Watchtower is an American

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...

band based in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, active from 1982 to 1993 and they have reunited occasionally since 1999. The band has released two studio albums―''

Energetic Disassembly ''Energetic Disassembly'' is the debut album by American progressive metal band Watchtower (band), Watchtower, released in 1985. This is the band's only album to feature vocalist Jason McMaster and guitarist Billy White, who were replaced by Ala ...

'' (1985) and ''

Control and Resistance ''Control and Resistance'' is the second and final album by progressive metal band Watchtower, released in 1989. This was the band's last album before disbanding in 1993 while working on its never-released third album ''Mathematics'', and their fi ...

'' (1989)―as well as one

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, four digital singles, one EP and three demo cassettes, and has been featured on numerous compilation albums. They are also notable for featuring vocalist Jason McMaster, who left Watchtower after the release of ''Energetic Disassembly'' to form

Dangerous Toys Dangerous Toys is an American, Austin, Texas-based rock band, with often humorous lyrics. Founded in 1987, Dangerous Toys released four full-length albums and one live album before unofficially disbanding at the turn of the millennium. The band ...

, and was replaced by

Alan Tecchio Alan Tecchio is an Italian-American singer, who sang for Seven Witches, Watchtower, Hades and Non-Fiction. He is also the lead vocalist on Symphony X Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1 ...

, who appeared on ''Control and Resistance'' and the band's 2016 EP '' Concepts of Math: Book One''. Influenced by the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

and then-burgeoning

new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

scenes, Watchtower has been credited (along with Voivod and

Coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

) for helping pioneer the subgenre of "technical thrash metal" (also known as "progressive thrash metal"), which mixed elements of progressive music with

thrash Thrash may refer to: *Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work *Thrash (surname) * Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers *'' Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video gam ...

speed metal Speed metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It ...

. The band has also been cited as having influenced many notable progressive or heavy metal groups, including

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

, Annihilator, Coroner,

Atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, Pestilence, Cynic,

Symphony X Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1994, the band consists of guitarist Michael Romeo, keyboardist Michael Pinnella, drummer Jason Rullo, lead vocalist Russell Allen and bassist Michael Lep ...

Toxik Toxik is an American thrash metal band formed in 1985 in Peekskill, New York. After breaking up for the first time in 1992 and briefly reuniting in 2007, the band reformed once again in 2013. Toxik has gone through several lineup changes over ...

Sieges Even Sieges Even was a German progressive metal band from Munich. The band was originally formed under the name 'Sodom' (not to be confused with fellow German band Sodom) in the early 1980s, released their first demo in 1983, and adopted the name Sie ...

and

Spiral Architect Spiral Architect was a Norwegian progressive metal band from Oslo. The group formed in 1993 and recorded one demo and one full-length album, '' A Sceptic's Universe,'' as well as a Fates Warning cover "A Prelude to Ruin" for the tribute album ...

History

Initial career (1982–1993)

Watchtower was formed in May 1982 in

. The quartet made its recording debut in 1983 with an early version of the song "Meltdown", which was included on the ''Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death - A Texas Hardcore Compilation'' LP. It was followed by the debut album, ''

'', issued in 1985 on the band's own

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

label, Zombo Records. An earlier version of the album was scrapped after the group's label, Rainforest Records, closed its doors. ''Energetic Disassembly'' is notable for its heavy use of time changes and is considered to be a landmark in

, as well as the first album for crossing over the genres of progressive and

, thus the creation of the subgenre known as technical thrash metal. The album saw Watchtower tour with bands such as

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...

Helstar Helstar is an American heavy metal band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1982 by guitarist Larry Barragan. They were an influential force in the American power metal genre emerging in the mid-1980s. History Early days and Combat-era (1982–1986) H ...

Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss extreme metal band from Zürich. They are known for their strong influence on the development of extreme metalBukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal''. Barnes & Noble Publishing, 2003. p.43 and avant-ga ...

, Voivod and

Armored Saint Armored Saint is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1982. Since 1990, the band has consisted of John Bush on lead vocals, Joey Vera on bass, Jeff Duncan (musician), Jeff Duncan on rhythm guitar and the Sandoval ...

