David DeFeis
Encyclopedia
David DeFeis is an American singer, keyboard player, songwriter and producer. He is the main composer and leader of the heavy metal
band Virgin Steele
.
As a musician and a singer, he declared, he was very much influenced by guitar players like Jimmy Page
, Brian May
and Eddie Van Halen
because he wanted to do with his voice what they did with their guitars.
He is also influenced, besides, by great rock singers like Freddie Mercury
, Robert Plant
, David Coverdale
, Ronnie James Dio
and Ian Gillan
.
The major part of the lyrics David DeFeis writes are mythological, dealing with subjects from especially Greek mythology
, Sumerian mythology and Christian
religion. All of them are based on real life in some form or another.
Big fan of european classical music, at 9–10 years old, he was introduced to rock music by earing the band Stalk, with his brother Damon (on organ and piano) and his sister Danae (on vocals), playing in the basement beneath his room.
He began piano lessons at the age of eight. By age eleven, he began his career with the Long Island
's local heavy metal
bands: Phoenix.
At 16 years old, David DeFeis met for the first time his future partner Edward Pursino when David's band at the time, called Mountain Ash, was auditioning for a gig at the high school dance. Mountain Ash was mainly a Black Sabbath
cover band and, after the performance of the song "War Pigs", Pursino came over and introduced himself to DeFeis.
At the beginning of the eighties, together with Jack Starr
and Joey Ayvazian, David DeFeis started the first line-up of the band Virgin Steele
. They debuted, in 1982, with the song "Children of the Storm" included in the compilation U.S. Metal Vol. II.
In 1985, the guitarist Edward Pursino replaced Starr. Among the years, in their longtime repationship in Virgin Steele
, DeFeis and Pursino released a lot of heavy metal
classics such as the albums: Noble Savage
, Invictus
, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I
, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II
.
David DeFeis collects swords, his collection includes more than 20 items. In studio, sometimes, he uses his swords to create particular effects for the Virgin Steele
songs while during the concerts he, usually, burns a sword on stage.
. According with German artists Walter Weyers and Martina Krawulsky, with the name "Klytaimnestra": "The House of Atreus" Metal Opera (musically available on the Virgin Steele
's albums The House of Atreus Act I
, The House of Atreus Act II
) was performed on stage in Germany theaters by Landestheater Production.
The premiere of "Klytaimnestra" in Memmingen
, June 5, 1999, has been the first ever regular musical theatre show based on heavy metal
concepts.
After "Klytaimnestra" success, David DeFeis & Landestheater Production extracted a second Metal Opera musical, named "The Rebels", from the previous Virgin Steele
's albums of the Marriage of Heaven and Hell trilogy ("The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I
", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II
", "Invictus
").
In 2003, the same team released a third Metal Opera, named "Lilith", based on the material of album Visions of Eden
. "Visons of Eden" was later on published in CD in 2006. In a different way to the previous two Operas, David DeFeis declared: "I don't think of it as a Metal Opera. What it really is, is the soundtrack for a major motion picture that has yet to be made! And by the hammer of Zeus, I will make this film one day. I call this work a Barbaric Romantic movie of the mind.".
Virgin Steele
's albums are produced by David DeFeis himself.
He, also, produced albums released by other artists such as: Out of the Darkness and No Turning Back by Jack Starr
, Nightmare Theatre by Exorcist, Stay Ugly by Piledriver, The Sign of the Jackal by Damien Thorn, Sin Will Find You Out by Original Sin.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
.
Voice & musical style
David DeFeis is a classically trained pianist, with a Bachelor's degree in composition from S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook. As vocalist, he is self taught, possessing a three and a half octave range of enormous power and expression.As a musician and a singer, he declared, he was very much influenced by guitar players like Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
and Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
because he wanted to do with his voice what they did with their guitars.
He is also influenced, besides, by great rock singers like Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
, Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...
, Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
and Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
.
