The Edge of Sanity: 88 Demo Session

Note to readers: If you just want to read about the music and aren't interested in reading about Mark Shelton's legacy and my personal thoughts on it, just skip the first paragraph and continue on to the second.

I'm a bit tardy reviewing this nearly one year after its release, but coming on the heels of the announcement of Mark's death made it difficult to analyze this release with any level of objectivity or insight into the music; it was all just too fresh, and I was still, to some extent, in mourning. I never knew Mark personally but I did speak to him at the one Manilla Road concert I managed to attend, and he came off as a very genuine, down-to-earth and engaging person. I'll never forget walking up to the little bar where they were playing and literally seeing Mark and Hellroadie just standing in front of the building smoking, I spoke to them and it was like we were already friends; they asked about new music I was into, Mark mused on Baltimore (where the concert was) being one of the cities to claim as being a resting place of Edgar Allan Poe--Mark was even wearing a Poe-related shirt, clearly just as enchanted by Poe's work as he was nearly 30 years earlier when he wrote his homage to the man, Mystification. The fact that the band played to maybe 70 people after a legacy spanning 15 albums seems kind of baffling, but I think that's just how Mark liked it; being able to connect on a personal, one-on-one level with his small but dedicated fan base. Mark tirelessly toured to mostly small venues for the better part of 40 years; the man is unforgettable and will always stand as a monument of real, genuine heavy metal, and while I don't want to say I was truly in 'mourning,' per se, as I'm sure his close friends and family were and are, it was a loss I felt deeply, and I continue to feel the void he's left behind him, as I'm sure so many others do. So, though it's taken 9 months, I'll now try to do this posthumous not-quite-swansong justice to the best of my abilities.

Of course, while I'm primarily a fan of Shelton, David Chastain's contribution to the music here is not be overlooked. The raw, thrashy riffs on display here, while similar stylistically to Shelton's own guitar work in Manilla Road at the time, are all Chastain's work, similar to his writing in his own band Chastain, but I'd say even a bit darker and meaner than his usual fare, and with Shelton's raspy howls over it are just fantastic. "The Edge of Sanity" and "Fields of Sorrow" are pure, full-speed, and relentless thrashy heavy metal of the highest order, while the epic "Orpheus Descending" to another level entirely, especially on the "extended" version, which at over 20 minutes of haunting, mystifying, ominous metal to rival any of Shelton's work in Manilla Road (or Chastain's work in his own band), a blend of neoclassical wizardry and an epic, Hellenic-themed scope which could only be concocted by this particular duo. The contrast of the dark, urgent, midpaced thrashing riffs and the forlorn, wistful acoustic passages is utterly brilliant, and even in the extended version I never find myself bored, quite a feat for a track totalling over 20 minutes. Ultimately, this little 3-song affair is yet another brilliant chapter in the careers of two brilliant musicians, and one which echoes Mark Shelton's legacy as loudly as any of his other works. The only tragedy here is that he never got to see the inevitably ecstatic response from his numerous fans. This is just one more testament to Shark's inimitable talent and passion as he now continues to serenade the denizens of almighty Valhalla. I'd highly recommend this to fans of either Shark or Chastain, so don't let it pass you by!

Considering how prolific Mark “The Shark” Shelton was in and out of Manilla Road, it was only inevitable that unrealized projects would start popping up after his passing. This collaboration with shredder David T. Chastain, The Edge of Sanity: 88 Demo Session, is one such example, having been crafted and quickly put to the wayside in 1988. Releasing a demo of this unpolished nature could come off as exploitative, but the pair’s intent to get this demo out there regardless of circumstance is reassuring. Equally reassuring is how much it kicks ass.

Chastain may have handled all the instrumentation, but this demo is far more indebted to Manilla Road than anything else he’s done. That likely has to do with Shelton’s distinct vocals and mythological lyrics, but the thrash tempos on the title track and “Fields of Sorrow” have more in common with Out of the Abyss than The 7th of Never. It’s also difficult to imagine Chastain’s main band ever touching a track like the ultra-epic “Orpheus Descending,” even with their neoclassical tendencies.

With this in mind, these three songs are excellently written. Whether it be the title track’s bludgeoning or the multi-faceted exoticism of “Orpheus Descending,” the structures are esoteric enough to avoid sounding formulaic while the snappy transitions ensure that even the longest song doesn’t drag. It’s a thrilling listen that would’ve been even more so with a more professional production job.

