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It's been awhile since we last heard of David DeFeis and Virgin Steele, but now they are back with a new studio album which is called Visions Of Eden. The story is very complex, so please click here to get to the synopsis (see below) by mastermind David himself.
Musically not too much changed... Its melodic, bombastic, epic and heavy. This time they worked more with orchestral parts... And David's vocals are more emotional again. As this is a conceptual album the music has to follow the story, but Virgin Steele managed to write music which can stand alone - without regarding the story.
They kick off with Immortal I Stand (The Birth Of Adam) which is an up-tempo melodic track with fast double bass drumming, epic keyboards, but the vocals of Mr. DeFeis are upfront and essential. He shows shade of his vocal range - and the catchy refrain is a tune wedgie. That they can be even heavier and darker they show on the following Adorned With The Rising Cobra. Here they show some progressive elements... Something you might not expect, but which fits well to the song. On the 3rd track - The Ineffable Name - they get more aggressive and the guitars take over. This one is guitar-driven, even if they partly slow down a bit. Still the piano / keyboard is important for the sound of Virgin Steele - and for some the guitars might be too much in the background on most tracks... I don't want to comment every single track, coz this album you should hear from A to Z. But I want to mention the balladesque song Angel Of Death. An orchestra leads you slowly into this one, when David joins in his vocals sound fragile - and it has a great intensity. After almost 3 minutes it gets more powerful and epic. A slow, heavy anthem... The following God Above God is a beautiful slow rock song with some acoustic guitar. But get heavier after awhile, but stays slow. A real ear catcher. They accelerate a bit for The Hidden God. Heavy, mid-tempo with some interesting drum beat and progressive elements this one comes along. Listen to the album and make up your mind!
Virgin Steelev fans will buy this anyway, but also fans of melodic and epic power metal should give it a try. The music offers a large variety - almost 80 min. of music - and even if they are more progressive then ever they never overdo it. The story concept is great, but too complex to give a synopsis here, so read David's words! Hopefully they won't just present this album at a tour, in the past they worked with a theater in Southern Germany (Memmingen) to bring The House Of Atreus on stage and I hope they can do it again. A great piece of music.
Synopsis:
"Rape of a Life, Rape of a Soul, Rape of us All
VISIONS OF EDEN...
Why do we Live, Why do we Die, When will we Know VISIONS OF EDEN?"...
This album Visions Of Eden is not about happiness, peace, contentment or Eternal tranquillity. It is the opposite. It is about disorder, strife, struggle, dominance, and the annihilation of a culture, a way of Life, and the violation and annihilation of a human being. It is a Work based on the destruction of Paganism, Gnosticism and the desecration and eradication of the Goddess Principle that once dwelled 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 the 'organized' religions. The 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 to this strange place we are now in...
An all too brief background: Lilith is a rebel. Should you need a frame of reference from the male perspective, perhaps 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 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 attempts were made to make her become hateful to women. These attempts were only too successful. My story seeks to parallel what occurred long, long ago, concerning this shift and destruction.
One of the first times that we hear about Lilith is in the Ancient text The Epic Of Gilgamesh. There She is described as an unpleasant squatter in a Tree. Lilith is often equated with the Egyptian Isis, Inanna - sometimes called the hand of Inanna -, also Astarte, Hecate, Sophia, Mary, and all the other powerful feminine deities. She represents the primordial fount of all Mother / Goddess figures. And yes, according to legend she was actually the first wife of Adam, prior to Eve. From earth / mud / clay, she was created, just as Adam was. Lilith felt that She was Adam's equal, a true mate & match for him. In the early Legends it is said that She & Adam were created as a dual being...joined back to back. As such, Lilith wanted to remain independent, and did not wish to be subservient to the male personality, will and ego. Adam, however, considered himself to be the Supreme Power. He claimed that it was decreed to him by his God, that he should be the master over Lilith. And sooo...my friends trouble in Paradise / Eden began.... anyway...
