Virgin Steele – The Black Light Bacchanalia

Releasedate: 19-10-2010; Label: SPV/Steamhammer
By: Sabine van Gameren

Virgin Steele is an American Heavy Metal band that formed in 1981. The band has quite a line of releases already, “The Black Light Bacchanalia” is already their twelfth studio album.

The band have really looked at their selves and their history and seriously considered what way to go with the band, a good thing to do, but when considering how the new album should sound, maybe not always the best way. As a result you get an album like this, where the good old sound comes back again. Well, it remained old fashioned. How much as you wish that these 80’s were still there, this release does not really give the best part of it. A production that is very questionable, vocals that disappoint… Are these guys getting too old? If you have not been a fan of this band before, it will not really attract you to become one. Riffs coming out of nowhere, a bit misplaced. Not really the best compositions made. For fans, it is perhaps not a beauty queen either but probably acceptable.
Expectations were higher for these guys. Listen once, judge and then never bother to try again. We failed that trap to give it a second and even a third time, but it just doesn’t get better.

Line up :
David “The Lion/Young Zeus” Defeis – Vocals, Keyboards, Orchestration Edward “Van Dorian” Pursino – Guitar
Joshua “The Sorceror” Block – Bass
Frank “The Animal/The Baron/The Kraken” Gilchriest – Drums

Tracklist: 01. By The Hammer Of Zeus (And The Wrecking Ball Of Thor) 02. Pagan Heart 03. The Bread Of Wickedness 04. In A Dream Of Fire 05. The Orpheus Taboo 06. Nepenthe 07. Necropolis (He Answers Them With Death) 08. To Crown Them With Halos Parts 1 & 2 09. The Torture’s Of The Damned 10. The Black Light Bacchanalia (The Age That Is To Come) 11. Eternal Regret 12. When I’m Silent (Bonus Track) 13. Silent Sorrow (Bonus Track) 14. From A Whisper To A Scream – (The Biography Of Steele) – spoken by David DeFeis

Links:
Virgin Steele Official