Monster Underground (previously known as Monster Records) is one of the more interesting record labels out there. They made it their mission to "unearth and release lost classics from the late 60s, 70's and 80's in the hard rock, heavy metal, psychedelic and progressive rock realms.” So far they have re-released some very interesting titles, ranging from grooving 70's hard rock (TRUTH & JANEY, ULTRA) and fucked-up psych (NEGATIVE SPACE, JPT SCARE BAND) to classic 80's metal (LEGEND, MANILLA ROAD). The latest thing they have unearthed is this debut album from Texas prog-metal legends WATCHTOWER.

The name WATCHTOWER alone has something of a ‘legend' status among collectors of 80s metal (even those who never actually heard their music). Monster Underground surely gives us something to drool about by releasing this album with a 10-page booklet of lyrics, liner notes, and photos. But is any of the hype true? Is this really the underground metal gem fans and critics alike make it to be? Well yes, but only to a certain extent. The musicianship is quite amazing, combining late 70's RUSH-like prog with the aggression of 80's metal in a way that wannabe-bands like DREAM THEATER can only dream of. But having said that, it also hasn't dated all that well, mainly due to poor production. Everything on this album, the rhythm section in particular, sounds very thin and flat. To be honest, since that's the case with a lot of 80's metal that probably won't be a problem for people already into that, but my guess is it won't win ‘em a lot of younger fans who are accustomed to a fuller, beefier production sound.

One thing I do have to get off my chest since it kinda bugs me is the supposed ‘influence’ on progressive metal some people (mostly American critics) ascribe to this band. Behold the following examples:

From Allmusic.com: "...Watchtower's debut is generally considered to be the recording most responsible for the development of the progressive metal genre...."

From Rockdetector.com: "Regarded as an intriguing twist on the standard metal formula upon their arrival on the scene WATCHTOWER has directly influenced many current leading bands of the genre...."

From Monster Underground themselves: "The infamous album that almost single-handedly created a new genre and took heavy metal into a new dimension."

Personally, I think there were tons of bands (MERCYFUL FATE, FATES WARNING) that were a lot more influential when it comes to combining metal with complex rhythms and all that. I was already totally into metal when these guys were around and as far as I can tell these guys were only known to some fanatical tape-traders and never more than a cult band in Europe. I think it's a good thing that there are people out there digging up good and obscure music that would otherwise be forgotten. But I can't help finding it a bit annoying when people want to give these same obscure bands a bigger place in musical history than they actually deserve. Were these critics even around back in '86?

But I don't wanna come across as a complete sourpuss so let's talk about the music at hand. If you can get past the thin production and don't have a problem with the singer's falsetto punctuations, you've got yourself a solid piece of excellently played prog-influenced old-school heavy metal. I hope Monster Underground will continue with their missionary work for a long time to come, ‘cause there's lots more great stuff that desperately needs to be dug up.

- Van Hoften

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