Label: Divebomb Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Back in the 80s, there were many guitar heroes. You had your Yngwie’s, Vai, Vinny Moore, Marty Friedman, etc. etc. but for my money one of the best (and most underrated) was David T. Chastain. He made some great albums with his bands Chastain as well as CJSS – hell they are still making some great albums. In addition to Mr. Chastain he also featured some killer musicians including the original (and current) Chastain vocalist, the legendary Leather Leone. Now, in the 80s there were not a ton of female vocalists like there is today. Many were in the hair metal/more commercial hard rock style. However, there were a few like Doro and Leather Leone, who did enough to stand out based on the sheer talent and vocal ability they possess. But I digress… Recently the good folks at Divebomb Records has re-issued two of the late 80s Chastain records: “The 7th of Never” (released in 1987) and “The Voice of the Cult” (released in 1988) with bonus material.
We begin with 1987’s “The 7th of Never”. This was the third Chastain record and followed two powerhouse albums “Mystery of Illusion” and “Ruler of the Wasteland”. “The 7th of Never” is a great album. The power and class exudes from this album from the opening track “We Must Carry On”. The album is heavy and melodic and David T. Chastain is a true guitar legend. Riding shotgun is the amazing vocalist Leather Leone and she contributes as much to the greatness of this record as Mr. Chastain. The two made (and continue to make) a great team. The album blazes on with “Paradise” and “It’s Too Late For Yesterday”. Other highlights include “The Wicked Are Restless” and “Take Me Back in Time”. As an added bonus we get instrumental versions of “It’s Too Late For Yesterday” and “The 7th of Never” to conclude the album.
Next up we have “The Voice of the Cult” which was originally released in 1988. The awesome, soaring “The Voice of the Cult” gets us off-and-running. Leather’s vocals in conjunction with Chastain’s guitar work is magic. Next is the anthemic “Live Hard” and the rhythmic “Chains of Love”. “Share Yourself With Me”, “Evil For Evil” and “Take Me Home” are a few more great songs. The album is concluded with instrumentals of “The Voice of the Cult” and “Evil For Evil”. Of the two, I like “The 7th of Never” the best but that is a matter of opinion. The fact is, both are great and you can’t go wrong with either one. Great music is timeless and it was a pleasure to revisit two such classics as “The 7th of Never” and “The Voice of the Cult”.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
“The 7th of Never”
- We Must Carry On
- Paradise
- It’s Too Late For Yesterday
- 827
- The Wicked Are Restless
- The 7th of Never
- Take Me Back in Time
- Feel His Magic
- Forevermore
- It’s Too Late For Yesterday – Instrumental (Bonus Track)
- The 7th of Never – Instrumental (Bonus Track)
“The Voice of the Cult”
- The Voice of the Cult
- Live Hard
- Chains of Love
- Share Yourself With Me
- Fortune Teller
- Child of Evermore
- Soldiers of the Flame
- Evil For Evil
- Take Me Home
- The Voice of the Cult – Instrumental (Bonus Track)
- Evil For Evil – Instrumental (Bonus Track)
Line-Up
- Leather Leone – Vocals
- David T. Chastain – Guitars
- Mike Skimmerhorn – Bass
- Ken Mary – Drums