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▓█▌▐█▌  ▓▀    ▀▀ ▓▀   ▀▓    ▀▀▀    ██▓ ██ ▀▀               ▀  █▌       ▓ ▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▐█▓ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▓██▄█▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀   ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▌▀ ░▓█▓░ ▀█▄                ▓▐█▀▀                      ░▓█▓░ ░█▓░░  ▓                      ▓        ▓░▓█░  ░▓▄█████▄░   ▄ ▄  ▓▄██████▄░  ░▐██▀▀▀▀███▓░ ▀▓▀ ▀▓▀ ░███▀▀▀▀██▄▓ ▀▀▀   ▀▀▀▀▀▀  ▀▀▀▀▀   ▀▀▀ ███  ████▀    ▄▀▀▄▄█████▄▄ ▄▄█████▄▄▀▀▄   ▀████   ██  ██   ▀██▄▐▄  ■ ▄██▀▀ ▀██▄ ▄ ▄██▀ ▀▀██▄ ■ ▄ ▄██▌   ▐█▓  ░▓▄   ▀██▄▀▓█▄▄▄█▀▀ ▄ ▄▓▓▄ ▐█▌ ▌ ▀▓▀ ▐▓▓▌ ▄▓▓▄ ▄ ▀▀▓▄▄░▄██▀   ▄▀      ▓░▓▄███   ▐▀ ▀▓▀ ▀▀ ▄██▀ ▀██▄ ▀▀ ▀▓▀  ▀███▄ ▓▓        ▄██▀▓   ■ ▀▄▀ ▀▄▀ ■   ░▀███░       ▓███▓     ░░ ▐▌ ▐▌     ░███▓      ███▌░  ▀ ▀ ███▓    ▐██▀ ▀███░   ██▌  Artist...: Psychotic Waltz ░▐██▌  ░▐██   Album....: The God-Shaped Void  ░██▌░ ▓▐██   Year.....: 2020  ▓▐██▓ ▓▐██   Rel.Date.: 2020-04-13  ░▐██▓  ▐██   Genre....: Progressive Rock   ██▌░ ░ ██▌  Label....: InsideOut Music   ██▌    ▐██  Source...: CD  ▐██    ░▐██▌ Type.....: Album ▐██▌░  ▓▄████ Quality..: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo ████▌░ ▓▄████ ████▌░   ███▌░  ███▓   ▐██░░▀█▄░         ▓█▌  ███  ▀██▓ ▓█▄        ▄█▀ ▓██▀    ▓██▄ ▓▓▀▄    ▄▓▀  ▄██▓░     ██▌    ▓  ▄▄▄ ░    ▐██▓░       ██▌    ░ ░▀▄▓▓█▀█▄▀▀░     ▓██░         ░██░     ░ ░▄ ▄▄██▐▓▓█▄░▄█▌██▀▀ ▀░ ░ ▄▄▀▀█░░▐█░      ▄  ▐█▌░    ░▄▄▀▓▓███▀▄░ ▓▄▄█▌▓▓█ ▓█░   ▀░▀  ██     ▀▀▀ ░█▓▄▄▄█▀░ ▓█        ░▐█▌    ░█▌▐▓ ▓▄▄░ ▌         ░█░     ▄  ▐▓▓▀▀▀░▓█▄▄░       ░░▄█▄ ▄ ██▄ ▀░▀ ▀█░▄▄▄  ▄█░▄▀▀▄▀▀▄░▀▀▄       ▀▀████████▀░ ▀▀░  ▄█▓░░░░▀░░█ █▄█▓        ▐█░▀██▀ ▄█▓░░░ ▐ ▄ ░▓█▄        ▓  ▐▌  ▐ ▄█▀█░ ░  ░ ▄ ▀█▄▓█░    ░▓▓▀▀░▄ ▌▓   ■░▒ ░ ▄ ▐▀▀▓▄█▓░░ ░ ░ ▄█▀█░█▐▓▌▀▄         ░▀█▌  ▓▬ ▓▀▓ ░▄▄▓▀▓░      ░▀█░▀█▄░░  ░█░ ██ █░▀█▐▌       ░▓░░▐▌   ▌ ░░■  ▄█▐  ▐       ▓▓▓█░▓█▄▄█░  █▓█▓▌░ ▀  ▄         ▓░▓ █▓▐░▌ ▓ ░▓▓ ▓▐▒▄░░▐▓█  ▌         █▀▀░▐▀░█▀▓  ▐▌ █▌    ▀░▀     ▄ ▐░▌░▐█ █▌ ▓   ░█░░█▀ ▐▓▐░ ▀▄▄▀▀▌░   ▄▄███▐████▄▓  ▌        █  ░   █ ─▀▀▀█▓░█▄▌  ▐░▐░ ▄▄▄░██  ░ ░ ░▓░  ▐▌▓▄▌▓▓▌▓▐▓█▀  ■                ▄ ▌     ▀█▄█▌ █▌▐▓░█▓ ▀ ░░░ ░▓█▄█  █▓▓▓▓▓█▄▓▓▐▓  ░        █  ░  ▄ ▀ ░  ░  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▓█░▓▄▄▄████▄▓▀ ▄▄▓ ▄▄▄░█▌ ░▄▀▀▄█▓░ ▓▓█░████▓███░██▀▓▓███▓ ▓██▓▐█▌ ███▄▄   ▐███▄ ▓▄█▀▀  ▐█▄█▀  ▄▀▀░ ▄█▀░ ░ ▓████████▐██████▓█▓ ▓█ ██  ░█▓ ▐█▄▓██▄██▄▐█▌░   ▐██▌▓▄█▀▓    ▄▄▀▀▀▀▄▄▄ ▓██▓▓▓▀▄████▐░███ █░█▌▄ ▐█▀██▀ ██▀   ▀███▄▄█▓ ███████▄▓▀▀▀▀▄▓  ░▄██▓ ▓ ▓██▓▀▄█████▓ ▄▄▀▀▓▄▄█▄▐█▄▄▓▄▄▄▄▄▄▄░▄░░░▄▄▀▄▄▀█░▄▄▄▄▄▄▐█▌ ▄██▀▄▄▄▄▄▄ ██░████ ▓     ░  ▓██░                        ▓█▄█▀     ▓██████            ▀▀▄▓                      ▓▀▀▀       ▓ █    1. Devils and Angels 6:29 2. Stranded 4:49 3. Back to Black 3:52 4. All the Bad Men 3:59 5. The Fallen 5:49 6. While the Spiders Spin 5:49 7. Pull the String 4:54 8. Demystified 5:12 9. Season of the Swarm 5:57 10. Sisters of the Dawn 6:41 11. In the Silence 5:16 ------ 58:47 US Progressive Metal pioneers and innovators PSYCHOTIC WALTZ finally return with their highly anticipated 5th studio album and first new music in 23 years. Regrouped with all five original members, ôThe God-Shaped Voidö was mixed/mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Symphony X) and comes with artwork by longterm visual design partner Travis Smith (Katatonia, Riverside, Nevermore). Featuring their trademarked dual guitar harmonies/leads and distinctive vocals, the album effortlessly