(Review from progarchives.com, electricbasement.com)

Around 1986, Billy White who wrote most of the music on “Energetic Disassembly”, decided to leave and so he left the band with a very demanding task to find a new ‘brain’ that would lead the band on it’s way. If they wanted a leader or not, they certainly got one. Ron Jarzombek, at the time shreding in a more or less unknown S.A. Slayer was a friend of White, and the actual plan was that Jarzombek would just fit in for a few concerts until the band would find a proper guitar player. But things followed, Jarzombek and the band got together so well that he finally decided to join the band for good, ready to share his genuine mind. With Jarzombek in the band, WatchTower got even more progressively orientated and his significant seal soon unavoidably changed WatchTower’s sound.

In 1987, Jason McMaster was asked to be guest vocalist for “Dangerous Toys” to which he said yes. Eventually he decided to go with them full time. To fill the vacant vocalist, the band eventually recruited “Hades” wailer Alan Tecchio.

After the great, almost revolutionary breakthrough with “Energetic Disassembly”, WatchTower striked once again with a 40 min long album called Control & Resistance in 1989, which made even a step further in the world of progressive music.

“Instruments Of Random Murder” is one of their most over-the-top songs, it serves to weed out the casual listeners quickly, appealing only to the most demanding fan of highly complex metal. Things become only slightly more comprehensible with key songs “Mayday In Kiev” and the title track (which explodes with highlights). “The Fall Of Reason” seems a nakedly honest homage to Rush, considering the Lee-like bass approach and Jarzombek’s Lifeson-esque melodic figures. And if you’re looking for a slightly less manic Watchtower, the ears wrap easily around “Life Cycles”, a contemplative, philosophical number of relative calm, which sounds to me like Alan Tecchio’s best-ever vocal performance. The players involved seem like the kind of musicians that could play absolutely anything that popped into their heads, and it’s a distinct pleasure to hear them performing at the very peak of their abilities here.

What seemed an unstoppable juggernaut died when Jarzombek suffered injuries that sidelined his guitar playing for many years.

Line-up:
- Doug Keyser / bass
- Rick Colaluca / drums
- Alan Tecchio / vocals
- Ron Jarzombek / guitar

Track List:
01. Instruments Of Random Murder (4:06)
02. The Eldritch (3:17)
03. Mayday In Kiev (5:48)
04. The Fall Of Reason (8:01)
05. Control And Resistance (6:58)
06. Hidden Instincts (3:51)
07. Life Cycles (6:48)
08. Dangerous Toy (4:20)

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