The major part of the lyrics David DeFeis writes are mythological, dealing with subjects from especially Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Sumerian mythology and Christian
Christian mythology
Christian mythology is the body of myths associated with Christianity. In the study of mythology, the term "myth" refers to a traditional story, often one which is regarded as sacred and which explains how the world and its inhabitants came to have their present form.Classicist G.S. Kirk defines a...
religion. All of them are based on real life in some form or another.
Biography
David DeFeis comes from a very theatrical family: his father is a Shakespearian actor who runs the theatre company "The Arena Players Theatre" while his sister Doreen is a gifted opera singer who performs all over Europe.Big fan of european classical music, at 9–10 years old, he was introduced to rock music by earing the band Stalk, with his brother Damon (on organ and piano) and his sister Danae (on vocals), playing in the basement beneath his room.
He began piano lessons at the age of eight. By age eleven, he began his career with the Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
's local heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands: Phoenix.
At 16 years old, David DeFeis met for the first time his future partner Edward Pursino when David's band at the time, called Mountain Ash, was auditioning for a gig at the high school dance. Mountain Ash was mainly a Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
cover band and, after the performance of the song "War Pigs", Pursino came over and introduced himself to DeFeis.
At the beginning of the eighties, together with Jack Starr
Jack Starr
Jack Starr was an outsider musician who recorded in 1960s Texas and whose recordings have been released by Norton Records. A comprehensive compilation of his work has recently been repressed as the "Born Petrified" LP...
and Joey Ayvazian, David DeFeis started the first line-up of the band Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
. They debuted, in 1982, with the song "Children of the Storm" included in the compilation U.S. Metal Vol. II.
In 1985, the guitarist Edward Pursino replaced Starr. Among the years, in their longtime repationship in Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
, DeFeis and Pursino released a lot of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
classics such as the albums: Noble Savage
Noble Savage (album)
Noble Savage is the third album of the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele. The album was released in 1986 by Cobra Records and reissued in 1997 on CD by Noise Records, with six bonus tracks. The remastered edition of 2008 by Dockyard 1 added two other extra tracks...
, Invictus
Invictus (album)
Invictus is the eighth studio album from New York based Power metal band Virgin Steele. It is the third part of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell saga, exploring the relationships and conflicts between humanity and divinity...
, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I is the sixth studio album by American power metal band Virgin Steele, released in 1994. It is the first part of a trilogy of concept albums, comprising also The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II and Invictus, about the relationship between humanity and...
, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II was the seventh studio album by American power metal band Virgin Steele and it was the second of three albums in "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" series. It was mostly written and composed by David DeFeis and Edward Pursino...
.
David DeFeis collects swords, his collection includes more than 20 items. In studio, sometimes, he uses his swords to create particular effects for the Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
songs while during the concerts he, usually, burns a sword on stage.
Metal opera & theatre
Between the end of the 90's and the beginning of the new millennium, David DeFeis wrote music, for actors, based on the Oresteia and the Greek myths related by AeschylusAeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
. According with German artists Walter Weyers and Martina Krawulsky, with the name "Klytaimnestra": "The House of Atreus" Metal Opera (musically available on the Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
's albums The House of Atreus Act I
The House of Atreus Act I
The House of Atreus Act I, released in 1999, is the ninth studio album by the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele. It has the subtitle A Barbaric-Romantic Opera. This album is the first part of a metal opera inpired by the Oresteia, a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus which...
, The House of Atreus Act II
The House of Atreus Act II
The House of Atreus Act II, released in 2000, is the tenth studio album by the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele. It was released as a double CD album. This album is the second and final part of a metal opera inpired by the Oresteia, a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus which...
) was performed on stage in Germany theaters by Landestheater Production.
The premiere of "Klytaimnestra" in Memmingen
Memmingen
Memmingen is a town in the Bavarian administrative region of Swabia in Germany. It is the central economic, educational and administrative centre in the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Württemberg border...
, June 5, 1999, has been the first ever regular musical theatre show based on heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
concepts.
