to these strange sounds…I had taken photos of the Super Moon we had and other lunar photos and trees and such and those were used here and there in that one and also in the clips from the “VISIONS” album.



G.F. So what is the plan for those clips and the others that are still being edited?



David: We plan on issuing whatever is done over the month of April, and then as another one reaches completion whenever that may be…we will put it out…As I mentioned earlier we will first issue a kind of “Video Single” with the songs WHEN DUSK FELL and BLACK LIGHT ON BLACK coming out together at the same time.



G.F. Those two will make a bold visual statement. And what about new sounds? What is next with the re-issues?



David: Up next is a box set with THE BOOK OF BURNING, HYMNS TO VICTORY and hopefully a whole lot of bonus material. We may possibly include the bonus album GHOST HARVEST, which we have been adding and subtracting to constantly. We have live material, new material, new cover material…all sorts of stuff that we are still sorting out and trying to decide what to do with. We are also still recording new tracks and that further complicates matters, so again we are not yet exactly sure what will be used in the end result.



G.F. And what about the two brand new concept type albums you mentioned to me about when you were on my radio show?



David: We will be back to work finishing them in the weeks ahead. I believe that they contain some of the best material yet to come, and we want to do complete justice to them from every angle. But before those albums appear…fear not… you will still receive new music within the context of the next box set re-issue.



G.F. Thanks very much for all that information and thanks very much for your time gentlemen.



David: Our pleasure Gail…thanks for listening, and viewing and thanks very much for all your questions. Cheers and all the very best to you!



Edward: Stay cool!



Josh: You are very welcome! Hail!





----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS February 2017 ----------------------------------------------------------------- New Lyric Video from Thrashers ORIGINAL SIN- "BITCHES FROM HELL": Music by David DeFeis and Edward Pursino Lyrics by David DeFeis Published and Copyright by DEFEIS MUSIC BMI/GEMA, and PURSINO MUSIC BMI/GEMA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "This Lyric Video features a New Version of the cult classic song Bitches from Hell by the Group ORIGINAL SIN, taken from the SATAN'S DAUGHTERS Triple Deluxe Sinful Version album. The Link: ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- VIRGIN STEELE-"VISIONS OF EDEN" Re-issue = coming February 17th on Steamhammer SPV = Records... ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW LYRIC VIDEO for the song "THE INEFFABLE NAME", from the upcoming VIRGIN STEELE-"VISIONS OF EDEN" Re-release. This is the Barbaric Remix Version. NEWS January 2017 ----------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to VIRGIN STEELE'S VISIONS OF EDEN album which is due out next month on February 17th, through STEAMHAMMER SPV, (see here below), during that very same week will also appear the re-release of the Classic Thrash Metal album ORIGINAL SIN featuring two remastered versions of the album, a remixed version and bonus tracks. Recorded and mixed in a whirlwind two days and featuring David DeFeis' sister Danae on vocals, this album caused quite a stir in the Metal Underground when it was first released. It has been gloriously resurrected and is being released on the same label that brought you the EXORCIST-NIGHTMARE THEATRE Deluxe re-issue...HIGH ROLLER RECORDS. For information on VIRGIN STEELE'S VISIONS OF EDEN contact- STEAMHAMMER SPV: Homepage: www.spv.de Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/spv Steamhammer on FB: https://www.facebook.com/steamhammerofficial Steamhammer Shop: http://shop.steamhammer.de For information regarding ORIGINAL SIN contact- HIGH ROLLER RECORDS: Am Hof 4a 25494 Borstel-Hohenraden Germany web: www.hrrecords.de STEAMHAMMER / SPV - News

Press Release December 05th, 2016

VIRGIN STEELE

- "Visions Of Eden" (Re-Release) - coming in February 2017 -

SPV / Steamhammer is proud to re-release on February 17th, 2017 Virgin Steele´s "Visions Of Eden" as a 2CD digipak. The first disc will contain a remixed version of the entire album and the second disc will contain a remastered presentation of the original version. The package will also include a huge booklet with new liner notes and unseen photos by David DeFeis.

