PSYCHOTIC WALTZ

This album was released 2 years ago to the day on the InsideOut label. I was very surprised to see this release considering it's been over 25 years since their last studio album. This reminded me of when IN THE WOODS... released "Pure" in 2016 to great results as well after a long hiatus. Talk about making a name for yourself though with those four studio albums they released in the nineties. And we get the original 5 piece lineup back. I actually love that "Mosquito" record from 1994 but that's the cool thing, each record has a different flavour and "The God-Shaped Void" really comes across as the natural successor to "Bleeding".

I love this album! I prefer that dark and heavy style that we get here, and DEADSOUL TRIBE Devon's other amazing band might be a good example but this is more Prog-Metal here. And how about those anthemic choruses! Man this is melodic and atmospheric and with Devon adding that flute like he does with DEADSOUL TRIBE to incredible results. And the cover art! Travis Smith out does himself a lot I find and I didn't know or had forgotten that he did the cover art for their final 90's album "Bleeding". This particular album is dedicated "In loving memory of Mike Clift" who did the cover art on their first three studio albums. Yes Buddy Lackey, Dan Rock and Brian McAlpin are back in the saddle again!

So the record is all about fallen angels or demons if you will and the pictures Travis did in the liner notes along with that cover art are all just all so impressive. Some intense art work. I just think this is a recording the boys should be very proud about and I hope they're giving copies to friends. I like every song on here but the three that standout are the ones I want to focus on including that opener "Demons And Angels" which I can't say right now without singing it because of the chorus. Atmosphere builds before the flute calms things down then bang we are hit with a powerful soundscape before 1 1/2 minutes. Riffs and vocals. I like the contrasts here and throughout. These guys can bring that dark atmosphere then explode with authority.

"Stranded" is such a beautiful tune especially that chorus while the verses are powerful and mid paced. "Back To Black" and "All The Bad Men" are both heavy and catchy but it's the next tune "The Fallen" that is included in my top three. Acoustic guitar and atmosphere as laid back vocals join in. Great, great chorus here as Devon cries "We are the fallen!" Again the contrasts work so well and how about the guitar before 4 minutes. The other top three is "Sisters Of The Dawn" and this is where Devon proves he is singing better than ever in my opinion. Just a great performance and that chorus is so epic.

I hear this was ten years in the making and they did it right in my opinion. When I discovered these guys they had already disbanded and at the time there was these two mini box sets with "A Social Grace" and "Mosquito" in one and "Into The Everflow" and "Bleeding" in the other released by Metal Blade Records in 2004 with a bonus dvd in each. "The God-Shaped Void" will sit proudly with those.

A Madman grabs an instrument and starts playing...

Psychotic Waltz's debut was definitely path breaking in the realm of metal music. Striking with a pure force of Devon Graves' incredible voice merged into a genius combination of psychedelia and thrash metal. A fairly unique sound was developed on A Social Grace which is greatly reflected in the band's name - chaos all around dancing with the incredibly complex song structures. It almost seems as if a lunatic was the person behind this odd music.

However, the main reason I often come back to this album is its lyrics - clever, dark and obviously a bit chaotic. Personally, every time I listen to Psychotic Waltz or Deadsoul Tribe I feel touched just because the stories they tell seem always different than anything you witness throughout the journey around the music world. Here on A Social Grace lyrics mostly depict a pessimistic view of the world which simply becomes unbearable for the author. The doom and gloom reaches its peak on the final song Nothing where a concept of time is introduced. As most of the things mentioned before can be seen as subjective perceiving of reality which might be taken to further discussion, the last song comes to break it all. It appears as a sort of ultimate statement that underlines the absurdity of it all. Thus, A Social Grace presents an interesting perception of the world and a great concept album if you look closer.

Unfortunately, lyrics are the place where any consistency of the album ends. To be clear, the album feels heavily uneven. We have extremely powerful masterpieces like Halo of Thorns, I Remember, A Psychotic Waltz, Strange and one or two more while other sit somewhere in their shadow. But it seems like it's quite a few right? Well the fact that the album consists of thirteen songs it really doesn't. And that's one of the major problems as well. I expect from an album over one hour long to have a certain direction it goes. Otherwise its songs or sometimes whole piece become easily forgettable. A Social Grace feels like it's spinning around in circles, and these are very chaotic circles. And perhaps this 'psychotic' music is just simply not my thing as it doesn't feel cohesive enough.

