When
Virgin Steele
began recording this self-titled debut album in 1981, the band had only been together for three weeks. That explains why this
fantasy metal
effort is uneven; in 1981,
still had some growing and developing to do and was very much a diamond in the rough (in terms of both songwriting and production). Nonetheless, one hears a lot of potential on the band's first recordings, all of which are heavily influenced by
Judas Priest
's '70s work.
Priest
, however, isn't the only influence; there are also hints of
Deep Purple
and
Rainbow
, and
's original lineup (which consisted of
David Defeis
on lead vocals and keyboards,
Jack Starr
on guitar,
Joe Reilly
on bass, and
Joey Ayvazian
on drums) didn't escape the influence of
progressive rock
. Some of the writing, in fact, brings to mind Canadian prog-rockers
Rush
. What does
's first album have in common with
? For one thing, an appreciation of
European classical
music.
's debut is harder and heavier than most
, and yet, the headbangers share
's love of music that is driving yet intricate and involved. Unfortunately, this album (which was recorded on a shoestring budget) was out of print for a long time. The
Music for Nations
label only pressed 5,000 copies of the original LP, and the album became increasingly difficult to find after it went out of print. But
's first album came back into print when, in 2002,
Sanctuary
reissued it on CD and added several bonus tracks (including some previously unreleased demos). This interesting, if inconsistent, disc is not recommended to those who have only a casual interest in
-- in 1981, the band's best work was yet to come. But if you're a serious collector, these under-produced recordings definitely have historic value. ~ Alex Henderson