RSS Feed


CHASTAIN
Mystery Of Illusion

Shrapnel (1985)
Rating: 8/10

Apart from Warlock and Acid I can’t say I go a bundle on female fronted metal bands. However, Chastain seem to be another exception to the rule with the powerful Dorothee Pesch / Jody Turner raunchy vocal style of Leather, who was formerly with Rock Goddess clones Rude Girl.

The band are named after their lead guitarist David T. Chastain, who like Yngwie Malmsteen – another guitar hero brought to the metal world’s attention by Mike Varney – is a highly talented master of the fret board, although not, I’m happy to say, quite as self-indulgent. Also, David has the added ability of being able to write strong metal tunes. The fast paced ‘I’ve Seen Tomorrow’ is a fine example, where the band gel their talents for a superb menacing assault of hard aggressive metal.

‘I Fear No Evil’ is another high quality track where Leather excels her vocal talents to the max. The remainder of the tracks vary from the no-nonsense power attack of ‘When The Battle’s Over’ and the semi-doom metal of ‘Night Of The Gods’ to the ballad ‘Endlessly’, all of which adds up to a most promising debut.

Bernard Doe

Review taken from Metal Forces, Issue 10 (1985)

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share