Energetic Disassembly

Watchtower was a progressive thrash metal outfit from Texas; formed sometime in the early 80's. The band's lineup consisted of frontman Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys), guitarist Ron Jarzombek, bassist Doug Keyser, and drummer Rick Colaluca. Watchtower released their debut album, "Energetic Disassembly" in 1986. The underground cult-like popularity of this album was widely spread through fans trading tapes. Watchtower's debut is generally considered to be the recording most responsible for the development of the progressive metal genre. It is full of complex time changes, breakneck tempos, and wailing solos. "Energetic Disassembly" was an album way ahead of its time both musically and lyrically; almost futuristic in sound.. The music was written in a way to show off the musical ability and skill of the band members. The guitars had a metallic/chorus like effect on them. The drums were tight and technically precise, with some electronic trigger sounds mixed in. The vocals were falsetto in style with some high pitched wails every now and then. The bass helped carry the rhythm section during the guitar solos as well as go on tangents where it seemed to carry a song within a song. Check out the title track, "Energetic Disassembly". There's a bass run during the break that is almost jazz like/fusion in sound. It's fast and off the wall! "Meltdown" is also great track that is upbeat and driving, almost Rush sounding. Some of the influences in Watchtower's music were inspired from such acts as Rush and Iron Maiden. In a number of ways, "Energetic Disassembly" set the bar for complexity and technique for many of todays progressive metal outfits, including future progressive metal legends such as Dream Theater, Fates Warning and Symphony X.