David DeFeis comments on the re-release: The Barbaric-Romantic power metal band VIRGIN STEELE will re-issue their eleventh studio album VISIONS OF EDEN. The music from this album first appeared on the Theatrical Stage in what was already the third “Metal-Opera” delivered by David DeFeis to the Landestheatre Scwaben of Memmingen Germany, the first being Klytaimnestra Oder Der Fluch Der Atriden (based on the two VIRGIN STEELE albums THE HOUSE OF ATREUS – ACT I, & THE HOUSE OF ATREUS ACT II). Due to the success of the first “Opera”, that Work was quickly followed by Die Rebellen, an epic based on THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN & HELL & INVICTUS albums. Both of the first 2 “Operas”, Klytaimnestra Oder Der Fluch Der Atriden, & Die Rebellen premiered to huge success in Germany, and were extravagantly staged and taken on tour. In 2003 the VISIONS OF EDEN Work premiered on the theatrical stage as “LILITH” again to great success, with over 50 performances to its credit. While many groups have presented “Metal-Operas’ on record, VIRGIN STEELE is the only group that I know of that has managed to present not just one, but three “Metal-Operas” on the Theatrical Stage! The band even managed to get noticed by the “straight press”, such as Der Speigel and Opera News! In the truest sense VIRGIN STEELE combine classical music and subject matter with true power metal in their own inimitable fashion. In the Work Visions Of Eden – The Lilith Project – A Barbaric Romantic Movie Of The Mind…contrary to what the title implies, this album promises no fullfillment of the utopian dream even though the orchestration again shows lavish full-metallic creativity and the band re-demonstrates its compositional strength throughout.Its composer David DeFeis, explains…“VISIONS OF EDEN” is most definitely not about happiness, peace, contentment or Eternal tranquility…it is in fact the complete opposite. It is about disorder, strife, struggle, dominance, the annihilation of a culture, the annihilation of a way of Life, and the violation & annihilation of a human being. I have based this Work around the history of the destruction of Paganism, Gnosticism and the desecration & eradication of the Goddess Principle that once dwelt so freely within Divinity. A massive blow was struck against these early beliefs, by first, the rise of the "Father-God" principle, and second by the development of "organized" religions. The VISIONS OF EDEN album concerns LILITH, first wife of Adam, (he of Biblical fame, as in Adam & Eve and the apple, the snake and all that fig leaf and rib propaganda), plus Ancient Sumerian Myths concerning Lilith’s relationship with Adam, Eve and God. However, that being said, in actuality, it is really about today…modern times and how we might have arrived here at this strange place we now currently inhabit…

TRACKLISTING "Visions Of Eden ": CD 1: Re-Mixed version Track list: 1) Immortal I Stand (The Birth Of Adam) 2) Adorned With The Rising Cobra 3) The Ineffable Name 4) Black Light On Black 5) Bonedust 6) Angel Of Death 7) God Above God 8) The Hidden God 9) Childslayer 10) When Dusk Fell 11) Visions Of Eden CD 2: Re-Mastered Tracklist: 1) Immortal I Stand (The Birth Of Adam) 2) Adorned With The Rising Cobra 3) The Ineffable Name 4) Black Light On Black 5) Bonedust 6) Angel Of Death 7) God Above God 8) The Hidden God 9) Childslayer 10) When Dusk Fell 11) Visions Of Eden ______________________________ ______________________ www.virgin-steele.com

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https://www.facebook.com/steam hammerofficial/ NEWS May 2016 HERE IS THE DIGITAL LINK For THE HOUSE OF ATREUS 3 CD Digi-Pak Re-Issue: https://VirginSteele.lnk.to/TheHouseOfAtreus and here is the Interview link for the Magazine NOIZY GREECE: http://noizy.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5605:synentefksi-david-defeis-virgin-steele&catid=85:2012-02-05-07-12-06&Itemid=622 NEWS April 2016 Greetings! Here are the pre-order links for THE HOUSE OF ATREUS re-release: CD: http://po.st/TheHouseOfAtreus3CD NEWS February 2016 After years of you folks asking about it now thanks to you all it is finally going to happen, the cult-classic album NIGHTMARE THEATRE by Black-Metal/Thrash pioneers EXORCIST will be officially re-issued this year. A huge double CD special edition of the album called: EXORCIST-NIGHTMARE THEATRE REDUX: THE UNHOLY TRINITY DELUXE CD VERSION will materialize on May 13, 2016. CD #1:

