The first incarnation of the band was under the name Aslan, after a character in the novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. With money earned from local shows and T-shirt sales, they recorded a self-titled demo tape in 1986. After discovering another band with the same name, they changed theirs to Psychotic Waltz and recorded a new four-song demo in 1988.
In 1990, they debuted with their independently financed debut A Social Grace, which was released in Europe via a licensing deal with the German label Rising Sun Productions. The album was very well received in Europe, being named album of the month in some European magazines,[citation needed] The situation in US was more difficult, as the album was released under the band's own Sub Sonic Records label. With practically no promotion and minimal distribution, it remained an extremely underground item. In 1991, the band appeared in the Dynamo Festival in Holland.
After the tour, the band's guitarist, Dan Rock, suffered a near-fatal accident after falling off a bridge while rappelling. The band went on to record their second album, Into the Everflow. The album was recorded from August–October, 1992, at Phoenix Studios in Herne, Germany, and was produced by Mekong Delta's main man, Ralph Hubert. After recording the album, but before its release, the band did a small tour while Dan Rock recovered from his accident. The CD was released in Europe on Dream Circle Records, and was very well received, getting album of the month honors in many European magazines.[citation needed] After Rock recovered, the band was nominated as the Best Hard Rock band at the 1992 San Diego Music Awards.
By that time, the band was at the peak of its popularity. They signed with Ralph Hubert's own label, Zardoz Music, for their third album, Mosquito. Recording took place in late 1994 in Record Plant and Madhatter studios in Los Angeles, with the help of the famous metal producer Scott Burns. The initial response for this album was mixed, as the more conventional songwriting that the band followed led some hardcore fans of the band to label it as a sell-out. This was the last album that was recorded with their initial lineup, as bassist Ward Evans left the band after two tours in Europe and was replaced with Phil Cuttino.
They entered the studio once again in 1996, for what proved to be their last studio work together, Bleeding. This time, Scott Burns did the engineering, but the record was mixed by Dan Rock and engineer Woody Barber. Before the band started touring in support for the new album, guitarist Brian McAlpine announced that he would not be able to follow the band due to familial obligations. He was replaced by Steve Cox for the band's final two European tours. Phil Cuttino filmed a promotional video for the track "Faded". This proved to be disastrous for the band, as a crew member sued the band in April 1998, claiming that a light on the set caused him to go blind.
The lengthy court battle that followed, coupled with the different musical interests that the band members had, contributed in the band's demise. Buddy Lackey was the first to leave the band. For a short while, the remaining band members tried to continue with the band, but eventually each went his own way. Rock recorded two instrumental albums with his project Darkstar. Norm Leggio and Steve Cox created the band Teabag, and Buddy Lackey formed the band Deadsoul Tribe, where he performs using his real name, Devon Graves.
Psychotic Waltz reunited in 2010, will tour Europe in support of Nevermore and Symphony X, and are planning to write, record and release a new album.
Into the Everflow
Psychotic Waltz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to share my point of view
Of life, the universe and everything
I'll take you to the fountain
Just to have a drink with you
A slow and everlasting dream
And if we are here just to ease God's sorrow
Lord come to me and I'll ease your mind
And I know it will come in time
Don't take my away too soon
But please don't be late for me
And he dipped his head into the existential void
Where he called into wall of silent empty ears
Among the sea of tangled mouths gnashing
Singing their hideous shrieking smile
A hard flowing river of hellos he could not wade against
He could not wade against them
Tortured tongues feast their frenzy
They hiss out that is nothing
The night time of the hearing flower
Has put aside the laugh dancing flame
No longer warming the wings
Of their fluttering dust angel mistress
The petals have closed for this long night
Their brittle limbs are thinning
Their meek and weeping gesture fares their well
To the falling paper blossoms
One by one, down into the everflow
One by one, down into the overflow
Gliding through the emptiness
Flying through the emptiness
The song "Into the Everflow" by Psychotic Waltz is a complex piece with intense lyrics that evoke a feeling of deep contemplation about the meaning of life and existence. The song opens with the poetic image of the singer climbing up to the mountaintop to share his point of view about life, the universe, and everything. He then invites the listener to join him at the fountain for a slow and everlasting dream. The lyrics suggest that perhaps our purpose on earth is to ease God's sorrow, and the singer offers to do so by easing His mind with his words. However, the singer seems to struggle with the concept of existence and the overwhelming feeling of being among a sea of tangled mouths gnashing, and he cannot find a way to wade against them. The lyrics also mention the night time of the hearing flower, which has put aside the laugh dancing flame, and the falling paper blossoms, which glide down into the everflow.
