Watchtower is a technical/progressive thrash metal band, formed in 1982 in Austin, Texas. They released their first demo, Meltdown, in 1984 and followed it up with a full-length album, Energetic Disassembly, the year after. Their sophomore album, Control and Resistance, was released in 1989, and no new material has been recorded since.
So, Watchtower is basically essential for any thrash fan, or really any metal fan.
http://www.myspace.com/officialwatchtower
Yea, Watchtower is an act that I got around to finding and hearing only just a couple of years ago. And I realised it was a belated, but lucky discovery. I reckon both their albums are equally excellent, though I probably slightly prefer the debut Energetic Disassembly. As with Vio-lence, I feel fortunate to have gotten Watchtower's reunion concert dvd of 2000. This was superb recorded footage of their shows in San Francisco in 2000, and the release is titled simply as 'Live!!'. Other than that, I remember seeing a Watchtower 'Best Of' compilation called Demonstrations in Chaos, at a friends house, about two years ago. That might be a smart buy for casual or new fans to this important, impressive thrash band.
**twins, I'll confess how when it comes to the niche segment of prog-tech thrash, I probably still rate Sadus atop the pole, on that count.
I picked up an issue of Alternative Press back in late 1987 or early 88. The cover story was what prompted me to buy the mag. But inside was a small piece about Watchtower's upcoming album. Guitarist Ron Jarzonbek was quoted as saying he looked for melodies in as many different places as possible. He mentioned that he would transcribe the tones from dialing people's phone numbers on a touch tone phone, and use those as parts of their songs. That in itself totally piqued my interest in hearing Watchtower. I picked up the Control & Resistance CD the first chance I got, and while the vocals took some getting used to (Alan Tecchio used some pretty atonal vocal melodies at times) I loved the music instantly.
It's quite astounding to me the legacy this band has gained in the time since then. To discover anyone else who knew of them prior to about 1997 was near to impossible. And it always seemed whomever I would suggest Watchtower to, would have the same reaction to them that I did. I only have to assume there were possibly hundreds or thousands of others like me slowly getting the word out about this incredible band. Of course, In the time since hearing C&R for the first time I recognized Watchtowers influence in other popular bands such as Death, Cynic & Spiral Architect. But it seemed to take until about 1997 or so. Only then did I start finding other metal fans, and progressive fans that were aware of them. This without any CD reissues and very minimal press. It;s worth mentioning that Jarzonbek had a major hand injury that derailed the band & his own guitar playing for quite a long time. It was between 91 - about 95 that he had to relearn how to even play, let alone pick up where he left off. Around 96 or 97 he'd started his main project Spaztik Ink. And he had started guesting on other progressive & jazz studio projects such as Sean Malone's Gordion Knot CD as well as some assorted tribute albums.
Anyway I am truly glad they haven't drifted so far away from existence that the possibility of hearing new music by the band is a pipe dream. And in just perusing their web site I see the LONG LONG LONG awaited 3rd official studio album is currently being worked on for a release in 2010. So this thread is indeed a timely one.
By the way... an interesting little factoid I read somewhere in the last few years, Watchtower bassist Doug Keyser was one of those who tried out for Metallica back in 1986.
(12-13-2009 01:11 AM)NapalmKid Wrote: [ -> ]**twins, I'll confess how when it comes to the niche segment of prog-tech thrash, I probably still rate Sadus atop the pole, on that count.
I'm pretty sure I have a thread for Sadus around here somewhere. And yeah, they're pretty much the kings of tech-thrash. Them or Coroner.
^^Yea, right on the money, mate! Seriously, for me, Sadus's first three albums, especially, were the flagship records of technical thrash at its fiercest, finest. And oh, Coroner is a mightily cool act, right there. Amazingly technical and catchy thrash metal, simultaneously...Not an easy feat to pull off. Coroner always did.