Will contain 2 complete versions of the album Re-Mastered from two different sound sources called respectively: The Father, and The Son, plus 2 short unreleased bonus tracks, In The Name Of The Father, and In The Name Of The Son. CD #2 Will contain a Re-mixed version of the entire album, which we call The Unholy Spirit Version, plus 2 takes of the bonus track Spin Your Head Around Backwards, and6 more never heard before bonus tracks such as: THE DARK MAGICK INSCRIBED SUITE A Poem In Three Parts-comprising the tracks: Spiked Vengeance, Spellcraft, and Malefic Wine (A Dark Magick Reprise), plus the bizarre Malevolent Entities, and The Unholy Spirit, and It Is Finished, as well as 2 rare Bonus alternate versions of the songs Queen Of The Dead and Death By Bewitchment. The album will also appear in a Vinyl LP Version. Both the CD Version and the LP Version will contain special packaging, and for the first time everthe complete lyrics. EXORCIST NIGHTMARE THEATRE will be issued through: HIGH ROLLER RECORDS Marienthaler Str. 78 08060 Zwickau Germany web: www.hrrecords.de The Full Track-Lists are as follows: Vinyl LP Version: SIDE 1: 1.BLACK MASS- 4:17 2.THE INVOCATION- 0:51 3.BURNT OFFERINGS- 3:07 4.THE HEX- 0:21 5.POSSESSED- 2:43 6.CALL FOR THE EXORCIST- 3:33 7.DEATH BY BEWITCHMENT- 4:24 SIDE 2: 8.THE TRIAL- 0:51 9.EXECUTION OF THE WITCHES- 3:19 10.CONSUMING FLAMES OF REDEMPTION- 0:37 11.MEGAWATT MAYHEM- 1:11 12.RIDING TO HELL- 3:42 13.QUEEN OF THE DEAD- 3:22 14.LUCIFERS LAMENT- 5:38 15. THE BANISHMENT- 0:25 16.SPIN YOUR HEAD AROUND BACKWARDS-BONUS TRACK- 5:01 Compact Disc Version: CD 1: Version 1: The Father 1.IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER-Bonus track- 0:16 2.BLACK MASS- 4:18 3.THE INVOCATION- 0:52 4.BURNT OFFERINGS-3:07 5.THE HEX- 0:21 6.POSSESSED- 2:43 7.CALL FOR THE EXORCIST- 3:34 8.DEATH BY BEWITCHMENT- 4:24 9.THE TRIAL- 0:52 10.EXECUTION OF THE WITCHES- 3:20 11.CONSUMING FLAMES OF REDEMPTION- 0:37 12.MEGAWATT MAYHEM- 1:12 13.RIDING TO HELL- 3:43 14.QUEEN OF THE DEAD- 3:23 15.LUCIFERS LAMENT- 5:39 16. THE BANISHMENT- 0:23 Version 2: The Son 17.IN THE NAME OF THE SON-Bonus Track-0:20 18.BLACK MASS- 4:23 19.THE INVOCATION- 0:51 20.BURNT OFFERINGS- 3:07 21.THE HEX- 0:22 22.POSSESSED- 2:43 23.CALL FOR THE EXORCIST- 3:34 24.DEATH BY BEWITCHMENT- 4:22 25.THE TRIAL- 0:51 26.EXECUTION OF THE WITCHES- 3:20 27.CONSUMING FLAMES OF REDEMPTION- 0:43 28.MEGAWATT MAYHEM- 1:12 29.RIDING TO HELL- 3:43 30.QUEEN OF THE DEAD- 3:22 31.LUCIFERS LAMENT- 5:37 32. THE BANISHMENT- 035 CD #2: The Unholy Spirit Version: 1.THE UNHOLY SPIRIT-Bonus Track- 0:32 2.BLACK MASS-Re-Mix- 4:20 3.THE INVOCATION-Re-Mix- 0:57 4.BURNT OFFERINGS-Re-Mix- 3:08 5.THE HEX-Re-Mix- 0:21 6.POSSESSED-Re-Mix- 2:46 7.CALL FOR THE EXORCIST-Re-Mix- 3:36 8.DEATH BY BEWITCHMENT-Re-Mix- 4:29 9.THE TRIAL-Re-Mix- 0:52 10.EXECUTION OF THE WITCHES-Re-Mix- 3:25 11.CONSUMING FLAMES OF REDEMPTION-Re-Mix- 0:38 12.MEGAWATT MAYHEM-Re-Mix- 1:00 13.RIDING TO HELL-Re-Mix- 3:45 14.QUEEN OF THE DEAD-Re-Mix- 3:23 15.LUCIFERS LAMENT-Re-Mix- 5:47 16. THE BANISHMENT-Re-Mix- 0:45 17.IT IS FINISHED-Bonus Track- 0:34 18.SPIN YOUR HEAD AROUND BACKWARDS-Bonus Track-5:01 19.MALEVOLENT ENTITIES-Bonus track- 2:27 THE DARK MAGICK INSCRIBED SUITE-tracks 20, 21, 22: 20. SPIKED VENGEANCE-Bonus Track- 2:03 21. SPELLCRAFT-Bonus track- 8:38 22.MALEFIC WINE- (A Dark Magick Reprise)-Bonus track- 2:07 23.QUEEN OF THE DEAD-Bonus alternate vox version- 3:27 24.DEATH BY BEWITCHMENT-Bonus alternate vox version- 4:30 25. SPIN YOUR HEAD AROUND BACKWARDS (Take 666)-6:25 In other Re-issue News: STEAMHAMMER SPV will re-issue- VIRGIN STEELES THE HOUSE OF ATREUS ACT 1 and ACT 2 on May 20th in a triple CD digi-pak. Contact: Homepage: www.spv.de



Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/spv Steamhammer on FB: https://www.facebook.com/steamhammerofficial ***And now for some News regarding Metal and fantastic tales The Heavy Metal Fantasy book SWORDS OF STEEL 2, featuring stories written by members of various Heavy Metal bands, and edited by Dave Ritzlin, will contain an introduction written by VIRGIN STEELES David DeFeis. SWORDS OF STEEL 2, will be released through D.M.R. Books on February 27th. For more information please contact: DMRBooks1@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/DMRBOOKS VIRGIN STEELE Confirmed CONCERT DATES: ******* 26.02.2016 GREECE Athens Up the hammers Festival ******** 17.06.2016 Belgium Dessel Graspop ******** -------------------- NEWS FOR OCTOBER: Greetings & Salutations and many Cheers to you ALL!

