Virgin Steele
The House of Atreus: Act I

"I sing of power, magic and faith, a sonnet of pure victory

A hymn to the spirits of freedom and grace, and whichever gods there may be"

A magnificent group. This is what Virgin Steele was in the second half of the '90s, capable of reinventing themselves with every album, delivering a poignant drama in some tracks, alternating with an energy that few, in their genre, possessed. All this was skillfully tied to the extraordinary voice of singer and leader David DeFeis, the never-too-praised guitarist Edward Pursino, and drummer Frank Gilchriest.

I still remember when, two years ago, I listened to "The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell Pt. I". It disgusted me so much that I shelved it and tried to forget about it. I picked it up again, out of distraction, a year later, and paradoxically, I fell in love with it. Released in '94, that album marked the beginning of a new phase for Virgin Steele, after six years of contractual battles, almost leading to their breakup.

It was thanks to the saga of the two Marriage albums, later concluded with "Invictus" in '98, that the American group gained the fame that established them as one of the most important Epic Metal bands in the genre. It must be said that Virgin Steele was one of the few bands still dedicated to the stylistic features of the genre. In fact, bands like Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, and Warlord had disbanded (although the first temporarily), Omen had shifted to a simpler sound, Manowar, Wotan, and Doomsword debuted around 2000, and Dark Quarterer remained in discographical silence throughout the '90s. The burden, therefore, if we may call it so, of carrying forward an entire genre didn't seem to weigh heavily on the Americans, so much so that after releasing the already mentioned "Invictus", which also allowed them to perform at the Wacken Open Air Festival for the second time, the following year DeFeis decided to set to music one of the most famous works of the Greek poet Aeschylus, the Oresteia.

Based on a trilogy, the first part of the Oresteia tells of the return of King Agamemnon to his homeland and the vengeance, with the ensuing murder by his wife Clytemnestra, for having sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to the gods to secure their return home. All this with the help of Aegisthus, the queen's lover, to ensure that he could take Agamemnon's place as king. It was not an easy task, therefore, to transpose such an important text into music.

In almost a year and a half, "The House Of Atreus - Act I" sees the light. What leaves one speechless in front of this work is the extraordinary vocal versatility of DeFeis, capable of impersonating multiple characters at once, giving each of them a precise task or a different state of mind, from the nerve-wracking anticipation of the Queen's messenger awaiting Agamemnon's return ("Blaze Of Victory"), to the sweet revenge of the lover Aegisthus in avenging his father by killing Agamemnon ("The Gift Of Tantalos"), or yet in the fear of the people knowing of their King's death and the rise of tyranny ("And Hecate Smiled").

There are certainly no lacks of more intense tracks, where Pursino and especially Gilchriest can steal the scene. I believe that in the two acts of this opera, the American drummer gives one of his best performances, capable of being precise and direct like few others, but also able to create a chilling atmosphere. "Flames Of The Black Star (The Arrows Of Herakles) is a perfect example, a first part marked by an almost doom rhythm, and a second that highlights his undeniable talents. In other songs like "Great Sword of Flame", which has a riff to be framed and a pace leaving one breathless, or the initial "Kingdom Of The Fearless (The Destruction of Troy)", where DeFeis recounts perhaps one of his best vocal performances in the destruction of Troy itself, and the kidnapping of the King’s daughter, Cassandra. "The Fire God", a piece perfectly recycled and rearranged from the album "Stay Ugly" by Piledriver, produced coincidentally by Virgin Steele, doesn't pale either. Other tracks leave only DeFeis with his piano to tell the story, such as in the fast and swirling "Day Of Wrath" and "G Minor Invention", or in the sumptuous "In Triumph Or Tragedy".

I find it hard to describe "The House Of Atreus - Act I", except with the word masterpiece. An album that sees a band in its brightest form, which instead of resting on its laurels and enjoying the fame of previous works, boldly decides to take risks, creating, despite what one might think, one of the most beautiful Metal Operas of all time. Never capable of composing an album identical to the previous one, at the end of the '90s David DeFeis shows the music critics and his fans what he is, a brilliant composer and singer, accompanied by equally talented musicians. If your idea of Virgin Steele is based only on their latest releases, or if the Epic genre you believe only talks about dragons and princesses, give this album a listen, you will realize how great your mistake has been so far.