After "Klytaimnestra" success, David DeFeis & Landestheater Production extracted a second Metal Opera musical, named "The Rebels", from the previous Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
's albums of the Marriage of Heaven and Hell trilogy ("The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I is the sixth studio album by American power metal band Virgin Steele, released in 1994. It is the first part of a trilogy of concept albums, comprising also The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II and Invictus, about the relationship between humanity and...
", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II was the seventh studio album by American power metal band Virgin Steele and it was the second of three albums in "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" series. It was mostly written and composed by David DeFeis and Edward Pursino...
", "Invictus
Invictus (album)
Invictus is the eighth studio album from New York based Power metal band Virgin Steele. It is the third part of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell saga, exploring the relationships and conflicts between humanity and divinity...
").
In 2003, the same team released a third Metal Opera, named "Lilith", based on the material of album Visions of Eden
Visions of Eden
Visions of Eden is the eleventh album by American heavy metal band Virgin Steele, released on September 8, 2006 via Sanctuary Records. The album is subtitled The Lilith Project - A Barbaric Romantic Movie of the Mind...
. "Visons of Eden" was later on published in CD in 2006. In a different way to the previous two Operas, David DeFeis declared: "I don't think of it as a Metal Opera. What it really is, is the soundtrack for a major motion picture that has yet to be made! And by the hammer of Zeus, I will make this film one day. I call this work a Barbaric Romantic movie of the mind.".
Producer
David DeFeis owns his personal recording studio called: "The Hammer of Zeus" (sometimes also called "The Wrecking Ball Of Thor").Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
's albums are produced by David DeFeis himself.
He, also, produced albums released by other artists such as: Out of the Darkness and No Turning Back by Jack Starr
Jack Starr
Jack Starr was an outsider musician who recorded in 1960s Texas and whose recordings have been released by Norton Records. A comprehensive compilation of his work has recently been repressed as the "Born Petrified" LP...
, Nightmare Theatre by Exorcist, Stay Ugly by Piledriver, The Sign of the Jackal by Damien Thorn, Sin Will Find You Out by Original Sin.
Side projects
- 1986 – David DeFeis not only produced but even fully wrote the debut album Sin Will Find You Out of the female band Original Sin.
- 1990 – David DeFeis played in a side-project blues band called Smokestack Lightning with Jack StarrJack StarrJack Starr was an outsider musician who recorded in 1960s Texas and whose recordings have been released by Norton Records. A comprehensive compilation of his work has recently been repressed as the "Born Petrified" LP...
and the future Virgin SteeleVirgin SteeleVirgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
's bass player Rob De Martino. - 1993 – David DeFeis published, with Virgin SteeleVirgin SteeleVirgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
, the bluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
single "Snakeskin Voodoo Man" inspired to Muddy WatersMuddy WatersMcKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
. - 1999 – David DeFeis played the backup vocals & the keyboard-parts on the song "Epic" included into the first album of the New York band Immortally Committed.
- 2001 – David DeFeis appears, as special guest, singing on the track "The Final Sacrifice" included into the German band Tobias Sammet's AvantasiaAvantasiaAvantasia is a heavy metal project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist and frontman of the band Edguy. The project's title is a portmanteau of the words "avalon" and "fantasia" and describes "a world beyond human imagination"...
's first single. - 2002 – David DeFeis joined the New York cover band Carnival of Souls for some live dates with the Exorcist's drummer Geoff Fontaine, Edward Pursino and the current Virgin SteeleVirgin SteeleVirgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
's bass player Josh Block. - 2007 – David DeFeis appears on the Polish band Crystal Viper EP in the cover of Virgin SteeleVirgin SteeleVirgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
's song "Blood and Gasoline". - 2010 – David DeFeis will appear on the next album of the Italian band Skylark, singing the song "Symbol of Freedom" together with their female singer.
Discography
- 1982 – Virgin SteeleVirgin Steele (album)Virgin Steele is the eponymous debut album by New York heavy metal band Virgin Steele, released independently in 1982. This was the first album released by Music for Nations in Europe and was subsequently released by Mongol Horde Records and Maze Records in Canada...
