VIRGIN STEELE - David Defase

\r\nBy the hammer of Zeus and the Racquetball of Thor this is David\r\nDefeis and he is talking to the Metalzone... Yes, this is it, we are\r\njust a breath away from the new album Of Virgin Steelee. What can I say\r\nabout an interview with David Defeis apart from the fact that he is\r\nlike a god of metal. Imagine the adrenaline of Defeis himself\r\ndescribing the new Virgin Steelee album, talking about the tour that\r\nwill follow it and the DVD that will follow… David Defeis tells us the\r\nstory of the upcoming Virgin Steele.
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\r\nMetalzone: Hello David this is Metalzone calling how are you?
\r\n David Defeis: Greetings I am fine thank you.
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\r\n Metalzone:\r\nThis is the 2nd year from Hymn to Victory and The Book Of Burning. Tell\r\nus what are you up to these days? Are you going to release a new album?\r\n
\r\n David Defeis: Yes it’s many things\r\ngoing on those two records came out two years ago. Then we also did the\r\nreissues of the three albums so there has been a lot of output in a\r\nsort amount of time. I wanted to put the brakes on for a bit and just\r\nreally concentrate on the writing and I have written at least three\r\nalbums which I’ve been recording all that and it’s been a bit crazy.\r\nNow I am narrowing all that music down to one album that will be\r\nreleased next. I am pretty close to completing it, I am still few weeks\r\naway from getting down to mixing stage, it’s getting closer all the\r\ntime, a lot of work has been done for more than one album.
\r\nAnd\r\nwe’ve also been doing quite a bit of shows, we’ve been flying back and\r\nforth in Europe doing festivals and we are going out next month, we are\r\nplaying at the Keep It True festival in Germany, we are headlining that\r\non November 5th Germany. We are recording that properly and we are\r\nfilming that, we will have six cameras, so will have some footage from\r\nthat show for later on. Because the next plan after the release of this\r\nnew album
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\r\n Metalzone: Is a DVD?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nYeah. After the release of this new album, will be a live album, DVD\r\nkind of thing, it’s the logical next step. We’ve never had a proper\r\nlive album, so it’s time yeah.
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\r\n Metalzone:\r\nThat sounds nice. What amount of songs of songs are we talking about?\r\nYou said you had enough songs for three albums and you are narrowing\r\nthe songs. How many songs are we talking about?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nWhen I started they were over sixty. There are a lot of songs that are\r\nnine minutes long so you understand the mass of amount of music.\r\nThere’ll probably be somewhere between twelve and fourteen to fifteen\r\nsongs on this record but I am still working on eighteen to twenty. I am\r\nworking on a lot more that would actually fit on the record.
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\r\n Metalzone: So how about an EP before the release of the album.
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nI don’t know about that. That sounds terrific. Maybe. I really wanted\r\nto release a double album to tell you the truth because I have so much\r\nmusic. But, labels don’t really like double albums. I had hard enough\r\ntime pushing the House of Atreus I don’t know if they want to have\r\nanother one. We’ll see.
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\r\n Metalzone: Is it going to be a concept album?
\r\n David Defeis: Yes sure. It’s based on the last theatrical metal opera thing I did in Germany, based on a Sumerian myth.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you want tell us a few things about the story?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nThe story concerns Lylith who is for those who don’t know, the first\r\nwife of Adam, before Eve. She and Adam, have a disagreement they both\r\nwant to be on top, sexually and otherwise, she is a very strong woman\r\nshe says to Adam fuck off, and flies away on her beautiful green wings.\r\nGoes off to the red sea where she cavorts with all kinds of demons, and\r\nhas millions of children and then the three black angels come commanded\r\nby the great god, to say to her you must come back to Adam. She says no\r\nI am not coming back to Adam. And they say, then thousands of your\r\nchildren must die today, we will kill them. Somehow they give her a\r\nturn around at that she must kill children. Becomes this villain fights\r\na demon. Basically what it is, its all allegories of what happened with\r\nthe ancient religions that worshiped the goddess which were overthrown\r\nby the male oriented gods. It’s a structure of paganism, and the\r\nturning of the female principal from something that’s good into\r\nsomething that’s shameful. It’s a horror story actually.