To be fair, I would rather listen to the best pieces of Deadsoul Tribe than Psychotic Waltz's debut. Even though songwriting here is much more advanced and innovative. Yet still, A Social Grace is somewhat a one time obligatory listen for every person interested in metal music as it pushes the boundaries of the sound and provides succulent point of view.

When a historic cult band makes a return to the scene after decades since their last record, it's inevitable that there is a lot of hype around the new release. As such, The God-Shaped Void, the first albums in 24 years by prog metal icons Psychotic Waltz, has been praised long and loud in the metal and prog communities. But when it comes down to it, is all the buzz surrounding this release justified?

I don't think so. To these ears, The God-Shaped Void is a solid album of robust, no-frills progressive metal, which flows away pleasantly and with a few moments of brilliance, but nothing too out of the ordinary and certainly not something that makes me go out and scream hallelujah. This is not to say that this is a bad or worthless album. To the contrary, The God-Shaped Void is a very pleasant and well-constructed album (and it would have been hard to expect otherwise given the amount of talent and experience the band oozes), but in my opinion it simply isn't the masterpiece that some people make it to be.

The roots of the album lie firmly in the classic prog metal tradition: chunky distorted guitars offer a wealth of powerful, headbangable riffs, readily balanced by a healthy dose of tasty melodic twin leads. Meanwhile, the rhythm section offers a very robust and tight backdrop, with plenty of fills and rolls, albeit the tempos are never likely to quicken the pulse. There are also synths and keyboards appearing in some of the songs but more as background than lead instruments. Overall, the sound is very tight and focused - also thanks to the excellent modern production by master Jens Bogren. Singer Buddy Lackey (aka Devon Graves) provides the usual dose of vocal histrionics. His vocal delivery is truly unique in the (prog) metal scene and is one of the few voices in metal that is truly instantly recognizable. As usual, his singing is charismatic and mysterious, yet very melodic and catchy especially when it opens up in the choruses.

Structure-wise, the songs do not leave space for many surprises. We have fairly traditional metal song structure, with lots of emphasis on the alternation between softer verses and powerful choruses, the inevitable instrumental break with guitar solo, and a coda or middle-eight to make things a little less monotonous. Nothing ground-breaking or that we have not heard before, but nevertheless quite effective.

The latter sentence is probably the best way to summarize my feelings towards this album. Most of the songs on The God-Shaped Void are effective, crunchy headbangers, but nothing we could not find in another two dozen albums released this year, probably. There are some exceptions, though. It's in songs like "Devils and Angels", "Demystified" and "Sisters of the Dawn" that Psychotic Waltz's brilliance and genius truly comes to the fore. These songs are beautiful, epic mid-tempos, with lots of dark, foreboding atmospheres and sporting mesmerizing vocal deliveries by Lackey. These are songs that grab attention from the get-go and never let it go, because they hypnotize you with their dark, sinister atmosphere and their oblique melodies. Great stuff. If all the album was as good as these three tracks I would have rated The God-Shaped Void much higher. But, as it stands, there are simply too many ordinary and predictable songs to make this stand out in today's prog metal landscape. Solid, but unexceptional.

[Originally written for The Metal Archives]

A band that is totally unknown to me--that I can remember no reference to before, ever, either as a whole or for any of the individual musicians. But this album has a very high rating on ProgArchives.

