David T Chastain interview for Metal Fire with Diego

- Hi, David! First of all, let me thank you very much for taking your time and kindly accepting our request. How are things with you these days?

David T Chastain: Things here as busy as always. Lots of work for little reward! The nature of the beast.

-If I'm not wrong, SPIKE was your first band. You released one album "The Price Of Pleasure" (1983), but you did a short tour with BLACK SABBATH before. What do you recall from this tour?

David T Chastain: Once we played our set every night we had to leave to drive to the next city. We were going from city to city in a car and rental truck. No tour bus! We didn't see Sabbath play until our final night on the tour. We barely got paid if memory serves. I think $250 a night. Of course these days many bands pay to be on tours so I guess we did OK. We weren't allowed much space on stage or very much of the stage lighting but it was good enough. We were happy to be sharing the stage with Sabbath/Dio and BOC. Blue Oyster Cult was also on the tour.

-Your next step was to create CHASTAIN and play with CJSS as well. After the release of "Mystery Of Illusion", first CHASTAIN album, you decided to create your own record company, Leviathan Records, which expanded beyond your releases to include other artists. Why did you decide to create your own label?

David T Chastain: Actually the SPIKE album was on my own label "Starbound Records" so Leviathan Records was my second label. I guess I like to control everything, which isn't necessarily a good trait. In any case, back in those days the record business was much simpler and easier to have success. There weren't that many record labels to compete against. I always have liked to help other musicians so helping bands get their music out was just a natural thing to me.

-Leviathan Records was the original label for MANILLA ROAD's "Out of the Abyss" album back in 1988. How and when did you meet Mark Shelton?

David T Chastain: I really don't recall how we met each other. Maybe Black Dragon Records gave us each other's contact info. In any case, back in 88 Leviathan Records was actually doing very well and selling lots of albums so we were getting lots of demos from bands around the world. I knew Mark was a special talent. We also released "The Courts of Chaos" but we released it under Mark Shelton instead of Manilla Road.

-Let's talk about SHELTON/CHASTAIN and "The Edge Of Sanity - 88 Demo Sessions". What was the initial intention with this collaboration with Mark Shelton? Did you want to release an EP or a full-length album? Why didn't you release this stuff back in the day?

David T Chastain: I write lots of material and I am sure Mark did also. I think it was more of we were just doing it for fun to see what we could come up with together. I certainly respected Mark's intelling lyrics, his melodies and his unique voice. I assume the reason we didn't go into a studio and record a real album is that I already had 3 different recording acts, (Chastain, CJSS and my instrumental projects released under David T Chastain). I was already getting complaints that I was releasing too much music. Little did they realize I was more or less recording an album a month back in those days and just putting them in my closet. We have released some of the titles over the years such as the 3 CJSS demo albums... with more to come. I always knew the Shelton Chastain music was very good but I also knew it was a demo mainly for Mark and myself.

-Can you tell us a little about the writing process of "The Edge Of Sanity - 88 Demo Sessions"?

David T Chastain: I would write the music and send it out to Mark who would record the vocals. It was that simple. He never had any input on the music and I really had no input on the vocals other than to specify which parts of the songs for him to write the vocals. That was a perfect world for me. In most of my bands I usually write the music, lyrics and melodies so it was nice to have someone else's viewpoint on the melodies and lyrics. I have written probably 1000 songs so I ran out of subject matter quite some time ago! HA!

-Why do we find two versions of the song "Orpheus Descending" in the EP? I read somewhere that it exists another version of "Orpheus Descending". What makes this song so special?

David T Chastain: Yes there are 12, 16 and 21 minute versions of the song. I am a producer who has his own recording studio so I can go in and tweak, edit, expand, remaster, etc. 24/7. I think the 12 minute version is my "Producer's Version" and the 21 minutes version is my "Musician's Version." The 16 minute version is a compromised version between the two. Definitely the longest song I have ever released to the public. Although I do have some longer "jam" recordings in the archives.