. In the fall of 1986, guitarist and founding member, Billy White, quit the band in order to pursue different styles of music. He formed the short-lived Khymera with

Juggernaut A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was adapted from the Sanskrit word Jagannath. ...

drummer

Bobby Jarzombek Bobby Jarzombek is an American musician of Polish and German ancestry who is currently the drummer for country music legend George Strait. Bobby also has been a drummer for: vocalist Sebastian Bach, and progressive metal band Fates Warning. ...

and former Karion bassist Pete Perez before joining vocalist

Don Dokken Donald Maynard Dokken (born June 29, 1953) is an American singer and musician. He's best known for being the lead singer, occasional guitarist, and founder of the glam metal band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style whi ...

for the '' Up from the Ashes'' album in 1990. With Watchtower's future briefly in doubt, Doug Keyser auditioned for

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

following the death of bassist

Cliff Burton Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician who was the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica from 1982 until his death in 1986. He performed on ''Kill 'Em All'' (1983), '' Ride the Lightning'' (1984 ...

. Similarly, Jason McMaster was approached by fellow Texans

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...

in search of a new vocalist. McMaster eventually exited in 1988 after getting signed to a major label deal with his side project Onyxx, later renamed

, whose self-titled debut album on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

scored the MTV hits "Teas'n, Pleas'n" and "Scared" and reached near gold status. White's replacement was

Ron Jarzombek Ron Jarzombek is an American guitarist best known for his work with WatchTower, Spastic Ink, and Blotted Science, featuring Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse. His most recent project is Terrestrial Exiled. He released a brand new song, "Bey ...

, formerly with

S.A. Slayer S.A. Slayer, originally known as Slayer, was an American heavy metal band formed in San Antonio, Texas, in 1981 by the former Blitzkrieg (not to be confused with the UK band Blitzkrieg) guitar duo Robert "Bob Dog" Catlin and Art Villarreal, ba ...

, while fellow Austinite Mike Soliz (ex-Militia, Assalant) was recruited in place of McMaster, but eventually replaced by former Hades vocalist

. Newly signed to

Noise Records Noise Records is a German heavy metal record label founded in 1983 by German music industry personality Karl-Ulrich Walterbach as an expansion of his company Modern Music Records. It was sold to the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001 and ceased any ...

, Watchtower flew to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany in the summer of 1989 where the band recorded their second album, ''

'', at Sky Trak Studios, which was released that November. ''Control and Resistance'' received positive reviews by the press and fans alike, and saw Watchtower mix their style with progressive metal,

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

and

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

, thus creating a sound that would influence the

technical death metal Technical death metal (also referred to as tech-death) is a musical subgenre of death metal that began and developed in the early- to mid-1990s, with particular focus on challenging, demanding instrumental skill and complex songwriting. Techni ...

genre. In support of the album, the band opened for

in Europe on their ''

No More Color ''No More Color'' is Swiss thrash metal band Coroner's third album, released in 1989. Musical style ''No More Color'' was the album where Coroner started to truly "progress", as the songs are still similar to their older, speedy, European thras ...

'' tour, and also played with Dark Angel,

Loudblast Loudblast is a French death/thrash metal band from Villeneuve-d'Ascq that pioneered the genres in France, and one of the most important French metal bands of the 1990s. History The band began in 1986 in the northern city of Lille. Its first rec ...

Tankard A tankard is a form of drinkware consisting of a large, roughly cylindrical, drinking cup with a single handle. Tankards are usually made of silver or pewter, but can be made of other materials, for example wood, ceramic, or leather. A tankard ...

Prong Prong or Prongs may refer to: * Prong, synonym of tine (structural), a branch or spike of various tools and natural objects * Prong (band), an American metal band * Prong (company), an iPhone accessories company in New York City * Prongs, British ...

Fates Warning Fates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman. There have been numerous lineup ...

Mordred Mordred or Modred (; Welsh: ''Medraut'' or ''Medrawt'') is a figure who is variously portrayed in the legend of King Arthur. The earliest known mention of a possibly historical Medraut is in the Welsh chronicle ''Annales Cambriae'', wherein he ...

, and

Whiplash Whiplash may refer to: * The long flexible part of a whip * Whiplash (medicine), a neck injury ** Whiplash Injury Protection System (WHIPS), in automobiles Film and television * ''Whiplash'' (1948 film), a US film noir about a boxer * ''Whiplas ...