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\r\n Metalzone: It sounds really interesting
\r\n David Defeis: It’s very heavy. It’s very dramatic, very dark, very… full of melancholy…
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\r\n Metalzone: Does this mood have to do with your psychology at the time? Where did you get your inspiration from?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nOh,…… Jesus,…….so many things. It’s a lot of my research about\r\npaganism, I don’t like organized religion. I prefer disorganized. If I\r\nhad to consider myself to be anything I am sort of a pagan I guess. As\r\nyou study these things you see what happens into civilization and how\r\norganized religion grew, you see how horrible it is. I guess it’s a\r\nreaction to it.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you feel this epic element in your music, is kind of old fashioned, traditional, for today‘s metal?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nNo because it’s not traditional. We don’t sit there and rehash old\r\nstyle things from other bands. It’s not a rehash. I am always trying to\r\npush the boundaries harmonically and musically, forward. I am always\r\ntrying to bring in new elements that are not the same old retraces of\r\nthe 1980s or 1970s. I am always trying to pull ahead musically, for\r\nsomething new. Actually it’s far beyond from what’s considered new\r\nquote on quote, there’s a lot of stuff that I hear, that’s suppose to\r\nbe new and trendy now, that is like a puncture I’ve heard in the\r\nseventies…
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\r\n Metalzone: How do you feel about the styles of metal that are trendy?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nI got no problem with anything that’s good. There are a lot of new\r\nbands that are good, and a lot of bands from the old days who are going\r\nstrong. There are a lot of stuff that came out in the 70’s that was\r\ngreat, a lot of stuff that came out in the 70s that was shit too. You\r\nknow? If it’s good it’s good. I don’t really care when it came out.
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\r\n Metalzone: Are there any bands around at the moment that you like to listen to?
\r\n David Defeis: Sure. I enjoy Type O Negative. They do interesting things.
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\r\n Metalzone: How about bands like Evanescence?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nI am not really interested. Doesn’t really move me. There was one song\r\nthat was interesting I through out the rest of the record.
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\r\n Metalzone:\r\nDo you feel that the newly comers in the metal scene know Virgin Steele\r\nand appreciate your music or are they just nu metal fans?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nI have no idea. We do get new fans all the time. I look out from the\r\nstage and I see kids that are fifteen year old, sixteen years old, and\r\nthey seem to know the band because they sing along to the lyrics so\r\nthey must have the record. Somehow they find out what’s going on in\r\nthis genre. Because every time that we go on tour kids keep getting\r\nyounger and younger so something’s going on. Also there are the people\r\nwho were with us originally so there’s a wide range of people, people\r\nfrom fifteen to who knows what.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you feel that the metal scene is rising?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nRising, every once in a while it looks like it is. It seems to be\r\nmaintaining itself. It doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger the past\r\ncouple of years, but it definitely seems to be holding strong. In the\r\nstage like “Oh, there’s metal”, “oh there’s no metal”…..And the people\r\nthat I associate with are all metal so they go all the time, “Oh you\r\nshould check this out, oh you should check that…” always checking out\r\nnew metal so from my perspective metal is alive and well, maybe not on\r\nthe major media, but there is.
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\r\n Metalzone: Well it certainly isn’t what it was back in the eighties when it made it’s peak..
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nNo, that was… that happens every once in a while. It was just a big\r\nexplosion and then… it’s so much like the rap thing is right now, that\r\nis really above ground. It was an interesting time to live through. I\r\nhad a good time.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you feel it will come around into being the mainstream every where?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nIt may come back the way it was because the conditions are different\r\nnow. It’s like when you plant a tree, it depends on the type of soil\r\nyou put it into. You didn’t have the internet and a lot of other things\r\nthat are now, and the audience is more fragmented more distracted now\r\nthan it was back then. I don’t know, I hope so but …
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\r\n Metalzone:\r\nWe’ll have to wait and see. You told me about your new album that there\r\nare going to be dark, and melancholic elements, does this mean that\r\nyou’re expanding your wings over other styles- genres of metal, are you\r\ngoing to use gothic elements?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nThere’s never any kind of conscious choice like, oh I am going to put\r\non my black metal hat on and be this, or change it and be that, you\r\nlearn things as a musician and they come out, hopefully in your own\r\nunique way. I use those terms because I don’t know what else to say to\r\ndescribe them. They seem to sum up to the best to what the music sounds\r\nlike. Its not going to sound like any Cradle Of Filth record of\r\nanything like that
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\r\n Metalzone: No but it could sound like Children of Bodom. Their sound is more of like power metal, but the vocals are black.
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nYou couldn’t use that for me. I don’t sing like that. I sing like the\r\nway I always sing. Some of the songs in this album is a lot like, not\r\nthe music, the music is nothing like it, but the vocals are a lot like\r\nin a song Back in the ruins from an album I had with kind of a bluesy\r\nstyle. But the music is completely different. Melancholy in the way\r\nlike home by Emily Bronte, from the Wuthering Heights that kind of\r\nhaunted sort of feeling.
