Chateaux (band)

Last updated

Chateaux
Also known asStealer (1981)
Origin Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Genres Heavy metal
Years active1981–1986
LabelsEbony, Sanctuary
Past membersTim Broughton
Chris Dadson
Krys Mason
Steve Grimmett
Alex Houston
Andre Baylis

Chateaux were a new wave of British heavy metal band formed in 1981 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. They released three albums during the 1980s through Ebony Records, then home to the likes of Grim Reaper and Savage. The band is notable for launching the career of Steve Grimmett, later of Grim Reaper and Onslaught.

Contents

Biography

The band were originally formed under the name of Stealer [1] circa 1981 by guitarist Tim Broughton, bassist Alex Houston and drummer Andre Baylis. [2] They were selected by the newly started Ebony Records for inclusion on their 1982 Metal Maniaxe compilation, changing their name to Chateaux and contributing the track "Young Blood"; at the time, bassist Alex Houston was providing vocals, and the song was later released as a single by Ebony, backed with "Fight to the Last". 1983 saw the release of the band's debut album, Chained and Desperate, again on Ebony Records, produced by Daryl Johnson, and featuring vocals by ex-Medusa [3] and then-Grim Reaper man Steve Grimmett. For reasons unknown, the band insisted that Grimmett's appearance was simply that of a guest, allowing him to remain focussed on Grim Reaper. [4] The cover art was provided by MusicMight's Garry Sharpe-Young, [1] Martin Popoff, in his Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, described the album as "riding the same mysterious mood as Reaper's first, Diamond Head, Savage, and Witchfinder General, Chained and Desperate combines integrity, songcraft, and grime in way rarely seen outside the confines of these early Brit masters. A swirling cauldron of glorious noise. 9/10." [5]

Only guitarist and chief songwriter Broughton remained by the release of Chateaux's second LP, Fire Power (Ebony, 1984). Replacing Baylis and Houston were bassist/vocalist Krys Mason (ex-Confessor) and drummer Chris Dadson (ex-Wolfbane, Sam Thunder and Aragorn). The second record was less well received than the debut, with Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic remarking that, "the second [record was] surprisingly plain and unremarkable by comparison" [6] and Popoff commenting that "songwriting focus is lost, the singular garage din of the debut heaving forth to both OTT excursions and flirtation with AOR rock structures." [7] The band saw a further decline with the release of their third album, Highly Strung (1985), and poor sales and the band's reluctance to tour outside their local region led to the band disbanding. [2] Nonetheless, Sanctuary Records re-released all three albums and the debut single as the Fight to the Last 2CD compilation in 2003.

Line-up

Last known line-up

Previous members

Discography

See also

Related Research Articles

Grim Reaper (band) Heavy metal band from the UK

Grim Reaper were a British heavy metal band from the new wave of British heavy metal era. The band was formed in 1979 in Droitwich, England, by guitarist Nick Bowcott, and there have been numerous lineup changes over the years, with frontman Steve Grimmett now the only constant member. They are best known for several of their 1980s songs, including the respective title tracks from their first three albums: See You in Hell (1983), Fear No Evil (1985) and Rock You to Hell (1987); each of those songs gained notoriety in the 1990s for appearing on Beavis and Butt-Head. After disbanding in 1988, the band reformed in 2006 around Grimmett, and due to legal issues surrounding the rights to the original band name, they now go by Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper. Two albums under that name have since been released: Walking in the Shadows (2016) and At the Gates (2019).

<i>See You in Hell</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Grim Reaper

See You in Hell is the debut studio album released by the British heavy metal band Grim Reaper in 1983, on the independent record label Ebony Records. The album cover was designed by Garry Sharpe-Young.

<i>Saxon</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Saxon

Saxon is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in 1979.

Gothic metal is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music. The genre originated during the early 1990s in the United Kingdom originally as an outgrowth of death-doom, a fusion of death metal and doom metal. Lyrics are generally dark and introspective with inspiration from gothic fiction as well as personal experiences.

<i>Fear No Evil</i> (Grim Reaper album) 1985 studio album by Grim Reaper

Fear No Evil is the second studio album released by the British heavy metal band Grim Reaper in 1985 under the British independent label Ebony Records.

<i>Rock You to Hell</i> 1987 studio album by Grim Reaper

Rock You to Hell is the third studio album by the British heavy metal band Grim Reaper, released in 1987 under the RCA label. This was the band's final album for 29 years, and their last one to feature guitarist Nick Bowcott, bassist Dave Wanklin and drummer Marc Simon. Grim Reaper gained brief mainstream critical and commercial success with this album, due to the regular airplay of "Rock You to Hell" on MTV's Headbangers Ball and album-oriented rock radio stations.

Stephen Grimmett was a British heavy metal vocalist, best known as the lead vocalist for the band Grim Reaper.

<i>In Search of Sanity</i> 1989 studio album by Onslaught

In Search of Sanity is the third studio album by English thrash metal band Onslaught, released in 1989. This album was originally recorded with Sy Keeler, but London Records were not impressed with the final product from a commercial point of view and enforced a re-mix and a complete re-recording of the vocals by Grim Reaper frontman Steve Grimmett, being the only album featuring him. It features their longest song to date "Welcome to Dying".

Dedringer were an English hard rock band associated with the new wave of British heavy metal. They were formed in 1977 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and released two albums before finally quitting in 1985.

Chakal is a blackened thrash metal band from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The band formed in 1985 and has to date released five albums through Cogumelo Records. Its debut record, Abominable Anno Domini, has been described as an "influential, genre-defining" example of Brazilian heavy metal.

Mutilator were a thrash / death metal band, formed in 1985 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. They released two full-length records through Cogumelo Records in the 1980s.

References

  1. 1 2 Sharpe-Young, Garry. "Chateaux biography". MusicMight. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Chateaux biography". Allmusic . Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  3. ↑ Sharpe-Young, Garry. "Medusa biography". MusicMight. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Chained and Desperate review". Allmusic . Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Popoff, Martin (1997). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, Chained and Desperate review, page 86, ISBN   1-896522-32-7.
  6. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Fire Power review". Allmusic . Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Popoff, Martin (1997). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, Fire Power review, page 86, ISBN   1-896522-32-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.