picks up right where PSYCHOTIC WALTZ left off, blending accomplished musicianship, a mystical lyrical bent, and a sound that captures the best elements of both vintage and modern eras. --- The God-Shaped Void is a construct of massive, seismic rhythms that crash off one another like the plates forming the continents at the beginning of time. Buddy LackeyÆs voice, deepened by age but no less sonorous or haunting, wails over-top like a distant ghost and the drums are like distant fireballs striking the ground. I went artsy there, but it pretty much describes the sonic makeup of this whole thing. The whole thing puts me in a real trance state. Every second is vital. ItÆs like youÆre just falling forever, lower and lower with each track, into some strange spatial void û thatÆs the best way I can describe it. The band sticks to slower tempos to create this effect. The melodies are uniformly sad and spacey and contemplative, and they didnÆt deviate from this with any other stylistic choices. Everything is essential to the vibe and mood of the whole piece, which is what cinched this as a 100% album for me. The band actually did what I thought they wouldnÆt and continued to further explore their sound. Many bands, especially when they come back from long hiatuses, fall back on familiarity or even self-plagiarism. But Psychotic WaltzÆs legacy has been a unique one for any band, shapeshifting into different forms on each release, from ultra-techy power/prog into a spacier, dreamier take on prog, and finally into a groovier 90s-rock beast on their final works, and even the last two albums werenÆt that much alike due to production and overall mood. All of it has made them a fascinating band for me, and I love how theyÆve kept a consistent aesthetic and tone despite changing up the scenery and the landscape each time. I wasnÆt expecting them to continue that û their legacy wouldÆve been just fine if this was more of a tribute album, a treat for the fans. But they went further and made something, again, unique and its own beast. ItÆs a searing, elaborate epic, more metallic than either of their final two from the 90s, but also more doomy and focused on putting you in a certain mental place than the storied debut album from so long ago, which was more of a technical exercise. This one is a grower, too, with layers of melodicism and building crests of emotion and heaviness and wrath that reveal themselves on further listens. The heaviness is striking, but then you notice the intricacy of the melodies and layering on ôStranded,ö the frail acoustics in ôThe Fallenö that contrast with the monstrous crescendo it builds into, and the clusters of claustrophobic riffs on ôPull the Stringö - maybe the bandÆs least friendly moment of their whole career. Every track has subtle, deft surprises; the writing is second to none. If I had to choose favorites, ôWhile the Spiders Spinö with its trippy, electrifying harmonies and droning chorus, and the mammoth uncoiling groove of ôSisters of the Dawnö might be the ones. But this is a whole-album experience. Get this one as soon as you fucking can and it'll eat you alive. --- So, as you probably know if you've clicked this far, this is Psychotic Waltz's first studio output in some 24 years. This is, frankly, rarely a great sign for bands, unless your band happens to be Possessed. Despite this, Psychotic Waltz have conclusively joined the ranks of Possessed and made one hell of an album. Like, this thing is