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THE WATCHER “Out of the Dark”
THE WATCHER “Out of the Dark”
By Colonel Angus
I often get asked by friends if I am jaded with all the music that I am exposed to on a daily basis. The truth of the matter is, between getting records to review, getting links to new bands from friends, and my own research in discovering new material, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and sensory overload sinks in. All t=of that aside, I have been a music lover from a very early age and I never get tired of hearing new albums or discovering new bands. Quite frankly, that is what I live for and it is my one and only vice.
All of that leads me to this new band (for me at least) called THE WATCHER hailing from Boston no less. These guys are part of this new crop of New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWOTHM) that has been growing for quite a while. I’m not a fan of the nu-metal sound so when bands started to pop up that were a continuation of the NWOBHM, I was delighted that there would be new bands and new music for an old-time metal fan like me. While I do get a good dose of doom metal on “Out of the Dark”, there is also a more than healthy amount of IRON MAIDEN inspired material making this a more well-rounded affair. Sure, I love early TROUBLE and, of course, BLACK SABBATH but both of those bands add other things into their albums so it wasn’t a track list full of dirge laden doom. THE WATCHER fits perfectly into that same mold.
Their first full length record starts off with the title track and it is a slow builder that would be the perfect opener for their show. The beginning has an “intro” feel but then a super heavy riff breaks in and starts the track in a proper way. The underlying riffing is doom but they build some nice NWOTHM parts on top. Paden Reed’s vocals are one of the first things that stuck out in my mind when I was listening to this song (and the whole disk for that matter). He has a unique voice yet something about it sounds familiar and his delivery fits the material perfectly.
Second track “Strike Back” has NWOBHM written all over it and even the production nods to that era. If you would have told me this was a lost forgotten tune from that early 80s movement, I would believe it in heartbeat. One of the reasons it resonates with that feel is the energy that the band put forth here. It has some great riffing that does bring to mind Di’Anno era IRON MAIDEN. Things switch gears for “Burning World” which is a speedy doom rocker that has this great mid-section where they break down the beat a little to form this great groove in the middle of the track. Chris Spraker bashes away at his kit like his life depends on it and ultimately, he is the star of this track.
After that sped up doom piece, we get “Exiled” which is a great moody track that actually sounds like someone who is exiled. Wind floods over the guitars and echo-y vocals giving the listener the feeling of being alone while also making this a showcase for Reed’s guitar and vocal talents. That small reprieve from heavy material is broken with “The Revelator” which oddly has an opening riff that reminds me of DEF LEPPARD’s “Wasted”. It is just a continuation of strong material on the record even though Reed does some cookie-monster vocals towards the end (I’m not a fan of that vocal style).
“Kill or be Killed” is kind of like the “Paranoid” of THE WATCHER repertoire. It is a short little track that is over almost as soon as it starts. Clocking in at just a little over two minutes, the song still packs a mean punch with some simple yet effective riffing. Next up we get a piece that builds in to a nice galloping MAIDEN-esque tune. “The Final Hour” has all the hallmarks of a great NWOBHM tune without being a direct copy. My suggestion to you listeners in listen to the whole record before making a judgement because this tune and the next one are the highlights of “Out of the Dark”.
The record ends on a really high note with the almost eight minute opus “Thy Blade, Thy Blood”. This little mini epic starts off with an infectious ruff that builds throughout the song until two-thirds of the way through when they show their early MAIDEN influence again with some stellar guitar soloing. And instead of fading out like most final tracks, this one builds into a crescendo and abruptly ends. Its like they were saving the best for last.
I did not know about this band and upon further research, they did have an E.P. that came out in 2021. After hearing “Out of the Dark”, I will most definitely be checking into that release and I hope these guys don’t wait another three years to release some new material. THE WATCHER is one of those bands that makes discovering new music fun and I whole-heartedly recommend “Out of the Dark”.
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