VIRGIN STEELE is a band that I followed very religiously in their early years. They were formed in Long Island, New York in 1981, and especially the first two albums, "Virgin Steele" from 1982 and "Guardians Of The Flame" from 1983 were considered real gems for me. I still play them regularly. After that I kept up with their music, but didn't follow the band as extensively as I used to. "The Passion Of Dionysus" is actually the 19^th studio album, and band leader David DeFeis has made damn sure that you get your money's worth when you buy this VIRGIN STEELE album, which will be released on June 30^th 2023. With 79 minutes the album is filled to the brim.

This is top notch Melodic Rock, and if one thing is sure, it is that the band only does short songs as an exception to the rule. So, you had better be ready for tunes of epic proportions and length, with a lot going on in breaks, tempo changes and emotions. Like always VIRGIN STEELE has opted to make this a concept album. As David DeFeis states in the bio "the album deals with the concept of duality. Where something is both one thing and its opposite simultaneously ". And you will hear that when you start listening. And due to the way the songs are constructed, you'd better be prepared for a lot of Progressive Rock influences to be thrown around.

If you are not known with VIRGIN STEELE, but you love your Progressive Music, be my guest, go ahead and try "The Passion Of Dionysus" for size. I have a feeling you might like it. But, if you are a pure Melodic Rock fan and this is the first time you encounter VIRGIN STEELE, I suggest you start with the first two albums and work your way through the decades. Otherwise, this might just be too much for you.

For those who have followed VIRGIN STEELE all these years, this will not be unfamiliar terrain at all. This will be what they were expecting. High quality music brought to us by an extremely dedicated David DeFeis, who did all of it, except for the guitar parts. And I for one applaud him, because he has made "The Passion Of Dionysus" into a very good record, making sure that VIRGIN STEELE is once again noticed as a force to be reckoned with.