WATCHTOWER

Control and resistance is in my opinion an overlooked masterpiece. Since it is covered up by more popular and well known early progressive metal bands like Dream Theater and Fates warning, not a lot of people ever hear about Watchtower. What you get with this album is technical, progressive, thrash - jazz that is only comparable to Atheist or Psychotic waltz. The instrumentation on the album is great with all of the band members playing very well on their respective instruments. Most people agree that the singer is the weakest part of the album, but as a lover of high note hitting male singers, I really like the way he sings and how his voice sounds.

If you want some jazzy proggy technical thrash metal then try this album out. Not only will you enjoy the album, you also might grow on the singer and other singers like him. It was a worthy listen and a great album that really deserves more attention.

"Concepts of Math: Book One" is an EP release by US, Texas based technical/progressive metal act Watchtower. The EP was released through Prosthetic Records in October 2016. Watchtower was formed in 1982 and released the two groundbreaking albums "Energetic Disassembly (1985)" and "Control and Resistance (1989)" before disbanding in 1990. They reunited in 1999 (first with original vocalist Jason McMaster and from 2009 onwards with "Control and Resistance (1989)" vocalist Alan Tecchio) and there have been rumors of them working on new material ever since. In 2010 they released the one track single "The Size of Matter" and in 2015 the three one track singles "Arguments Against Design", "M-Theory Overture", and "Technology Inaction" followed. "Concepts of Math: Book One" features all four single tracks plus the track "Mathematica Calculis", which is exclusive to this EP release.

Stylistically Watchtower more or less continue where they left off in the late 80s/early 90s. The music is fusion influenced technical/progressive metal in the more raw and occasionally thrashy end of the scale. Lead vocalist Alan Tecchio is still a force to be reckoned with. Although he doesn´t sing as many extremely high pitched notes as he did on "Control and Resistance (1989)", he is still an incredibly powerful singer, with a distinct sounding voice, and he can still hit the high notes when that is called for. The musicianship is generally out of this world and there are several jaw-dropping moments on the EP. Intricate technical drumming and bass playing, and Ron Jarzombek´s almost avant garde guitar playing will keep you on your toes throughout the playing time of the EP.

It´s no surprise this is music which requires a few spins to sink in. The song structures are complex, and it takes a while before hooks begin to appear, but if you´re familiar with the band´s back catalogue you wouldn´t expect it any other way. Despite the 5 tracks on the 28:55 minutes long EP being recorded at different recording sessions, there is a great overall flow on the release and the sound production is similar on all tracks too, which results in a nicely consistent listening experience. Regarding the sound production it´s powerful, clear, and detailed, which suits the material perfectly.

So upon conclusion "Concepts of Math: Book One" may not be the full-length fans of the band have been waiting for in years, but it´s pretty close and with a playing time nearly 30 minutes long, you do get quite a bit of quantity for the money. Add great quality to that equation and we have a strong comeback release on our hands. Watchtower was once one of the most adventurous acts on the metal scene, and while most listeners today probably aren´t as surprised by their incredible playing skills and intricate compositions, as audiences were in the 80s (a lot of development in the technical/progressive part of the genre has happened since those days), they still deliver very intriguing and powerful technical/progressive metal and they are still among the kings of the genre. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

Way back in 1989 I remember buying Watchtower's second album Control And Resistance. This was early days for prog metal, especially as technical as Watchtower were. There was already Fates Warning and Queensrhyche and these guys were no slouches, but nowhere near as technical as Watchtower. Even Dream Theater were just getting started. However, despite the undisputed virtuosity on display I was left somewhat cold finding it being a case of style over substance with little in the way of memorable songs.

Fast forward to 2016 and they're back with the same line-up as Control And Resistance. Concepts Of Math: Book One is their first substantial body of work since then. It's a five track E.P. clocking in at just under half an hour. Four of the five tracks were originally released as digital only singles, the first back in 2010. They recorded the final track Mathematica Calculis especially for inclusion here.

I'm pleased to say I like this a lot better than their earlier work. The reason being that whilst their incredible chops are still intact, in fact better, their song writing skills have also greatly improved. The music is still incredibly complicated with jazz colliding with metal but flows so much better to my ears with some jaw dropping musical interplay, compelling riffs and injected with a substantial dose of melody. Age has also tempered Alan Tecchio's histrionic vocals which are much improved these days and to my ears his singing flows much better over the complex song structures than before. Fortunately all five tracks are excellent and the short length definitely left me wanting more so hopefully a full length album will be in the offing soon.

These days there's there's no shortage of bands making music this complex in the metal world, but Watchtower played an important role in the development of technical prog metal and were very influential. Perhaps now they may be able to reap some of the rewards from their earlier groundwork and gain a wider following. On the strength of this excellent release that seems a strong possibility.

