Through rallying anthem and doomed lamentations Boston, Massachusetts heavy metal trio THE WATCHER convey the strife of the ever-darkening human condition via cathartic and fantastical heavy metal traditions on this debut full-length album. ‘Out of the Dark‘ is as well writ and accomplished as expected, easily upscaling the idea rich and bounding songcraft of their preliminary 7″ release for the sake of a best introduction possible. Dark in its riff-heavy focus yet anthemic at every given chance their upgraded and personalized vision of NWOBHM-era songwriting and doom-attested rhythms makes for an inspired and meticulously formed debut.

The Watcher formed circa 2016 by way of folks involved in Malleus and Isolant plus Pacific Northwesterner vocalist Paden Reed (Gag, Death’s Door) as their efforts turned toward classic heavy and traditional doom metal influenced sounds. It took some time for all things to fall into place per main songwriter, guitarist/bassist Max Furst‘s who’d put together a self-released 7″ (‘Your Turn to Die‘, 2021) which spoke to taste in peak-era Maryland doom metal vocal, Trouble-sized dramatism, some epic heavy metal rides-through, and the pep of peak NWOBHM anthemic values at the heart of its overall effect. It was an incredible debut release and a lasting impression made thanks to the roaring riffs, dual guitar set leads, and Reed‘s anthemic voice which resembled Adam Grant from Black Wizard in tone and diction on those first three pieces. Their sound was maybe more on the side of rusty underground British steel than it was ‘Review Your Choices‘ but to me it was their fluidity shared between gloom and inspired heavy metal strokes that’d had me geared up for whatever was next.

For all of the patience it took to make that first 7″ the ideal first step far more weight was set behind the option of a debut LP to follow it, though to be sure they were ready and the quality was there. The Watcher‘ve gone for it in terms of producing a believable next big step just a few years beyond their nigh flawless introduction with ‘Out of the Dark‘, a no less perfectionist bent that builds on the standard set by ‘Your Turn to Die‘; The remarkable feat to celebrate here up front is that they’ve done an incredible job taking it a step further, leaning into Sabbath momentum and circa ’79 NWOBHM single level bop to find big riffs within exuberant early 80’s feeling heavy metal songcraft.

From its surreal step into view and the immediate crack into its chunking verse riffs the title track (“Out of the Dark”) is a stunner up front, a quasi-‘Psalm 9‘ body with a decidedly more anthemic heart which sets the tone of ‘Out of the Dark‘ brilliantly to start. If you’re big on the riff hitting via bulked guitar tone most every song on this album follow suit in the sense that the tuneful intent of the band is of course up front but there is always a slab-heavy punisher, a blade under coat readied to make a righteous moment bigger; We’re clearly getting their biggest ear-pinning strikers up front as we get the Quartz-level roller “Strike Back” before the Satan-esque harmonies and dug-in speed metallic riffs of “Burning World” all in a row. From the first listen I’d found this opening momentum remarkable in the sense that The Watcher were taking bigger strokes in their work, still expressing heavier than thou heavy metal tradition but some adjustments had been made beyond their first 7″ to serve a less compacted classicist late 70’s heavy rock via 80’s heavy metal feeling. “Exiled” is then the compounding challenger, the self-revelatory folk-Sabbathian comedown before Side A ends which should at least compound the sense that the expressivity of the band’s work only continues to expand with the ancient ones guiding their path.

Of course the expectation is that the traditional heavy rock album format in today’s hands leaves us with a set of almost as good pieces, potentially less considered craft on Side B but in fact The Watcher offers some of their rowdier pieces up front with “The Revelator” upholding the vibe of “Burning World” with a crunchier main riff and some grimy, rasped vocals to cast the final words of its spell. “Kill or Be Killed” is a two-minute burner which might appear to be a distinct interruption with a memorable chorus at a glance but it fits into the general thread built thus far. While it is already clear as day that ‘Out of the Dark‘ was built for the vinyl experience in terms of its running order and overall flow they’ve managed to present a largely consistent personae that still carries a surprise or two out of pocket here and there. The final unexpected turn comes with the slow-burning closer “Thy Blade, Thy Blood” where some of that trad-doom underpinning comes in clutch as the ~8 minute song calls for both dread and reprisal, one of the more clearly Maiden touched songs overall from my point of view.

The Watcher reads to me as more than a study of heavy metal and hard rock classics but a band whose material is directly guided by taste developed, nurtured and considered within those realms with the main difference between a record like ‘Out of the Dark‘ being a well-developed ear for how things link up. The way that Reed‘s vocal patternation and timbre lock into the feeling of each piece of Furst‘s and drummer Chris Spraker compositions never waver out of direct connection and even if there are some wild strikes taken outside of an expected level of focus along the way the band remain locked-in throughout, ensuring an eventful but wholly related set of songs. This is a pretty damned rare synergy for a debut album even when we allow for a healthy margin of error wherein being weird and “off” can only benefit the personality-starved pool of traditional heavy metal released weekly anymore.

For my own taste these folks’ve nailed their full formal introductions here, running the gamut at-large before pulling out of the colosseum. Could The Watcher go bigger, darker still? Sure, there is potential to expand or contract but their purpose/goal of producing a well-rounded heavy metal album centered around memorable songs is well-achieved. Production values are refreshingly forceful with great attention paid to the rhythm section’s wallop, effectively doubling the impact expected and the album artwork clearly expresses the overall lyrical theme here as we are surrounded by an ever-darkening world and given some manner of light. With some attention paid to the finer details there is of course some depth here but moreso a good time, plenty of damned style, and a heavy metal record that has a new idea and a fresh take at every step along the way. A high recommendation.

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