#5 - Top of 2020

Psychotic Waltz - The God-Shaped Void (Inside Out) 

Since the band  officially announced their reunion and subsequent return to studio, it seemed like an eternity until the release of the new album. So how is the new Psychotic Waltz album? "The God–Shaped Void" is a masterpiece worthy of the name of Psychotic Waltz, on equal footing with its predecessors, but a separate entity and able to stand on its own pedestal as time passes. After all, the band never released the same record twice, so why start now?

The opener "Devils And Angels" has a recognizable role but manages to convincingly introduce the listener to the rich synthetic new world of Psychotic Waltz, while "Stranded" and "Back To Black" are gaining momentum, perhaps the most direct compositions of the album, but without lacking depth and quality. And if in "All The Bad Men" they sound more like the Psychotic Waltz of the late period and warm up old friends, it is the guitar acoustics, the flute and the melodies of "The Fallen" that are a first small culmination, with " While The Spiders Spin " following in its footsteps, emphasising the expressiveness in Graves' interpretations and his dramatic flair.

The mid-tempo of "Pull The String" with its heavy riffs and big chorus is addictive, while the equally excellent "Demystified" looks like it came from the informal marriage of Dead Soul Tribe and Psychotic Waltz, with Graves in the spotlight. "Sisters Of The Dawn" could be described as the most prog composition of the album, while the acoustic guitars and the magical melodies of "In The Silence" give an ideal finale, to an album that has a perfect duration (just under an hour) to lead you back to the beginning, so that the listening cycle can be repeated. An all around masterpiece!

96.5/100

Below are the music videos for "While the Spiders Spin" and "All the Bad Men".