Psycho Cybernatics

State of Mind is the 1995 debut album from the British progressive rock band Psycho Motel, formed by Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith. The album featured Hans-Olav Solli on vocals, formerly of Scott Gorham's 21 Guns. The album features a heavy guitar-driven sound. The album was released only in Japan in 1995 and re-released in Europe in 1996. The European release had only 10 tracks and different artwork, which featured a negative image of the Japanese version cover. The album was re-released again in 2006, with the European version of the artwork. The band was formed in 1995 by Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith after he left Maiden in 1990. Smith briefly experimented with a project called ASAP (Adrian Smith and Project) before seemingly retiring from the music industry altogether in 1990. However, it was a chance meeting with Jamie Stewart, formerly bass guitarist with The Cult and Carl Dufresne that finally persuaded Smith back into the spotlight.

Psycho Praxis are a near perfect sound mélange of British heavy prog and Italian progressive rock. Hailing from Brescia the band's debut album "Echoes from the Deep" doesn't sound like a new band trying to cash in on retro-prog, rather, it sounds like an authentic lost album from the early 70s with quality thrills and chills. Imagine the slightly creepy and unpredictable edge of Van der Graaf Generator mixed with the whirling, feverish flutes of Osanna, and the keyboard textures of Metamorfosi. The band employ English vocals rather than Italian, but even the hardest core RPI fan will surely forgive them because the music is so good.

Welcome to the World is the second and final Psycho Motel album, released in 1997. It features a different vocalist from the band's first album, 1995's State of Mind. In place of Hans Olav Solli is Andy Makin, whose "dark lyrics and distinctive vocal delivery" differentiate the album from its predecessor. It also features Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Dave Murray of Iron Maiden as guest guitarists. In 2006, Welcome to the World was re-released with two bonus tracks. These tracks contain Solli from the first album on vocals, and were probably recorded just before he left the band in 1997.