The masters. The pioneers of technical metal since the early 80's have a new album. Lovely.
k
_________________ The vitality and relative dignity of an animal can be measured by the intensity of its instinct to revolt.
-- Mikhail Bakunin
Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:47 pm
Jayesskerr
Elite Contributor
Joined: Sun May 18, 2014 9:43 am Posts: 4039
Re: Watchtower
Oh, I remember these guys! Holy Dream Theater prog metal... (Or is it holy Watchtower prog metal...) Pretty sure these guys were doing their thing just before DT... not positive, though...
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 12:42 pm Posts: 2536 Location: Jersey
Re: Watchtower
Wow. Like listening to caffeine.
_________________ Peace, Marty "The present day composer refuses to die" -Edgard Varese
Fri Nov 04, 2016 12:21 pm
K Rex
Elite Contributor
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:12 pm Posts: 2905
Re: Watchtower
Jayesskerr wrote:
Oh, I remember these guys! Holy Dream Theater prog metal... (Or is it holy Watchtower prog metal...) Pretty sure these guys were doing their thing just before DT... not positive, though...
Cool, I love this sort of thing.
Scott, this is for you. The Watchtower demo set my ass on fire when I was 15 or so. Such an epic guitar solo in this song, it's unbelievable for 1987. These guys were the true innovators of metal.
_________________ The vitality and relative dignity of an animal can be measured by the intensity of its instinct to revolt.
-- Mikhail Bakunin
Thu Nov 17, 2016 10:16 pm
K Rex
Elite Contributor
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:12 pm Posts: 2905
Re: Watchtower
Weird... Youtube won't embed. Tried it a dozen times... Anyone else having this problem?
K
_________________ The vitality and relative dignity of an animal can be measured by the intensity of its instinct to revolt.
-- Mikhail Bakunin
Thu Nov 17, 2016 10:32 pm
paigan0
Multiple Donor
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:40 am Posts: 2884 Location: Detroit, MI
Re: Watchtower
You had to strip out the list crap and find the base link. Ironically, work filter blocks YouTube, so I can tell by the empty screen that it probably worked.
Coming to this late; thanks for sharing this! Man, you can hear the Rush influence on the vocalist, eh? Sounds like a much lower Geddy. Kind of a late 80's thrash with prog influences, awesome. Very, very cool. Well for those of us that like heavy music, anyways...
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:40 am Posts: 2884 Location: Detroit, MI
Re: Watchtower
Okay, "Watchtower"? I swear I hadn't heard of them before. Outside of Dylan and Hendrix, anyway. And that would normally be enough for me to earn my uber geek icon , but shit, you guys always have to take it up a notch.
I'm listening to the full 30-minute release as I type this. I'm torn. I'd say this is definitely Kev bait. You got frenetic poly-rhythms and keyboards (always like to see that in my prog rock) and stop and goes, fairly heavy guitars, and no attempt to string a melody along (I don't mean that to sound so negative.) Very technically accomplished, which I do like, but not very "hooky," which I don't like.
Okay, about minute 7 or so, I'm warming up to the guitar, and oddly the bass. The singer is a bit too Bruce Dickinsonian.
Now I'm thinking that the "keyboards" may have been mostly guitars. [Replays first song.] Motherfucker! It's all guitar! That's not keyboards! This sucks!
I kid. I actually liked that first song a lot better the second time through. Now I think I like these guys. Still don't like the singer. And the "hooks" are there, just over-caffeinated.
[Finishes video]
Okay, fire Bruce and I'm on board. These guys need me and my keyboards!
--Steve's un-biased review of 2016 Wachtower.
Now I got to listen to this greatest solo of all time thingy! Hidden Instincts...
The 1987 demo was the best thing tbey ever did, with the insanely good Jason McMasters on vocals. He's the evil anti-Geddy, for sure. Love me some Geddy, but this guy has a wicked energy that I love.
Not a fan of his replacement, Alan Tecchio, who is on the new EP and their full album, "Control and Resistance," but he is far better now than he was on the album... even though musically the 80's album is insane.
Here is a snapshot of how musically insane that album is, and how terrible Tecchio sounded at that time:
Obviously, the period had a lot to do with Tecchio's stylings.
Love the bass solo on that track. I spent hours learning it note for note in my bedroom when I heard that shit.
K
_________________ The vitality and relative dignity of an animal can be measured by the intensity of its instinct to revolt.
-- Mikhail Bakunin
Fri Nov 18, 2016 9:26 pm
paigan0
Multiple Donor
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:40 am Posts: 2884 Location: Detroit, MI
Re: Watchtower
paigan0 wrote:
Finally got around to listening to this.
I like Geddy Lee a lot more than Bruce Dickinson!
And that was a fucking awesome solo. Nice panning effect, too. Not as long as I was expecting, though, but Young Kev has (had) taste.
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