David T Chastain interview for World of Metal

David, first of all, thank you very much for this interview being able to exchange some words with an idol of always is a pleasure to me, it is worth for this reason, the preparation of a launching tribute to Mark Shelton, another idol, that unfortunately for The world of music left us very early ... You know that we will make a small tribute to Mark in our November edition, since both he and the Manilla were and will always be very dear to all Portuguese fans. How do you feel about paying homage to a friend, fellow of profession for these reasons?

David T Chastain: I think it is a good idea and a way to showcase Mark's work to people who may not know of the artist. Mark has an impressive body of work and his life should be celebrated. He was something special.

You know, as a fan, whenever something like this happened, I'm always apprehensive, my idols are always leaving, leaving their legacy and we are confronted with reality, one day, everything ends, at least physically. What do you feel when you come across this kind of news?

David T Chastain: I was extremely shocked. I had been in contact with Mark a day or two before his last concert and he was his usual self. When someone told me what had I happened I didn't believe it at first until I checked with the band itself. Life is fleeting. Any of us could die in the next 5 minutes. You just don't know.... It is easy to say "Live each day as if it is your last" but it is really true. It could be your last.

I know that Leviathan Records signed with the Manilla Road in 1988 ... that's when it all started for these sessions. You want to tell us how it all happened? What was it like working with Mark Shelton?

David T Chastain: I don't exactly remember why it started but I imagine it went something like this: I write lots of music and have given music to other vocalists to see what they can do with it. I sent Mark the first track "The Edge of Sanity" and was blown away with what he did with it. Then over the next year or so I sent him the rest of the material. I always loved these tracks but we were both very busy with our other band(s) and we sort of just never did anything else with it. We both have mountains of material we have recorded we never released so it was just added to our personal libraries. My band Zanister did record "The Edge of Sanity" on our first album and I was reminded of how great that song really was. As far as working with Mark I always had deep respect for his lyrics, melodies and his unique voice. From what I remember he was "On the ball" in writing and recording these tracks.

It is exciting that these recordings show new facets of both participants, who harmonize perfectly. Chastain, Manilla Road and elements of Thrash and US Metal meet here, creating something unique. Combining different musical styles was even easy, after all there is a common point ... the music!

David T Chastain: Yes I agree. It is quite a mixture of things going on that make it really unique. I wish we would have recorded these in a major studio and earlier this year I was considering having Stian Kristoffersen lay down real drums over the music. Unfortunately we couldn't find the tapes where each instrument and vocals were recorded. I believe this was recorded on a 4 track cassette deck!! I did remaster the tracks to bring them up to today's audio levels but there was only so much that could be done. As long as people are aware that these are just demos they should be happy with the music.

What are the best memories you have of Mark and these sessions?

David T Chastain: Upon hearing "The Edge of Sanity" for the first time, I knew then that was an amazing and special track. That is definitely one of my Top 10 tracks I have ever recorded in any and all bands. Then I heard "Fields of Sorrow" and was again knocked out with what Mark had recorded. "Orpheus Descending" took quite some time to write and record so it was more "work" than the others.

If you had to describe what you would say about him?

David T Chastain: One of the best all round metal artists of all time. A great composer, lyricists, guitarist and vocalist. Some people didn't like his voice but some people don't like Geddy Lee's voice either. To standout you need a unique voice even if some people don't "get it." However I think the thing I most admired about Mark was his very intelligent lyrics. He went beyond the usual and it was almost a history lesson at times. He may not be as well known as someone like Ozzy but he certainly was more talented than many of the so-called Super Stars of Metal!

Will there be any more special moments around this release? Now I ask, has this material been found at Mark's house, is there anything else you have reserved for the near future of these jam years with him?

David T Chastain: Actually around 2000 one of my record labels, Diginet Music, had a Guitar Master series. Mark recorded a Guitar Masters album and it was released around that time. I had been in discussions with Mark about reissuing that next year but he never gave me his final answer if we should do it or not. Neither of us had any idea that his time was almost over. There are probably a few copies of the original floating around out there but I would like to remaster it before it would be heard again. At the moment I don't plan to reissue it unless someone close to him tells me he definitely wanted it out.



Thank you
By Miguel Correia

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