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\r\n Metalzone: It will certainly have an atmosphere
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nYeah, it’s the next sort of evolution of where the writing has been\r\ntaken to. Its good the band likes it, they say it’s the best stuff I’ve\r\never come up with. And I am happy about that.
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\r\n Metalzone: They are the first audience- junges to know of any new material. When you work I suppose you brainstorm together on ideas…
\r\n David Defeis: No, no.
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\r\n Metalzone: So describe me the image of you working in the studio.
\r\n David Defeis: I work by myself, I record all the stuff the drums, everything, by myself and I give the band the tape.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you feel that’s having control of things?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nIt’s just the way I work. Just the way it is, the way that we work. We\r\nused to get together now and then, we used to write the songs together\r\nbut we haven’t got together for quite some time. Every ones life is\r\njust fragmented to deferent directions. Things are really chaotic so\r\nwhat are you going to do stop writing because you can’t meet with the\r\nrest of the band? I’ve always written the majority of the tracks and\r\nI’ve always written it by myself even from the 80s but I am always open\r\nif some one wants to come up and write a song with me I am always open,\r\nthe door is always open. It’s got to do with the turns in ones life. In\r\nmy life these past two years have been nothing but creativity. I’ve\r\nbeen writing like a maniac and it’s hard to keep up with that. No one\r\nis like I want to get my songs in the album, they are happy with what I\r\ndo. So it’s great.
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\r\n Metalzone: Tell, have you decided on the release date of the upcoming album.
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nNo, no I haven’t done that yet. I don’t want to even think of that till\r\nwe’re in the mixing stage. We are almost done tracking all guitars,\r\nalmost done with all the vocals, and we are probably a few weeks away\r\nfrom mixing stage. I don’t know how many but we’re definitely close.
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\r\n Metalzone: So do you feel it will be out on early 2006?
\r\n David Defeis: Yeah, I think it will be out somewhere between January and March or April.
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\r\n Metalzone: Is there going to be a tour supporting the release?
\r\n David Defeis:I hope so. Yeah.
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\r\n Metalzone: No plans yet?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nWe will do something. We’ll definitely do something. Weather we are\r\ngoing to do the summer festivals or we tour in the Autumn. I am not\r\nsure. That depends on when the record comes out, but we’ll come back\r\nsure.
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\r\n Metalzone: Are you coming to Greece?
\r\n David Defeis: Once the record is done we wanna come everywhere.
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\r\n Metalzone: Yeah I read in your web site you like Greek food too.
\r\n David Defeis: Oh yeah (laughs)
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\r\n Metalzone:\r\nTell me a few things about the DVD you have in mind which will follow\r\nthe new release and will include your show this November in Germany.
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nI would like to do something in a historical perspective, kind of bring\r\npeople up to date. Include the three metal operas that I have presented\r\nin Germany. Behind the scenes, on a lot of the records, early footage\r\nthat I have, and footage that we’ll shoot from the show in November. A\r\nlong range of history, I’d like to put. And get the ideology on what\r\nthe band is about. What we’ve been doing all these years. Kind of what\r\nthe approach is.
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\r\n Metalzone: Are you going to include old video clips?
\r\n David Defeis: Live video clips sure.
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\r\n Metalzone: Not only live, I mean videos from the early years of the band.
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nThere aren’t many but whatever I have yeah, sure. I have most of the\r\nlive stuff and a few for the back to the ruins album, to be included\r\nthere as a special feature. Sure there’s a lot of footage. I was like\r\nhow do you want to do it. One part, two parts, three parts… A lot of\r\nquestions that remain. So what I am doing now is gathering footage and\r\ngetting it all together for future use.
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\r\n Metalzone: Are you going to cooperate with the producer, get involved or are you going to trust it to some one else?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nI know the history, I know the footage, so I’ve done it before. I did\r\nit in an older stuff we did in the early nineties. I know haw that\r\nstuff works. And now you can do a lot of the stuff yourself, with the\r\ntechnology as it is today. It remains to be senn once we really begin\r\nworking on it, I‘ll have better answer’s for you but right now, I am\r\njust collecting stuff from everywhere that I have and there are tones.\r\nGerman shows, Greek Shows, stuff from the eighties, all kinds of\r\nfootage. At home, crazy in the studio, outside of the studio.
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\r\n Metalzone: Backstage footage would be nice to watch also.
