adg211288 In An Outrage is the eighth album by female fronted heavy metal band Chastain, and their third with ‘new’ vocalist Kate French. It was released in 2004, a whole seven years after their previous release In Dementia.

Right from the off In An Outrage hits you with some really heavy riffs with its excellent title track and musically things are kept to a very high standard throughout the album’s fifty-two minute duration, and there is a really great traditional heavy metal vibe going on in the album, while still having several surprises in it that keep it less of a predictable affair, such as the excellent ballad Souls the Sun with its interesting use of acoustics that create a great atmosphere that really make it a highlight of the whole album.

Vocal wise the album has a great singer in the form of Kate French, but despite her talents as a vocalist, there are unfortunately part of In An Outrage where things just are not working. I find it really amazing that her vocals can carry some songs on the album to some real heady heights while on others sound so out of place with the music that for those brief moments the impact of the album feels like its hit a brick wall. In her defence these songs are also the ones I least like from a writing standpoint, with the real downer on the album being Bullet From a Gun, which was the song from In An Outrage that got made into a music video and will unfortunately probably be the song that introduces people to this album and could end up giving them the wrong impression. There are a lot more high quality songs on offer here than there are weak ones, and a better place to start to get into this album would be the title track, Rule the World, Souls the Sun, Tortured Love or Hamunaptra.

In An Outrage may not overall have quite the same level of greatness as some of the group’s earlier releases such as The 7th of Never or The Voice of the Cult, but it is a very solid heavy metal album and a great addition to the Chastain discography. If it weren’t for those few moments where things start to really sound out of place then the album could well have been as masterpiece, but as it is it’s just a solid album with a few true gems.

Pelata The band Chastain, home to virtuoso guitarist and label owner David T. Chastain and female vocal goddess Leather Leone, was one of the most grossly overlooked, underappreciated Heavy Metal bands of the 1980s. Combining US Power Metal along the lines of Sanctuary and Metal Church with a neo-classical flair, they released five albums by 1990, the last of which (before the departure of Ms. Leone) was 'For Those Who Dare'. Jumping from the guitarists own label Leviathan to the waiting arms of Roadrunner, the band had high hopes for 'For Those Who Dare'. Sadly, apart from a video for the title track getting decent play on Headbanger's Ball, the Roadrunner partnership yielded the band very little. I say sadly because this album is really good! Now David T is a monster guitarist; an arpeggio wielding technician if there ever was one. The real star of this album, however, is one Leather Leone. This woman carried twice the power and range of any other female in Metal. Forget Betsy Bitch, forget Doro...Leather Leone is an absolute powerhouse! Equal parts Dio, Dickinson and Ann Wilson, she didn't sing songs so much as she attacked them. The soaring chorus of the title track, the hateful snarl of "The Mountain Whispers", the piercing wail of "Please Set Us Free"; all testament to the fact that this woman IS Heavy Metal. Musically, the riffs chug, grind and fly in all directions. The lead playing of Mr. Chastain is especially deft, easily rivaling Malmsteen, Friedman or any other Shrapnel Records shredder. The vibe of the album is dark, angry and passionate. Moving seamlessly from headbanging tempos ("Secrets Of The Damned"), to slithering, pounding groove riffs ("Not Much Breathing"), to more ambient intros ("Night Of Anger") there isn't a bad song to he had. There's even a pissed off cover of Heart's "Barracuda". The tones and edge are all given new life by Jamie King's (Between The Buried And Me producer) impressive remastering job. For fans of US Power Metal, this album is essential. If you missed it the first time around, or want to hear it in its newly remastered glory, definitely pick it up. This will turn out to be my favorite reissue of 2010!