Cassle (1980-1983 / 2011)
---12/9/14
Archival NWOBHM-styled recordings from the early 1980s. The original EP has some inspired, almost progressive rock influenced (long tracks and keyboards will have that effect), early heavy metal sounds. Good stuff from a band that could have made the big time with the right breaks. An all too common tale from that era.---10/6/25
The above is accurate, but I need to provide more context. The band only released one track in their lifetime, that of 'Midnight Fantasy' (1983). The quality is demo-like, so you'll have to adjust your ears a bit before taking this in. The next three tracks are from the same session, and have the same sound quality. These were released for the first time in 1997 from an unauthorized issue. One that the band, according to the CD liner notes, were more than fine with as it increased their exposure. The music here is at the crossroads of hard rock and early heavy metal with proggy overtones. Like a 1979 private release. There's piano, hard guitars, and dramatic vocals. Were this a cassette, it would be an instant classic, because music like this was released that way back then. So hearing it on CD sounds strange, but it just requires an adjustment as I noted above. Track 10 is the original 1980 recording of 'Midnight Fantasy' when they were teenagers known as Miraaj (guess they like unique spellings). Track 5 is the only recording from 1982 and is essentially a piano ballad. The other five cuts are studio and live recordings from 1983. These are of bootleg quality and portray the band more in a proggy hard rock / AOR light. As the music rolls on, one can hear Rush as a major influence on the group. It's a pity this was all that could be rescued, as it's clear that Cassle had talent to burn. They likely would have turned into a band like Queensryche had they managed to secure a major label deal, which they apparently were close to. It was the 80s after all.
Ownership: 2011 Shadow Kingdom (CD). Liner notes, lyrics, and photos.
11/26/11 (first listen); 12/9/14 (acquired / review); 10/6/25 (update / new entry)
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