really good. It's only March, but this thing is album-of-the-year-territory good. The Psychotic Waltz album this is most likely to get benchmarked against is A Social Grace (full disclosure, this is also the Psychotic Waltz album that I'm most familiar with). Pretty much from the get-go, it's clear that this album is definitely not A Social Grace. Traits of it remain, but this album as a whole is much more atmospheric, simpler, slower, more like Bleeding. This sounds like a bad thing, but, just like Bleeding, it's not. I might even go so far as to say that this is better than A Social Grace: it's more focused, whereas A Social Grace, while being a masterpiece, is frankly kind of hard to get through. Either way, this is a more mellow album than some of their past output, sometimes verging more on prog rock than metal. That's no insult, though, some prog rock is damn good and this is no exception. For how comparatively laid-back this is, it's got more emotion in it than plenty of thrash. Perhaps the biggest reason I like this so much is simply its consistency. There is not a bad song on this entire album. Not one. There aren't even any mediocre ones, it's good material the whole way through. There are very few albums I can say that about. The amount of highlights on this thing almost beg a track-by-track, but I'll restrain myself and name just some of the really good material on this. "Devils and Angels", the opener, is a surprisingly ethereal piece, with an atmospheric introduction and slow epic chorus, but it also sticks a few good riffs in there, and a conclusion likely to induce chills. This album in general is very good at endings, most of the songs build to a positively electrifying point, often with layered vocals, before abruptly dropping off and launching into the next song. "The Fallen" and "While The Spiders Spin" are in similar veins, with clever synth work and a tremendous sense of songwriting. "Demystified" is a quiet and poignant ballad, much in the vein of the absolutely godly "I Remember" off A Social Grace. "Sisters of the Dawn" is probably the track on this I've come back to most often, with its combination of clever lyrics, good melodies, and (go figure) a positively epic conclusion. I see I've already named like half of the album, but I could write a few glowing sentences about anything on here, it's really that good. How's the musicianship? As it turns out, both impressive and comparatively subdued. There's less random noodling, but there's also a lot more actual songwriting. Still, I wouldn't have minded some more really mind-screwing drum parts from Norm Leggio, or even a few more attempts on the part of the rest of our band to get our collective jaws on the floor. Devon Graves is still quite the singer. His voice has definitely lowered over the decades, but it's still quite impressive, and the guy pulls off some really good highs in parts (see the conclusion of Devils and Angels for a stellar example). The guitars pull off some good soloing here and there, but the songs aren't really about that. This isn't the sort of album that puts a bunch of riffs first and works everything else around those, it really is about all the instruments as a whole. So while I wouldn't mind a little more hyper-progressive lunacy, I have little doubt that that wasn't what Psychotic Waltz were going for here, and what they were going for has paid off spectacularly. On The God-Shaped Void, the band works in impressive sync, truly