1. "Ashes" (5:09) a gloomy musical mood reminding me of a cross between 1970s VANGELIS and GOBLIN soundtracks and BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's intentional eerie stuff, but whose use of cheaper modern computer keyboards and effects sadly date it. But, heck, perhaps this is the direction both of the aforementioned bands would have taken. Once the guitars and rest of the band enter, it takes on a different quality all together, but then the synths return. They're just too dated! The vocals, only used at the very end, sound like Uriah Heep's David Byron with David Bowie undertones; the use of multiple tracks to layer the vocal give it quite a cool sound. Great melodies. Impressive vocalist(s?). The stunning beauty of those last 90 seconds almost make this a top three song. (9/10)

2. "Out Of Mind" (4:45) truly impressive acrobatic vocals that remind me of a cross between Ziggy Stardust and Myrath's Zaher Zorgati. Amazing melodies. One of the more impressive vocal performances I've heard in a long time. I love the way the band plays with the pace of the song--as if there is a accelerator pedal to regulate their speed--and everybody stays together. Impressive! Very impressive, nonintrusive drumming. A top three song for me. (9.5/10)

3. "Tiny Streams" (5:02) very OZZIE sounding multi-voice vocal tracks over very updated SABBATH musical soundscape and style. (8.5/10)

4. "Into The Everflow" (8:18) slow electric guitar arpeggi woven with slow deep bass notes and John Bonham-like drum play. The vocal performance here is very bluesy like a ROBERT PLANT performance with Led Zeppelin. Not very much freshness to either the music, the vocal, or lyrics, but then the guitar solo happens and everything is better. Even the return of the vocal is improved by the dextrous guitar arpeggi being performed by the twin guitars throughout. What started out as a very average song has definitely been improved by the two guitar tracks and their duet playing. Another top three song for me. (18.5/20)

5. "Little People" (4:07) back to the modernized Black Sabbath style and sound. The main difference that I intuit between Sabbath and the Waltz is the better drumming here and the speed of guitar play. Weird Frank Zappa vocal impression in the third minute. The rest of the OZZIE-like vocal is, actually, quite meandering--more show than relevance--same for the lyrics. (8.75/10)

6. "Hanging On A String" (3:49) back to the David Byron-like vocal style. (Who performs the back up vocals? He is also very talented.) What a talented singer (or group of singers). The rest of the music and song is quite bland. (8.5/10)

7. "Freakshow" (5:40) intricate twin guitar metal weave with drums and funky bass (mixed too far in the back for my tastes--this bass player might be great for all I can hear but I can barely hear his work.) Buddy sings with an aggressive Ozzie approach while bluesy ballad music beneath dupes us via its metal guitar weave. Again, Led Zep comes to mind--especially with Norm Loggio's spacious, restrained John Bonham approach. Mega kudos, Norm! Many other drummers wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to fill every moment with cymbals and/or drum fills. Great lead guitar solo in the fifth minute. Too bad the music beneath is so plodding. I like the way the band gives its all (especially Buddy) to the finish. (9/10)

8. "Butterfly" (9:18) more moody slowed down ballad music over which one guitar solos mournfully. Another great vocal performance despite it's being slightly muted, negatively effected, and buried a bit within the mix. In the third minute things amp up while infinity guitar (e-bow?) solo plays. But then we're quickly back into OZZY territory. The music does have a lot of twists and turns, which keeps it interesting, but then, it also has the tendency to turn a little too sharply--two wheeling the corners--thereby not letting some motifs play out fully (to the listener's satisfaction). The conga section with "purple haze/when you're strange/fame/I just wanna celebrate" vocal citations is a bit weird but tasteful--kind of like THE CURE's unique rendering of "Purple Haze" of the next year. The symphonic, almost concert hall finale is strange, but it all works--is all quite fresh and refreshing. (18.5/20)

Total time 46:08

An album that is most remarkable to me for the acrobatic vocal talents of Buddy Lackey--someone I'd never heard of before this listening. The drumming and dextrous guitar play of the "twins" are also quite impressive and engaging. Good thing the dominating keyboards of that opening song did not continue throughout the rest of the album.

A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music though probably deserves masterpiece status within the Prog Metal sub-genre.

"The God-Shaped Void" is the 5th full-length studio album by US, San Diego based progressive metal act Psychotic Waltz. The album was released through InsideOut Music in February 2020. Psychotic Waltz folded after touring in support of "Bleeding" from 1996, as a consequence of a law suit from an actress who appearing in the promotional video for the track "Faded" who said she was exposed to a light during the shooting of the video which caused partial blindness. Psychotic Waltz reunited in 2010 to play some shows, and slowly the idea to record a new album began. Rumours of the writing and recording of the album have circulated for years, but now "The God-Shaped Void" is finally here.