Watchtower's Control and Resistance finds them taking the sound of Energetic Disassembly and doubling down on it, presenting a progressively-minded take on technical thrash metal whose intricate complexities would find few parallels in the metal field until the likes of Cynic and Atheist took up the torch. Ron Jarzombek's guitar performance is the key here, but for the most part the whole band pull their weight; some have complained about the vocals from Alan Tecchio, but I don't think they are bad, but they are just kind of *there* without adding or detracting an awful lot. Still, that isn't enough to appreciably mark down the album, which sits alongside their debut as a classic manifesto for technical metal.

It isn't quite true that technicality was absent from thrash prior to Watchtower bringing out this debut - Metallica were taking things in a more intricate direction on Ride the Lightning, after all - but Watchtower would, on Energetic Disassembly, push technicality to the fore in a way which no other band had dared to do. Before this, "progressive metal" mostly involved metal bands' nods to the prog bands of the past, like Iron Maiden's epics, but here Watchtower chart a course for innovative and complex musical experimentation in a metal context which demonstrated that the tougher, heavier, more extreme metal subgenres of metal could get artsy and clever too. Blazing a trail which would subsequently be taken by the likes of Cynic or Atheist, Energetic Disassembly is a brilliant example of how genres can be blended without blunting the appeal of either of them.

I'm a big Jarzombek fan so I'll be blunt but fair, because this is a really very good record. Aside from the fact that the old-school British metal of Maiden and Priest is unmistakably present (it was '89 after all), Ron Jarzombek hadn't quite arrived as the tech demon he'd soon become, and the ground rhythms are generally textbook and derivative, there is much here to admire and appreciate. Particularly at the time. "Extreme Tech" didn't nominally exist yet and the heaviest tech we were getting was from Voivod and a tiny number of others. So there is no doubt this Texas band and Control and Resistance's material and odd fascination with Soviet imagery were important, to say the least. Not as extraordinarily complex and unique as Jarz's later work with Spastic Ink or Blotted Science, but impressive by almost any standard.

Grim 'Instruments of Random Murder' and similar 'The Eldritch' are okay but nothing to write home about, though Alan Tecchio's Dickinsonian highs and phrasing navigate the vivacissimos nicely. More interesting is 'Mayday in Kiev' where the preoccupation with Bolshevism starts to emerge complete with angry mobs in the streets and sweet little self-harmonies from Jarz woven in to the smart chord progressions. This stride is kept for very nice and imperceptibly jazzy 'The Fall of Reason' featuring a squealer from Ron, followed by the solid title cut, companion piece 'Hidden Instincts', vaguely Rush-like 'Life Cycles', and kick-ass 'Dangerous Toy'.

Just a hint of what was to come from a guitar genius like no other, Watchtower's second is highly admirable tech-metal when almost no one was ready to either play or listen to it, and should satisfy most thinking headbangers.

Watchtower is a progressive/technical metal band formed in Austin (TX) in 1982. Although they they did not reach the notoriety of other groups such as Coroner or Atheist, they also had some importance for the formation of the typical sound of a certain technical metal influenced by progressive music, characterized by high technical quality, complicated compositions, odd signatures, more or less complex lyrics, and are listed among their influences by bands likes Dream Theater. If their debut album, Energetic Disassembly, was already a good example of all of this, Control and Resistance fully earns the title of one of the most important works of the genre. Inspired songwriting, excellent technique and , not less important, very good production. The disc runs smoothly for all its 43 minutes without boring. Instrumentally, in addition to the obvious approval of the guitar work of Ron Jarzombek, a special praise to Alan Tecchio and Rick Colaluca, vocals and drums, respectively, the authors of intense vocal lines and inspired and effective percussion. After this album, the band split up, then reunited in 1999. Some members of the group continued their activities with other musical projects during the period of separation, but only Ron Jarzombek, with Spastic Ink, remained in progressive scene. Now they're still active with the original lineup, but without the support of Alan Tecchio.

Vote: full 4 stars.

This is the second album from Watchtower where they get a new vocalist. Their original singer joined the not-quite-hair metal-but-close-enough band Dangerous Toys. I'm not sure why the last song on this album is called "Dangerous Toy", but it is. The first Watchtower album from 1985 I have not heard yet, but if it's as groundbreaking as I hear it is I should investigate it. I'm really curious as to what a 'technical metal' album sounds like being released at a time when thrash metal was going through puberty. On Control And Resistance this band from Texas both sounds like the contemporary thrash of California as well as the future death metal of Florida. Although I haven't heard the debut, this album is itself ahead of it's time. The music features lots of time and tempo changes. Some finger-tapping and fast runs on guitar. Generally you can hear the bass which is not always the case with a lot of late 1980s thrash and extreme metal. A noticeable Rush influence is present. The instrumental parts are usually more interesting than the vocal sections. I don't like the vocals too much, they sound like a singer from some Judas Priest or Iron Maiden tribute band. The vocal parts remind me at times of the thrash bands Exodus and Overkill. "Instruments Of Random Murder" is generally in thrash mode but there are hints of more technical metal here as well. "The Eldritch" is one of the more traditional metal sounding songs, very much of it's time.

