The House of Atreus Act I, released in 1999, is the ninth studio album by the American heavy metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band Virgin Steele

Virgin Steele

Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...

. It has the subtitle A Barbaric-Romantic Opera. This album is the first part of a metal opera

Rock opera

A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...

 inpired by the Oresteia, a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus

Aeschylus

Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...

 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. 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

Memmingen

Memmingen is a town in the Bavarian administrative region of Swabia in Germany. It is the central economic, educational and administrative centre in the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Württemberg border...

 Opera House company and Landestheater Production.

The song "The Fire God" first appears on the 1986 Piledriver LP Stay Ugly.

Track listing

All songs by David DeFeis

David DeFeis

David DeFeis 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 :...

 except tracks 5, 7 , 8, 15 and 18 by DeFeis / Pursino

1. "Kingdom of the Fearless (The Destruction of Troy)" - 7:39
2. "Blaze of Victory (The Watchman's Song)" - 3:59
3. "Through the Ring of Fire" - 5:25
4. "Prelude in A Minor (The Voyage Home)" - 1:14
5. "Death Darkly Closed Their Eyes (The Messenger's Song)" - 1:26
6. "In Triumph or Tragedy" - 1:43
7. "Return of the King" - 4:24
8. "Flames of the Black Star (The Arrows of Herakles)" - 6:31
9. "Narcissus" - 1:13
10. "And Hecate Smiled" - 2:58
11. "A Song of Prophecy" - 2:16
12. "Child of Desolation" - 4:49
13. "G Minor Invention (Descent into Death's Twilight Kingdom)" - 2:58
14. "Day of Wrath" - 1:52
15. "Great Sword of Flame" - 4:29
16. "The Gift of Tantalos" - 1:57
17. "Iphigenia in Hades" - 2:01
18. "The Fire God" - 4:43
19. "Garden of Lamentation" - 1:48
20. "Agony and Shame" - 5:16
21. "Gate of Kings" - 3:45
22. "Via Sacra" - 1:35

Band members

• David DeFeis
  David DeFeis
  David DeFeis 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 :...
  
   - all vocals, keyboards, orchestration, effects, producer
• Edward Pursino - acoustic and electric guitars, bass
• Frank Gilchriest - drums

Production

• Steve Young
  Steve Young (guitarist)
  Steve Young is an engineer, filmmaker, designer, publisher, guitarist, and songwriter. He has written and published several songs that were played on the MTV shows The Real World and Road Rules...
  
  , Ed Warrin - engineers
• Michael Sarsfield - mastering