Progressive Metal
United States Debut "A Social Grace" is a good mix of WATCHTOWER and more melodic/ harmonic riffs, quite heavy, quite complex and a bit murky. Actually melodies prevail, but dischords seep through here and there. The best picks are the sharp opener "And the Devil Cried", more controlled "Halo of Thorns" and "Another Prophet Song", elegiac "I Remember" and a few darker tracks like a "Spiral Tower".
Their second, Into the "Everflow" is for my opinion their best. Sound of debut is mixed with 70's sympho, 60's psych, funk, alternative, etc. The "plateau" opens with anthemic "Ashes", which sounds really exalted, then continues with quite heady "Out of Mind"."Tiny Streams" is paying an homage to BLACK sABBATH in some way, while "Freakshow" is an appraisal of JANE'S ADDICTION leader Perry Farrell (Lackey was seemingly great fan of Janes at that time), but is extraordinary track, where Lackey show his talents in vocal acrobatics (he gets my vote for the best singer in metal.) PW are also in longer song format contest. "Into the Everflow"and "Butterfly" are both 9+' minute long. Both shift through different atmospheres. "Little People" is interesting song whose lyrics (probably) deal with tv-soapies like Santa Barbara and the like (with which American readers are probably more acknowledged than I am -- I mean that tv-programs boasts of this more than on the ol' continent). It's hard to believe that such crap can inspire such good music.
"Mosquito" sees the band navigate into more alternative/grungy waters (close to sound of Soundgarden circa Superunknown), but the ending result is very good, also more "spacy". Outstanding pieces: simply fantastic "Mosquito", pretty laid-back "Lovestone Blind" and maybe the best PINK FLOYD influenced number of all times, "The Mindsong", to name only few.
With The Bleeding, the band shifted "back to the roots" with more modern production. Album sounds powerful but did not convince me for some reason. Still some good tracks like "Morbid", "Locust" and "Faded".
Days of Birth and Legend offers some unreleased tracks and outtakes of never finished tracks plus a recorded concert from times just before A Social Grace was released. The sound is quite rough, but the effect is excellent. Tracks from A Social Grace sound darker but much much cooler. I'm not sure if the compilation contains the first Aslan demo. In the time when Days was released, Lackey went out and was replaced soon after.
João Calvo, Portugal
ALBUMS:
1994 - MOSQUITO
Musicians
- Buddy Lackey / vocals and keyboards
- Dan Rock / guitar
- Brain McAlpin / guitar
- Ward Evans / bass
- Norm Leggio / drums
1. Mosquito (3:14)
2. Lovestone blind (4:15)
3. Haze one (4:36)
4. Shattered sky (4:49)
5. Cold (4:25)
6. All the voices (3:04)
7. Dancing in the ashes (2:31)
8. Only time (4:37)
9. Locked down (3:26)
10. Mind song (6:08)
Total Time: 45:06
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