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Sunday Old School: Watchtower

Progressive metal appears to be one of the longer lasting popular sub-genres over the years, with bands such as Dream Theater and Queensryche selling very well, others like Atheist, Cynic and Fates Warning becoming underground legends and younger acts such as Periphery now making a name for them self in the field. It’s hard to pinpoint a time or which band specifically really launched the genre, but there are those who certainly need to be name checked and acknowledged as an important part of it, one of which would be Watchtower.

The band were formed in Austin, Texas in 1982 by guitarist Billy White and drummer, Rick Colaluca, with Doug Keyser joining soon afterwards on bass and eventually brought in Jason McMaster on vocals. They initially performed covers of bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal such as Raven and Iron Maiden, as well as older heavy rock like Thin Lizzy before working on their own material. They made their recording debut the next year with a contribution to a Texas Hardcore Compilation, in the guise of the song, "Meltdown," which they would later release themselves as a demo, which featured three other tracks.

They continued to develop the sound of their own, taking great influences from the smarter rock acts such as Rush and King Crimson, combining it with the thrash metal genre which had exploded at the time. By 1985, they were ready to give the world a proper showing of what they had been working on, and released their debut album, "Energetic Disassembly" through their own label, Zombo. They were able to press three thousand copies of the record thanks to financing from Colaluca, and in terms of respect and underground credibility, the move paid off big time. It’s become a classic of the progressive metal genre and helped the band become one of arguably the top two progressive thrash metal bands at the time, along with Voivod.

Despite the acclaim they were receiving, it looked at times like the band would fold before they released a sophomore full length. Billy White decided to leave the group to explore different kinds of music, while Doug Keyser unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Metallica's new bassist following the death of Cliff Burton, as well as the then practically unknown Pantera trying to poach McMaster, who declined the role, before eventually leaving Watchtower in 1988 after his side project Dangerous Toys (formerly known as Onyx) were signed to CBS Records.

The two departed members were replaced respectively by former S.A. Slayer guitarist, Ron Jarzombek and Hades vocalist, Alan Tecchio, who joined after a brief spell with singer, Mike Soliz. With this new incarnation ready to go, the band signed to German label, Noise Records, home of such other groups as Celtic Frost and Running Wild, flying out to their new record company’s homeland to record their second album, "Control and Resistance." It was another critical triumph, continuing the progressive thrash metal sound they had crafted with their debut and confirming their place in the metal history books.

After releasing the record, Watchtower embarked on their first European tour, partnering with fellow technical thrashers, Coroner, returning to the States to perform a few shows on the East Coast, though soon afterwards they would part company with Alan Tecchio. Finding a replacement for the vocalist proved to be harder than once thought and adding to their worries, Jarzombek developed problems in his hand, which required numerous surgeries and put him out of action for some time. The issues the band faced ultimately proved to get the better of them and in 1991, the group decided to call it a day.

Watchtower remained dormant for eight years before McMaster, Keyser and Colaluca reunited, along with Jarzombek, recording a cover of the Accept song, "Run If You Can" for a tribute album, and fully intending to record a new album, mostly likely still using the title, "Mathematics," announced prior to their disbanding as the name of their unfinished third album. To date, this new material has not surfaced, but in 2002, a compilation album, "Demonstrations in Chaos" was released, comprising of early recordings, demos and previously unreleased tracks.

A glimpse of a new album finally surfaced in 2010 when they released a new song online entitled, "The Size of Matter," which featured the return of Alan Tecchio on vocals, though he once again departed a month later. Fans are still keeping their fingers crossed for a new album, which has now been along the lines of fifteen years in the making, but whether or not they ever release a third album, Watchtower will always be a respected and beloved name in the minds of progressive metal and thrash fans.

Watchtower - "Asylum"

Watchtower - "Meltdown"

Watchtower - "Tyrants In Distress"

Watchtower - "Control and Resistance"

Watchtower - "The Eldritch"

Watchtower - "Mayday in Kiev"

Watchtower - "The Size Of Matter"