- 1983 – Guardians of the FlameGuardians of the Flame (album)Guardians of the Flame is the second album from New York power metal band Virgin Steele, released in 1983 by Music for Nations. Sanctuary reissued the album in 2002 with songs previously released in the EP Wait for the Night, a live recording, and an interview with the band.-Track listing:# "Don't...
- 1983 – Wait for the NightWait for the NightWait for the Night is an EP released in 1983 by the heavy metal band Virgin Steele promoting the album Guardians of the Flame. This EP was released in Europe by Music for Nations with a different cover, a different track listing and the name A Cry in the Night...
[EP] - 1986 – Noble SavageNoble Savage (album)Noble Savage is the third album of the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele. The album was released in 1986 by Cobra Records and reissued in 1997 on CD by Noise Records, with six bonus tracks. The remastered edition of 2008 by Dockyard 1 added two other extra tracks...
- 1988 – Age of ConsentAge of Consent (Virgin Steele album)Age of Consent is the fourth full length album by US heavy metal band Virgin Steele. It took eight months to be completed, in comparison with Noble Savage that was recorded in a few weeks, and was finally released in October 1988. It received scarce promotion and distribution by their small label,...
- 1993 – Snakeskin Voodoo Man [Single]
- 1993 – Life Among the RuinsLife Among the RuinsLife Among the Ruins is the fifth full length studio album by US heavy metal band Virgin Steele. It was released in 1993, after almost five years of inactivity. The song "Snakeskin Voodoo Man" was present only in the American release and was instead released as a single in 1992 in Europe, at the...
- 1994 – The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part IThe Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part IThe Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I is the sixth studio album by American power metal band Virgin Steele, released in 1994. It is the first part of a trilogy of concept albums, comprising also The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II and Invictus, about the relationship between humanity and...
- 1995 – The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part IIThe Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part IIThe Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II was the seventh studio album by American power metal band Virgin Steele and it was the second of three albums in "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" series. It was mostly written and composed by David DeFeis and Edward Pursino...
- 1998 – InvictusInvictus (album)Invictus is the eighth studio album from New York based Power metal band Virgin Steele. It is the third part of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell saga, exploring the relationships and conflicts between humanity and divinity...
- 1998 – The House of Atreus Act IThe House of Atreus Act IThe House of Atreus Act I, released in 1999, is the ninth studio album by the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele. It has the subtitle A Barbaric-Romantic Opera. This album is the first part of a metal opera inpired by the Oresteia, a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus which...
- 2000 – The House of Atreus Act IIThe House of Atreus Act IIThe House of Atreus Act II, released in 2000, is the tenth studio album by the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele. It was released as a double CD album. This album is the second and final part of a metal opera inpired by the Oresteia, a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus which...
- 2000 – Magick Fire MusicMagick Fire MusicMagick Fire Music is an EP released in 2000, by the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele, promoting the upcoming full-length album The House of Atreus Act II....
[EP] - 2002 – The Book of BurningThe Book of BurningThe Book of Burning is a compilation album of the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele. It was released in January, 2002 by Noise Records, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the band, together with the compilation Hymns to Victory...
[Compilation/Best of/Re-recorded early material] - 2002 – Hymns to VictoryHymns to VictoryHymns to Victory is a compilation album of the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele. It was released in January, 2002 by Noise Records, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the band, together with the compilation The Book of Burning....
[Compilation/Best of] - 2006 – Visions of EdenVisions of EdenVisions of Eden is the eleventh album by American heavy metal band Virgin Steele, released on September 8, 2006 via Sanctuary Records. The album is subtitled The Lilith Project - A Barbaric Romantic Movie of the Mind...
- 2010 – The Black Light BacchanaliaThe Black Light BacchanaliaThe Black Light Bacchanalia is the twelfth album by New York heavy/power metal group Virgin Steele, released via SPV/Steamhammer on October 22, 2010 in Germany, Austria & Switzerland, and the rest of Europe on October 25, 2010 & on November 9, 2010, in the USA.The album is issued in CD format,...