Adrian Smith - Psycho Spirit Still Burns Bright Page 5
By Martin PopoffA few thoughts on the second album, Welcome To The World? "Well basically, it's just a different singer. Musically it's along the same lines, classic influences, hard rock. And Andy Maikin who came in, he sent me a tape, because Solli had been understandably disillusioned with the whole situation and went back to Norway. So management suggested getting another singer and I listened to a lot of tapes and Andy sent me this incredibly bad demo, recording-wise, but I could make out this great voice. It was really, really heavy, I mean, de-tuned like you've never heard. It was really demonic (laughs). But I thought, this guy has a really interesting voice so I called him up and he came down and he just blew us away. And I had a few ideas and right there we just started on new songs and he was singing and he was incredible. He's such a musical guy, a great lyricist, and he was only 24 at the time and that's Andy. And he was into the modern influences, Alice In Chains etc. But to me he sounded like a demonic Dan Reed (laughs)."
And there you have it. If they slipped under your radar in the late '90s, you have no excuse now. Back in circulation in Europe, released for the first time in the U.S., both records are worthy albums, certainly in a different world than any Maiden album, and in an odd, justifiable way, just more mature than Maiden will ever be.
"I'm so happy I'm back in Maiden, to be honest with you," offers Adrian in closing. "But that doesn't mean it's the end of me doing anything else. It's nice to be back playing with the guys but we're not married, you know what I mean? We're all our own guys with our own lives. But yes, I'm very proud of the albums I've done. I just wish they would have been marketed differently, to be honest with you. I've really enjoyed talking to you about this, it was like therapy to me (laughs). Thanks."