PSYCHOTIC WALTZ

After their debut masterpiece PW returned with an even stronger followup with this one. Like 'Social Grace' it's fairly unique but slightly darker this time around, with more atmosphere and subtile cleverness. After a rather symphonic opening with "Ashes" the music soon drifts into a series of psychedelic, heavy, odd-metered but incredibly creative and melodic songs that stand out even today. A tune like "Out of Mind" takes several listens before figuring everything out and it bursts with cool ideas and takes you on a minor rollercoaster ride for 5 minutes, while the staggering title track always grabs my imagination into the eerie and beautiful landscape on the cover and is a fabulous dynamic exercise with some really smooth twin guitar soloing in it's climax. Aside from the highly inventive songwriting I have to give the musicians credit as well, killer licks from everyone involved adding greatly to the music.

Although a fairly early progmetal band, PW remains unique and legendary even today and should definitely have gotten more recognition from fans of this genre instead of blindly praising Riverside, PoS and Dream Theater all day. All their albums are highly recommended, but this one is the absolute best overall, IMO. Highlights include "Out of Mind", "Into the Everflow", "Freakshow" & "Butterfly".

I was quite into Psychotic Waltz' first album, but I personally find the followup a bit of a disappointment. Musically speaking, it just seems a bit predictable and diluted compared to the debut album. Where's Buddy's flute playing to give a unique twist to the band's sound? What's with the constant flirting with mainstream metal? What's with the much more prominent Queensryche influence? I know the latter will appeal to many but personally aside from their first couple of releases I'm not really into Queensryche, which might be the source of my problem with this album; either way, it's hard to deny that without that flute in the mix the band's sound became significantly less rich.

Psychotic Waltz are a prog metal band who have a truly original sound, with psychedelic influences in keeping with their often-trippy artwork very much to the fore. Frontman Buddy Lackey also plays a mean flute in a style that is quite clearly influenced by Jethro Tull mastermind Ian Anderson (there's even a song dedicated to him on this disc!), and the juxtaposition of sometimes-thrashy often-proggy metal riffing and gentle flute creates an intoxicating mixture which both harks back to the glory days of 1970s prog rock whilst at the same time creating a combination of influences which is genuinely unique. An excellent debut which by all rights should have put the band in the first rank of the subgenre along with Dream Theater, Fates Warning and Pain of Salvation.

The last of the classic '90s Psychotic Waltz releases was neither a continuation of the band's first two albums, nor was it a direct followup to Mosquito. Bleeding is definitely more melodic than their previous output and the songs are much shorter, with all compositions being between 3-5 minutes in length. With all that in mind, I still think that Psychotic Waltz manages to hold their own by delivering another unique sounding record and an excellent one at that!

Straight from the get go Faded kicks us off with a funky bass riff that mesmerizes it's audience and the rest of the composition is indulged in a hypnotic state of mind with Devon Graves keeping up his theatrics for the sense of entertainment. There are quite a few excellent moments spread out all throughout this record with Morbid and Northern Lights being the most commercial sounding ones, while My Grave features what can only be described as a great tribute to one of our favorite progressive rock icons!

There is really not a single dull moment all throughout these 11 tracks, something that unfortunately could not have been said about Mosquito. There is also a clear sense of direction embedded into these compositions that don't try too hard in order to impress us and ultimately achieving just that.

Most fans considered Bleeding to be a great record that works on its own but ultimately fails in comparison to the band's first to masterpiece. When you break it down, this record comes close to another masterpiece and it's up to the listener to determine whether Bleeding is worth that extra push up the latter. I definitely think so since it's the last of the classic Psychotic Waltz releases that has only continued to grow in reputation over the years!

***** star songs: Faded (3:45) Morbid (3:39) Bleeding (3:55) Drift (3:34) Northern Lights (3:19) My Grave (3:27)

**** star songs: Locust (3:30) Need (4:48) Sleep (3:24) Skeleton (3:25) Freedom? (4:46)

I guess that Psychotic Waltz fans that have been waiting for a followup album to Into The Everflow couldn't have been other than disappointed by what they've heard on Mosquito. Personally, I haven't had the chance of hearing this release until only recently and I was pretty prepared for this album to be a lesser experience compared to the first two releases.

I can definitely hear that Psychotic Waltz have stripped a great deal of their mystery on these compositions, thus leaving us with a pretty straightforward release by their standards. Still, this doesn't mean that there is nothing to enjoy, but merely that the layers of greatness aren't here and what's left can in most cases be considered a product of it's time. Yes, I'm referring to the obvious comparisons to band's like Soundgarden and Jane's Addiction are clearly creeping into the band's otherwise very unique sound. There aren't any of the lengthier tracks, instead the album's time have been divided among a larger number of compositions that are 4 minutes in length on average.

My biggest concern is that there is really no standout tracks among this large number of compositions and those times when Psychotic Waltz decides to do something different it just turns out sounding average at best. You might have guessed by now that I'm not a huge fan of this record. If only the band released their forth album Bleeding before this one, then I would at least have been able to pin point the directional shift between their four releases in a linear fashion and wouldn't have seen Mosquito as a deviation from the norm that it is.

