848. Psycho Motel / State of Mind. 1996. 3/5

The disappearance of Adrian Smith from the music scene troubled me a lot during the first half of the 1990's. His abrupt (or so it seemed to me from this distance) relocation from Iron Maiden during 1989, along with the release of what proved to be a whole different concept in A.S.a.P's Silver and Gold album, was followed by almost total silence, which seemed like a complete waste of his talent. So it was with some relief, and not a little trepidation, that I did discover that Adrian was returning to the recording world in the form of a band he formed called Psycho Motel, and this debut effort entitled State of Mind.

One thing I had enjoyed of Adrian's previous project was that he sang lead vocals on the album. That was not to be the case in Psycho Motel, but on this album it certainly appears to be the right decision. Hans-Olav Solli puts in an excellent performance throughout this album, in a role that is varied throughout. Different songs require him to modify his performance along the way, something he does admirably.
So what about the album itself. Well, it is a mixture of interesting stuff and some dull, overblown stuff. The violin and cello in "Psycho Motel" and "Western Shore" can be said to be superfluous and perhaps a little cheesy. There is some good material in "State of Mind", "World's on Fire" and "Rage". The rhythm section of Gary Leideman on bass and Mike Sturgis on drums do a serviceable job with the material they have. "Time is a Hunter" is very progressive in nature, with those long winded, almost-whining vocals cast over Adrian's slowly serving guitar solo riff, in a style that many people would enjoy in that environment, but for me just ends up boring me to the point of skipping the song. "Money to Burn" has the slow chugging guitar riff over a solid drum beat that is fine for the circumstances, but doesn't come across as an exciting piece of music designed to draw in fans. "City of Light" is an improvement, and makes for a better comparison than some of the tracks presented here.
It's almost very designer hard rock, trying to utilise some characteristics of grunge without acknowledging that it is, and basing the rest around a non-threatening rock sound with some scope for hearing a little bit of that old Adrian Smith scripted guitar soloing, albeit without the energy and drive that highlighted his other band. The mixed feelings I get here about this album probably stem from the fact that there is such a mixture of styles. There's no doubt that some of these songs step out and make you notice them, and make you think, "Yes, there's something here in this". yet there are others that drag their feet, and make you feel that something has been left behind in the writing and recording.

The amount that you like or dislike this album is likely to be tied almost directly to how much you like Adrian Smith and his music. Adrian's fingers are all over the composing of this album, so it's not as if he is just a hired gun here. the music is most definitely of the hard rock variety, and while some of it is certainly credible there are places where it feels and sounds uninspired and tired. But this was the marketplace of the mid-1990's. It was a mishmash of styles, all trying to cope with the upsurge and then downturn in the grunge movement, and wondering what was going to be the direction from that point. While it may sound as if I'm denigrating this album, it is closer to the truth that I do enjoy most of what is produced here - it's just that I expect so much more from Adrian that what he has given here fails to completely satisfy me.

Rating:  I'm in a rage, I can't contain, someone free from the endless pain.  3/5.