Leather Shock Waves
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Leather Leone. Hers is not a name you hear very often, but for those who recall her time at the microphone for Chastain, that name immediately brings to mind one of metal’s most distinctive voices. It took a lot to make a lasting impression in a band where the focus is drawn to the charismatic guitar wizard, but Leather was more than up to the task. With a vocal style inspired by Ronnie James Dio, Leather was a true metal vocalist, first and foremost. Her gender was secondary, which is not something you can say of a lot of that era’s female so-called metal singers. In 1989, between Chastain albums, Leather released her debut (and sadly, only) solo album, titled Shock Waves.
Shock Waves doesn’t stray too far from the basic Chastain sound. It’s a hard-charging traditional heavy metal album with driving rhythms, a fair amount of shredding, and of course that signature Leather vocal performance. She could be smooth when she wanted to be, but when she’s belting out metal anthems like “All Your Neon” and “Shock Waves,” you can see exactly how she earned the name Leather. Former Arch Rival guitarist Michael Harris handled the axework on Shock Waves, and he did an admirable job, though his fretwork doesn’t quite hold up to David Chastain’s. While Chastain did not play on the album, he was on board as producer in addition to providing songwriting support, so the album definitely had similarities to Leather’s work in Chastain. Future Cannibal Corpse man Pat O’Brien and Mark Shelton of Manilla Road shared songwriting duties with Chastain and Leather.
Divebomb’s 2010 reissue of Shock Waves puts this album back into fans’ hands after a long absence. The reissue does not include any bonus material, but the songs have all been digitally remastered and the liner notes feature an eye-opening interview with Leather. Just having the album back in print is a welcome development, but between the improved sound quality and the expanded liner notes, the reissue of Shock Waves is a must-have for Chastain/Leather fans. If you’re debating whether or not to pick it up; the reissue is limited to 1000 copies, and is not available in MP3 format, so it won’t be around forever.
Genre: Heavy Metal
Band:
Leather Leone (v)
Michael Harris (g)
David Harbour (b)
John Luke Herbert (d)
Track Listing:
1. All Your Neon
2. The Battlefield of Life
3. Shock Waves
4. In a Dream
5. Something In This Life
6. Diamonds Are For Real
7. It’s Still In Your Eyes
8. Catastrophic Heaven
9. No Place Called Home
Label: Divebomb Records
Website: www.divebombrecords.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.6/10