Psychotic Waltz were never a major player on the progressive metal scene and didn´t accomplish much commercial succes in their early- mid 90s heyday, but they had a strong underground following (especially in Europe), which were quite dedicated fans (including myself). Psychotic Waltz stuck out because of their psychadelic tinged take on the progressive metal genre and their relatively original music style, which initially was rooted in US power metal and traditional heavy metal acts like Fates Warning, Queensrÿche, and Iron Maiden, but also incorporated the more complex structures and technical playing of artists like Watchtower and Realm. Their love for 70s progressive rock and hard rock/heavy metal was also audible on the albums from their original run.

"The God-Shaped Void" is the sound of Psychotic Waltz, but in a sligthly more mature and formulaic version. Heavy riffs, mid-paced tempos and grooves, harmony leads and blistering solos, and Devon Graves (yeah that´s the one who used to be called Buddy Lackey) distinct sounding voice on top. Atmospheric keyboards are also a big part of the soundscape (and the flute is used on "Pull the String" and "Demystified" ). In other words it´s a natural progression from the sound on "Bleeding (1996)", but featuring a darker and heavier production job, closer to the sound found on "Mosquito (1994)". Using the word formulaic above pertains to the song structures more than the compositional details, as most tracks on "The God-Shaped Void" are built over the tried and true vers/chorus skeleton. Again this is no surprise given the direction the band were heading in before their untimely break-up. So don´t expect this to sound much like the first two albums by Psychotic Waltz.

While all tracks are well written, and don´t take more than a few spins to be able to hum along to, I miss the anarchistic songwriting of the first two albums, and the high pitched ornamented vocal melodies, that characterized those two albums (listen to the incredibly dull vers melody on "Pull the String" and then think back on some of the technically crazy vocal melodies on the old albums. There´s really no competition is there?), but then again I missed those elements on "Mosquito (1994)" and "Bleeding (1996)" too, so I´m probably just one of those annoying old-school fans, who thinks everything was better in the old days...

...well I also miss changes in pace and being surprised by something on "The God-Shaped Void". Don´t get me wrong, this is a quality release on almost every measurable parameter (professional sound production, high level musical performances, solid songwriting: check, check, check) and sometimes the heavy riffs and the epic atmospheres ignite excitement in me (take a listen to the intro or the middle section to "While The Spiders Spin" for some truly epic moments, or listen to the closing track "In the Silence"), but overall it´s all a little too safe and predictable. I´m a little conflicted here, but a 3.5 (70%) rating isn´t all wrong.

(Review originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

While the Brits may have created both progressive rock and heavy metal with King Crimson and Black Sabbath taking rock into two distinct yet completely different directions an amazing 50 years ago, it was the USA where the idea to link these two styles together really took off with bands like Watchtower and Fates Warning taking the complex compositional approaches of KC and dressing them up in the energetic and distorted dressing of the heavier aspects of metal music. Amongst the first wave of the progressive metal scene that rocked the 80s USA in the underground circuit was San Diego's Aslan turned PSYCHOTIC WALTZ which began in 1986 and took the nerdy side of metal off guard with its lauded debut "A Social Grace."

While the US spawned the first examples of prog metal, it was unfortunately not these bands' homeland where they found interest in their innovative styles so bands like PSYCHOTIC WALTZ were virtually ignored at home while making the most waves in the part of the world where both prog and metal began in the first place. Yup, you guessed it, Europe! The band made a name for itself touring overseas which cemented their position as one of the most innovative prog metal bands of the era and went on to release four albums: "A Social Grace" (1990), "Into The Everflow" (1992), "Mosquito" (1994), "Bleeding" (1996). While productive and passionately engaged, the band called it quits after lackluster sales and the final straw came when the band was sued by an actress who claimed her appearance in the making of the video for "Faded" caused her to suffer partial blindness due to the lighting involved.

