 Virgin Steele are without a doubt one of the most important bands in epic metal. We all know the value of Virgin Steele as well as the value of mainman David DeFeis as a performer and as a composer. What many people may not know is that, apart from his talent in music issues, David DeFeis is a brilliant, cultured person with great values in life. Virgin Steele mastermind, David DeFeis, talks to Solid Rock about the past, the present and of course the future of Virgin Steele in this enjoyable and substantial interview. 
Solid Rock: Hail David! First of all, let me say that it’s a pleasure doing this interview with you, as I’m a Virgin Steele fan myself!
David DeFeis: BY THE GODS! Cheers & Thanks very much! Solid Rock: So, let’s start with the new re-issues of the 3 classic Virgin Steele albums, "Life Among The Ruins" (1992), "The Marriage Of Heaven & Hell Part I" (1994) and "The Marriage Of Heaven & Hell Part II" (1995). Would you like to tell us a bit about the differences between the original releases and the re-issues? David DeFeis: Well the obvious difference is that the new versions contain bonus tracks and have new much more elaborate packaging. The original version of the “Marriage Of Heaven & Hell Part 1” album had only one photo of the Group, and the original version of “The Marriage Of Heaven & Hell Part 2” album had no photos at all. Now we have quite a bit of photo history happening with these re-issues and the same goes for the new version of the “Life Among The Ruins” album. There is much more visual activity in the new version, and again…we have quite a few bonus tracks included. Sonically the albums shouldn’t sound all that different, as I tried to maintain the feeling of what they were originally. If anything perhaps the new versions are a bit sharper…perhaps clearer. The reason for doing these re-issues is a simple one. They would have been out of print and unavailable if I did not re-issue them, because the record contract with the previous label had expired. Once a CD goes out of print, then the bootleggers step in or the albums go for some ridiculously high price on sites like ebay…I did not want that to happen. I want these Works to be available for anyone who wants to have them without any hassle. . I don’t want the Fans to have a hard time finding them if they have a desire to hear them. Solid Rock: Talking about studio albums, let’s talk about the next Virgin Steele album which as far as I’m aware of, it will be released in 2009. Would you like to give us a small taste about what’s cooking? What should we expect to hear in it? David DeFeis: If all goes well I hope to have the new album out sometime between April and May. It will be Barbaric-Romantic, and at times quite over the top, at times atmospheric and moody…rather dark but always very musical. I am actually working on 2 albums at once. I am preparing both the next album…and the one after that, so…it is a busy time and it can be confusing to discuss what the next one may be like, because when I speak about the music I am also thinking about what comes after the very next release… Solid Rock: Are you going to tour for the new album? And by the way, any chance to see you live in Greece soon? 
David DeFeis: We certainly hope to do some touring for the next album, and yes once we are out there in Europe we do wish to visit Greece once again. We have always enjoyed performing for the Greek Fans, and we do miss seeing them, so yes…I think it is high time for a return to Glorious Greece! Solid Rock: Let’s go back in time for a while…1995: The glorious “Marriage Of Heaven & Hell Part I” was released and the next year the sequel of the masterpiece, “Marriage Of Heaven & Hell Part II”. I still recall when everybody was talking about those 2 masterpieces back then. So, looking back at those 2 albums after all these years, what do you think that was that special element that made those two albums so glorious? David DeFeis: With every album that we have done we have always tried to bring out the best we could under the circumstances that each album was made. With the two “Marriage” albums, I think the special ingredient was the songs themselves. The songs are all well crafted and played with serious intent and real heart, passion and urgency. Prior to recording those albums I had totally immersed myself in the act of learning more about music…about harmony, composition, etc…so when it came time to do those albums I was deeply involved & inspired. I wanted to make albums that I would listen to for my own enjoyment, the same way in which I would listen to all the albums that I grew up with. In this…I believe that I succeeded. I still enjoy hearing the “Marriage” Works. I think the songs sound very fresh and quite modern…futuristic even… Solid Rock: How would you compare the last two CD's with your previous work, like “The Marriage of Heaven & Hell Part I & II”, “Invictus”, and the early Virgin Steele, the self-titled and “Guardians of the Flame”? David DeFeis: The last two albums we released were “Visions Of Eden” and “The House Of Atreus Act 2”. “House Act 2”, was a double album, and obviously connected to “The House Of Atreus Act 1”, so it was a very large concept…”Metal-Opera” kind of thing. “ATREUS” was even more classically oriented than the “Marriage/Invictus” saga was. I pushed the “opera” side of things a bit further, and tried to integrate all facets of the Work, including having certain themes represent certain characters or ideas and then transforming those musical statements as the story around those elements changed. I had begun doing that with “The Marriage Of Heaven & Hell & Invictus” albums, but I dove in even deeper on “The House Of Atreus” Works. With “Visions Of Eden” I continued that idea, but I also wanted to make an album that held its own ground and could be enjoyed even without knowing what the “story” was. I think, and the rest of the band also feel that the songs on “Visions Of Eden” are the best things I have written thus far. For example our drummer Frank Gilchriest is totally in love with the song “God Above God”…he weeps every time he hears it! The “Invictus” album has a different feel than the albums just discussed. It is more sonically raw and outwardly aggressive than the other albums, while the “Visions Of Eden” album is more emotionally and mentally raw and much darker…All the albums have their own distinct quality and personality. We never had any desire to make the same kind of album over and over again. Solid Rock: I bet I’m not the only one who wonders why Virgin Steele hasn’t released any official DVD yet. So, do you ever think of that possibility? Is it something that will finally see the light of day and if “yes”, what can we expect? I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff that we haven’t seen like promo videos, live footage, etc. 
