Long before they were famous, before they made those epic albums and became a major part of the American power metal scene, I can honestly say I saw potential in Virgin Steele. I loved their second album and knew they would go on to great things. Well, I would say that, wouldn't I? But the truth is that I did hear of them through
Kerrang! and took the advice of that bible of metal, shelling out for this. I never regretted it.
Guardians of the Flame --- Virgin Steele --- 1983 (Music For Nations)
This was of course the last album to feature founder member and guitarist Jack Starr, as David DeFeis tightened his grip on the band and pushed them in a musical direction that Starr did not agree with, but that would, in time, prove to be the right one as Virgin Steele wrote their name in fire across the heavy metal firmament. Poetic, eh? Whaddya mean, you don't care? I don't know, some people ... I go to all this trouble, don't know why I bother... Anyway, this then is one of the two albums that show how Virgin Steele could have gone.
The keyboards of David DeFeis are already clearly in evidence as we open with “Don't say goodbye (tonight)” and his voice, though a little rough here, is still one that you can tell is going to be ringing out across the metal firm --- oh, I said that already didn't I? Well, let's just say you could be sure you were going to be hearing this guy again! That powerful romping beat that would become a staple of power metal is there, and for the moment Starr is held back a little in check, then he rips off a fine solo and you can tell just how good a guitarist he is. I guess you could say it's a little repetitive, now that I listen to it, but “Burn the sun” is a pure metal rocker, with plenty of histrionics both from Starr and DeFeis, the latter utilising that operatic style of vocal that was being pioneered by the likes of Halford and Dickinson, and would be taken up by Eric Adams, then “Life of crime” is kind of more in the Kiss mould, with a big swaggering strut as DeFeis snarls out the vocal with proud defiance.
It's got quite a hook in it, the keys not as prominent as they were on the first track, DeFeis stamping nevertheless his personality all over the song, though Starr takes charge of course for the guitar solo. Always seems like these two are trying to one-up each other, though we know who won that eventual war in the end. The keys are back for the dark, dramatic intro into the seven-minute epic “The Redeemer”, which shows a glimpse into what would be the future of this band as their path sort of dovetailed with that of Manowar into sweeping sagas of battle and retelling of the stories of heroes of legend. Oddly enough, the lyric on this one seems to suggest a corruption of the tales of Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, and whether they're poking fun at religion or are in earnest I don't know, but the song features a totally smoking solo from Starr and then, of course, just because he can, a superb keyboard run from DeFeis. There's room in this seven-minuter for them both to set out their stalls, and they certainly do.
“Birth through fire” is a short instrumental that leads into the title track, which opens with a big dirty guitar and rocks along with purpose and again shows the idea of where Virgin Steele were heading, a direction Starr, not happy with, would fight against and end up being fired from his own band. Like Manowar's “Into glory ride” or “Battle hymn”, the song is full of grandiose self-importance and boasting ---
“We are the guardians of the flame/ Masters of the ancient rites” --- but this is something that would go on throughout power metal and is I suppose never to be taken that seriously. A great keyboard solo by DeFeis kicks off a sort of warrior chorus while Starr burns up the frets as the song reaches its triumphant climax.
The introduction to “Metal City” shows the range of DeFeis as he hits notes I've only really heard Gillan and Adams hit before, then the song trundles along and in comparison to the title track it's pretty basic and perhaps reflects the band's own struggles as they catalogue the obstacles they have overcome:
”We used to be nice but times got tough.../ Paid our dues, got burned a few/ Now we want action!” The pace speeds up for “Hell or high water” with the lyric making for perhaps disturbing reading:
”I won't let you leave me/ Cos I've got too much pride/ You better believe me/ I'll never let you go.” Obsessive much? This idea of “I get what I want” continues into “Go all the way” and perhaps the two songs tell us more than we would want to know about Jack Starr's attitude towards women. Neither songs are that great, to be honest, but then we get the closer and things change completely.
“A cry in the night” is one of only two on the album (not counting the instrumental) penned by David DeFeis solo, and there surely is something in that they're the opening and closing tracks, and also by far the two best on the album. Lyrically, both songs are the polar opposite of Starr's, with DeFeis much more vulnerable and prepared to listen to his lover, with none of the arrogant bravado and braggadacio of Starr's writing. Unsurprisingly, “A cry in the night” is based around a solid piano melody, a power ballad on which DeFeis exercises the tender side of his vocals, and also manages to write quite an anthem, with a great hook in the song. Whereas “Go all the way” and “Hell or high water” are, on the whole, forgettable and formulaic, “A cry in the night” utilises a classical piece, Canon in D Major by Pachelbel, and therefore makes a much better impression and closes the album as well as it was opened.
TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS
1. Don't say goodbye (tonight)
2. Burn the sun
3. Life of crime
4. The Redeemer
5. Birth through fire
6. Guardians of the flame
7. Metal City
8. Hell or high water
9. Go all the way
10. A cry in the night
It's not hard to see where the two men's visions for Virgin Steele diverged sharply. While both are excellent musicans, you can note in Starr's lyrics a very basic, metal-and-roll idea, with the usual subjects such as living the life, women and beer taking centre stage, whereas DeFeis concentrates more here on more esoteric, fantasy elements, which is the path the band finally took and which allowed them to reap such wide rewards in the metal community, leading to such albums as
The House of Atreus, Invictus and of course
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. The only time Starr and DeFeis seem to agree and share a vision is when they write together, as in the title track, but the rest of the time they're diametrically opposed lyrically, and this tug-of-war would eventually be won by DeFeis, who would fire the founder of the band, and who would be proven right to do so, as Virgin Steele went on to become one of the pillars of American power metal in the following decades.