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1.
Hi, first off I just want to congratulate you on your new album. To
new fans could your
please fill us in on the history behind it all?
David
T. Chastain - Thanks! We spent a great deal of time making sure
everything turned out just right on this one. In regards to the
history of the band.....I was shopping demos of another one of my
bands called CJSS and Mike Varney liked the songs but not the band.
We put together a new band that included Leather on vocals and
drummer Fred Coury who later played with Cinderella. The first 5 CDs,
Leather and I used different bassist and drummers who themselves
went on to play with King Diamond, Alice Cooper and others. Then in
1995 I started a whole new Chastain with vocalist Kate French. This
is our third CD together. On this one we had x-Vicious Rumors
bassist and drummer Dave Starr and Larry Howe join the band. This is
the most metal line up Chastain has had to date.
2.
How has your new album been received by the media?
David
T. Chastain -
Response has been very positive. Everyone says we have returned to
our "Chastain roots" on this one. We are happy that
everyone is into it. It makes our job a little easier. With that
said however...our main critics are ourselves. I am not the greatest
judge of a CD until a few years down the road. I think any true
classic metalhead will love the CD.
3.
I know artists are not happy to categorize their music, but how
would you describe your
music to an outsider?
David
T. Chastain -
I would say that in today's world I would describe it as progressive
traditional metal. Not that far removed from bands such as Maiden,
Dio, Sabbath, Priest, etc but only slightly more progressive. And of
course we have a great female vocalist who can not only sing
incredibly she is very sexy.
4.
Where does your inspiration come from, both musically and lyrically?
David
T. Chastain -
For me personally the music just happens. I don't have that much
control over what I write or when. If I picked up a guitar this
minute I could write a song. Now whether it would be metal, blues
rock, instrumental or whatever I can't say until it happens. Kate's
lyrics are inspired by what happens around her.
5.
What topics do you deal with in your lyrics and why?
David
T. Chastain -
Kate's lyrics in Chastain seem to be more of a personal experience
story. They are deeply moving for her.
6.
Who has produced and mixed the album, and are you pleased with the
end result?
David
T. Chastain -
I am the producer and as I mentioned before Christian did the mix
and mastering. I think he did a great job. I believe this is the
best sounding Chastain CD to date. Very metal sounding for sure.
There are not many engineers in the US who know how to really mix
metal.
7.
Who has done the artwork? And how important do you feel it is to
have a great cover?
David
T. Chastain -
Travis Smith did the artwork. He always seems to do things that are
a little different and that is why I enjoy his work. I just told him
the CD title and asked him what he could come up with. I think it is
a pretty intense cover. In regards to importance, well I have never
bought a CD because of the cover. However if it sucked it might have
prevented me from buying it. So it is important but not near as
important as the music. I would say about a 90/10 split.
8.
Do you have any touring plans?
David
T. Chastain -
Hopefully
we will get to do some dates around the world. A short tour anywhere
in Europe would be gladly welcomed. We recently shot a video for the
track "Bullet From A Gun" out in Oakland, California at 880
studios and I believe it turned out great. More of a performance
type of thing instead of a bunch of nutty effects. Kate is totally
rocking! With a little luck maybe we can place it on some of the
bigger networks and that will help in getting some bigger tours.
9.
How do you feel about the co-operation with your label, and are you
satisfied?
David
T. Chastain -
Thomas Hertler of Massacre and myself have been friends since 1995
and I think he is one of the few you can trust in the business. I
believe they do a good job with their bands. Some younger bands
might complain but it is only because they don't understand the
music business. It is a very hard business to get ahead.
10.
The internet is a very important source for many metal fans - how do
you use the internet
and how important is it for you and other bands?
David
T. Chastain - It is very important for all bands. Of course we
have numerous sites promoting the CD and a good one is http://www.chastainmetal.com.
We
have ads on such search sites as Google and Yahoo. We
hired a company to handle internet promotions also.
We
actually sold the CD one month early to eager fans at our site. A
special one time deal. It seemed to work very well. The internet
sort of levels the playing field in many ways.
11.
How do you see the metal scene at the moment?
David
T. Chastain - For
true traditional metal it is the best it has been in 10 years or so.
Europe and Japan are still good metal territories. Unfortunately in
the US, metal is still very underground. There is a new Headbanger's
Ball on MTV so that might kick in the ass a little.
12.
To finish things off - could you pls. make a all-time Top 5 or sort
of the 5 most important albums in your opinion?
David
T. Chastain - In no particular order:
-
Black
Sabbath - Heaven And Hell
-
Iron
Maiden - Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
-
AC/DC
- Highway To Hell
-
Dio
- Holy Diver
-
Dream
Theater - Images And Words
-
Metallica
- Masters Of Puppets
Of
course if you asked me this question tomorrow it would be different.
A
huge thanx to David for this very insightful interview, and all the
best to him and Chastain. Once more I have say TAK to Claus (Intromental)
- you rock brother ...
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