WATCHTOWER - Energetic Disassembly RE-MIX LP (GOLD) (Preorder)
NB! Preorder item, release May 30.
When Watchtower released their debut album, "Energetic Disassembly," in 1985, they turned the metal world upside down. The material set entirely new standards. No one at the time was more innovative (or extreme). Clumsy stylistic descriptions like "jazz metal" or "techno thrash" were coined. Watchtower originally formed in Austin, Texas, in May 1982. That month, singer Jason McMaster joined bassist Doug Keyser, drummer Rick Colaluca, and guitarist Billy White. In an early interview, band leader Doug Keyser spoke of the inspirational effect the NWOBHM had on the four musicians, something Watchtower singer Jason McMaster can only confirm: "That's certainly true. Before I joined them, there were set lists of cover songs hanging on the wall in the rehearsal room at Billy White's house. These included numbers by Black Sabbath (with Dio), Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, UFO, and Saxon. It wasn't until I joined them that Raven, Angel Witch, and later Accept were added. We also covered about twelve Rush numbers; a lot of Maiden from the Paul Di'Anno era, and also Queensryche." Watchtower gradually developed their own individual style and recorded demos of their own songs. But the record companies wouldn't bite. For this reason, they decided to release the album »Energetic Disassembly« on their own label, Zombo Records (3,500 LPs and 1,000 cassettes will be pressed). "The history and circulation figures are absolutely accurate," confirms McMaster. "I can still vividly remember sending demo cassettes to fanzines and exchanging letters with tape traders almost daily. I received letters from Gene Hoglan, Mike Portnoy, Jason Newsted, and even Alan Tecchio, among others. It was rumored that Watchtower had become immensely popular in tape trading circles. Later, I also spoke with William Howell, who worked at Metal Blade around 1986 and wanted to do something with us. The response was fantastic, but we just sounded so different that they didn't know how to market us at the time. Were we too extreme? I think so." Just in time for the 40th anniversary of »Energetic Disassembly«, High Roller Records is releasing not only a deluxe edition of the original album, but also a new mix. The remixes were created in 2009 by Jared Tuten, a close friend of Jason McMaster, at Top Hat Studios. The icing on the cake are four bonus tracks: a sort of drum soundcheck called "Rick On Parade," the short guitar instrumental "BW115," and early versions of two songs that would later end up on the second Watchtower album, but here still with Jason McMaster on vocals – "Instruments Of Random Murder" and "The Eldritch." Jason McMaster left Watchtower in 1988 for Dangerous Toys. His successor was Alan Tecchio (of Hades). Together with him, the second album, "Control And Resistance," was recorded for Noise Records in West Berlin in 1989. MATTHIAS MADER
Mastered by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in January 2025.
Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels... The ultimate audiophile reissue of this eternal classic!
Ltd 300x golden vinyl, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover w/ silver hotfoil embossing, 2 x insert, A5 photo card, poster
High Roller Records 2025