VINYL ALERT: On October 30th, 2015 THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN & HELL PARTS I & II will be issued on vinyl Lp through the label NIGHT OF THE VINYL DEAD. To order your copies today please contact: www.nightofthevinyldead.com or www.facebook.com/nightofthethevinyldead.srhc or twitter.com/NOTVDrecords

Special CD Release: Today we are honored to announce that a VIRGIN STEELE TRIBUTE ALBUM will soon be released! These Royal Recordings will be unveiled on Halloween! Yes on October 31st...for The Festival Of Samhain, Majestic Metal Records will proudly bring forth this Noble Tribute! To order this Glorious Collection please visit: www.majesticmetalrecords.com

For more details on this Epic Collection we kindly ask you to please read below:

"BY THE GODS: A NOBLE TRIBUTE TO VIRGIN STEELE" MMR-003

An ode to the Barbaric-Romantic Masters featuring: IRON FIRE, WIZARD, CRYSTAL VIPER, ARMORY, ETERNAL WINTER, TIMELORD and more...The first ever official VIRGIN STEELE Tribute Album, this compilation has been in the works for several years and finally sees the light of day through Majestic Metal Records. It features a 12-page full-color booklet with exclusive liner notes by David DeFeis. An essential collection for any VS fan!

Here below is the link to the inaugural episode of a new show called "Rocktails" featuring David DeFeis of VIRGIN STEELE making the drink....the Rob Roy. We hope you enjoy it! Cheers & many Thanks to you ALL for your great support! http://puregrainaudio.com/videos/rocktails-episode-1-the-rob-roy-with-virgin-steele-frontman-david-defeis NOCTURNES OF HELLFIRE & DAMNATION the Vinyl Lp Version will be released on July 17th... BRUTALLY DELICIOUS (A Heavy Metal Cooking Show)

with David DeFeis preparing his classic dish: "PENNE OF THE FEARLESS": The link is here:http://puregrainaudio.com/videos/brutally-delicious-episode-89-penne-of-the-fearless-with-virgin-steele-frontman-david-defeis New Song Stream: VIRGIN STEELE stream a new song "Queen Of The Dead" taken from the forthcoming studio album Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation. You can listen to the song here: https://soundcloud.com/steamhammer-spv/virgin-steele-queen-of-the-dead

SPV / Steamhammer will release the CD and Download versions on June 17th in Scandinavia, June 19th in Germany, June 22nd in Europeand June 23rd in the USA. The vinyl version will be released worldwide on July 17th (except USA it`s July 24th) . PRE-ORDER INFORMATION FOR THE new "NOCTURNES OF HELLFIRE & DAMNATION" album (all configurations, jewel-case, digi-pak and Vinyl) can be found on our MERCHANDISE PAGE.



VIRGIN STEELE have released a new lyric video for the song "Lucifer`s Hammer" taken from the forthcoming studio album “Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation”. You can see the video here: http://youtu.be/Di-vXNwOOGI NEWS for Summer 2015: VIRGIN STEELE through Steamhammer SPV, will release a new studio album called NOCTURNES OF HELLFIRE & DAMNATION on: June 17th in Scandinavia, June 19th in Germany, June 22nd in Europe and June 23rd in the USA. It will come out with three different covers as a standard 1CD version (the gargoyle cover), a 2CD digi-pak version…yes it is a double album (the snow angel cover), and a 2 LP gatefold version (the flute playing skeleton cover) and download. Here below the Group discusses the new album and all things VIRGIN STEELE with Edmund Alscott. INTERVIEW FOR the NOCTURNES OF HELLFIRE & DAMNATION ALBUM:

Questions by Edmund Alscott

Edmund: Greets guys, long time no see! How go things in the Land Of Steele? David: Cheers Edmund! Very nice to see you again! All is well thanks for asking. The album is ready to be heard, so come in have a drink if you wish and have a listen. Edmund: Ok don’t mind if I do. I am all ears! “And so I listened and what can I say? I was overwhelmed. The new album is fantastic! Full of the power and fury we have come to know and love from VIRGIN STEELE. The new record has great songs, with memorable hooks, roaring and soaring vocals, pounding great sounding drums, wailing guitars, thunderous bass and David’s wild orchestrations. It is a winner in my book, a solid 10 out 10”. Edmund: Guys the new album is incredible. I love the real natural sound you achieved. Please tell me something about the sessions and the recording approach. David: Thanks very; very much for your kind words…I most certainly appreciate them. Yes we wanted a more organic, natural sounding album. We wanted it to sound like a live onstage album…I personally am a big fan of albums like Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti and well…all their albums especially the first 2, plus all the Queen stuff. I love the huge room sounding toms on those Works. I tried to get more of a live feel than a studio vibe for the album, and I wanted to capture the sweat and the noise that occurs when songs get royally fired up. I wanted to try and capture passion and a sense of urgency, and try to bring forth the essential essence of what these songs were saying. I wanted Burning Sword, Fire-Breathing Magick… Edward: Sonically I think it does capture what David just described. All the takes were early takes and nothing was overly labored so the spontaneity shines through.

