SHADOW KINGDOM RECORDS is proud to reissue CHASTAIN’s classic fourth album, The Voice of the Cult, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
The name CHASTAIN should be no stranger to those who grew up in the 1980s and lurked in dark record stores. CHASTAIN itself was the full band of shredder guitarist David T. Chastain, but preceded his solo recordings by a few years. Both CHASTAIN the band and man were allied with the pivotal Shrapnel Records label, who launched the careers of many US power metal bands as well as, most especially, shredder guitarists.
While CHASTAIN’s first two albums – 1985's Mystery of Illusion and 1986’s Rulers of the Wasteland, both originally released by Shrapnel - became staples of the burgeoning US power metal scene, the band would release their third album, 1987’s The 7th of Never, on Leviathan Records, the label Chastain himself started a few years before. In 1988, Leviathan released The Voice of the Cult, widely considered to be CHASTAIN’s strongest record of the ‘80s, if not their still-enduring career. While no great changes were made, The Voice of the Cult nevertheless exploded with a power, poignancy, and poise that cemented CHASTAIN’s position as tried-and-true HEAVY METAL: speed metal, power metal, classic metal, some shred, even a touch of "hair" – all are covered here, and seamlessly threaded together into an electrifying 38 minutes. Of course, much of CHASTAIN’s early legendry lies at the feet of OG frontwoman Leather Leone, whose tough-yet-clear vocals are perhaps THE embodiment of heavy metal eternal. Graced with another quintessentially ‘80s cover art and The Voice of the Cult became mandatory listening for disciples of metal’s golden era.
While many editions of The Voice of the Cult have been released over the past 30 years, SHADOW KINGDOM's new reissue will be the first time the album’s been available on cassette since its original 1988 release. Additionally, the CD version will include two bonus tracks.