But with this being a thirty-year-old demo and all, it’s certainly not a release for the casual listener. The sound quality is decent enough for the raw guitars and vocals to come through, but the programmed drums are buried in the mix, most notably on “Fields of Sorrow.” It might’ve also been a little overwhelming to include two versions of “Orpheus Descending,” one of which is twenty-one minutes long, but they’re both well-composed enough to justify preference for either.

A 1988 demo collaboration between Mark Shelton and David T. Chastain is the ultimate nerd metal fodder and fans of both musicians are sure to act accordingly. There’s no denying how awesome a full-length album in this vein would’ve turned out, but the writing and playing here is quality enough for one to not brood too much over missed opportunity. At the end of the day, two guys with excellent chemistry had fun making a demo together and we’re all lucky for finally getting to hear it.

Highlights:
“The Edge of Sanity”
“Orpheus Descending”

Originally published at http://indymetalvault.com

It’s been three months since the legendary Mark Shelton of the epic metal titans Manilla Road passed to the other side. His sudden death made shock waves across the metal world. Mark was one of the kindest and most dedicated individuals out there – over forty years of writing kick ass metal music without a hint of wavering. His never-ending devotion to music led him to a number of projects over the years in addition to his mainstay of Manilla Road – The Riddle Master and Hellwell to name a couple among a legion of others. One such project, buried long ago, was a collaboration with fellow US metal powerhouse David T. Chastain.

The discussions to unearth this project started back earlier in February this year according to the official Leviathan Records page on the Shelton Chastain project. Looking back at history, this project makes a lot of sense. When Manilla Road ran into problems with distribution via Black Dragon, Chastain picked them up for his label: Leviathan Records. This was for the release of 1988’s Out of the Abyss, also the same year that the Edge of Sanity demos started to be worked on. Mark and David were certainly excited at the prospect of bringing this music to light. The release of this material ended up being one of the final things Mark was working on.

I am eternally thankful that these old tracks saw the light of day. I had astronomically high expectations for a collaborative effort involving both Chastain and Shelton – I want to make it very clear up front that it lives up to everything I hoped for and more. Chastain handles all instruments and the majority of songwriting while Mark takes the lead with vocals and lyrics. While Chastain handles the main load crafting the songs, it’s clear that Manilla Road were the main influence in mind. The songs are similar to the Road’s darker and more aggressive moments. Imagine some of the best stuff off of Out of the Abyss and Courts of Chaos. Now imagine it played by David Chastain, complete with his unique shredding style. On top of all this, we have Mark’s distinct, sorcerer-like gruff vocals and mythos building to tie everything together.

There’s only three tracks on Edge of Sanity – two of which are shorter and straight to the point numbers and one is a twelve minute Manilla Road-style epic. There’s a lot of variation in the three songs that sets them apart and keeps them very interesting and refreshing. The two aggressive songs, “The Edge of Sanity” and “Fields of Sorrow”, would fit perfectly on Out of the Abyss with their thrash-influenced riffs. “Orpheus Descending”, the album’s epic, has an alternate version included on the b side that clocks in at over twenty minutes long. While I prefer the shorter “radio edit”, this version is even more ambitious and makes for a very nice listen. Both versions of the song are tremendous – the guitar work especially sticks out to me as especially masterful and I wouldn’t expect anything else from David Chastain. There are sharp transitions on this track from hard hitting riffs and blistering solos to beautiful cleans that David snd Mark manage to execute so damn well.

The only issue I find with this release is its production. These songs were clearly meant to stay demos as the overall mixing and production values aren’t up to snuff. Even by 1988’s standards they aren’t great, let alone compared to something you might hear in 2018. This can easily be overlooked as the actual music itself is top notch, which is what really matters in a case like this. The length is also a bit disappointing. There’s twenty to thirty minutes of material depending on how you look at it, but with only 3 songs it really felt like an EP to me. Beggars can’t be choosers, but just imagining a proper album of this stuff has me salivating.

The release of this material came as a surprise for me and what a pleasant one it was. I’ll be candid here, I was quite emotional on my first listen of this demo session. It really does feel like in a way that Mark’s come back and released a classic Manilla Road album. It’s rare that an “unearthed recording” is worth merit (there’s usually a reason they weren’t released), but this is truly an exception to that case. The Edge of Sanity demos are 100% essential for fans of Manilla Road and Chastain.

Album Rating: 92/100

Favorite Song: Orpheus Descends (12 min version)

Originally written for RideIntoGlory.com