Edmund: Killer! It really shows. And your solos are great! You are on fire! Edward: Thanks Edmund. David: Edward played beautifully on the record… Edward: And so did Josh. He did some really beautiful guitar work too. David: I am very pleased with everyone’s performances and proud to share the recording tape with these gents. Edmund: I love everything, and the vocals are outstanding, your best yet! Did you become a teetotaler or something? David: Ha! Or something! Thanks a million for saying so Edmund…you’re making my day and night here….No I probably drink more wine than ever….But I did go into the project with the mind-set of trying to outdo myself, to work really hard, to get to know the songs, and to deliver every side of the various styles that exist inside my throat. I still have the drive and the hunger to try to top what I’ve done before. I really got into the emotions and I just gave vent to my gut instincts, and roared away without any thought or regard for life or limb. Edmund: Fantastic! Tell me more about your vocal approach. David: OK, I use my voice differently than what is normally done…I am referring to my thoughts and delivery. I think of myself as another instrument, like perhaps a guitar, or a violin or even as percussion…(which is why the songs often begin with those roars…I am a drum or cymbal smash with those)…more so than a singer, which is why I do all the crazy things that I do on there. The voice is used partly for; ok these are the words that I must express, and partly as…this is another color…this is an orchestration…this is Vengeance….to sum up my approach…I believe it is…The Voice As Weapon…. Edward: Which is why our acoustic thing works so well. My guitar and his voice wrap around each other and sometimes it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.

