Guitar (guest)
After leaving Iron Maiden in 1990, Adrian Smith fell out of the public eye for quite some time. He played in bars and music clubs throughout the UK with a couple of bands - The Untouchables and Skeleton Crew - but a record deal never came together. Finally, Adrian teamed up with Norwegian singer Solli, who was recommended by Steve Harris and "Psycho Motel" was released. The band's debut album, "State of Mind", was like nothing Adrian had ever done before. Where A.S.A.P. had been relatively light and poppy, "Psycho Motel" was dark and ultra heavy, far heavier than anything he had done with Iron Maiden. Synths were abandoned in favor of crushing -yet atmospheric- guitar work, and Adrian's sound reemerged with a distinct '90s flavor. Smith's guitar work on this album is phenomenal, and it shows that his capabilities have obviously broadened over the years. "State of Mind" takes us to some deep, dark, twisted parts of Adrian Smith's musical psyche that we've never been treated to before, like a strong 70s hard rock influence, and it's a great ride in that respect. Unfortunately, this album has its fair share of problems, too. The voice of the singer, while technically good, sounds like a cross between Steve Tyler and the guy from Tesla and his vocal lines often seem uninspired. The album is also a bit spotty in terms of overall song quality. Tracks like "Psycho Motel" and "Excuse Me" are nothing short of brilliant, but they share the stage with repetitive, forgettable trash like "World's on Fire". Still, this album shows a lot of promise and it's a must-have for any real Adrian Smith fan, if only for the consistently excellent guitar work and the handful of classic songs it holds. Shortly after the release of this album, Adrian co-wrote and played on a couple of songs for ex-Helloween singer Michael Kiske's solo album "Instant Clarity". The songs he helped to write ("The Calling" and "New Horizons") are uptempo, heavy and excellent, and they both feature unmistakeable Smith solos. He was also a lead guitarist, at Bruce Dickinson's band, which was formed after they left Iron Maiden. Now, Adrian and Bruce have reunited with Iron Maiden to lead heavy metal to the next millenium.