This is a hard album to recommend to anyone who has learned to love Psychotic Waltz through albums like A Social Grace and Into The Everflow but if you feel like the band was way too extravagant for your taste on those records then this record might feel like a nice change of pace. If anything, Mosquito certainly is a grower that will surely make you appreciate it more over time but just don't expect it to be something that it isn't.

***** star songs: Dancing In The Ashes (2:31)

**** star songs: Mosquito (3:14) Lovestone Blind (4:15) Haze One (4:36) Cold (4:25) Mind Song (6:08)

*** star songs: Shattered Sky (4:49) All The Voices (3:04) Only Time (4:37) Locked Down (3:26)

I had a surprisingly different initial reaction to this classic recording compared to many of my fellow collaborators. Not only was I not impressed by my first spin of this album, but I also found it quite irritating at times which made repeated listens unbearable at the time. My solution was to put the CD aside, for safekeeping of a sorts, and try to come back to it at a different point in time. This solution took quite some to for me to work but fortunately it turned out for the better!

Into The Everflow is a magnificent album which, I can safely say, grows on it's audiences over time. At first you might only grab bits and pieces of these quite intriguing compositions but it will all come around in due time. Ashes is one of the few numbers that still doesn't sit too well with me, but that's just because of my unfortunate first encounter with this slowly building composition that left a bad taste in my mouth that I'm still not sure can be remedied with time. Fortunately this intro of a sorts soon transforms into a very nice composition and what follows after it can only be summarized as one of the best, if not the best, progressive metal composition of all time!

Not only does Out Of Mind hit it's listeners as a punch right in the gut, but it also generates an instant and long-lasting appeal for the performance of all the participating musicians. It's simply a perfect piece of progressive music that would, in my opinion, have made a much more effective album opener than Ashes. The album's title track is another obvious winner with the exception of a few profound-sounding but overall very pretentious lyrics that make the experience hilarious for me. The instrumental section of the piece is just marvelous and I honestly have nothing even remotely bad to say about it at the end of the day.

The next really awesome composition takes it's time to come around, but once it does we're treated to a trilogy of tracks that can easily be defined as a tour de force for Psychotic Waltz. Hanging On A String is really a weird sounding ballad to come after all these strong metallic pieces but I completely blows the listener away with both it's instrumental prowess and lyrical content. Things get even weirder with the off-beat Freakshow and finally Butterfly, the latter features some of the best performances featured from the collective. This, in my opinion, clearly cements their reputation as the first really great band to come out of the progressive metal sub-genre of the early '90s.

There is really not much more I can say about this album that wouldn't make it sound like a complete fanboy praising, so I'll just make it simple for you - get this album!

***** star songs: Out Of Mind (4:45) Tiny Streams (5:02) Into The Everflow (8:18) Hanging On A String (3:49) Butterfly (9:18)

**** star songs: Ashes (5:09) Freakshow (5:40)

*** star songs: Little People (4:07)

It really took me a while to warm up to this release but once I did the magic simply took over.

And so we have finally come to one of the undeserving forgotten gems of progressive music that has undeniably a strong following in some circles but this treasure is hidden from the rest of the community. Psychotic Waltz is a band that never gets mentioned whenever I see lists of the great early progressive metal bands/albums of the late '80s/early '90s and it's really a mystery to me. I initially heard of the band here on ProgArchives but it took me a few years to get around to finally hearing the band's music and unfortunately even longer to appreciate it!

I can, based on my own experience, understand why this repertoire might take some time to warm up to but it's definitely worth all the ground work! A Social Grace was my first experience of the band's music and it wasn't an obvious hit from the get go, which might explain why I swiftly moved on to the rest of their discography while leaving this classic album behind. My main reasons for initially disregarding the album was based on it's length and the poor sound production that has plagued pretty much most of the early progressive metal releases of the early '90s. This is also why I rarely listen to well established progressive metal classics like Images And Words, Perfect Symmetry and The Warning. There is a certain sound to all these records that just comes off sounding very dated to my ears and unfortunately distracts me from enjoying the otherwise masterful compositions.

It was only after getting excessive knowledge of the rest of the band's discography that I finally gave A Social Grace another chance and the results were completely opposite of my initial reaction. The album has so much magnificent material hidden under the dated production that it ultimately rises above it's obvious limitations and becomes a genre defying experience!

...And the Devil Cried and Another Prophet Song kick the album into high gear from the get go but it's ultimately the album's second half, starting with the gorgeous ballad called I Remember, that really turns the whole experience up a notch for me. I Of The Storm and Only In A Dream are easily some of the band's most poignant compositions and it's certainly a pity that this type of raw energy would only last for one more release.

No matter how you twist and turn it there is really no denying that A Social Grace is an amazing debut album from a band that would manage to even go beyond their limitations by delivering an even better sophomore release!