Line by Line Meaning
I climb up to the mountain
I am on a journey to reach a heightened level of understanding
Just to share my point of view
So I can express my perspective on life and existence
Of life, the universe and everything
Regarding everything and our place within it
I'll take you to the fountain
I would like to share this experience with you
Just to have a drink with you
So we can partake in this journey together
A slow and everlasting dream
It's a gradual and timeless process
And if we are here just to ease God's sorrow
If our purpose is to alleviate God's pain
Lord come to me and I'll ease your mind
I offer myself to help soothe that suffering
Come to me cause I know it's my only way out of this place
This is my path to escape the limitations of existence
And I know it will come in time
I trust in the process and am patient for the outcome
Don't take my away too soon
Please allow me to continue on this journey
But please don't be late for me
And I hope I won't miss any opportunities along the way
And he dipped his head into the existential void
He delved deep into the philosophical unknown
Where he called into wall of silent empty ears
But found no answer, no response from the void
Among the sea of tangled mouths gnashing
Amidst the confusion and chaos of the world
Singing their hideous shrieking smile
Where people's joy is often intertwined with pain
A hard flowing river of hellos he could not wade against
He struggled to keep up with the constant influx of new experiences and perspectives
He could not wade against them
He was overwhelmed and unable to process everything
Tortured tongues feast their frenzy
People's anguish adds fuel to the fire of their emotions
They hiss out that is nothing
Their pain causes them to question the validity of existence
The night time of the hearing flower
An allusion to a fleeting moment of clarity or understanding
Has put aside the laugh dancing flame
As the moment passes, so does the sense of joy or merriment
No longer warming the wings
Having lost that sense of warmth and lightness, we become grounded once again
Of their fluttering dust angel mistress
No longer able to fly or escape our earthly bounds
The petals have closed for this long night
We must now undergo a period of darkness, confusion, and uncertainty
Their brittle limbs are thinning
We become more fragile and vulnerable during this time
Their meek and weeping gesture fares their well
We say goodbye to our former, stronger selves
To the falling paper blossoms
Which represents our declining state
One by one, down into the everflow
We begin our descent into the inevitable end
One by one, down into the overflow
We continue to succumb to the inevitable
Gliding through the emptiness
As we are carried away by the flow of time and existence
Flying through the emptiness
With a sense of weightlessness and detachment from the world
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kikililac
Forgotten heroes of progressive metal
Rohit L
@Metal Mayhem Fuck yeah!
Rohit L
@Bumpy Road Yo man! They were heavily inspired by 70s prog!
Rohit L
No bro! We remember them!
STAVROS BANOS
Never forgotten!
Metal Mayhem
Sorry, but I'm unable to forget PW... Since 1990 --- And I ain't even a Prog Metal fan. I'm just a fan of brilliant Metal.
Blue Winter
Need this on vinyl. One of the best albums ever. Hope it gets a rerelease!
Panagiotis Kanakis
What a uniquely beautiful band
Rahul Chacko
1. Ashes 00:00
2. Out of Mind 05:08
3. Tiny Streams 09:54
4. Into the Everflow 14:58
5. Little People 23:19
6. Hanging on a String 27:24
7. Freakshow 31:03
8. Butterfly 36:45
Vincent David Underhill
Rahul Chacko thank you Rahul!