David DeFeis

David DeFeis
Background information
Birth name	David DeFeis
Also known as	David "The Lion" DeFeis, David "Dionysus" DeFeis
Born	January 4, 1961 (age 51)
Origin	Long Island, New York, USA
Genres	Heavy metal, Power metal
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, keyboard, bass, percussion
Years active	1981 – present
Associated acts	Virgin Steele, Avantasia
Website	www.virgin-steele.com

David DeFeis (born January 4, 1961)^[1][2] is an American singer, keyboard player, songwriter and producer. He is the main composer and leader of the heavy metal band Virgin Steele.

Voice & musical style

David DeFeis is a classically trained pianist, with a Bachelor's degree in composition from S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook.^[3] As vocalist he is self taught, possessing a three and a half octave range.

As a musician and a singer, he declared he was very much influenced by guitar players like Jimmy Page, Brian May and Eddie Van Halen because he wanted to do with his voice what they did with their guitars.^[4]

He is also influenced by rock singers like Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, David Coverdale, Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillan.^[5]

The major part of the lyrics David DeFeis writes are mythological, dealing with subjects from especially Greek mythology, Sumerian mythology and Christian religion. All of them are based on real life in some form or another.^[6]

Biography

David DeFeis comes from a very theatrical family: his father is a Shakespearian actor who runs the theatre company "The Arena Players Theatre"^[7] while his sister Doreen^[8] is a gifted opera singer who performs all over Europe.

Big fan of European classical music, at 9–10 years old he was introduced to rock music by earing the band Stalk, with his brother Damon (on organ and piano) and his sister Danae (on vocals), playing in the basement beneath his room.^[1]

He began piano lessons at the age of eight. By age eleven, he began his career with the Long Island's local heavy metal bands: Phoenix.^[9]

At 16 years old, David DeFeis met for the first time his future partner Edward Pursino when David's band at the time, called Mountain Ash, was auditioning for a gig at the high school dance. Mountain Ash was mainly a Black Sabbath cover band and, after the performance of the song "War Pigs", Pursino came over and introduced himself to DeFeis.^[10]

At the beginning of the 1980s, together with Jack Starr and Joey Ayvazian, David DeFeis started the first line-up of the band Virgin Steele. They debuted in 1982 with the song "Children of the Storm" included in the compilation U.S. Metal Vol. II.^[11]

In 1985, the guitarist Edward Pursino replaced Starr.^[12] Among the years, in their longtime repationship in Virgin Steele, DeFeis and Pursino released a lot of heavy metal classics such as the albums: Noble Savage,^[13][14] Invictus,^[15][16] The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I,^[17][18] The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II.^[19][20]

David DeFeis collects swords: his collection includes more than 20 items.^[21] In studio, sometimes he uses his swords to create particular effects for the Virgin Steele songs, and during the concerts he usually burns a sword on stage.^[22]

Metal opera & theatre

Between the end of the 1990s and the 2000s (decade), David DeFeis wrote music for actors based on the Oresteia and the Greek myths related by Aeschylus. According with German artists Walter Weyers and Martina Krawulsky, with the name "Klytaimnestra": "The House of Atreus" Metal Opera (musically available on the Virgin Steele's albums The House of Atreus Act I, The House of Atreus Act II) was performed on stage in Germany theaters by Landestheater Production.^[23]

The premiere of "Klytaimnestra" in Memmingen, June 5, 1999,^[24] has been the first ever regular musical theatre show based on heavy metal concepts.

After "Klytaimnestra" success, David DeFeis & Landestheater Production extracted a second Metal Opera musical, named "The Rebels", from the previous Virgin Steele's albums of the Marriage of Heaven and Hell trilogy ("The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II", "Invictus").^[25]

In 2003, the same team released a third Metal Opera, named "Lilith", based on the material of album Visions of Eden. "Visons of Eden" was later on published in CD in 2006. In a different way to the previous two Operas, David DeFeis declared: "I don't think of it as a Metal Opera. What it really is, is the soundtrack for a major motion picture that has yet to be made! And by the hammer of Zeus, I will make this film one day. I call this work a Barbaric Romantic movie of the mind.".^[26]

Producer

David DeFeis owns his personal recording studio called: "The Hammer of Zeus" (sometimes also called "The Wrecking Ball Of Thor").^[27]

Virgin Steele's albums are produced by David DeFeis himself.

He also produced albums released by other artists such as: Out of the Darkness and No Turning Back by Jack Starr, Nightmare Theatre by Exorcist,^[28] Stay Ugly by Piledriver,^[29] The Sign of the Jackal by Damien Thorn,^[30][31] Sin Will Find You Out by Original Sin.^[32][33]

Side projects

• 1986 – David DeFeis not only produced but even fully wrote the debut album Sin Will Find You Out of the female band Original Sin.^[34]
• 1990 – David DeFeis played in a side-project blues band called Smokestack Lightning with Jack Starr and the future Virgin Steele's bass player Rob De Martino.^[35]
• 1993 – David DeFeis published, with Virgin Steele, the blues single "Snakeskin Voodoo Man" inspired to Muddy Waters.
• 1999 – David DeFeis played the backup vocals & the keyboard-parts on the song "Epic" included into the first album of the New York band Immortally Committed.^[36]
• 2001 – David DeFeis appears, as special guest, singing on the track "The Final Sacrifice" included into the German band Tobias Sammet's Avantasia's first single.^[37]
• 2002 – David DeFeis joined the New York cover band Carnival of Souls for some live dates with the Exorcist's drummer Geoff Fontaine, Edward Pursino and the current Virgin Steele's bass player Josh Block.^[38]
• 2007 – David DeFeis appears on the Polish band Crystal Viper EP in the cover of Virgin Steele's song "Blood and Gasoline".^[39]
• 2010 – David DeFeis will appear on the next album of the Italian band Skylark, singing the song "Symbol of Freedom" together with Kiara Laetitia, their female singer.^[40]
• 2013 – David DeFeis co-wrote and co-produced the solo project of Kiara Laetitia, out on November 22. The EP also contains a cover of Victory Is Mine.^[41]

Discography

• 1982 – Virgin Steele
• 1983 – Guardians of the Flame
• 1983 – Wait for the Night [EP]
• 1986 – Noble Savage
• 1988 – Age of Consent
• 1993 – Snakeskin Voodoo Man [Single]
• 1993 – Life Among the Ruins
• 1994 – The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I
• 1995 – The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II
• 1998 – Invictus
• 1998 – The House of Atreus Act I
• 2000 – The House of Atreus Act II
• 2000 – Magick Fire Music [EP]
• 2002 – The Book of Burning [Compilation/Best of/Re-recorded early material]
• 2002 – Hymns to Victory [Compilation/Best of]
• 2006 – Visions of Eden
• 2010 – The Black Light Bacchanalia

Videography

• 1992 – Virgin Steele: Tale of the Snakeskin Voodoo Man [VHS]

References

External links

• Official Virgin Steele Website