(TheBRHM.com) Chastain is one of these 1980s U.S metal bands that get love among old-school fans of 80s metal, power metal, and just old-school metal in general. Chastain’s sound is a mix of speed metal and driving mid-tempo heavy metal based around lyrics of fantasy, the three Ls (life, love, and loss), and sometimes metal. You’re more likely to hear a sorrowful, dark or grim fantasy tale out of Chastain.
A trademark of the band includes the consistent guitar work of band namesake David T. Chastain—a great name for a band. It does the job of solidifying the pace established by the bass and drums and amplifying everything. In each song on their debut 1985’s Mystery of Illusion, he was on it.
The other trademark is that Chastain always features female lead vocals. Now, one of my favorite trademarks of a band are female musicians regularly doing faster or more aggressive music. The debut album featuring original lead singer—and current singer—Leather Leone was a darker, grittier power metal project. Her scratchy vocals fit perfectly here.
I liken her vocals to Pat Benatar meets Luna Vachon. There’s variety depending on the song’s tone and tempo and she has range but Leather can also crank up the grit and edge if necessary. I dig it. Her replacement for a lengthy period, Kate French did the same. Chastain was similar to another shredder-led band in Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force in that they both always had a talented lead singer on board.
We’re going to dive into Mystery of Illusion and see how great of an album debut it was. Songs with * next to them is one you must check out while ** means you have to add it to a playlist or favorite it. This album is part of our dive into epic metal albums.
A-Side of Chastain – Mystery Illusion
This is one of those rare perfect A-sides where every song slams and/or simply rocks hard. That’s the key: it’s going to rock, it had to rock so hard I can’t deny it. The song can’t simply be a rocking song. You can’t KISS things, you have to go AC/DC at minimum but I’m looking for Motorhead-esque. Perhaps speedy Iron Maiden. Tracks like “When the Battle’s Over” and the incredible “I’ve Seen Tomorrow” fit the bill.
The A-side of Mystery of Illusion checks all of those boxes. You have driving, heavy songs. There’s speedsters here. We even have driving, heavy songs that become speedsters! I enjoyed this, it’s what I want from an A-side. The fifth song “Endlessly” brings the tempo down with a somber but powerful ballad.
I’m not a fan of ballads for real but this had some stank on it and I rocked with it. “Endlessly” is a song I wouldn’t move from its spot if I was rearranging the tracklist. It ended the A-side perfectly for what would be on the B-side.
Strongest Tracks: Black Knight*, When the Battle’s Over**, I’ve Seen Tomorrow**
B-Side
The B-side kicks off with opener candidate “I Fear No God” which simply slams. That’s the kind of song you want to follow up a slower or mid-tempo track like “Endlessly”. That’s the orange slice for energy, you see? While rocking, “Night of the Gods” is another mid-tempo track that has something of a ballad sound to it but it’d be more of a descriptive chapter in a fantasy novel. It has little to nothing to do with the main character, it’s a chapter to set the scene. It fits with the rest of the album and it’s heavy as hell. It’s also followed up by “We Shall Overcome”.
This track cranks the tempo up again and is the album’s anthemic piece. It’s what U.S power metal or epic metal is build around as far as the full-length release is concerned. You need the ballad but the anthem is the main event and it’s got to be powerful.
I’m talking 3 Inches of Blood’s “Deadly Sinners” or Manowar’s “Hail and Kill”.
The album closer is “Winds of Change” which is a slower tempo, powerful piece that I’m good with as a closer. It doesn’t sound like it should open a Chastain album from the 1980s and I can’t picture where it would be elsewhere on the album. This song ends the album.
Strongest Tracks: I Fear No God**, We Shall Overcome*, Winds of Change*
Track of the Album: I’ve Seen Tomorrow
“I’ve Seen Tomorrow” is my kind of track 100-percent. It’s speedy, it has some edge to it but not way too much, it’s epic, and it slams. Of course it gets the nod from me but “I Fear No God” on the B-side was close! Then again, I’ve noticed faster songs that come after a slower tune tend to get a boost from me because it’s a pick-me-up track.
Strength of the Opener: Black Knight
I felt that “Black Knight” was one of the strongest tracks on the A-side of the album. It rocked more than enough to open Mystery of Illusion while also establishing the atmosphere and sound of the album. That’s all the opening track needs to do—even if it follows an instrumental or skit.
So “Black Knight” achieved that but I will say that “I’ve Seen Tomorrow” or “I Fear No God” are great opening track candidates.
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.