Virgin Steele - Invictus review
| Band: | Virgin Steele |
| Album: | Invictus |
| Style: | Heavy metal, Symphonic metal |
| Release date: | 1998 |
Disc I [Invictus]
01. The Blood Of Vengeance
02. Invictus
03. Mind, Body, Spirit
04. In The Arms Of The Death God
05. Through Blood And Fire
06. Sword Of The Gods
07. God Of Our Sorrows
08. Vow Of Honour
09. Defiance
10. Dust From The Burning
11. Amaranth
12. A Whisper Of Death
13. Dominion Day
14. A Shadow Of Fear
15. Theme From "The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell"
16. Veni, Vidi, Vici
Disc II [Fire Spirits] [2014 Re-issue bonus]
01. Dark Distant Future - Live Rehearsal Great Hall Medley #1 [acoustic version]
1 - A Whisper Of Death (Intro)
2 - Unholy Water
3 - Trail Of Tears
02. With Vengeance Divine - Live In The Studio Medley #2 [acoustic version]
1 - Rising Unchained
2 - Veni, Vidi, Vici
3 - Defiance
4 - I Will Come For You
5 - Victory Is Mine
03. Conquering Hero - Live Fireplace Rehearsal Medley #3 [acoustic version]
1 - Serpent's Kiss (Intro)
2 - A Whisper Of Death (Main Section Of Song)
3 - Great Sword Of Flame
4 - Emalaith
5 - The Burning Of Rome (Cry For Pompeii)
6 - Perfect Mansions (Mountains Of The Sun)
7 - Do You Walk With God
Sharpen your sword it is time for some classic Heavy Metal. In Virgin Steele discography, Invictus remains my favorite release. Don't expect something brutal, those guys are the masters of refined Heavy Metal influenced by classical music.
Right from the get-go, the band leaves little doubt as to what the album is all about. Epic Heavy Metal with driving guitar riffs and mind-blowing vocals are on the menu. However, the surprise lies in how much of it is available on this album. Every track seems to grow on the listener quite rapidly, whether it is the catchy "Mind, Body, Spirit" or more intricate opuses such as "A Whisper of Death".
The variation in the way vocals are delivered makes this album very special. David De Feis is enjoying himself by singing the same chorus in every tone he can think of. Edward Pursino trademark classical guitar playing is really coming together here, especially with the production leaving more room to bass guitar lines.
A lot can be said about these songs, but all you really need to know is that the album has 16 tracks of the purest Heavy Metal you'll ever hear, with at least a handful of truly outstanding masterpieces.
Laying the foundations for The House of Atreus albums, Invictus has all the elements I love about Virgin Steele. Fantastic melodies, precise clean riffs and above all the right melange of softness and power perfectly delivered through David's vocals. It takes a mastermind to make a great band; Virgin Steele has two of them with David and Edward.
Highlights: "Sword of the Gods", "A Whisper of Death", " Dust From the Burning" and "A Shadow of Fear"
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 7 |
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Written on 19.07.2010 by
Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as: "A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?" I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math. |
Comments
Comments: 4
Visited by: 125 users
| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662  |
Invictus must be their best album but i think also "Through Blood And Fire" should be mentioned among highlights...even of entire Virigin Steele's work
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| Ballbreaker Posts: 8  |
My favorite track from "Invictus" has always been "Dominion Day". The catchy drumwork and Defeis vocals is what makes this song a classic for me. Edward does maybe his best ever solo in this song in my opinion. Dominion DAY!
---- "I know I ain't doing much, but doing norhing means a lot to me" -Bon Scott, Down Payment Blues
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| YoreLore Posts: 234  |
Written by Ballbreaker on 22.07.2010 at 02:59 Was my fav track on the album for years, now its that, Veni Vidi Vici and Invictus. The whole album is unbelievable though
---- "I'm rising in power through murdering rain Stronger than Faith allows Braver than heroes vows ...My head is bloody but I am unbowed I am power..."
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941  |
Written by Ellrohir on 20.07.2010 at 00:42 I prefer "Invictus" to the "House Of Atreus" albums. I'm not much into this kind of music today but it's definitely a great album, imo.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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