David T Chastain's long-running power metal vehicle are back. To be honest, although I've been aware of Chastain's existence for decades, I've never investigated their music. I'd always assumed that David T. was a Malmsteen widdly-widdly guitar hero type but listening to the first song "Stand Up and Fight", the guitar is much more restrained than any pre-conceived ideas.
The music on offer on this album is slightly Maiden-ish. The band's original vocalist, Leather Leone his returned to the fold and her vocals are ballsier than more than a few men that perform this style of metal. No annoying high shrieks gets the thumbs up here. The guitar heroics do come through in "Call of The Wild" but not until near the end of the song. There's a punchy sound to most of the songs. "Fear My Wrath"falls flat with its slightly slower pace and Leone's vocals don't really work as her voice is much more suited to the punchy metal than potential slow burners, although the thing to fear is the lack of any kind of burning from the tune. The follow-up tune is appropriately entitled "Save Me Tonight" and is a redeemer with some tasty guitar licks even if it does slow in tempo a little much towards the end of the song. The title track of this album knocks you straight in the face with its fast tempo and speedy riffing (for power -metal), the drummer really comes into his own on this number. I'll take Leather Leone over a lot of male power metal vocalists as the absence of ridiculous screams and shrieks caused by wearing too tight leather pants is a huge plus. Chastain's guitar work is more underplayed than I'd been lead to believe. The overall result is Chastain sound like a band than one man's musical vehicle.
Standout tracks are "Call of The Wild" and "Surrender to No One".
3/5
http://www.leviathanrecords.com/chastain13.htm
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