David DeFeis: Yes we do want to do it. I personally want to do it. I want to be able to sit down and have a look at what I have spent a large part of my life doing! So it will happen. It is merely a question of finding the right moment to devote the necessary time to properly complete such a project. I have no desire to put out a simple live DVD with some clowning around backstage kind of footage thrown in kind of thing. I wish to do a full in depth documentary on the Group…this will take about 6 months to a year to complete. I wish to include TV shows that we were on, various live performance clips, at home footage, interviews of all sorts, the 3 “Metal-Operas” that I had staged in Germany…all kinds of things. Solid Rock: Back in March, I read that you joined forces with Thomen Stauch (Savage Circus, ex- Blind Guardian) and Axel Ritt (Domain) in a new, yet unnamed band. What’s the status of this project? Would you like to talk to us about it? David DeFeis: Yes I have spoken with both Thomen & Axel several times over the past few months. At the moment they are together writing songs in Germany, while I am in the USA writing. At some point in the not too distant future we all hope to meet up in the same room to find out what we can achieve together. We are all very excited about the possibilities. Solid Rock: Let’s go back to Virgin Steele. What are the future plans of the band? David DeFeis: Well obviously the new album is the first priority. On top of that…I hope to have the following album after that almost ready at the same time. I am also mastering various live acoustic shows and rehearsals that we did. I want to put out a double CD of that. The few bonus acoustic things I included on the “Life Among The Ruins” re-issue are only the tip of the iceberg. I also wish to release a proper live album and I am also planning tracks for a kind of Bluesy-Metal album. The DVD…of which we spoke earlier is another project I hope to complete. And of course…we wish to get back to doing more live concerts. Solid Rock: Greek mythology has often inspired Virgin Steele. Where does this passion/love for Greek mythology come from?
 David DeFeis: I grew up with it. I was raised in a theatrical household. My father was and still is a producer/director of Plays. Growing up, I would watch rehearsals & performances of Plays by Euripides, Aeschylus, Shakespeare, etc., and this was incredibly inspiring to me. Drama is a Greek invention, and the Plays, the Myths, the idea of Greek Culture was always very important to me from a very early age. After being introduced to the Ancient World via these various Plays, I then read all the Mythology I could lay my hands on. I devoured the Myths! In them I see parallels to our time, and I see that we have not changed at all since those days! If anything...we are more backwards now! The Myths contain universal themes and truths that are timeless. I also love the fact that the Gods & Goddesses are portrayed in Human form with the same lusts, strengths and weaknesses as us all. The Greeks created the Divine, in the image of the Human. Today we are all searching for Magick, for Beauty, Passion, Love…transcendence. That is why we enjoy Music, the Arts, Wine, etc. The Myths remind us that we can transcend, that we can become Zeus, Athena, Prometheus, Herakles, or King Arthur or Isis or whatever we choose to be. We can make our lives a Work of Art… So…between, the Drama from my Father, and Opera from my Sister and Rock Music from my Brother and my other Sister…I was surrounded by inspiration. I had to join in in some way, I fully absorbed all of those elements, and distilled them into the style of my Life, and I combined these various artistic elements into the over the top Barbaric-Romantic music I make today with VIRGIN STEELE. Solid Rock: What’s your opinion about the current status of metal scene? Do you think that there’s enough inspiration out there for the bands in order to do some great job and release a masterpiece or do you think things could be better? 