feeling like a unit, almost a hive-mind, with one singular desire: serve the song. The lyrics of this deserve some highlight. They're as uniquely misanthropic as ever. Misanthropy isn't exactly rare in the metal scene, but the sort of weirdly mystical misanthropy these guys do is. Just about every song here is about something negative, whether consumerism ("While the Spiders Spin"), government overreach ("All the Bad Men"), or war ("Pull the String"). All of those approach the topic from a thoroughly abstract angle, but I reckon the meaning is clear enough if you read the lyrics. The lyrics are clever, ripe for a whole bunch of interpretations (the three above I think are the clearest, and they weren't exactly simple), and above all, catchy. This album has some of the best vocal melodies I've heard off a prog album. With The God-Shaped Void, Psychotic Waltz have made a positively earth-shaking comeback. Diverse, well-written, catchy, complex, I could sit here all day piling positive adjectives on it. Bottom line: This is very good. Highly recommended if you like, well, music at all. What have we created here? Asylum of hate and fear, Alone on a godless sphereà                                                                                                     ▀▀░                                                                                                                ░▄▀                                  ▄█▀                                             ░▄           ░▐███░               ▀█░▄▄▄                    ▄░       ▀█░░                      ░           ▀▀░                                         ▄  ░                                          ▄     █          ▀                 ▄              ▄█▄ ▄ ██▄         ▀░▀     ▄         ▀                ▀░▀   ▀         ▀▀████████▀░                   ▀ ▄      ░                      ░░       ░▀██▀                    ▀██▄                ▄               ▐     ░      ░  █▀▄    ▐▓▓▌   █                    ▄   ▄▄       ░                    ▄▄▌█  ▄▄▓▓▓▀  ▄                      ▄ ▀   ████      ░                   ▐███▌  ░ ░                  ▄██▀     ▄▄██▄▄           ░           ▄▄███▄▄ ▄  ▓                         ▐▓▓▌  ░   ▓████▄        ▀          ▀    ▓█████▓  ▀ ▄                           ▀▓▓▓▄▄   ▐▓███ ▌                       ▌█████      ▀██▄   ▄                ░▄  ▀▀██▄▐████ ▌▐ ▌▓                ▓▐ ▌█▓███       ▐▓▓▌ ▀░▀           █    █  ░ ░▓▐████▄▌▐ ▌▌ ▌▌▐ ▌▐▄ ▐▐·▌▌▐▐ ▐ ▄█████    ▄▄▓▓▓▀                            ▓ ▓▐████ ▌▐ ▌▌ ▌▌▐ ▌▐▐▓▐▐ ▌▌▐▐ ▐ ▌█████ ▄█▓▀▀  ▄░ ░            ▄▄▄░      ▓     ░▐████▄▌▐▄▌▌▄▌▌▐ ▌▐▐▄▐▐▄▌▄▐▐▓▐▄▌█████ ▓     █               █████      ▐▄░   ▓▐████ ▌▐ ▌▌ ▌▌▐ ▌▐▐ ▐▐ ▌▌▐▐▓▐ ▌█████   ▓░   ▄         ▐▓    █▓███░    ▓▐█░▄▄  ▐████ ▌▐ ▌▌ ▌▌▐ ▌▐█ ▐▐ ▌▌▐▐ ▐ ▌█████    ▄██▄ ▀ ▄      █▌    █████▓   ██▀█▀▀   ▐█▓██ ▌▐ ▌▌ ▌▌▐ ▌▐▐ ▐▐ ▌▌▐▐ ▐ ▌███▓█   ▐█▓██▓   ▀██▄ ▀██▀   █████▓░    ▓█▌    ▐████▓▌▐▄▌▌▄▌▌▄ ▌▐▐▄▐▐▓▌▌▐▐▄▐▄▌█████   ▐████▌    ▐▓▓▌▓█▌   ▄█▓███▄░     ▐█▄▓  ▐████ ▌▐ ▌▌ ▌▌▐ ▌▐▐ ▐▐ ▌▌▐▐ ▐ ▀█▓███   ▐████▌ ▄▄▓▓▓▀  █▓  ████████▄▄▓ ▄█████▌ ▐████ ▌▐ ▌▌ ▌▌▐ ▌▐▐ ▐▐ ▌▌▐▐▓▐ ▌█████   ▓████▌░ ▄▄   ▄▄█▄▄ ██████████████████████████████▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄     █████  ░██▓████▓██▓▓██████ █░█████▄▀█▄░████████▄▄▄▄▄██████▓████████░██████▄▄▄▄▄███████░▄██░█░█████████ ▓██▀█████▓░░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░░░▓███▓█████ ████████▓ ▓██▓▐████▓ ▓██ █░███ █░██████▓ ███▓▄▀█▓ ▓ ▓█████▓███████ ▓███ ░▄▄▄▓████▓ ▓████████▓ ▓██████▓ ▓████▓