Virgin Steele - Invictus (1998)^{Release ID: 2342}

I can't tell which one's the best Virgin Steele album, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II or this one, Invictus. They both have flawless glory in their own right, but which should forever hold the throne? I'll guess we'll find as I review this stunning work of art...

With Invictus, Virgin Steele descend further into chaos, speed, and might. The vocals, guitars, bass, and drums are as glorious as in the previous album. The keys here are more mystical though, sounding so cinematic even when mixed with the guitars. They've taken the classic heavy metal of Manowar and cranked up the power metal aspects to 11 or higher. Invictus, despite its long length, has true consistency!

"The Blood of Vengeance" is a two-minute spoken intro narrating what happened before the story and what will happen during then. The title track slices through with its heavy riffing and David DeFeis' gravelly singing occasionally hitting falsetto. The soloing from the keys and guitars impresses me, and that chorus is so wicked ("Fall on your sword, fall on your knees, die like your son nailed to his tree"). One of the best songs by the band and 90s heavy/power metal! DeFeis' work shall be praised. Reminding you that this part of the journey through Heaven and Hell has only started, "Mind, Body, Spirit" continues it as another well-done track. Even though the chorus is great, everything else almost outshines it. The entire bridge including the solo is some of the best guitarwork to be found in this offering. "In the Arms of the Death God" follows as another short interlude. "Through Blood and Fire" jumps in with more of the mind-blowing keys and guitars, with a great chorus to go with it. "Sword of the Gods" is another epic 7 and a half minute track. The structure is simple yet complex, with some galloping riffing for the first minute and a half, reprised in the last minute and a half.

"God of Our Sorrows" is a sorrowful one-minute interlude, though I think it would've made more sense if it was embedded with the next one... "Vow of Honour" shows DeFeis attempting some operatic falsetto. Holy sh*t, how high can this dude sing!? Almost competing with other heavy/power metal vocalists! "Defiance" marks another epic highlight. The final chorus and outro covering the last minute and a half has the flawless glory I've expected in this album. They still stand defiant! "Dust from the Burning" just pulls off some straight-on rock, which is still good. It segues to a 22-second interlude, "Amaranth".

"A Whisper of Death" in a 9-minute epic that helps exemplify the epic heavy/power metal sound. And that's just the start of the final half-hour stretch of glorious songs. "Dominion Day" continues that streak. Sometimes it sounds ballad-esque, other times it's full-on crushing. Another one of the best songs here! "A Shadow of Fear" is darker than anything Virgin Steele made before this album. The vocals still shine as they often do. Then comes a brief 22-second reprise of the "Theme from 'The Marriage of Heaven and Hell'". And now, the grand finale, the 10-minute epic to end all epics, "Veni, Vidi, Vici". The title already hints at what the band has done. They came, saw, and conquered all their foes to become kings of epic storytelling metal. This shows Virgin Steele at their most legendary and concludes the saga exactly as it should.

Now back to the question I've asked in the beginning of this review: Is Invictus the best Virgin Steele album? Well I'm gonna place it at number 2, just a slight percent below Marriage Part II. You have to appreciate this masterpiece to appreciate true metal or even true music. This is epic power that barely any other band has conquered!

Favorites: "Invictus", "Mind, Body, Spirit", "Sword of the Gods", "Defiance", "A Whisper of Death", "Dominion Day", "A Shadow of Fear", "Veni, Vidi, Vici"

Right at the center of Virgin Steele's classic era, and right between two sets of albums separated into halves, Virgin Steele released their most famous album, Invictus, to the world.  Seen as the third part of a trilogy with the two Marriage of Heaven and Hell albums, the album talks about the relationship between humanity and the spirit world, but is darker than the previous two albums, which is why it's a favorite for some.

Invictus is the kind of album where Virgin Steele makes a point of combining the feeling of mythological storytelling with the horror that metal is known for.  The whole album is about carrying the feeling of tragedy that's so common in mythology and translating that, as well as a feeling of Hades, into metal through the epic/symphonic vibe you'd expect from movies based on mythology.  There are Gothic tones scattered throughout the album, as well as faint hints of the romanticism (no pun intended) of the second Marriage album.  "The Blood of Vengeance / Invictus" says it all, as it gets right down to the darkness instantaneously, and David DeFeis tries as hard as he can to sound demonic.  However, he might be overdoing it, which kind of detracts from this horror story's status as a power metal song, which is made perfectly clear by the symphonic, prog and thrash elements.  It's a very artistic song, but the vocals are the only problem.

But not every song is dark and eerie, such as the pairing of the segues "God of Our Sorrows" and "Vow of Honour," which go for a beautiful and maybe even romantic sound before getting right down to the epic power metal with "Defiance."  Songs after the intro fluctuate between the fear factor, the mythology essence and the power metal factor, and most of these songs have moments of brilliance.  Any external styles are used at minimum capactiy so as not to detract from the dark tone.  The problem is that DeFeis should be doing actual singing much more often than the demonic growling he's trying to do.  Still, the album has a lot to love, and it never goes straight to bombast, meaning it's a RESTRICTED form of power metal, and the restrictions work for the music rather than against it.  The tone of this album makes it unique to power metal, and I share the common opinion that this is essential metal for how unique it is.