A waltz in asynchronous rhythm

History

Psychotic Waltz started as what would be a friendship between the two guitar players Dan Rock and Brian McAlpin. Dan Rock had already met with Buddy Lackey (then playing guitar) at high school and Norm Leggio (drums), but it was when he was introduced to another guitar player whom he heard was good, that everything started. That guy was Brian McAlpin. Their taste in music and their guitar playing mixed very well. Tragically though, Brian had a car accident which broke his back. Dan would bring guitars to the hospital and they would play and compose songs about anything as everything has its meaning in life. Even small stuff as bugs.Dan Rock

When Brian exited the hospital, now on a wheelchair, Dan suggested that they jam with Norm, and so they did, but they did not have a singer. After some unsuccessful tries, Dan suggested Buddy for the role, as he now was singing. When Buddy started singing in the studio it was a done deal. Brian McAlpin

And so was Psychotic Waltz born but under the name Aslan, proposed by Brian, 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-shirts, 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 album A Social Grace, which was released in Europe via a licensing deal with the German label Rising Sun Productions. Even though the album was very well received in Europe, being named "Album of the Month" in some European magazines, the situation in the U.S. was more difficult. As it was released under their own Sub Sonic Records label, with practically no promotion and minimal distribution, it remained an extremely underground item. Nevertheless, in 1991 they appeared in the famous Dynamo Festival in Holland. A close friend, Mike Clift did the amazing album cover.
After the tour, the band's guitarist, Dan Rock, suffered a near-fatal accident after falling off a bridge while rappelling. After he recovered, the band went on to record their second album, Into the Everflow. The album was recorded from August to October 1992 at Phoenix Studios in Herne, Germany, and was produced by Mekong Delta's main man, Ralph Hubert. The CD was released in Europe from Dream Circle Records and was also very well received, getting "Album of the Month" honors in many European magazines. After the recording, the band did a small tour as a preview of their coming album.

Mike Clift, had been doing all the art work for PW. Shirts, flyers, demo cover, stage props and doing a lightshow backdrop of cued film clips synchronized to the songs.Buddy Lackey was also playing the flute

Norm Leggio

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. 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 when a crew member sued the band, claiming that a light on the set caused him blindness.
The lengthy court battle that followed, coupled with the different musical interests that the band members had, contributed to Psychotic Waltz's demise. Buddy Lackey was the first to leave. For a short while, the remaining members tried to continue with the band, but soon each of them followed separate ways. Dan Rock recorded two instrumental albums with his project Darkstar, Norm Leggio and Steve Cox created the band Teabag, and Buddy Lackey changed his name to Devon Graves and formed the band Deadsoul Tribe.Psychotic Waltz with Steve Cox