Edmund: I have heard you guys doing that and yes I agree and it is also the loudest acoustic show I have ever heard! OK more questions about the NOCTURNES album. Please tell me something about the lyrics, the concept if there is one and the overall message. David: OK. It isn’t a concept album with a linear plot that you follow from point A to point Z, like THE HOUSE OF ATREUS was, it is more a collection of songs that work together well, and have a through line which does connect most of the tracks. The album largely concerns itself with relationship issues and what happens when one person comes into contact with another person’s orbit, chemistry, sphere...you know what I mean….also our connection with ourselves…our loves and hates….not only connections between people, but also places, and again ideas, passions, obsessions..... In addition the album is also about the connections between entities.... as in all sorts of beings, not necessarily human beings…but also Gods & Goddesses, Spirits, Elements, or whatever. But to be brief the album is mainly about connections between people. People and their belief systems, people and their Gods or Goddesses…people and their life philosophies and also the various substances we invest or inject into our daily or nightly rituals and our worldview, and all the complexities of what drives us, makes us who we are and takes us where we may…or may not be going. To sum it up this album is about.... the dark night of the soul and all the various ways in which humans can entangle themselves, or destroy themselves…so the album's title essentially encompasses what the vibe of the whole Work is about. The title relates to the album in the way that the title “NOBLE SAVAGE”, or “AGE OF CONSENT”, expressed each of those particular Works. The title provides a framework and connective tissue, but each song is really its own thing. The overall message is…beware… Edmund: Great! And what about the cover art, why are there three covers? Edward: 3 covers for 3 versions of the album! David: Yes…that’s right. We didn’t set out to have 3 covers. That developed. Whenever we are making an album, I always want the artwork to connect with the music contained within the album, and to be natural or organic to my life, to our lives and to what the Work is about so… I always look around my place to see if I have anything that will leap out at me and scream out “hey that looks like the album sounds”. I did that with THE HOUSE OF ATREUS album, and found that shield that makes up the ACT 1 and ACT 2 covers, I did that with INVICTUS…etc., and upon looking around this time my eyes paused on the gargoyle…and my ears heard GLAMOUR, PERSEPHONE…THE PLAGUE & THE FIRE…etc.…so…I picked the gargoyle up took him out back and photographed him in a kind of autumnal haze…I had also done several winter scene photos out there and wanted to use them too. Our art/graphic guy Jens Reinhold, had a photo he had taken, of a stone “angel” from a cemetery nearby where he lives and he combined that with my winter scene…I loved it and I loved the gargoyle, so now one gets a DEVIL, an ANGEL and …the autumn dead tree look and the snow bound winter scene, and in addition…once I had explained to Jens what the new album was all about, he became inspired to draw and he came up with the “bone-flute” and bone-harp guys…. It just kind of escalated… These covers capture the melancholy and torment of the lyrics, as well as the Barbaric-Romantic vibe of the Group, and reflect the mood…the core of what is going on…A Nocturne is a “night song”…and these are dark night songs full of the fires of Hell or Hades, and the wails and cries and The Torture’s Of The Damned. We actually had 3 different covers for the last album too…It is becoming kind of a new tradition for us! I like it…it gives each configuration its own special character. Edmund: That sounds like a lot of work! And speaking of a lot of work, the Digi-pak version has an extra full length CD. Can you please describe what that album contains? David: Sure. This really is a double album…well actually in the sense of vinyl it would be a quadruple album…4 records and 8 sides. There are 29 songs in total…CD 2 contains new songs, plus a few re-arranged and in some instances re-written covers. It starts off with a 6 song set that I call “THE SAMHAIN SUITE”, and that is a medley of songs by Sabbath, Bloodrock, & Zeppelin, and starts with John Carpenter’s “Halloween” theme from the movie about Michael Myers the killer kid….and in the middle of all that there is a piece by the classical composer Vladimir Rebikov, called THE WITCH IN THE FOREST. As I said I have re-arranged these Works and in some sections re-written those tracks adding additional musical ideas or lyrics. It is very, very, very, veryyyyyyy over the top! The rest of the album is pretty eclectic…It has this new strain that has been creeping into our sound…. that raw Bluesy Metal thing going on, or what I call “GOTHIC BLUES”, represented by songs like HAUNTED WOLFSHINE…or RIDERLESS HORSE…it has a live in the studio acoustic track called A GREATER BURNING OF INNOCENCE…we already did a video for that one…It features just Edward and I doing our thing…. Edward: Beautiful song that one…the video we recently filmed for it is great too, just Dave and I playing the track. The footage is all at home archival stuff and shows a nice behind the scenes side. As you were saying Dave… David: Yes…also on the second disc there is a somber kind of epic on there, called WEST OF SUMER. It is a huge track that I guess you could say could be considered to be our STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN…It starts somewhat subdued and builds to a climax…. before fading into the ether. There are hi-energy tracks like THE DEVIL DRIVES, ANGER NEVER DIES…hmmm…what else…two interesting companion piece tracks…in the form of FUNERAL GAMES, and THE PLOT THICKENS…and