Virgin Steele is taking it's sweet time to release newer albums lately. Ever since Invictus I've been hooked on this band and I've really treasured almost every release since then, that is until the previous opus, so I was dreading a bit this new album. Is it better then Visions of Eden ? As far as I'm concerned it wouldn't be a very difficult feat to achieve and yet I'm still unsure I believe that Black Light Bacchanalia stands up as a better release. What is sure is that it's nowhere near the caliber of the Houses albums and Invictus albums. It is a more complex album and one I fear will require a good 20 listens to even start to unfold, unfortunately I don't think I'll have the patience to do so, at least not for the purpose of this review. This fifth listen already feels like the last I will ever get from this album (a the very least for a while...). Even though I sense however that the album is growing more and more with each listen, I find that progression to be very slow. What is sure is that it's not slap in the face, jaw dropping and ear exploding on first listen kind of album (unlike Helloween's latest effort for example, to compare two bands with a long track of killer albums). One thing is sure : Invictus lovers, look somewhere else.

Sound wise, it sounds like the last few albums somehow, but with more theatrical, progressive and maybe too atmospheric mood, and maybe a tad too much of "I can sing like a bird" vocals from David Defeis (especially on the opener songs). I used to LOVE the two facets of his vocals, the harsh and angelic duo he mastered to perfection in the House of Atreus. But here it's kind of too much sometimes. Songs on the Black Light Bacchanalia tend to be long, maybe too long for their own good. They try to be epic but I feel that many times they fail to do so. There are some great moments in almost every songs but the album isn't consistent enough for me. Some guitar solos, riffs and melodies will blow my mind one moment and the dull and oh-my-god-change-the-drums-structure-once-in-a-while rhythm structure is boring me to death on many occasion (almost throughout actually). I don't really know what's wrong with the drums, but it's the one area that need major improving in my opinion. David vocals in general are too tamed, he's not metal enough on this album in my opinion. He will favor the sweet voice and bird calls, some of them really are borderline ridiculous, instead of favoring the animal-like, almost feline "RHAAAWR's" of the past albums (although it's the first thing that get's out of David's mouth in the opener song . They are still there on rare occasion, but much more tamed... giving this new album a feeling of being watered down to appeal to a larger, non-metal audience maybe ? Whatever the thinking, the end result is not in agreement with my personal taste and what I expect from this band. Like mentioned before they are moment of genius in this new opus but it gets lost in a repetitive, "I mash-up melodies from my previous album without knowing where I go with this", to a point where I find this album has no or little identity of it's own. Think WASP and the last 3-4 albums trying to copy or at least emulate The Crimson Idol, to a point where it becomes almost ridiculous. It is clear that David is trying to get a more complex music across here, and I suppose that if you want to discover all the layers that are hidden in here, the more orchestral / theatrical feeling and maybe even connect to the music via the lyrics, you might want to give this new album a few dozen listens. I have no doubt that as a background music, to relax myself, it can work, but only if I don't give it too much attention. Myself the lack of killer, in your face tracks is a real problem. This album isn't heavy, it has heavy and fast moments (sparse), with sometimes majestic guitar and melodies, but the main feeling I get is that I've heard this album before, but it was better, stronger, more metal and more catchy ! Here it's more moody, atmospheric, sometimes theatrical, but in the end I feel bored, maybe it's not the right time for me to listen to this album, maybe one day, but obviously not today.

I might be loosing my taste with Virgin Steele altogether if that is the direction that David wants to take, though I respect that he should do what makes him tick as an artist. The drums are really a problem, they sound synthetic, repetitive, plain and simply boring, like they are here cause they need to. David also overdoes his angel and now listen to my bird calls and in this melpot of questionable choices for the overall sound of the album, we get something that feels unfinished and undecided. Which is a pity for an album that took four years to replace an already "weaker" album from a band that used to get my blood pumping and wanting to make me raise my fist in the air and hand bang until my neck would snap. Those days may very well be over... Virgin Steele is more mellow, more operatic somehow but the type of opera / theater that puts me to sleep and not keep me awake wanting more. Musically and composition wise there is no denying that a huge effort was put into this album, it's varied, even if on the mellow side, and there is the occasional heavy and speedy moment that makes you cling to what the band was one day, but it's a bit disappointing to me. But being an artist as well, it's all about one's mood, so maybe David needs this right now, and I'm absolutely sure many people will like it, it's just not really what make me tick nowadays. I have always been and probably always will be more about in your face melodies that stay in your mind forever. And Virgin Steele is more complex than this now, Invictus is to me the best album the band ever made and is ever likely to make. If you feel this way there's a good chance you may want to pass on this album (though I would urge you to listen to it first). If you however liked the fact that the last albums have brought more progression, and you like the mellower side of the band now, then you should definitely try this new album, it's much more varied and progressive than before. A melpot of ideas and moments, feelings and emotions, but in the end an album that doesn't grab me, I feel there is emotion behind it, but it seems confused, maybe that's the message here, I don't know, but unfortunately it doesn't speak to me like the previous work of a band (and man, David Defeis) I deeply respect.