With the ever growing interest in more progressive music however, PSYCHOTIC WALTZ have gone down as prog gods with their forward thinking albums that sounded like no other. While not exactly reaping the fruits of their hard work during the initial run, this bands' albums have become quite popular ever since and eventually reunited in 2010 with its original lineup of Dan Rock (guitars/keyboards), Brian McAlpin (guitars/keyboards), Ward Evans (bass), Norm Leggio (drums), and Devon Graves (vocals/flute/keyboard), originally known to fans as Buddy Lackey. With no new album the band started to tour opening for Nevermore and Symphony X on The Power Of Metal tour. While a new album was planned, nobody expected these guys to take 10 whole years to make it happen but finally on 14 February 2020 here it is!

Sounding as if they were picking up where "Bleeding" left off, PSYCHOTIC WALTZ returns with THE GOD-SHAPED VOID which took seven years to create and actually a miracle that it got created in the first place considering that Buddy Lackey currently lives in Austria and the rest of the band have full-time jobs and families to contend with. Not counting the archival odds and sods 1999 release "Dark Millennium," THE GOD-SHAPED VOID is the fifth installment in the band's canon. Needless to say, this cast of five who are well in their 50s now are not the same band that they were 30 years ago when the debut album was released, however the band jettisoned the Watchtower inspired technical thrash metal riffs before they even broke up for the first time. What GOD-SHAPED VOID delivers is a much darker atmospheric slice of psychedelia tinged progressive metal without the emphasis on rampaging tech wankery.

We were treated to a sampling with the first official video "Devils And Angels" which pretty much was a preview for the entire album's worth of material presented. In this way, GOD-SHAPED VOID has the most in common with the band's last 90s album "Bleeding" so in that regard this one literally picks up where that one left off and although it's a much less aggressive album than their 90s run, still sounds like the next logical step that could've easily been inserted into the turn of the millennium timeline so i would guess that much of the material has been gestating in the heads of the musicians even if they hadn't received the recording process until much later.

While THE GOD-SHAPED VOID will not dazzle you with the flashiness of "A Social Grace" or "Into The Everflow," neither has it gone Leprous on us and abandoned metal altogether. While the tech riffs have been tamed into heavier power chord rampages that are more akin to alternative metal, for the most part this band is still on top of its game only with the focus on the sound textures, atmospheric ambience and lyrical deliveries where Devon Graves hasn't lost any of his vocal fluidity or powerful range. Likewise both guitarists Dan Rock and Brian McAlpin deliver some excellent guitar work on tracks like "Back To Black" which cranks out power stomps as well as soloing. While the chaotic dissonance of the past has been traded in for a more accessible melancholic style that is less frenetic and simmering on progressive light, the tracks are amazingly consistent as the melodies are solid, the hooks are instantly piercing and the production both captures the intricate sounds of the band's heyday but offers a crisp clean modern dimension that allows the nuanced atmospheric components to shine.

It's always a gamble to revive a classic band after so many years have gone by but it's obvious on THE GOD-SHAPED VOID that PSYCHOTIC WALTZ still carries the torch that keeps the passion for their music alive and although the band has matured a bit, this one carries a lot more emotional delivery than the more technically infused early albums. With so many newer metal bands sounding lost in the sea of generic wannabeism or spiraling out into experimental inaccessibilities, it's exciting to find a classic band like PSYCHOTIC WALTZ time traveling into the present to show the whippersnappers how old school metal can be so exciting when done right and everything comes together quite spectacularly on this beautiful comeback album. What makes this album work so well is that PSYCHOTIC WALTZ never did the same album twice and i for one am happy that they didn't just retread their past glories and evolve the music into the new world while adapting it from the last album they left behind. If you loved the early albums, Crimson Glory, early Queensryche or other prog metal bands that focused on the melodic side of thing above all else then THE GOD-SHAPED VOID will not disappoint one bit!

I'm familiar with the terrific PSYCHOTIC WALTZ demo, and I've only listened to 1 or 2 of the band's other albums. So my primary reference point isn't the band's other releases. The probable strong influence prog metal pioneers like Queensryche is clear. Buddy Lackey and the band's performing skills are patently obvious. Norm Leggio was already a terrific drummer.

