Consistency seems to be a bad word among American metal bands over the years. Few remain true to the sounds their fans came to love. Many change their looks or their sounds with every record exec whim. They simply don’t get the big picture nor do they look to their European brothers and sisters, who remain loyal to bands that remain loyal to them.
Virgin Steele is an American metal act with the guts to stay true to what they are. From over the top grinding power metal vocals to crunchy true metal leads, this band is a powerhouse. They have all the parts of a great metal band. And they stand as an island in the stream against “selling” out and compromising their sound for the sake of a record company. These guys are the real metal deal.
The songs on this release are epic in both soundscape and power. Vocals really grab you and put singable and progressive sounding hooks into your head. Excellent lyric writing. This isn’t quiet riot or Ratt writing pop hits, this my friends is true heavy metal. Plus this disc comes with some cool bonus tracks that I will let you discover for yourself.
“Sex Religion Machine” and “Jet Black” are killer tunes. Bands like House of lords and Crimson Glory come to mind. “Love is Pain”…..one of the best racks on here. Crunchy,catchy,ballad like chorus with a trance-like hook. Other standout songs are : “Never believed in Good”, “Snakeskin Voodoo Man”, “Love’s Gone”. Chock full of choice cuts.
“Last Rose Of Summer” is 4:26 minutes of pure sonic ecstasy. The Gods of Steel were smiling when The boys from Virgin Steele wrote that one.
This is a tremendously produced master class experience in how to create good, solid, lasting heavy metal. Virgin Steele is the real deal when it comes to storming the walls and raising the flag of metal for all to see. Now my friends I will be journeying back to my cd player, sharpening my sword and raising a glass of hearty ale in the hopes that someone will hear these tunes and see my fires. Long live heavy metal! all hail Virgin Steele!
10 Horns on a 10 horn scale!
--MetalRising
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