Virgin Steele
Invictus

THE REVIEW

When it comes to Epic Metal, people usually mention Manowar. This is absolutely right, the records released between 1983 and 1988 are authentic pillars of the genre, but what some people find difficult to do is try to broaden their horizons. Sometimes, we tend to ignore other options because we feel somewhat "safe" with what we are currently listening to. Well, nothing could be more wrong. I remember a couple of years ago, when I was in the same situation, listening to just one genre, the most renowned and usually known one, thinking that there was nothing better in the world. But fortunately, humans have the gift of curiosity, and after some research, I discovered a band called "Virgin Steele," creators of an Epic Metal with romantic, symphonic, and elegant nuances. And how on earth is that possible, I wondered?

Founded back in 1981, the group led by frontman David Defeis and guitarist Edward Pursino, Virgin Steele contributed to the birth of more harmonious Epic Metal, always characterized by great power, but also embracing classical music, which perfectly intertwined with Defeis's once splendid voice. Albums like "Noble Savage" (1985) and the saga of the two "The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell" (1994/1995) are proof of this, and it is from these last two that I want to start introducing the album I am going to review. Released after the critically and commercially failed, though good, "Life Among The Ruins" (1993), Virgin Steele found themselves in a critical situation. As mentioned, the cited album offered a sound closer to early '70s blues/hard rock, which was not well received by either fans or critics, also counting very low sales numbers. But as the saying goes, "The hero is not the one who never falls, but the one who, having fallen, finds the strength to rise again."

Born as the final chapter of the trilogy on the war between gods and men, 1998 saw the release of "Invictus", which represents perhaps the musical and compositional peak in Virgin Steele's discography. Accompanied by a cover that already foreshadows everything, the album features various songs, all structured differently from each other, and therefore only arouses more interest, making us forget the simple verse-chorus, solo, and chorus-based songs.

The album alternates more direct and rocky tracks like "Dust From The Burning", "Through Blood And Fire", and the Title Track, in which drummer Frank Gilchriest's work is noteworthy, with more complicated and evocative pieces like "Sword Of The Gods" (with a fantastic solo), or "Whisper Of Death" which thanks to Defeis's voice, help to create a simply unique atmosphere, and when reading the lyrics, can only give you goosebumps. Especially on the lyrics, you can notice the careful work of the frontman to create an album that was perfect from every point of view, and above all, best represented the story behind the album. A special mention goes to two pieces that left me speechless when I first listened to the album. I'm talking about "Mind, Body, Spirit", in which the heavier side of Virgin Steele dominates the first part, and the second transitions to an atmosphere that can be described in just one word, angelic. Gentle guitar chords, symphonic instruments, and Defeis's voice contribute to giving the piece a truly rare classicism in the genre. The second song is the album's last, "Veni, Vidi, Vici", characterized by changes of tempo, at times more aggressive, other times symphonic, in which Pursino's guitar is the protagonist, spanning just over 10 minutes, and which can undoubtedly be placed in a hypothetical list of the top 10 Epic songs. A simply sublime piece to end the listen.

"Invictus", as already mentioned at the beginning of the review, probably represents the pinnacle of VS, which would hint at a decline in the next two releases, the two episodes of "The House Of Atreus Act I/ Act II", and it demonstrates that the Epic genre was not at all dead by the end of the '90s. This album does not simply represent, as many think, the fact that it was and is a great record, but represents the purest incarnation of what Epic Metal means. Two words that to many may seem simple, and perhaps even silly, but in this album find their greatest expression, and in over an hour of music, make the listener feel...invincible.