-So, are there any additional songs in your archives from this collaboration with Shelton?

David T Chastain: Nothing from that specific era. However around 2000 one of my record labels, Diginet Music, had a group of recordings released under the title "Guitar Masters" that had releases by Gus G, Joe Stump, myself and many others including Mark Shelton. What that was is that each player was given the same bass and drums tracks and each guitar player created their own versions over those tracks. No one heard what the other was recording until it was all over and done with. Really improvisational recordings. I also played the bass on each one so I guess you could say Mark and I have another recording together where he is the guitarist this time. Mark and I discussed reissuing it but we never officially decided one way or another.

-Your band ZANISTER actually recorded a version of "The Edge of Sanity" on your first album in 1999. As I can see in the "Symphonica Millennia" booklet, this song was co-written by Mark Shelton. Now we know about the origin of this track. Why did you decide to include into this ZANISTER album? Was Mark aware of this new recording?

David T Chastain: The Edge of Sanity has always been one of my favorite songs that I was a part of the songwriting. More so for the lyrics/melodies than the music. I had been looking for an avenue for that song and the Zanister project seemed like as good as place as any. I actually have a couple versions of me singing the song. Zanister also had a few other Egyptian themed tracks so it just fit. Yes of course Mark was all for Zanister recording the song. He always loved it also. Neither of us wanted to see it disappear.

-Tell me about "Shock Waves", the title-track from the first Leather Leone solo album. Did you participate in that album in some way?

David T Chastain: I produced the album and was involved in a lot of the songwriting. I asked Mark Shelton to write a few songs for Leather and he sent us 2. We chose to use Shock Waves as the title track. Neither Mark or I could find the other song he wrote for her as we both looked in our archives earlier this year.

-Were you still in contact with Mark Shelton over the years? Have you followed the MANILLA ROAD's career?

David T Chastain: I must say I really don't follow the metal scene that closely but I was in touch with Mark every year or two just to catch up and discuss the music business. I would hear a little MR every now and then. With Mark's unique voice you always knew when you heard a MR song.

-Leather Leone recently released a new album called simply "II", have you listened to this album?

David T Chastain: Yes of course I have heard it. I think it is a very good traditional metal album. Definitely old school. I hope it does great!! She really wants to tour and I hope they can do a lot of touring in 2019.

-Will you continue to work with Leather in the future? So, when are you going to publish new material? What are your future plans?

David T Chastain: Not sure what is happening down the road. I used 2018 to release stuff that had been stored in my archives both reissues and unreleased material. 2019 is shaping up in the same way. With that said I have lots of music waiting for vocals to be recorded over it. Just have to decide if I want to go through all that a new release entails for me. 100s of hours of work!

-You haven't played any live shows the recent years, why not? Is there any chance of you doing a gig even if it's an exclusive or special festival?

David T Chastain: I really only play in Cincinnati, Ohio at a special venue, Bogart's. And then only for special shows such as the CJSS reunion in 16 and the Leather show in 17. There are discussions to do a Spike reunion show in 19... we will see. Of course I get offers to do shows and tours but there hasn't been an offer I haven't been able to refuse. I toured nearly every night for 20 years so I hope that is over. Most musicians feel if they don't tour then they are a failure. I feel the opposite: If I have to tour to survive then I am a failure. Recording is far more important to me than playing a show. People are still listening to those early Chastain albums that are over 30 years old. Certainly that album is more important than some show I played in the same year.

-What has been your most memorable or inspirational gig and why?

David T Chastain: That is a good question. I can't really think of anything that "inspirational" when playing live. I am usually worried about what is going on with the entire performance. Not just my playing but the lights, monitors, sound, etc. Some shows were incredible and others were depressing. I guess the most memorable was when CHASTAIN played with KISS at a huge arena and Leather ran up and down KISS's ramps after being told not to by KISS and seeing Paul Stanley on the side of the stage freaking out. I must say before the show Gene and Paul came by our dressing room and introduced themselves and were very nice. Although I am not a fan of their music I certainly respect what they have accomplished for so many years. Amazing!

