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

Virgin Steele Virgin Steele is an American heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981. The band released a few career highlights albums (''Noble Savage'', '' The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I'', '' The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II ...

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

Oresteia The ''Oresteia'' () is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus in the 5th century BC, concerning the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra, the murder of Clytemnestra by Orestes, the trial of Orestes, the end of the curse on the House ...

, a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...

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 (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Memmenge'') is a town in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the ...

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 (born January 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and producer. He is the main composer, leader and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Virgin Steele. Biography DeFeis comes from a theatrical family: his father is ...

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

Personnel

Band members

– vocals, keyboards, orchestration, effects, producer *Edward Pursino – guitars, bass *Frank Gilchriest – drums

Production

*Steve Young, Ed Warrin – engineers *Michael Sarsfield – mastering

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:House of Atreus Act I, The 1999 albums Virgin Steele albums Rock operas Noise Records albums Works based on Agamemnon (Aeschylus play)