Chastain

by Ed Rivadavia   One of numerous musical projects spearheaded by indefatigable guitarist David T. Chastain, the heavy metal band that bears his name has been a fixture in America's underground metal scene for over two decades, but has rarely reared its head aboveground. First formed in 1984, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Chastain was immediately signed to the shred-loving Shrapnel label, and also featured ex-Rude Girl vocalist Leather Leone, bassist Mike Skimmerhorn, and future Cinderella drummer Fred Coury. This quartet performed on Chastain's debut, Mystery of Illusion, later that year, but sub-standard production values severely hindered its prospects in an increasingly refined heavy metal marketplace. Much better was 1986's Ruler of the Wasteland, which was recorded with Coury's successor Ken Mary and, along with 1987's The Seventh of Never, is still considered by many to be Chastain's finest hour. New bassist David Harbour made his debut on 1988's surprisingly lackluster Voice of the Cult, by which time Chastain seemed to be simply going through the motions; and 1990's similarly disappointing For those who Dare saw one John Luke Hebert replacing Mary, who was off to join Alice Cooper). As if on cue, grunge took over in a big way during the early 90's, driving heavy metal into the cellar, and David Chastain into other solo pursuits. It wasn't until 1995 that a new Chastain album, Sick Society, would surface, and even though the band's basic metal sound remained intact, both it and 1997's In Dementia contained a new-line-up rounded out by singer Kate French, bassist Kevin Kekes, and former Trouble drummer Dennis Lesh. This second coming was to be a brief one, however, and Chastain would once again vanish for many years before finally returning with 2004's In an Outrage album.