Life Among the Ruins is the fifth full length studio album by US

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 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...

 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...

. 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 same time of the VHS Tale of the Snakeskin Voodoo Man. The VHS featured videos for "Snakeskin Voodoo Man", "Love Is Pain", "Invitation-I Dress in Black" and "Cage of Angels-Never Believed in Good-Bye", interviews and backstage footage. The music of this album is bluesy hard rock and melodic metal, more similar to early Whitesnake

Whitesnake

Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

's recordings than the epic power metal of albums like Noble Savage

Noble savage

The term noble savage , expresses the concept an idealized indigene, outsider , and refers to the literary stock character of the same...

and the following 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...

. This is the first album with bassist Rob DeMartino, who replaced Joe O'Reilly, retired from the scene.

Track listing

All lyrics by David DeFeis, music as indicated

1. "Sex Religion Machine" (D. DeFeis, E. Pursino) - 4:43
2. "Love Is Pain" (D. DeFeis) - 3:53
3. "Jet Black" (D. DeFeis, E. Pursino) - 4:13
4. "Invitation" (D. DeFeis) - 1:16
5. "I Dress in Black (Woman with No Shadow)" (D. DeFeis) - 4:46
6. "Crown of Thorns" (D. DeFeis, E. Pursino) - 6:28
7. "Cage of Angels" (instrumental) (D. DeFeis) - 0:54
8. "Never Believed in Good-Bye" (D. DeFeis) - 4:23
9. "Too Hot to Handle" (D. DeFeis, E. Pursino) - 4:39
10. "Love's Gone" (D. DeFeis, E. Pursino, Teddy Cook) - 4:29
11. "Snakeskin Voodoo Man" (Dave Ferrera, E. Pursino, J. Ayvazian, R. DeMartino) (bonus track) - 5:16
12. "Wild Fire Woman" (D. DeFeis, E. Pursino) - 4:43
13. "Cry Forever" (D. DeFeis) - 4:32
14. "Haunting the Last Hours" (instrumental) (D. DeFeis) - 0:54
15. "Last Rose of Summer" (D. DeFeis) - 4:19

Bonus tracks CD remastered reissue 2008

1. "Snakeskin Voodoo Man" (live acoustic rehearsal version)
2. "Jet Black" (live acoustic rehearsal version)
3. "Purple Rain" (live acoustic rehearsal version)
4. "Wildfire Woman" (live acoustic rehearsal version)

Band members

• David DeFeis
  David DeFeis
  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.- Voice & musical style :...
  
   - vocals, keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  
• Ed Pursino - all guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  s, bass
• Rob DeMartino - bass
• Joey Ayvazian - drums

Additional musicians

• Teddy Cook - bass on tracks 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12
• Dave Ferrera - lead guitar on track 11

Production

• 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...
  
  - producers on tracks 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11
• DeFeis / Pursino - producers on tracks 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 14
• DeFeis / Chris Bubacz - producers on tracks 13, 15