-When you look at the career of CHASTAIN, are there any specific mistakes or decisions that were made that you would have done differently in retrospect for the benefit of the band?

David T Chastain: Good questions. CHASTAIN would probably have been a bigger band had I agreed to sign with a major label. However the deals offered were terrible and as an intelligent individual I could not sign them. I guess I chose owning 100% of not much instead of 10% of something larger. Then again we could have signed a major label deal, fell heavily in debt to the record company and disbanded. That is what happens to many bands who sign with major labels. I also turned down a few tours because I refused to open for what I considered inferior headliners. I chose to play before 1000 Chastain fans instead of 10000 fans of another band. So that decision kept the band's popularity to cult status.

-So based on your own experiences, what would you say the music industry should do to help both established bands and newcomers?

David T Chastain: In these times I really don't know what the music business is doing or what positive advice I could give newcomers other than try to create something unique and don't follow trends. Good luck! The business has changed so much since when we started. In the US streaming is over 75% of the business. No one hardly buys physical product here. That is where we made our money.

-What do you think are the best albums you've recorded and why (as a musician and as a producer)?

David T Chastain: I think all of the albums are good for what they are. Of course some of them I would love to have remixed and certain parts rerecorded. Back in the old days we were always on a tight budget with limited studio time so sometimes we had to take inferior performances just to get things finished on time. If I was going to space and they told me I could only take one album it would probably be one of my more "calm" instrumental albums such as "Acoustic Visions" or "Next Planet Please." Those I could enjoy without dissecting them. Things such as: The drums need to be louder, or something sounds a little out of tune, or I hear a punch no one else in the world hears, etc. As far as producing other bands the first Firewind and Kenziner albums are special to me. Both Gus G and Jarno Keskinen are great musicians/composers. Lots of excitement on those albums.

-Which are the new guitarists that impressed you lately?

David T Chastain: If you mean in the last 5 years I can't name anyone in particular. However sometimes I go on youtube and see these incredible guitarists. Some are really outside the norm. I never considered guitar as a competitive sport and I tried to stay away from hearing too much of anything in particular in fear that their music would influence me. I have been watching a lot of the Japanese metal bands on youtube. Although I don't know the language I do like the melodies and musicianship. I know BABYMETAL is a flashpoint amongst metalheads but it puts a smile on my face to watch their videos. They are kind of like Slipknot to me. I would NEVER just listen to their music but watching them is quite entertaining. I guess it is true "In a concert situation people hear music thru their eyes not their ears."

-I know you are a fan of Ronnie James Dio's music. What do you think about the Dio hologram?

David T Chastain: Those tours seems weird to me in concept. Why? Of course I haven't seen one myself so it could be the greatest thing in human history. But then again, why don't people just watch the old concert films and see the real thing? To each his own.

-Name ten of your favorite records of all time.

David T Chastain: If you asked me this question tomorrow it would be different but here goes in no particular order 10 metal albums I have enjoyed thru time and they still hold up pretty well today:
First Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath "Paranoid"
Black Sabbath "Heaven and Hell"
AC/DC "Let There Be Rock"
Iron Maiden "Seventh Son" "Somewhere in Time"
Metallica "Master of Puppets"
Dream Theater "Images and Words"
Rainbow w/ Dio First 2 albums
Dio "Holy Diver" "Last in Line"
Ozzy "Diary"

Pretty funny. All of these albums are 1000 years old. As I said above, I am not exactly up to date on current metal bands. I look at a metal radio playlist today and I only recognize about 25% of the names. I must confess the only metal I listen to is stuff that I am working on. Either writing or remastering. I will buy the new Metallica or similar album just to hear the Levels and EQ while I am mixing/mastering. I try to keep our mixes at the same levels as the big boys.
In my free time I listen to classical music pretty much exclusively. The masters such as Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, etc... and even the 13 year old phenom Alma Deutscher.