Let's go back to the beginning. God gives 'birth' - or thinks he does -, to Lilith in the dark of night, through the miracle of... nocturnal emission, - this is discussed in Adorned With The Rising Cobra -, and forever lusts after her - He's got a great passion for flesh! However, she is not his child. Again what Lilith really is, is the exact other 'side' of true Godhead... the Goddess, or female half of Divinity. This God... we are discussing is not a true God...He is a demi-urge or half-maker. Lilith is part of a higher Authority / Energy / Emanation, an equal part of the True... Oneness or God Above God. Anyway... Lilith has awakened this particular God's dark, sensual nature. However... this God is really very afraid of Lilith. He finds her... 'uncontrollable', wild, untamable and far too difficult to understand, so... he creates Adam in the light of day, to be the mirror of his own image, thus Immortal I Stand (The Birth Of Adam). Adam and Lilith meet... they try to have... a magic, romantic evening... but everything goes horribly wrong. Oh yes... very wrong. Adam wants to be on top... (sexually and otherwise), and Lilith wants the same so... they have an enormous fight! She pushes him off her and screams out 'bastard', he calls her a 'bitch', and She flies off on her glorious green wings! She is able to do this because she is in possession of the Power / Knowledge of the true 'name' of God. Lilith knows The Ineffable Name. She has found out that which was supposed to be forbidden and unknowable. In anger, rage and fear... God & Adam curse Lilith.... And Adam demands that God create him a new partner.... Someone perhaps a bit easier going...
In the aftermath of her dramatic flight, God creates Eve for Adam, to be Adam's subservient, docile helper. Lilith then momentarily reappears, confronts Eve & Adam, and rages at them... Black Light On Black. Here is also introduced the idea of what might have caused the real 'Fall' from Grace / Paradise. Not the eating of any worm-ridden apple, but... Adam's ultimate defection from Lilith. He prefers to cling to his idea of superiority, with himself as 'Master' to the submissive Eve, rather than explore the potential of equality with Lilith... Anyway, next our heroine winds up in the Red Sea where it is said that she cavorts with demons and has numerous children with them - this is the beginning of a smear campaign against her. Then along come Three Black Angels who begin to torment and abuse her. This is essentially the idea behind... Bonedust. The Black Angels - sent by God -, attempt to force her to come back to Adam. They tell her, "for this unlawful flight, this transgression, as punishment 1,000 of your children will die every day unless you return, we will kill them". Lilith says ... "No! I am beyond your control. I know the Ineffable Name of God. This... gives me Power! I do not have to come back, I will not come back, and your God knows this!" The 'Angels' are in confusion, as they were not aware of this arrangement with God. They however are great tricksters and of course with a God such as this, there must be punishment, so these crafty 'Angels' contrive something truly dreadful. They devise a way to convince her that in return for her willfulness, stubbornness, independence, pride and femaleness... She must in fact be the one to do these killings of children. And thus the process begins where she is dramatically transformed, turned from the beautiful, noble idea of the Great Goddess / Good Mother... into the Terrible Mother / Evil Demon, repugnant to all women. (Angel Of Death)... Lilith in rage and madness takes their poison bait...
Later She comes to her senses and laments her fate, but... the damage has already been done. Infection sets in... However, her pure essence, her divine core cannot fully comprehend why She must become this dark, vile, hideous thing. She questions, she cries out, She begs, She implores the God Above God, to deliver her from this tragic fate...And thus the nobility in her nature requires still further corrupting to be up to such killing, so She, - or is it the 'Angels' again -, conjure Samael... The Hidden God. Unbeknownst to her, Samael, is actually Adam in disguise. With his influence and trickery the feminine divine is finally overcome, seduced, perverted, corrupted and She... becomes the Childslayer... Eve and all women of the World begin their eternal lament... When Dusk Fell... And the struggle begins/continues... Visions Of Eden...
Once again... remember... regardless of any ancient, myth-like qualities the nature of this tale may invoke, everything that occurs is actually going on now in real time, in the mind of a specific Woman while she is being raped... and... this Story is not over yet... no... not yet...
David DeFeis - June 21, 2006
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