***** star songs: Another Prophet Song (5:27) In This Place (4:10) I Remember (5:28) I Of The Storm (4:33) A Psychotic Waltz (6:11) Only In A Dream (3:36)

**** star songs: And The Devil Cried (5:43) Halo Of Thorns (5:31) Succesor (4:12) Spiral Tower (5:59) Strange (6:38) Nothing (5:44)

*** star songs: Sleeping Dogs (1:33)

Let me take you back in 1990 when Guns and Roses were the hottest name in Metal,when Nirvana would prepare their magnum opus 'Nevermind' which i don't like at all,when Fates Warning was the biggest prog metal name alongside with Queensryche,when no one believed that DT would become the prog metal monsters they are now..Then appeared these guys with A Social Grace..When i first listened to it i was shocked..An album without any promotion,an album so difficult to fall in love with,an album that sums up the best parts of metal,an album with so many influences but still manages to be so UNIQUE..They're all here:Jethro Tull,Fates Warning,Anthrax..All under the unique ability of Psychotic Waltz to produce original music and above all inspired music..All songs are great..If i have to pick the best i would choose the Psychotic Waltz..I highly recomend it to you.If you don't like it by the first time you hear it please just give it time and you'll not regret it!

Almost anybody gave the highest possible rating to the debut record of "Psychotic Waltz" and that's why I got intrigued by the band. As a fan of progressive rock and metal music I expected something outstanding here. In fact, the band really varies from one style to the other and proves their excellent skills, their multiple influences and their creativity several times on this entertaining record. The problem I have with the record is that the whole thing sounds like a compilation record rather than a coherent and well structured album. Their is so much brain inside this record that there is no place for a heart or a soul anymore. The album sounds rather faceless even though it is technically brilliant.

The band convinces most when they are calm and minimalist and focus on a coherent and convincing structure. The amazing "I Remember" that starts as a smooth ballad with some great folk influences and a dreamy flute solo is an example for a truly well done gem on this record. The bonus track "Only In A Dream" gives us also a break from the harder metal stuff and has some jazz and lounge influences that create a truly magic atmosphere. On the other side, the band surprises us with weird experiments. The bonus track "Successor" is a great space metal track with a gripping and original atmosphere. The third and last bonus track "Spiral Tower" is another big highlight with its noisy sound and progressive ideas. The official album closer "Nothing" has a very dark doom atmosphere with nice atmospheric sound effects and truly goes nowehere in the end as it leaves us on a weird note. The calm and smooth as well as the truly experimental tracks entirely convince and work very well together. They are all different but have an original atmosphere that connects them all.

Sadly, the band decided to put some unnecessary technical thrash metal tracks on the record. The opener "...And The Devil Cried" is boring shred music without soul and makes not only the devil cry. "Another Prophet Song" has a horrible vocal work and no focus at all but at least the drumming is outstanding on this weaker track. Songs like "In This Place" and "Strange" are often too technical, too complicated, too ambitious to convince and may only slowly open to the listeners after several hard tries.

In the end, this album convinces me when the band put some emotions in their songs and when they try weird but not too strange experiments that lighten this album up and make it easier too appreciate. Too many technical and heavy tracks disturb the atmosphere of the other songs and prove the band's open minded influences and skills but bury the coherent flow, soul and smooth progression of the other songs. This melting pot, this potpourri, this patchwork record simply doesn't work for me even if more than two third of the songs are truly amazing. That's where I must conclude that this album is indeed very good and worth to be listened to but not as perfect as many people claim. Fans of "Symphony X" and other bands of the same vein should though check this very popular and inspiring album out as a very particular kind of progressive sound has been for the first time fused and created on this record.

Originally published on www.metal-archives.com on July 9th of the year 2011.

Psychotic Waltz is in my opinion and for sure many are agree with me, one of the best and most intristing progressive metal bands genre ever had. Releasing only 4 albums in the '90's but one hell of a legacy they left behind. I don't think is a prog metal fan that doesn't know at least one of their albums. Into the everflow is the second album issued in 1992 of this excellent band and yet to many the peak of their career, well maybe, but to me remains always my personal fav Mosquito, hard to describe it in words but remains that way since it was release. Into the everflow is a progressive metal album with plenty of dark moods and psychedelic twists, Black Sabbath meets King Crimson meets Queensruche in places, with a metal infuse, the result is a damn great one. The slow tempo of some pieces , the mood of voice of Buddy Lackey is brilliant, one of the best vocalists ever, his voice and tone perfect and very unique. My fav track from here is Tiny streams, one hell of a piece, just perfect Black Sabbath feel, very psychedelic in aproach but what a great tune, all piece stands in that manner, quite original and very innovative for that period, realy. I've always love Psychotic Waltz, they were unique for sure in their field, from guitar tone to the excellent voice of Buddy Lackey, this band was among the best and one of the most original aswell. to bad that they didn't last to much in musical bussines, but we have besides their music legacy another band Dead Soul Tribe, almost same with PW Buddy Lackey in big form. So, 4 stars for sure, but not as great and Mosquito, who remains my fav PW album ever, still a recommended album with plenty of excellent moments, fans of prog metal for sure will enjoy.