One of the last bands on the roster of American Hard Rock label Wind-Up Records (which featured acts like Creed, Evanescence, and Seether), The Virginmarys have continued to grow through the years since. Releasing their debut album, King of Conflict, through the now-defunct label back in 2013, it hit number eight on The Heatseekers Albums Charts and sold well at a time when physical album sales were crumbling.
A promising start for a young band, it had tons of energy, hooky guitar riffs, and a flair for classic Rock-n-Roll rawness. With this in mind, some may ask, where are The Virginmarys eleven years later? Well, in 2016, they showed off a different side of their sound with Divides; in 2018, they changed it up yet again with Northern Sun Sessions; and in 2022, they put off a three-track EP called Devil Keeps Coming that was rifftastic. Truly an ever-evolving act, the duo of Vocalist/Guitarist Ally Dickaty and Drummer Danny Dolan take a sense of pride in not being something you can fit neatly into a little box under a label. They are most certainly Rock-n-Roll, but the tone and mood of each album they put out are relatively separate. So, why should their latest effort, The House Beyond The Fires, be any different?
The answer is that it is no different but also different everywhere. Perhaps a confusing sentence: The Virginmarys once again redefine themselves with an impassionated Hard Rock album that rises to the top of generic mediocrity in the genre. Released on November 1, 2024 through Masochismo Records, The House Beyond The Fires is the fourth overall studio album from The Virginmarys (excluding the self-released Self Medication from 2008) and jam-packed full of heavy emotion in each note.
Perhaps more diverse than any of their prior albums, within eleven songs that make up The House Beyond The Fires, The Virginmarys manage to build a mood that plausibly remains intense from start to finish. Kicking it all off with the momentum-building “White Knuckle Riding,” you can feel the frustration bleeding through Dickaty’s pleads. Quickly picking up the mood with “There Ain’t No Future,” the shot to the chest with “When The Lights Go Down,” and the Punk-inspired “You’re A Killer” (initially a part of 2022’s EP Devil Keeps Coming), and the simply irresistible “Trippin’ New York City” is enough to sustain your engaged.
Keeping your fancy in the seat, arguably the second half of The House Beyond The Fires shines brightest. This is thanks to the red hot riffage of cuts like “Northwest Coast,” the emotional roller coaster ride of “Where Are You Now?” (which has a must-watch music video paying homage to 1987’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles), and “Urban Seagull,” which is complete with haunting vocal layers.
Overall, The Virginmarys are one of Hard Rock music’s most underrated acts. With experience in their corner, they display a sense of maturity and an identity of who they are. Who exactly are they? Simple, a Rock-n-Roll band with serious chops. That is why if you remember them from the early beginning or have followed them along the wild ride, it is recommended you invest the time in The House Beyond The Fires because Cryptic Rock gives 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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