Together with Grim Reaper and the mighty Savage, Chateaux from Gloucestershire form the Big 3 of the legendary Ebony label from Hull. Alec Houston (bass, vocals), Andre Baylis (drums, vocals) and Tim Broughton (guitar) originally found each other around 1981 under the name Stealer. It didn't take long and the piece "Young Blood" found its way to the compilation "Metal Maniaxe" released by Ebony in 1982. In the same year, Chateaux's debut single "Young Blood" was released (with "Fight To The Last" on the B-side). 1983 saw the light of day with "Chained And Desperate", one of the most undervalued debut albums of the entire NWOBHM. Chained And Desperate "moved on a quite high level of playing technique and changed stylistically between traditional metal and epic numbers. A certain Steve Grimmett is only listed on the back of the album as a "guest musician", but at the time of recording he was a permanent member of Chateaux and shines with his vocal performance on the whole album. 1984 could have been the year for Chateaux, but before the second LP "Firepower" could be tackled, the line-up was redesigned. Chris Dadson on drums and Krys Mason as bassist and singer joined the band. (Steve Grimmett had meanwhile formed his own group with Grim Reaper. Stylistically, the second Chateaux due to its uncompromising nature, it was even considered the British precursor of speed and thrash metal here and there. At home in Great Britain, Chateaux were still waiting for a breakthrough in 1985. Even the "difficult third album" should not bring it. This would have required more support from the record company. However, Ebony Records' marketing concept did not envisage the long-term development of artists' careers. Highly Strung "(the original title" Eastern Promise "was quickly discarded) seamlessly followed up on" Firepower ", but lacking in innovation and pioneering spirit. For more than three decades "Highly Strung" was no longer available on vinyl. Even though it is the worst of the three Chateaux albums, the record is still an essential part of any well-stocked NWOBHM collection.
