Chastain, We bleed metal

Are you ready to go back to the 80s and the age of heavy metal bikers and badass metal chicks? Ladies and gentleman, all aboard, Chastain bleeds metal.

From the first thundering declaration that “we bleed metal”, until the last guitar shred in Secrets (interesting that the first and last moments are comprised of the very things that define this band, by the way), there’s power and there’s fierceness and yes, there is heavy metal. Plenty of it and in best shape. Even though Chastain doesn’t have the honor of being placed among the the icons of the genre (and what a huge mistake it is, for such a kick-ass band to be so underrated), this album is textbook heavy metal, without being generic heavy metal as well. It’s raw, it’s powerful, it’s aggressive and there is a sense of rebellion and freedom exuding through each and every song, as they never slow down or back down. Even if the pace may be a little more steady in tracks like Search time for you, there is still an ever-present feel of force and determination and Leather’s always biting voice commands respect. They come, they slay and they go, leaving me wondering how come they never get tired. 

As the baby of guitarist David T Chastain, the record is obviously abundant in melodic and memorable guitar riffs, some reminiscent of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Yngwie Malmsteen and other metal icons and some even classical in nature, like that lovely intro of I am a warrior. However, the indisputable star of this album is Leather Leone. This tough lady, fittingly named Leather (who else could pull this name off, anyway?) is one of the most amazing female singers in the world. Scratch that, she’s one of the most amazing singers in the world, period. Raspy, aggressive, with an unmistakable vibrato that shakes every metalhead’s heart, yet strangely feminine and sensual, she completely mesmerises me every time she opens her mouth. Without any minimisation of David’s contribution and talent, in my book she is what carries this band and this record and her voice is incredible in every single form it takes. I guess it’s not a coincidence that one of my favourite moments is the beginning of The last ones alive, where she cries over that soft and gentle guitar. It’s quite fascinating how she can carry so much emotion and sensuality and yet never give up and ounce of her raspiness and harshness, one would figure these attributes are incompatible.

As the music and atmosphere are typical for the genre, so are the lyrics with  messages like “we bleed metal”, “live for today”, “fight ’till the end”. And yet, amongst the ageless heavy metal cliches, there also are some deeper and more contemporary themes that deal with terrorism or financial issues. In fact, this then/now dichotomy is pretty much the main characteristic of this album. We bleed metal manages to be somehow stuck in time, representing an age long gone, and at the same time it’s present and fresh and doesn’t feel outdated or artificial. Another thing that I should point out is how short the album is. Yes, this is a good thing: if you don’t have enough material for 90 minutes, 40 something will be just fine, as long as it’s quality music. Note to other bands: there is really no need to dilute your releases by trying to have as many songs as possible or to reach a certain milepoint in terms of album or song length. A condensed and powerful record, with no fillers or dull moments, that leaves me wanting more is so much better than a long album that makes me wonder why didn’t you stop earlier. Chastain clearly understood the value found in effectiveness and this is another plus for them.

In the end, it was an album I was most anxious for (I had the date marked in the calendar, literally) and it certainly delivered. It’s full of force and yet of musicality, it has that eagle flying free feeling that’s straight out of a Harley Davidson campaign and yet it doesn’t become (too) clicheic, it has compelling and amazing Leather… it’s everything I could ever ask for from this genre and it’s a good solid record they should be proud of.