The first 3 tracks represent the band better than the 4th. The rare bonus track, "The Fry Tape", is an interesting oddity; it's more Lackey showing off his keyboard prowess than anything else. The band would soon make a big leap in creativity with their next demo. However, check this out, if you're at all interested in the start of this great band.

After a brief period under the moniker Aslan which the band had to jettison because the name was already taken PSYCHOTIC WALTZ released their first demo in 1988 and then took a couple years to craft their full length debut release A SOCIAL GRACE. They released the album independently by coughing up their own dough and started their very own Sub Sonic Records. In Europe they scored a licensing deal with Rising Sun Productions and despite not finding an instant connection with a larger audience still managed to receive heaps of praise from the magazine reviews of the day. Metal Hammer and Rock Hard praised A SOCIAL GRACE as one of the best albums in a long time for its bold originality of combining Watchtower type technical precision and ferocity with U.S. power metal influences bringing early Queensrÿche to mind in the melodic vocal deliveries, Iron Maiden gallops and dynamics in their playing style and all coated in progressive thrash touches and one of the biggest surprises, the abnormal for metal Ian Anderson tribute in Buddy Lackey's singing style and occasional addition of flute. As a result of all these styles melded together, A SOCIAL GRACE is one of the most unique sounding progressive metal albums ever to emerge from ANY era much less the year 1990 when it was released. PSYCHOTIC WALTZ nailed it and delivered all the goods on this debut unlike other traditional metal acts treading down similar paths of increasing progressive and inventive elements. First and foremost all the musicians on board here were masters of their retrospective instruments complementing the greater band sound in perfect unison.

The album begins with the fast and furious duo thrash guitar assault of Brian McAlpin and Dan Rock delivering some of the most intense metal riffs that were rooted in keeping the overall sound melodic but they were also masters of syncopated effects that offered technical tricks and trinkets without steering the band's sound into abstract Watchtower territory. Through these superbly constructed tracks all performers shine in every arena. Buddy Lackey was indubitably in the same league with Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate and Crimson Glory's Midnight. His vocal range is actually more impressive IMHO as he not only wails in the upper registers but has serious control that can tackle several styles in sequence.

Ward Evans' virtuosic bass playing skills are noteworthy especially noticeable as the driving force behind the instantly addictive frenzy of "Spiral Tower" which provides a super strong backbone that allows the band to spiral off in various directions around him like a tornado filled with razor blades and nails. Norm Leggio is yet another master of his craft providing some of the most impressive drum abuse skills of the era not only keeping up with the relentless assault of changing rhythms and song structure meanderings but provides creative fills and brilliant orgies of percussion where the snares, toms and cymbals collude to add yet another intoxicating layer of the musical style on board. While the main focus of A SOCIAL GRACE is heavy rockin' metal segments that infuse an instantly melodic hooked that is laced with progressive touches to steer the listener into WTF territory, there are a few surprises that seem like they dropped in from another universe.

The first surprise is the "ballad" of the album "I Remember." This is a melodic little number that takes too many liberties channeling Ian Anderson from 1969. While it's obvious from the very first track that Buddy Lackey's vocal phrasings are right out of the Jethro Tull playbook, they somehow work well as he adapts them to the heavy metal styles on board. This track is where he leaves the realms of "influence" and enters the unfortunate situation of plagiarism. I dare anyone to listen to this song back to back with "We Used To Know" from Jethro Tull's 1969 album "Stand Up" and tell me this isn't the exact same song at least in the main melodic development of the vocals. This little faux pas is the one blemish for me on an otherwise perfect album. It's not that it's not performed impeccably, because the song is quite a beautiful interpretation and if credit was given as a JT song then i'd be cool but unfortunately Lackey claims it as his own. Luckily the Tull interplay remains within the realms of "influence" throughout the rest of the album where it works quite well. Another strange anomaly is the following "Sleeping Dogs" which is a strange electronic swirling of synthesized sounds. I'm not sure if it's meant to be an outro or an intro or just a strange little head scratcher but also reminds me how future bands like Unexpect would incorporate these kinds of things into their sound.