it concludes with a kind of “SKY HYMN” in the vein of something like “The Spirit Of Steele” perhaps, called THE BIRTH OF BEAUTY...very emotional track….that one…All the various aspects, moods and colors of VIRGIN STEELE are on display on the album. It is very well rounded. Edward: I love THE BIRTH OF BEAUTY that one is really special. David: Edward’s guitar solo on that one is superb! Soaring emotion! Edmund: Well that is an incredible amount of music! David: Yes it is Edmund Edmund: Some people were asking me about the length of time between the last studio album and this one. Edward: Do we really have to answer that? I mean isn’t it obvious what we have been doing. Edmund: Just for the record please fill me in on all that has happened between the release of THE BLACK LIGHT BACCHANALIA and the new NOCTURNES OF HELLFIRE & DAMNATION albums. David: OK…my pleasure. Since we signed with SPV in 2010, we have been on this campaign to re-issue the Catalogue, and we have been doing so in a very systematic and very timely manner. Each one of the re-releases we did contained a massive amount of bonus material. Some of the bonus tracks on those Works were specifically written for those albums, and other bonus material we included was re-arranged or re-written covers of songs by other people that we enjoy. All that took time to do in addition to actually re-mastering all the album’s original ingredients. If you look at all those re-issues, there is at least a full-length album of new material in there…. Unfortunately most people do not know about or realize this. It is my hope that now due to the new album being released shortly…our audience will then catch up with what we put out on those other recordings. I mean for example on the INVICTUS re-issue we had a full length live acoustic album included in there called, FIRE SPIRITS. That’s an incredible record! Edward: Amazing album! One guitar, one voice...Dave and I let it roar. You can really hear the chemistry between us on that album. And it is truly live. We recorded straight to two-track stereo, no multi-tracking. David: We even have some film clips from those sessions, which we will put out over the next weeks. So as you can see we have not been idle. The other thing that took up time and delayed this album a bit was that we were first working on putting together a DVD, then a box-set and then the plan changed to having a new album out…so our energies were diverted for awhile…running off on different tangents. Once we focused in on making the new album everything came together pretty quickly. And in addition to all this new music now coming out. I also wrote what will be the next 2 VIRGIN STEELE albums. We have in the pipeline waiting to be finished, two more over the top albums. One is a kind of concept GREEK TRAGEDY type of Work and the other is a concept piece concerning the Autumn….These albums are about 50% complete and will be completed in the days, weeks and months ahead as time permits. And please remember that just last year we re-issued THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN & HELL PART 1, & THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN & HELL PART 2, with bonus tracks, plus INVICTUS with the bonus FIRE SPIRITS album, so again we have not been on holiday. Edmund: This leads me to my next question. When will we see the arrival of the DVD? David: Your guess is as good as mine. I would love to have it out within the next year or so…it would be the jewel in the crown of the ending of the re-issue campaign….The next plans I still must discuss with SPV… Edmund: OK. Getting back to the new album please describe the following songs to me: LUCIFER’S HAMMER: David: As I believe I told you once before, this song is not necessarily about Lucifer or about hammers. It will appear to be about something different to each and every person who listens to it and/or experiences it, depending on their mind-set and depth of experience. For me…it is essentially about drugs like opium, heroin…cocaine…the white powders and such… but also about passion and desire in general. Come to think of it there are several other songs that discuss drugs of that nature…Anyway…LUCIFER’S HAMMER, is a charging; rip roaring song that works nicely as an opener. It makes a nice soundtrack for merging into highway traffic! Edward: Killer opener…it sets the mood for all that follows. Edmund: What about GLAMOUR: David: Enchantment…this is one of those songs that at first glance you think…”oh he’s talking about a woman…some relationship he has”…and yes I am but if you look closer I am actually speaking about my relationship with MUSIC, what She or it has done to me, for me…the good, the bad and the ugly…And musically speaking that is a unique track for me…I don’t think I have ever written something quite like that before. It has several huge riffs, and almost thrash- like sections, plus these strange ethereal Gothic type breakdowns. I love that one. All during the recording process I never stopped writing, so some of the songs that appear on the album are actually 11th hour additions that replaced several other songs that were initially set to go on there. Songs like DELIRIUM, PERSEPHONE, GLAMOUR, as I mentioned and FALLEN ANGELS, were all just completed in the last phase of the production. Edmund: All this is incredibly interesting to me. Please tell me about FALLEN ANGELS. David: I think that one is Music to commit suicide by! The entity in this track can be thought of as either human or in fact His Infernal Majesty…or actually both existing in the same body…There is a room…perhaps an attic…a male and a female are together in a kind of belladonic haze…it is the end of all things or the start of something new and dangerous…That last line…”I’m closer now”, is not meant to be comforting…. Musically it is dark, very moody…not really a ballad but a nice closer to the album. Edmund: Heavy stuff…

