Watchtower: The Prog Metal Daddys

Name any metal dedicated to the Progressive Metal genre (including its offshoot Power, Symphonic Progressive, Folk Death, Death, Melodic Death, Avantgarde and Ambience genres).

Name any of them lot. Opeth. Or Sieges Even. Or Iced Earth. Or Platitude to Dark Water, Spiral Architect to Aztec Jade. Or Neal Morse to Adagio. Or Pain of Salvation to Riverside. Or Lacuna Coil and those sell-out traitors called Evanescence. Or The Incurable Tragedy guys.

Or even big granpadaddy Dream Theater.

They all owe allegiance to a bunch of four hilarious, prank-loaded wardogs from the hair-raising, spandex-splitting 1980s; name any progressive metal band that has this almost customary reference to this special ‘rock’ band, as influence. Yer dang right on the money – yes, Watchtower.

And their era-defining works  

In 1988, Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich was spied wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with ‘Watchtower’ the Progressive/Technical Metal band during the release of the Thrash Metal pioneers’ ...And Justice for All album. What more justification does one need to be called a pioneer when you are a trailblazer called Watchtower?

PS: Before continuing, I assume you are new to the progressive metal genre if you are reading this ‘review.’ No offense meant.

I completely abhor the term “Technical Metal” tagged on Watchtower. Gosh. When the rockers released Energetic Disassembly in 1985 the term “Technical Metal” wasn’t even around. Besides, as if not sounding lamer enough than corny popcorn commercials, the term doesn’t even fit modern musical denotations – leave alone the virtuosity of the spandex-raising 1980s! ‘Progressive Metal’ has a far more elemental connotation to the nature of music Watchtower plays. To be convinced of the point (and not from personal points of argument and debate), you will have to listen to Watchtower’s era-defining album ‘Control and Resistance’ (1989). And you’ll suddenly realize that the “Technical Metal” tag is cornier than calling mainstream music, Pop. 

When the fist onslaught of the spirited mow-through ‘Instruments of Random Murder’ exploded through the speakers, I simply had no words. It was around 2004. Watchtower was “new” creatures of “new” metal (be reminded here that in 2004, I was already a hardcore follower of the likes of Cynic, Aztec Jade, Spiral Architect and of course, Dream Theater!). The only reason for the late initiation into the pioneer’s music was that I had failed to locate Control and Resistance amongst my music albums.

Guitar World hoisted Watchtower’s Control and Resistance as one of the music magazine’s ‘Top 10 Shred Albums of the 80’s.’ Here is what the feature stated about the album: “Sounding like the twisted scion of Metallica and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Watchtower was the most brilliant weird band of its time. Guitarist Ron Jarzombek, with his complex harmony solos, strange scales and furious staccato lead bursts, performs tricks on his guitar that will leave you more than sufficiently breathless.”

Now that I have introduced you to Watchtower meet the giants' Control and Resistance (1989) album review.