WICKED MARAYA began to form in early 1983 in Valley Stream, Long Island, by three brothers: John, Micheal and James Iadevaio. John would play bass, Michael on guitar, and James provided the backbeat. Eventually, vocalist Lou Falco would join the trio to complete the MYSTIC line-up. MYSTIC began writing their material without wanting to play cover songs. They soon entered a local battle of the bands and quickly took home the grand prize due to the overwhelming crowd reaction. Local promoters present at the event saw the audience's response and immediately began booking MYSTIC for several gigs. The grand prize from the contest was a cash reward that MYSTIC would use to cut its first demo. MYSTIC became a regular opening act for popular Long Island bands throughout 1986. That same year, James Iadevaio would leave the band. From 1986 through 1988, MYSTIC went through several line-up changes. John would also switch from bass to guitar during this period. Drummer Mike Nack and guitarist Dan Malsch joined the band in 1988, completing the final line-up of MYSTIC. To coincide with the 30th anniversary re-issue of WICKED MARAYA 'Cycles', Heaven and Hell Records will also be releasing a limited edition CD compilation of MYSTIC demos, the pre-WICKED MARAYA band. ll of the songs collected here were recorded between 1988 and 1990 at various studios in New York. The band recorded different versions of these and other songs in those sessions. Several band members have contributed to these recordings within those couple of years. These demos offer an interesting look back at the power-thrash metal roots of what became one of the best American progressive power metal bands. All tracks have been cleaned up and restored from the best possible sources