I think we have time for one more question right? Edward: Absolutely. Edmund: Thanks. Again it is about the new album. I really like the sound of the album, the rough edges. Was this what you were going for? And how personal is this album? David: That’s two questions actually. First yes I wanted all the rawness left in and I wanted to make the album sound like what the lyrics and what the emotional mood convey. I wanted the album to sound like people who are definitely a little more than out there, people who live, dive in deep and experience all the madness of life made it. The reason being that those are the kinds of people who did make it. I didn’t want gloss for the sake of gloss. And I guess this answer relates to your second question. No matter how Myth based or fantastical my lyrics have been…I have always been using Myth and fantasy as a jumping off point for what I want to say about life now…Even THE HOUSE OF ATREUS as much as that was about the Tragedy of what befell that family after the Trojan War…it was still also about what was happening currently. And on this new NOCTURNES album…more so than ever…yes these lyrics are personal…very personal sometimes…but…I write in such a way so that the listener can see him or herself in there and they will find their own meaning. It won’t necessarily be what I mean because they aren’t privy to the comings and goings of my world…but they will certainly relate and find their own way with the songs, which is what I prefer. Edward: When I first listened to the whole album…we went out to dinner and David played me everything…I was amazed really. I think that the album perfectly captures where we are at this current place and time. Edmund: And what is next for the STEELE? Edward: More albums as Dave described, more videos, and eventually a return to the stage. David: I live permanently on the edge of self-destruction due to my intensity, enthusiasm and exuberance for all that I get involved with. If I survive the madness…all that Edward just said will appear. Edmund: I hope so! Thanks very much guys. I really look forward to getting thoroughly acquainted with these new Works and I wish you all the very best for the release. Edward: Thanks and cheers Edmund! David: Thanks very much Edmund! Beware the Glamour…BY THE GODS & GODDESSES! ------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS for Autumn 2014: We wish to announce that the title for the forthcoming new VIRGIN STEELE album due out between February and March of 2015 will be “HYMNS TO DAMNATION”. David DeFeis says, “The new album is a roaring collection of Metal tracks that work very well together and were recorded in a very straightforward, organic manner. It is full of passion, power, blood, fire, love, lust, death and drama”. In this short interview here below, David discusses the album further… ------------------------------------------------------------------- STUDIO REPORT INTERVIEW: 11-28-14 Regarding the forthcoming “HYMNS TO DAMNATION” album, with questions by Edmund Alscott 1. Hey David, so the title of the new VIRGIN STEELE album is going to be “HYMNS TO DAMNATION”, yeah, heavy duty! Where does that title come from? DeFeis : Thanks Edmund…well…There actually is a song on the album with that title, and even though this album is not really a concept album, recently when I took a careful look back at all the lyrics, I found that a lot of the lyrics do deal with relationship issues and all the various ways in which humans can entangle themselves, or destroy themselves…so the title essentially encompasses what the vibe of the whole Work is about. The title expresses the album in the way that the title “NOBLE SAVAGE”, or “AGE OF CONSENT”, expressed each of those particular Works. The title provides a framework and perhaps connective tissue, but each song is really its own thing. As I said it isn’t a concept album, but there is a certain kind of connection regardless. 2. Musically what can we expect for that song as well as the whole album? DeFeis : That particular song is definitely Barbaric-Romantic…it is full of pathos, and has both the tender dark side of what we do, along with that over the top bombastic heaviness that we are about. And…well… to go along with the kinds of lyrics I just mentioned, the music is definitely heavy… dark… at times melancholy, and also aggressive or angry sounding, and alternately raw and grandiose. The overarching theme that comes to mind when I think about the album or listen to it is passion…raw passion. There are big monolithic riffs, moody chord changes, “classical” type bits, it retains the VIRGIN STEELE signature, but it adds new dimensions to it. 3. Lyrically is it a completely negative trip? DeFeis : No not at all, there are tracks that celebrate life and lust and the beauty of the full experience of what one goes through in their time on the planet. It is empowering and it also has a sense of humor. The lyrics should make you think a bit…I hope. And as regards what I just said a moment ago about relationships, the album mainly concerns connections, connections between all sorts of beings and by that I don’t only mean worldly human beings…but also Gods & Goddesses, Spirits, Elements, or whatever, plus various creatures, animal, vegetable and or mineral, but largely it is about connections between people. People and their belief systems, people and their Gods or Goddesses…people and their life philosophies and also the various substances we invest or inject into our daily or nightly rituals and our worldview, and all the complexities of what drives us, makes us who we are and takes us where we may…or may not be going. 4. That sounds epic! Awhile back I know you had mentioned another song recorded for the album called LUCIFER’S HAMMER. What is that one like? DeFeis : Well…it is not necessarily about Lucifer, or hammers! It is a really aggressive song that opens the album, and starts everything off in high gear. It is both raw and “classical” sounding at the same time. It’s very high energy, very kick-ass! 5. Well then what do the lyrics for that song concern? DeFeis: It can be viewed from several different angles, as that is a feature of how I write songs, but you my friend would probably say that it is about drugs… 6. Pro or con? DeFeis : That would depend on one’s own perspective and proclivities. 7. Do you have anything else planned for 2015? DeFeis : Yes about 7 months after the new album comes out, we will finally issue the box-set that I discussed a whole lot over the past year. 8. What will be in that box-set? DeFeis : It will contain the re-issues of both THE BOOK OF BURNING, and HYMNS TO VICTORY, and finally the bonus new Work, “GHOST HARVEST” (The Spectral Vintage Sessions). We hope to have that package out in October. It has already been discussed between the label and I and it is a go. That “Ghost Harvest” bonus album has new material, plus re-written and re-arranged covers of various things we like or rehearse from time to time. 9. Great! I am looking forward to the new HYMNS TO DAMNATION album and then later the box-set. In all the re-issues you did over the past two years you managed to put in tons of bonus material, and the recently re-issued INVICTUS CD has an almost 60 minute bonus album called FIRE SPIRITS, featuring acoustic versions of some VIRGIN STEELE classics, as well as some new material. How do you manage to make all that come together? DeFeis : I am glad you noticed. Not everyone does. Yes we have tried to make each re-issue as special as we can, and we have gone out of our way to add as much as possible. That particular FIRE SPIRITS album came about because I wanted to add something that was intense but unlike the actual INVICTUS album…and we began recording live and really liking what we were hearing back, so we thought why not…Those tracks have the intensity of the full band and the listener can get a sense of the interplay between the voice and the instruments, and also a sense of the ingredients of the songs…what makes them tick. We are always working, so there is always material, and I am happy to unleash it in whatever form it takes…hence…all these extra tracks on the re-issues. 10.If you look at all you have released with the extra stuff on the re-issues, you probably already put a couple of new albums out! Getting back to HYMNS TO DAMNATION, how long is that album going to be? DeFeis : Yeah…thanks again for noticing that Edmund, I really appreciate it. As regards the HYMNS TO DAMNATION album I am not quite sure yet as we are still deciding on which tracks will ultimately end up being included on there. It will be fairly long, but probably not necessarily 80 minutes. We shall see. Check back with me in a few weeks. 11. OK. And a last question David about the studio methods. I know you mentioned that you went back to some earlier styles of recording. What did you mean by that? DeFeis : I meant that we started using some of the original analog gear that we used to use, and we even did some things on analog tape. I think it has made the album as I said earlier…more natural or organic sounding. It has that classic “we recorded it live in a large room” kind of sound that we really like. It has been nice to approach the album this way, and we think that it really suits the material. Killer! Thanks very much for the chat David I can’t wait to get my hands on a finished copy. DeFeis : Cheers Edmund and thanks a million for all your Noble support!











29 AUGUST 2014 : VIRGIN STEELE is currently completing work on 2 new albums. Said vocalist David DeFeis, "we are in the process of finishing all the recordings for a second disc of music which is to be part of a double CD set called, GHOST HARVEST (The Spectral Vintage Sessions). The first disc has already been completed, and we are deep into the recording of the second disc. These Works are extra recordings outside of what we are expected to deliver to our label. They are a kind of pre-Anniversary celebration...our way of saying cheers and thanks very much to all of our Friends who have shown us such strong support, great belief, and honor throughout the years. We raise our glasses to you All, and we look forward to seeing you once again when we r