\r\n David Defeis: I hope so..
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\r\n Metalzone: Some interviews. Are you going to cooperate with anyone about the artwok and stuff.
\r\n David Defeis: No just everyone you know. Me , Edward, Frank Josh…
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\r\nMetalzone: I am asking because I was wondering is there any artist that you admire and would like to have worked with over the years…
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nYeah I’d really like to work with Brian May of Queen. Yeah. I’d love to\r\nplay with brian May, I love his guitar playing an also a great voice.\r\nYeah I’d love to work with those guys. He’s a big fan of heavy music.
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\r\n Metalzone: How come it hasn’t come around yet?
\r\n David Defeis: I haven’t met the guy yet. (laughs) There’s many songs. As soon as I finish this album I will start working on the next one.
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\r\n Metalzone: Well, there have been other bands who have been creative at this period of time. Why putting so many songs “on ice”?
\r\n David Defeis: Well, that be fine. If the record company wants to do that that’s no problem.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you have any pressure on you from the record company?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nGenerally thing have been going fine. And they never dictate to me this\r\nshould be done, or that should be done. It’s always like they suggest,\r\nand the suggestions sometimes make sense and I understand that the\r\ndouble album would cost more especially to a fan. And that’s a concern.\r\nThere’s so many factors involved. It would be nice to release a box set\r\nwith everything that I’ve written for the past two years. But then you\r\ngive it all away. They’re like ok now what are you going to do next. Oh\r\nyou didn’t do anything this year. You go like, but I gave you sixty\r\nsongs.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you feel somebody can be creative and have an album every year?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nSometimes you can. Sometimes you need time in between to regroup and\r\nobserve new things. I think any artist is only a certain amount of\r\nsongs anybody has in them unless they really go back and learn new\r\nthings and expand their art. Otherwise you’re kind of repeating\r\noneself.
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\r\n Metalzone: We know you always try to evolve as an artist
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nYeah I’ve always tried to push ahead, and observe new things try to\r\nlearn new concepts and bring them in. Hopefully this record will try\r\nnot to relate to anything we’ve done before and just accept it what it\r\nis and enjoy it. It does have connections Atreus to Marriage… how could\r\nit not, I wrote these ones as well but there is something different\r\ntoo.
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\r\n Metalzone: You told me the band thinks it’s the best thing you’ve ever written. Do you think so too?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nI am very happy with the material. So yeah. The problems is ok I really\r\nlike the songs now I have to make sure that they are recorded properly,\r\nthat they sound physically, they way I hear them in my head. That’s the\r\nhard part. I think that they are among the strongest things I’ve\r\nwritten. They definitely put another spin on my style of writing.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you have any thoughts about the artwork of the album?
\r\n David Defeis:\r\nThe artwork is sometimes only conceived during the final mixing. I have\r\na few ideas but I know I don’t want do a typical fantasy cover. I want\r\nsomething that reflects what the music is all about, give you the image\r\nof what you are about to hear. The house of Atriums gave you that idea.\r\nI want to hear those songs when I look at that color. I’ve done some of\r\nmy own art thing and taken some pictures of things. I don’t know If\r\nI’ll use any of that stuff. It’s based on this Sumerian myths but it’s\r\nnot so much an ancient theme. It talks about the destruction of\r\nfeminism, narcissism, pagan, if you will, but it’s also a very modern\r\nstory about what’s going on in a woman’s mind. So I have to have a\r\ncover that reflects all of that.
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\r\n Metalzone:\r\nHaving read and having studied these ancient religions about women, do\r\nyou feel you got into women psychic? Do you feel you know what women\r\nwant?
\r\n David Defeis: I don’t know\r\nif I’d be so presumptuous. I do surround myself with some pretty\r\nwonderful women in my life. I observe what they have to teach and they\r\nobserve what I have to teach and I have a very sympathetically\r\nrelationship with all the women in my life.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you feel you understand women, men are always complaining about not understanding women.
\r\n David Defeis: I have a certain amount of understanding. I don’t complain. |
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\r\n Metalzone: The thing is, are the women in your life complaining?
\r\n David Defeis: If they are they haven’t told me.
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\r\n Metalzone:\r\nThat’s a good starting point. Best of luck with your new release we are\r\nanticipating it with great impatience. We wish you come to Greece. It’s\r\nbeen a true honor to have the chance of talking with David Defeis.
\r\n David Defeis: ΕυχαριστÏŽ πολύ (Thank you)\r\n

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\r\nHelen "Blackie" Michailidou \r\n