. After first and only European tour (opening for Noise Records labelmates Coroner) in the spring of 1990, Watchtower continued to promote ''Control and Resistance'' with a few East Coast shows but lost Tecchio soon thereafter. The remaining members of the band spent more than two years searching for a new vocalist, which proved to be a difficult task, although several candidates – including Scott Jeffries (

Confessor Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways. Confessor of the Faith Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.

Split (1993–1999)

After failing to find a reliable replacement for vocalist Alan Tecchio, Watchtower finally disbanded around 1993, and the members went on to pursue their own individual activities. Bassist Doug Keyser and drummer Rick Colaluca joined colorful local rock/funk/rap outfit Retarted Elf who released the album ''Trick Quigger'' on Pony Canyon in Japan. Jarzombek returned with

Spastic Ink Spastic Ink was a progressive metal band from the United States. History Spastic Ink was formed in 1993 by guitarist Ron Jarzombek of Watchtower after recovering from multiple hand surgeries that had sidelined him, unable to play, for a couple ...

, akin to an all-instrumental version of Watchtower, who issued their debut album, ''

Ink Complete ''Ink Complete'' is progressive instrumental band Spastic Ink's debut album, released in 1997 via Germany's Dream Circle label and re-issued in 2000 on EclecticElectric, with 25 minutes of 'work tapes' added as bonus tracks. Track listing # "T ...

'' in 1997, while McMaster continued with

before making Broken Teeth his main band in the late 1990s. Tecchio reunited with his former Hades bandmate Dan Lorenzo in the New Jersey-based heavy metal band Non-Fiction, which released three studio albums during the early-to-mid 1990s – about the same time the duo resurrected Hades, who remain active to this day despite no new recordings since their most recent album, 2001's ''DamNation''.

Reunion with Jason McMaster (1999–2010)

In 1999, original Watchtower members McMaster, Keyser and Colaluca reunited, along with Jarzombek, to record a cover of

Accept Accept may refer to: * Acceptance, a person's assent to the reality of a situation etc. * Accept (band), a German heavy metal band ** ''Accept'' (Accept album), their debut album from 1979 * ''Accept'' (Chicken Shack album), 1970 * ACCEPT (or ...

's "Run If You Can" for ''A Tribute to Accept - Vol. 1'' on

Nuclear Blast Records Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

. In 2000, Watchtower played the prestigious

Bang Your Head!!! Bang Your Head!!! is a heavy metal and hard rock festival held annually in Germany. First held in 1996 as a one-day indoor event in the Stefan-Hartmann-Halle in Tübingen with a crowd of 600 people, Bang Your Head!!! has since moved to Balingen ...

festival in Germany and later that summer supported

in Houston and Dallas. The band also began work on the long dormant ''Mathematics'' album, but progress stalled once again. In 2002, Monster Records issued '' Demonstrations in Chaos'', an archives release consisting of early recordings, demos, and unreleased tracks, including almost the complete original ''Energetic Disassembly'' recordings and the 1987 demos with Ron Jarzombek that got the band signed to Noise Records. Watchtower returned to Europe once more in 2004 to headline the Headway Festival in Amstelveen, Holland. That same year Ron Jarzombek released the second Spastic Ink album, ''

Ink Compatible ''Ink Compatible'' is the second full-length album from Spastic Ink. It was released in 2004 after a four-year process via Ron Jarzombek's EclecticElectric label, except for Japan and Southeast Asia where it was released by Avalon/Marquee. It wa ...

'', with guest contributions by Watchtower band mates Doug Keyser and Jason McMaster who contributed lead vocals on five songs. In the fall of 2004, Monster Records, now Monster Underground, re-issued ''Energetic Disassembly'' on CD for the first time ever in the United States. The original CD re-issue came 1993, courtesy of Germany's Institute of Art label. In the spring of 2009, Watchtower were confirmed as co-headliners of the 13th edition of Germany's Keep It True Festival, set to take place in April 2010. The band also re-commenced work on ''Mathematics'' with a view toward a 2010 release. Decibel Magazine featured Watchtower's ''Control and Resistance'' as part of their "Hall of Fame" series in their January 2010 issue.

