A SOCIAL GRACE

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)

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