"Mayday In Kiev" starts off as an almost Atheist/Cynic type of jazzy metal. When the vocals arrive the song starts to sound like Overkill. Features some Metallica style start/stop playing. Nice bass playing during the guitar solo. "The Fall Of Reason" is more extreme technical metal than the previous songs. Some complex playing before the vocals start. The instrumental parts are very technical while the vocal parts are more traditional thrash with some nice melodic harmony vocals in places. A cool part with bass harmonics before it goes into a very Rush sounding section that could have come from Hemispheres. Later on gets more Overkill sounding for awhile. This is a standout track - there wasn't a lot of metal that sounded like this in 1989.

You can listen to the title track here on PA. It opens with a jazzy bassline and some chorused guitar along with a sci-fi sound on synth. Then it goes into some great tech metal...almost sounds like a mix of Anthrax and Return To Forever. The vocal parts sound like Exodus/Overkill. This track keeps changing and is one of the highlights of the album. The vocal parts of "Hidden Instincts" are again in Exodus/Overkill territory. The instrumental sections are much more technical and interesting. The bass work really stands out here. "Life Cycles" is more melodic than the other tracks. Features some nice chorused guitar. Parts of the song foreshadow what Death/Atheist/Cynic would be doing in the early 1990s.

That's the only song where I actually like the vocals (sometimes). Speaking of vocals and vocalists, here comes that "Dangerous Toy" song, sounding nothing like the band it shares its name with. Great thrash meets technical extreme metal although the vocal parts still have a Exodus/Overkill vibe to them. Control And Resistance is sort of a 'missing link' between what came before and what came after when it comes to the more extreme and non-mainstream side of metal. It sounds dated and current at the same time. Maybe not the best tech/extreme prog metal album but one of the more important ones. 4 stars.

'The Size Of Matter' - Watchtower (Single)

Released as a teaser in anticipation of a new album that may, or may not come, Watchtower's 'The Size Of Matter' is a new song from a band who has laid dormant for over twenty years. In that time, Ron Jarzombek has gone on to other great things with his music, and if the direction on this track indicates, he seems to have taken creative control over the band. For the first minute or so of play length, 'The Size Of Matter' rolls and jerks onward like a typical Jarzombek tech fest, not unlike what he currently does with the Blotted Science project. When Alan Tecchio's vocals come in however, the listener is reminded that Watchtower is back. The song takes a thrashy turn from there, bringing back to light their proggy leanings. The lyrics explore a range of mathematical and scientific concepts,and it does a good job of creating a spacey vibe for the song. Watchtower don't sound like they used to anymore though; Tecchio's vocals have aged, and while still powerful, don't sound capable of hitting those brilliant highs. 'The Size Of Matter' is less thrashy, and more tech-oriented than the Watchtower of old, and if these guys decide to go somewhere with the plans of a third album, it's sure to be a blast.

'Energetic Disassembly' - Watchtower (7/10)

At a time when 'being thrash' usually amounted to little more than playing fast and gurgling into a microphone, a band from Texas sought to change everything. Called by some to be the first prog metal album, and many more to be the first 'tech' metal album, Watchtower's debut 'Energetic Disassembly' was a piece of music on another level than virtually everything else that was calling itself heavy metal at the time. For that, this album can be considered one of those ahead-of-its-time classics. Indeed, the work here impresses, although there are some issues with the sound that would thankfully be worked out with the band's near-perfect sophomore 'Control & Resistance'.

Although Watchtower is best known for its later lineup of Alan Tecchio and Ron Jarzombek, the sound of Watchtower here is not any different. The music here is fast, blistering, ferociously technical, and overtly flirting with progressive structure. Even compared to today's thrash metal, Watchtower are fiercely technical performers. Billy White's style of riffage is rooted in the same thrash style as a band like Slayer, but there is much more activity within the passages, and it doesn't let up. Rick Cocaluca's drum work shows signs of jazz influence, but the sound of his set is booming. Doug Keyser's contribution with the bass is the most subtle of the instrumentalists, but it sports a technical prowess that almost parallels the guitars. And, of course, the vocals of Jason McMaster are here as well. Although he would be latter replaced by the superior Alan Tecchio (a dead-ringer for McMaster), Jason's high-pitched falsetto is a core trademark of the band. The way he belts his voice makes Watchtower a truly all-encompassing technical band. Although McMaster's vocals are undeniably powerful, the unrelenting high-pitched shriek can wear thin for me, and this is an issue I suspect many listeners will have when listening to 'Energetic Disassembly'.

The songwriting brilliantly incorporates the technical virtuosity of the band, but ultimately, the songs are not very distinct from each other, and it's not uncommon to feel a sense of deja vu within the second half of the album. As well, I cannot help but keep comparing 'Energetic Disassembly' to the band's second album 'Control & Resistance', and my awe of that one. To me, it feels like the band improved virtually every aspect of their sound with that one, from the replacement of vocalists, to more clearly defined songwriting, and the trademark guitar work of Ron Jarzombek. Here, some of the things I loved most about the second album had not yet been injected into the band's system, but the core elements of what make Watchtower so great are here in full. A great technical thrash album from a classic band.