WATCHTOWER Is Working On Their First Record Since 1989

Progressive (and very technical) thrash band Watchtower is the stuff of legends. The band put out two highly-influential records four decades ago – Energetic Disassembly in 1985 and Control and Resistance in 1989 – before breaking up in 1993. Watchtower eventually reunited and put out an EP called Concepts of Math: Book One in 2016, but no new record has ever surfaced… but that might change.

According to Watchtower vocalist Jason McMaster in a recent discussion with Support Life And Music, he's working on it: "I've been working on new Watchtower material, which is… They haven't put out a record since '89. Control And Resistance was '89."

Watchtower in 2025 is McMaster, guitarist Ron Jarzombek (Blotted Science, Spastic Ink), bassist Doug Keyser, and drummer Rick Colaluca. On doing more live shows, McMaster continued: "Watchtower has five shows in September coming up, and we haven't played five shows in one month in 20 years or longer, because it's kind of legacy band kind of status anyway. We did Hell's Heroes and we did Keep It True and all that stuff. And then it's very spotted.

"Watchtower I have a serious relationship with, because I kind of cut my teeth as a singer in Watchtower. We started in May of '82. That first record came out in '85. High Roller just put out this month our 40^th-year-anniversary reissue of Energetic Disassembly. So that's out now. And that sort of is weird because we just did all these gigs and about to do a bunch more."

Here's hoping this actually happens, as Watchtower was easily one of the best metal bands of their time. While you're waiting, you can at least catch Watchtower at one of their Texas shows this September.

9/5 San Antonio, TX Fitzgerald's Bar & Live Music Venue
9/6 Houston, TX BFE Rock Club
9/7 Corpus Christi, TX House Of Rock
9/20 Fort Worth, TX The Rail
9/27 El Paso, TX RockHouse Bar & Grill