MOSQUITO

I bought this album already a couple of years ago and I've to say that though I haven't listened to it for a long while I still like it very much. "Mosquito" was still a quite decent release by one of the best (unknown) 90's prog metal bands. But on the other hand it was certainly by far not on par anymore with their first two ones. Quite obviously they turned towards a more accessible style with this one, most of the prog elements in their music had decreased here to an absolute minimum in favour of an easier, popular psychedelic and doomy sound, almost a bit like stoner metal, but much better of course than by common bands from this sub-genre. Unfortunately, due to the production Buddy Lackey's vocals are too often suffocated by a thick droning bass sound, which is really a pity. Still this record has to offer a few rather good tracks as "Haze One" with a nice section in the middle slightly reminding to their previous works, the two sampled pieces "All The Voices" and "Mind Song" as well as "Only Time". "All The Voices" features some flute sound like "Scattered Sky" (which is a better one as well) but sounds more inspired than that one having keyboards even as a leading instrument. "Only Time" has a quite typical Psychotic Waltz-sound and here the guitar play can be even compared to earlier works. Last track "Mind Song" consists in fact of three parts (including a "hidden track" after 8:20), first two minutes with a pleasant acoustic guitar sound, then the quite heavy main part until 6:00 and after a silence there's still one with atmospheric keyboard tunes. Although this one sounds a bit incoherent it's still one of the more interesting tracks on here. ""Lovestone Blind" and "Locked Down" have to be considered quite bottom ones for a band like them and almost not worth mentioning. "Mosquito", "Cold" and the short uptempo one "Dancing in the ashes" (sounding very Sabbath-alike) are still okay without being really great neither.

As a summary I've to say that "Mosquito" was a decent and nice album by Psychotic Waltz but unlike their first two ones not to be considered an essential one in prog metal. Actually I decided to sell my copy and ordered instead its re-release combined in a box together with their debut which is certainly much more rewarding in a long run.