Review by Felix on October 28, 2021.

While the miserable creatures of Manowar ramble about "Pleasure Slaves", Leather Leone shows them how true heavy metal works. In contrast to Sabina Classen of Holy Moses, she makes excellent use of her voice without denying her femininity. Furthermore, she cannot be confused with Doro Pesch, because Leather delivers really raw and powerful vocals. She is rather screaming than singing, but she makes the difference. The music of Ruler Of The Wasteland is good, but most pieces cannot be praised as spectacular. Anyway, Leather's sensational charisma pushes the song material on a higher level and therefore we find some real gems on this output.

Jester deMaio probably still thinks that he is God's gift for the female part of the world population, but this is his exclusive point of view. Yet it is true that Leather's voice is a wonderful present for the heavy metal fans worldwide. She manages the different challenges in an amazing manner. On the one hand, 'Angel Of Mercy' is the prototype of a power ballad. Its emotional, slightly eerie guitars coalesce with the fervent vocals in a great manner. On the other hand, a nearly brutal thrasher like the fatalistic 'One Day To Live' uncovers a battle between the guitars and the screams of Leather. The perfectly flowing chorus adds a catchy element and marks the culmination point of this sonic diamond. Without neglecting the necessary number of melodies, 'One Day To Live' picks up the atmosphere of the slightly apocalyptic artwork. By the way, who is the guy on the cover who wants to be knocked down by the car behind him? Look at his haircut, is it mastermind Chastain himself? However, I am sure that Leather is driving the car in the background and grins behind the wheel.

Well, the old men of Manowar sit and fart in their living rooms. In a very rare moment of self-reflexion, they ask themselves when they lost their creativity. By contrast, Chastain are still alive and their album from 2015 is not too far away from the here presented work. Ruler Of The Wasteland sometimes borders on thrash ('Living In A Dreamworld') and has some epic, meaningful riff monster ('Children Of Eden'), but the core competency of Chastain is power metal. The full sound supports this kind of metal brilliantly. The riffs of the mastermind convey a profound heaviness, only 'The King Has The Power' is irritating, because this king has absolutely no power. However, this piece with its crude bass lines and the spiritless chorus marks the exception to the rule. The opening title track possesses a comparatively simple structure; nevertheless, this track represents the general style of Ruler Of The Wasteland. Those of you who like the mighty, non-commercial opener will find further numbers that are worth listening to.

DeMaio is (or plays the role of) an egocentric imbecile. He will never understand that traditional heavy metal is, among other things, based on teamwork. Okay, today we have these countless legions of lone wolfs; many of them wander through the forests of their home countries and whisper their depressive poems. They probably think that this is great art, but we think that it is the most effective form to play the fool. Yet back in the eighties, a small group of musicians marked the microcosm of outsiders, and a constantly growing group of fans formed the equivalent macrocosm. Both Leather and Chastain have understood the team concept and any form of vanity does not appear on Ruler Of The Wasteland. Despite their individual capabilities, the focus is put on the songs themselves. Thus, it comes as no surprise that they score with compactness, power and directness. Listen, Joey, women can do their jobs very well and they are able to provide the greatest pleasure, but they are no slaves. (And don't think that I felt the need to write this sentence only in order to fight against my own chauvinist tendency that comes through from time to time.)

Rating: 7.8 out of 10