849. Psycho Motel / Welcome to the World. 1997. 2.5/5

Having dived in feet first when I first discovered Psycho Motel's first album State of Mind, I was slightly more cautious when it came to finding this second album, Welcome to the World. For a start I couldn't be sure which way the music direction would go after the varied account the first album gave of itself. There was also a change of lead vocalist, which could have led to problems in itself. So it was a much more solidified response I gave to this album on my introduction to it.

Andy Makin came aboard as the new lead vocalist, and his voice helps to shape this album into more of an easy listening rock album, not dissimilar to Riverdogs debut album or Shadow King's only release as well. One advantage is that his voice and Adrian Smith's suited each other nicely, so the back up and harmonies work well on this album. The grunge era aspect of the last album have been modified to the point where it now sounds more like Pearl Jam in places, while suitably low-key music make up the majority of the verses, allowing Makin to impose his vocal style over the songs. While this style most definitely tones down any heaviness becoming a part of this music, its mid-range progressive rock style will appeal to a greater variety of music listeners as a result. Whether or not they are satisfied by the result is another question entirely.
Some of the songs here rise to a ranking of... okay. "The Last Chain" opens up the album well enough, showing a bit of enthusiasm in the mix. "A Quarter to Heaven " can be placed in a similar bracket, but the final two minutes is filled with the same line being repeated over and over again, and unnecessarily. There is promise in the title track "Welcome to the World", but it then just drags out far longer than it should, and after the start it does peter out into an overblown artist trap. I always had hope for the song "With You Again", if only for the fact that it featured guitar by Dave Murray, but it doesn't lift it beyond the mediocre.
While I consider this to be a likeable album, I think it is tied down fast to the era it comes from. In the places where the band - and Adrian himself - are allowed to break out and make something more of what has been written it comes across with that bit of energy and inspiration that is needed to make it rise above the average. Unfortunately this is far too random an event to make this much more than it is. There is a real mellowness about this release that mocks at the kind of material we know Adrian is capable of playing. A song like "Innocence" is far too Pearl Jam for anyone's liking, there is no energy and it's melodramatic crawl through the landscape is almost cringe-worthy. Feel free to add "Hypocrisy" to that as well.

Taking the two Psycho Motel album's along with the A.S.a.P. album, it is interesting to see and hear the other side of the man who has written or co-written so many of the great songs from that other international metal band he is a part of. There is none of that here, in fact the guitar is such a small part of the writing process here you sometimes wonder if he was involved at all. I tried to like this album, but came away feeling uninspired and more than anything else, downright bored. The only bright side here really is that it was the end of the 1990's exploration for Adrian, who moved into Bruce Dickinson's band after this, and hasn't looked back since.

Rating:  And now my highs just bring me down, I try to scream but I can't make a sound.  2.5/5