The House of Atreus Act II
The House of Atreus Act II, released in 2000, is the tenth studio album by the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele. It was released as a double CD album.[1] This album is the second and final part of a metal opera inspired by the Oresteia, a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus which concerns the end of the curse on the House of Atreus. The music was intended to be the soundtrack for theatrical shows, with actors impersonating the characters of the tragedy.[2] The metal opera was actually performed under the name "Klytaimnestra - The House Of Atreus" in European theatres from 1999 to 2001, with the production of the Memmingen Opera House company and Landestheater Production.[3]
| The House of Atreus Act II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 16, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | Media Recording, Merrick, New York | |||
| Genre | Symphonic power metal | |||
| Length | 89:20 | |||
| Label | T&T / Noise | |||
| Producer | David DeFeis | |||
| Virgin Steele chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 2019, Metal Hammer ranked it as the 12th best power metal album of all time.[4]
Track listing
All songs by David DeFeis except tracks 3, 8, 10, 23 by DeFeis / Edward Pursino.
CD 1
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wings of Vengeance" | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Hymn to the Gods of Night" | 0:47 |
| 3. | "Fire of Ecstasy" | 5:16 |
| 4. | "The Oracle of Apollo" | 1:34 |
| 5. | "The Voice as Weapon" | 4:41 |
| 6. | "Moira" | 2:24 |
| 7. | "Nemesis" | 3:28 |
| 8. | "The Wine of Violence" | 5:40 |
| 9. | "A Token of My Hatred" | 8:24 |
| 10. | "Summoning the Powers" | 7:59 |
CD 2
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Flames of Thy Power (From Blood They Rise)" | 5:38 |
| 12. | "Arms of Mercury" | 4:50 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "By the Gods" | 4:04 |
| 14. | "Areopagos" | 0:28 |
| 15. | "The Judgement of the Son" | 1:56 |
| 16. | "Hammer the Winds" | 1:32 |
| 17. | "Guilt or Innocence" | 1:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 18. | "The Fields of Asphodel" | 1:17 |
| 19. | "When the Legends Die" | 5:59 |
| 20. | "Anemone (Withered Hopes... Forsaken)" | 0:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 21. | "The Waters of Acheron" | 1:15 |
| 22. | "Fantasy and Fugue in D Minor (The Death of Orestes)" | 4:22 |
| 23. | "Resurrection Day (The Finale)" | 10:29 |
Personnel
Band members
- David DeFeis - all vocals, keyboards, orchestration, effects, producer
- Edward Pursino - acoustic and electric guitars, bass
- Frank Gilchriest - drums
Production
- Steve Young - engineer, mastering
- Ed Warrin - engineer
References
- "Virgin Steele - The House of Atreus: Act II". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
- Claassen, Ramon (2000-10-22). "Klytaimnestra review". Take It webzine. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- "Landestheater Schwaben" (in German). Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- Chantler, Chris (14 November 2019). "The 25 greatest power metal albums". Metal Hammer. Future plc. Retrieved 2 March 2021.