Overall this is an excellent progressive metal album that flows perfectly from beginning to end, crosses all the t's and dots all the i's for a totally satisfying experience. The metal aspects take the best of what the 80s had to offer by mixing melodies with technical prowess while delivering thoughtful lyrics, excellent band interactions and total control of tempo changes, time signature developments and even dynamics pacing. If it weren't for "I Remember" which is too much of a Jethro Tull ripoff despite sounding really well done, i would give this 5 stars, but because this is a prominent peccadillo in my world i can't award it with a perfect rating, however this is a highly recommended album release that will please any adventurous metal heads who like a lot of nice twists and turns in their music without sacrificing the melodic aspects that made 80s metal so pleasing in the first place.

After the Aslan demo and name change to PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, the band released their first demo under the new moniker, which came from a friend describing some of the music as a type of "PSYCHOTIC WALTZ". As the band was already proficient in their new progressive rock sound from the very start, what we get here are four tracks that are already developed for prime time and the fact is that all four tracks would appear on the band's debut album "A Social Grace" which would grace progressive metal lovers the following year.

The music on this demo showed the band going in a heavier direction with less acoustic guitar passages and hardly any electronic freakout frenzies. As went the heaviness, so did the progressiveness with challenging time sigs, tempos, double tracking and head banging construction. This demo caught the attention of German magazines and ultimately led to the band releasing their independently financed debut album with a licensing deal from the German label Rising Sun Productions.

Unlike the Aslan demo, i find this demo to be a tad underwhelming simply because the production is still of substandard quality and none of these tracks are rare and interesting prototypes of the band. A nice little demo and all but so unimportant it is that even the band found no need to release them as bonus tracks on any of the reissues of their four classic albums however you can find them on the "Live & Archives" compilation.

ASLAN was the first incarnation of Psychotic Waltz which was formed in San Diego, CA, USA in 1986. The name came from a character in the novel "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis and the band managed to release this one demo under the ASLAN moniker before they discovered that the name was already taken, so they changed it to the most obvious choice Psychotic Waltz of course!

This demo already contains the classic lineup of Buddy Lackey (vocals), Brian McAlpin (guitars), Dan Rock (Guitars), Ward Evens (bass) and Norm Leggio (drums) and the band wasted no time finding their own unique sound in the rather nascent world of progressive metal capturing the spirit of 80s Queensryche, Fates Warning and hints of Iron Maiden but proving without a doubt that they forged their own path into this developing style.

This is spectacular for a demo actually. Buddy Lackey sounds like a pro from the getgo with soaring clean vocals that are as wild and adventurous as a pack of bloodthirsty hyenas on the savannah. The guitar rhythms are highly melodic but complex and provide a haunting atmosphere with adventurous drum patterns instantly showing a highly developed sound that is every bit ready to compete with the big boys of the day. The only real issue here is the production as it is the demo quality one would expect but i have a high tolerance for these things and it is what it is, namely a demo after all. The strong musicianship and songwriting more than make up for this shortcoming.

This demo officially has only three tracks but "The Fry Tape" is a fourth unlisted track. This is a wild and experimental track that unleashes the band's creativity and propensity for strong song writing and atmospheric construction. While it starts out with a pleasant down-tuned acoustic guitar with slight background noises providing an atmospheric construction, the seven minute plus instrumental track displays a fully functional progressive band in action and really gets wild at the end with the sonic equivalent of a fireworks display of electronics. "To Chase The Stars" and "No Glory" would never find a home on the studio albums but "Spiral Tower" would be re-recorded and ended up on the "A Social Grace" debut album.

This demo was only ever released on cassette but can easily be found on the "Into The Everflow / Bleeding" combo pack that contains the ASLAN demo release as bonus tracks. All i can say is that i am very impressed by this demo. These tracks are more than strong enough to compete with any other progressive metal band even by today's standards. Psychotic Waltz under the moniker of ASLAN hit the ball out of the stadium on their very first recordings and what a great start for one of the best progressive metal bands to exist.