Reunion with Alan Tecchio and ''Concepts of Math'' EPs (2010–present)

On April 9, 2010, Watchtower released a preliminary mix of "The Size of Matter" from their forthcoming album ''Mathematics'' as a digital-only single. It marked the band's first new music since ''

'' in 1989, featuring Jarzombek, Keyser, and Colaluca, with Alan Tecchio returning on vocals and replacing original frontman Jason McMaster for the second time in the band's history. In May 2010, Tecchio left Watchtower once again. After the announcement of Tecchio's departure. Watchtower's last public appearance was at the German Keep It True festival in 2010. On October 7, 2016, the EP '' Concepts of Math: Book One'' was released by Prosthetic Records, featuring previously released tracks, and new track, "Mathematica Calculis". On October 21, Watchtower released three new songs from ''Mathematics'', ''M-Theory Overture'', ''Arguments Against Design'' and ''Technology Inaction'', on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and

CD Baby CD Baby, Inc. is an online distributor of independent music. The company was described as an "anti-label" by its parent company's Chief Operating Officer Tracy Maddux. The CD Baby music store was shut down in March 2020 with a statement that "C ...

. They reunited with Tecchio for the sessions of these tracks. Nothing has been posted on their Facebook page since 2016 and their official website is currently defunct. Nevertheless, ''Control and Resistance'' was reissued by Music On Vinyl in July 2018. After years of speculation regarding the current status of Watchtower, drummer Rick Colaluca confirmed in a statement on Facebook in July 2020 that the band had been on an indefinite hiatus, and stated it was "doubtful that

hey would Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

ever reform, but not out of the question." Colaluca also revealed that the band had "discussions a few times over the past several years" about finishing their long-in-the works third album ''Mathematics'', and added that "there are a couple of sticking points that we just can't seem to get past. We actually have a good bit of the remaining songs recorded to some degree." In a May 2022 interview, Tecchio stated that, even though Watchtower are "not like an active band", they have "pretty much the material" for their next EP ''Concepts of Math: Book Two''. He also revealed that he has "one song in particular that

e's is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and drawn by Satoru Yuiga. It was originally serialized in ''Monthly GFantasy'' from 1997 through 2005, and later published in 16 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Square Enix from March 18, 2003 to Februa ...

still working on".

Members

;Current members *

- vocals (1989–1990, 2010, 2015–2016, 2022–present) *

- guitar (1986–1993, 1999–2010, 2015–2016, 2022–present) * Doug Keyser - bass (1982–1993, 1999–2010, 2015–2016, 2022–present) * Rick Colaluca - drums (1982–1993, 1999–2010, 2015–2016, 2022–present) ;Former members * Jason McMaster - vocals (1982–1988, 1999–2009) * Mike Soliz - vocals (1988–1989) * Billy White - guitars (1982–1986)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (Zombo Records, 1985 / Institute of Art, 1993/1997 / Monster Underground 2004 / Rockadrome, 2006) * ''

'' (Noise International, 1989)

Compilation albums

* ''Metalliance Volume 1'' (Hands Of Blue Records, 2015) * '' Demonstrations in Chaos'' (Monster Records, 2002 / Rockadrome, 2006) * ''Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death'' (Ward-9, 1983 / Atila, 2001) * ''Doomsday News 2'' (Noise International, 1989) * ''Doomsday News - The Video Compilation Volume 2'' (Noise International, 1990) * ''12 Years in Noise: Metal & Beyond'' -CD(Noise Records, 1996) * ''A Tribute to Accept Vol. 1'' (Nuclear Blast, 1999)

EPs and singles

* "The Size of Matter" (digital single, 2010) * "Arguments Against Design" (digital single, 2015) * "M-Theory Overture" (digital single, 2015) * "Technology Inaction" (digital single, 2015) * '' Concepts of Math: Book One'' (Prosthetic Records, 2016) * ''Concepts of Math: Book Two'' (TBA)

Demos

* ''Meltdown'' (1984) * ''Demo 1987'' (1987) * ''Instruments of Random Murder'' (1987)

References

External links

*
Official website
' *
Official Watchtower message board
' *
Watchtower
' On

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

*
Watchtower
' On

Last.fm Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Using a music recommender system called "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user's musical taste by recording details of the tracks the user listens to, e ...

*
Watchtower
' On RateYourMusic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Watchtower (band) American progressive metal musical groups American thrash metal musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Texas Musical groups from Austin, Texas Musical groups established in 1982 1982 establishments in Texas Noise Records artists