Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part Two (1995)
Virgin Steele's pinnacle era was the second half of the 90s, particularly 3 masterpieces to round it off big-time. Which one of the trio is the best? Perhaps their best album and one that I can once again consider one of the best 20th century heavy/power metal albums after this revisit, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II!
The golden era is only the second of 3 different eras of Virgin Steele, and it can beat the other two eras by far. Those other two being the classic heavy metal era of the 80s that ended with a strange turn into hard rock in Life Among the Ruins, and the more progressive yet divisive current era starting with Visions of Eden. The 1994-2000 era consists of 5 albums connected into two sagas, all deserving of 4.5 or 5 stars. Marriage II is the second part of a trilogy and might just be the highest point of their career.
Right from the start, they fire away with "Symphony of Steele", which after a one-minute keyboard symphonic intro, blasts off into their blend of the power metal of Helloween and the heavy metal of Manowar. A brilliant highlight "Crown of Glory" follows with mind-blowing energy and sorrow. That intro is filled with beauty and melancholy ("Bury me beside the endless sea, raise my ashes to wind"). "From Chaos to Creation" is more than just an interlude. It's a short blast of the epicness and heaviness to be expected as the album progresses. It leads to "Twilight of the Gods", continuing to blur the lines between Germanic and Greek mythology. Superb power metal there! "Rising Unchained" keeps up the earlier tracks' motive, with some of the best music and vocals in the album ("Don’t cry for mercy, for you know there will be none").
"Transfiguration" is a more ballad-ish track, which I guess can break up the fast heaviness for a bit. "Prometheus the Fallen One" is the first of two long epics, structured with intense wrath. The second epic and the most special track is the 10-minute "Emalaith". It starts off sounding like a power ballad then becomes more progressive and diverse. I'm not kidding when I say that Virgin Steele's own "Stairway to Heaven". After that, "Strawgirl" follows as another shorter ballad. Excellent guitar leads, but it sounds more like a cheesy ballad than anything. The lowest point of the album while not affecting its perfect score in any way.
"Devil/Angel" pretty much destroys all the soft cheesiness as a total speed demon. Clearly this band has listen to Judas Priest's Painkiller album! The riffing and chorus are so memorable. "Unholy Water" is the closest we have to their earlier 80s hard rock/metal sound, and it works well with the more serious lyrics. "Victory is Mine" is the greatest way out for this massive album, filled with victory and revolution. Well we still have the "Revisited" outro that is like the end credits theme for this album until the next one.
So yeah, I still love this Virgin Steele offering, even after that few-year break from it before revisiting. So gather around, people, and witness Heaven and Hell getting married, 'til death do them part!
Favorites: "Crown of Glory", "Twilight of the Gods", "Rising Unchained", "Prometheus the Fallen One", "Emalaith", "Devil/Angel", "Victory is Mine"