VIRGIN STEELE Frontman Says Next Release Will be Live CD/DVD

Lords of Metal webzine recently conducted an interview with VIRGIN STEELE frontman David DeFeis. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Lords of Metal: It took the band six years to come up with a completely new album.

DeFeis: You could look at it that way, but it's not really that long because we released some stuff in 2002/2003 and of course I had written these two operas. We've done some festivals and other shows in the meantime and I was also writing music all the time during these past years. I mean these eleven songs on the album are not all that I've done. I think I've written about fifty pieces and recorded them, which are as good as the songs on the new album.

Lords of Metal: But why did it take so long to release them?

DeFeis: Because I was writing all the time. I wanted to release a double-CD or maybe even a triple-CD at first and I constantly thought of new songs and kept writing. But unfortunately the record company didn't like that idea very much. I managed to make a double-CD for 'The House Of Atreus Part 2', but the people who worked with us back then are not there anymore so we had work with new people. Eventually they didn't feel anything for a double-CD. But anyway, I also built a studio in my house to be able to work at home. So I could just keep working and working without being interrupted and worrying about studio time or someone ticking on my shoulder that it would cost much money. I could work on new songs in peace and kept writing.

Lords of Metal: So what you're saying is that we can at least expect three more VIRGIN STEELE albums in a short while.

DeFeis: Hahaha, well, to be honest yeah, there is definitely more to come. I don't even have to write new songs because I have so much already. But I'm already working on new songs. I even finished one today, hahaha. But the point is that a break is also good. If you keep releasing album after album it might become too much, even for the fans.

Lords of Metal: So we can expect the next album somewhere in 2008?

DeFeis: No, 2007!!! But before I release another studio album I would like to release a live album first. Because that's already way over[due]. But I want it to be a complete product. During the years the setlist has grown so much that we can't just put it on one CD. We've done so many different things and I want it all on the live album, like for example the acoustic stuff we've done. So I'm thinking about a double live CD and in addition of that also a DVD. But the DVD must also be complete. I want it to be a historical thing for VIRGIN STEELE and for the fans. I don't want it to be a cheesy concert representation with some backstage footage or something like that. I have so much material here like backstage, onstage and home footage that it would take me at least six months for the editing. As I said, it has to be a historical thing, which gives the fans a complete vision of the band during the years.

Read the entire interview at www.lordsofmetal.nl.