David DeFeis: There are of course always good bands and there are also bands that are very derivative of the few that are very good. This is the same in every genre and sub-genre of music. Some things I hear nowadays are quite interesting and others bore me…The World is full of inspiration…and if it is inspiration one seeks…it is out there…and inside oneself…There is no shortage of sources for inspiration…one is only limited by one’s imagination… Search, find, create, dream, imagine, experiment; live. Solid Rock: Virgin Steele is quite an influence for a new epic metal band but let’s talk about David DeFeis’ influences. What bands made David DeFeis decide to become a musician at first place? David DeFeis: The first groups of a Metal nature that I enjoyed were Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. I was also a fan of Mountain and Grand Funk Railroad. Then when Queen came out, I went completely crazy. Their combination of Metal, Opera and Classical music totally floored me. The song, “THE MARCH OF THE BLACK QUEEN” from the album Queen 2, is incredible! For me it was a revelation. I was amazed at how all that elaborate harmony was put together and how it carried you through from the first note to the last. It has incredible dynamics. That track paved the way for BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. The entire second QUEEN album is a true masterpiece! The compositional skill is astounding. Songs like MARCH OF THE BLACK QUEEN, OGRE BATTLE, WHITE QUEEN and FATHER TO SON, are excellent examples of the genre. They are powerful, well crafted gems, filled with intricacy and true development, yet always accessible and never bogged down in technique for technique's sake. They are always melodic and from the heart. Then...think of the amazing production value and recording skill that went into crafting them into those incredible records! The performances are stellar, filled with power and precision far beyond those of mortal men! But even more amazing, is that behind all that is the brilliant creative "Mind" at work. This is the true Mastery, to be able to envision the ideas...and then... execute them. When I was growing up in addition to being inspired by the compositions of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Company, I also greatly admired Jimmy Page. His guitar work with Led Zeppelin had a direct effect on my singing. I wanted to sing like his guitar solos sounded! I wanted to be a human guitar. I use my voice in a rather instrumental way. I am not just singing words; I sing like I am on an extended guitar solo and I am also very percussive in my approach. I also approach playing keyboards, more like a guitarist than a keyboard player. I think of all things as some kind of guitar! I have also been inspired by what inspired those artists I just mentioned…”The Blues”. I am a big fan of old Blues as exemplified by artists such as Sun Ra, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Elmore James,. Robert Johnson and so on…And I am a mad fan of “Classical” Music, especially 19th century music from Debussy, Chopin, Verdi, Wagner, etc… Solid Rock: Let’s assume that you had the chance to create a super group/project in order to release only one glorious song. Who are the musicians from the entire metal/hard rock/ rock scene that you would pick? David DeFeis: I would be honored to work with Brian May, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Tony Iommi….so many people…Orpheus… 
Solid Rock: David, you’re a hell of a singer and there’s no doubt about it. I would like to hear your thoughts on some other singers/frontmen: David DeFeis: I thank you kindly for your words…I love the human voice and I love to explore what it can do and I enjoy hearing the sounds that all other singers make. Robert Plant for me has always been a Glorious singer. I enjoy him and all his work today, just as much as I did when I first heard Zeppelin “1”. And of course Freddie Mercury was a major inspiration. But anyway…OK I will try to answer your questions… Eric Adams (Manowar): David DeFeis: He has a truly great voice. It is completely rock solid and always on. He has great power and flexibility in all parts of his range. Eric is absolutely one of the finest vocalists we have today or any other day. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden): David DeFeis: Bruce has a wonderful Metal voice, full of passion and great energy. Onstage he kicks ass.
Andi Deris (Helloween): David DeFeis: I am not so familiar with his work…I did see him live once though, and I thought his voice was very good and I also thought he had a very good stage presence. Dee Snider (Twisted Sister): David DeFeis: Dee has a good strong Rock & Roll voice that is always recognizable. His band Twisted Sister was one of the big “Club” bands back in the Glory days of the Long Island Rock Scene, and they played hard, wild and mean every time…I always enjoyed seeing them live. Blackie Lawless (W.a.s.p.) : 
David DeFeis: I like Blackie’s voice. I think he has a unique sound and his voice is quite powerful and he has an excellent range. Blackie has great feeling, passion and dynamics in his singing. I think his vocal on “Sleeping In The Fire”, is really wonderful. Solid Rock: David, I think that’s all for now. I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview with Solid Rock. Any last words or any message to all the fans out there? David DeFeis: My pleasure Sir…Thanks for listening and believing… To the Fans I wish to say the following, “thanks so very much to you All! You have stayed strong and true forever! Your great Belief, Spirit, Support, Energy and Enthusiasm honour us! You will remain forever in our hearts! You are the Flame that never dies”! See you all again soon… By The Black Sun & Moon, David DeFeis
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