-David, thank you so much for taking some time and I hope you've enjoyed this interview. Last words from you... David T Chastain: Thanks for the cool questions. People can always follow all of the news at www.leviathanrecords.com

The Edge of Sanity: 88 Demo Session

Metal Icons Mark Shelton (Manilla Road) and David T. Chastain (Chastain) joined forces back in the late 80s to record a collection of songs that they planned to release at some point. Little did they ever envision that it would be 30 years later!! While the audio quality may not be up to today's major label studio standards the musical quality of this demo is top notch. Mixing David's music and Mark's voice resulted in what can only be described as "Classic Metal for the Ages." Even at this late date they are proud to offer the recordings to Metal fans worldwide.

David states: "I have always been very impressed with Mark's intelligent lyrics, melodies and his unique and dynamic voice. Mark and myself really weren't worried about any sort of commercial success when we recorded this music and we were just having fun. I am not sure why we never went into a professional studio and recorded these songs other than maybe we didn't want the distraction from our main bands. We more or less just forgot about the music over time as we both write and record mountains of material. There are a few mistakes here and there that I would like to fix but we no longer have the multi-track tapes to do so. So it is what it is, warts and all!"

Mark adds: "David had contacted me after my band, Manilla Road, had released the 'Out of the Abyss' album with his label, Leviathan Records. He had these songs written musically but no vocal parts. He set me on the task of putting lyrics and melodies to the songs. I remember feeling very flattered and honored that he had thought of me for this endeavor."

"'Edge of Sanity' is a song that is about a curse on a Pharaohs tomb. 'Fields of Sorrow' is about the effects of nuclear holocaust. 'Orpheus Descending' is the huge epic of these songs that was quite the challenge to write. Primarily because of the topic I chose. It is a musical retelling of the Greek tale of Orpheus going to Hades and trying to bring back his love from death with his magikal music."

"I personally have always thought that, even though these songs were demo recordings, all of them were maybe the heaviest stuff David had ever written. And I still think that his guitar work on these songs is some of the best he ever did. So I'm very pleased to see this music finally find the light of day and find its way to the ears of the public. I have always had high regard for David and his musical capabilities and it was and still is an honor to call this great musician friend. I hope you all enjoy this material as much as I do. Hammer Up and Nails Down."



Neither David or Mark remember the exact completion date of the recordings. It may have been recorded over a couple years as this was a side project. Manilla Road and Chastain were their main focus. However it is agreed the project started in 1988.

David says: "I have always loved these songs and my band Zanister actually covered the track "The Edge of Sanity" back on our first album. All of these tracks are cool to me. There are 2 versions of 'Orpheus Descending'. One is around 12 minutes and we have a long version that is over 20! Definitely the longest songs I have ever released. It was cool to record such epically long tracks and try to make them cohesive. Especially with 2 different versions! The lyrics tell the same story it is just the music that is expanded on the Extended Version."

After all is said and done it seems SHELTON CHASTAIN was a collaboration blessed by the Metal Gods!

Credits
Track listing:
1. The Edge of Sanity
2. Orpheus Descending
3. Fields of Sorrow
4. Orpheus Descending (Extended)

All selections written by Mark Shelton & David T. Chastain
Leviathan Music (BMI)


Mark Shelton- All Vocals, Lyrics and Melodies
David T. Chastain- All Guitars, Bass, Drum Programming & Kurzweil

Vocals Recorded at Midgard Sound Labs in Wichita, KS
All other recording, mixing and mastering at Leviathan Records Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio and Atlanta, GA
Cover Artwork by Rainer Kalwitz
Logo by Piotr Szafraniec
Other artwork created by Steven Taylor
Produced by David T Chastain