WATCHTOWER Control & Resistance reissue

If you don't have it, buy it!
This disc was my first over the top progressive metal love. I still remember trying to explain to people what I heard there that I liked.
I also remember one friend telling me that they were talentless atonal noise with a lousy singer.
20 some years later, Tecchio is considered one of the icons of the genre and there are still people clamoring for "Mathematics" the new Watchtower disc which we most likely will never see

"talentless atonal noise with a lousy singer."

Wow. Now that's... hell... I don't know what the dickens that is. Wacked is the only word I can come up with.
 
As far as what this thread is all about, I think I can say that I have sold more copies of this title than any seller related to this thread, even including Laser's Edge. I had only been in biz a few years in '89 when it came out, and I sold a bunch of the thing on vinyl, CD, and even cassette for quite awhile there. So when Matt said he was reissuing it I was stoked. This is definitely a good solid album front to back. One of the foundations of power/prog metal along with the first Crimson Glory.

As far as the aggressive part of the arguing on this thread, all of that is just nonsensical background noise.
 
Hmmm... thinking about this. Vocally, it hasn't held up as well as I hope (then again, much of the higher-than-the-Sears-Tower vocals in many of the bands I like, really hasn't), and the production on the original CD hasn't aged well, either. That said, musically, this still crushes and that's a pretty big point in the "get this!" column. So I must ask - is the sound quality on this version noticeably an improvement from the original?
 
Hmmm... thinking about this. Vocally, it hasn't held up as well as I hope (then again, much of the higher-than-the-Sears-Tower vocals in many of the bands I like, really hasn't), and the production on the original CD hasn't aged well, either. That said, musically, this still crushes and that's a pretty big point in the "get this!" column. So I must ask - is the sound quality on this version noticeably an improvement from the original?

Judge for yourself. :)

FREE DIVEBOMB sampler with "The Eldritch" on it.
http://www.divebombrecords.com/site/freemusic/

or "The Fall Of Reason" streaming here:
http://www.divebombrecords.com/site/bands/watchtower/
 
Hmmm... thinking about this. Vocally, it hasn't held up as well as I hope (then again, much of the higher-than-the-Sears-Tower vocals in many of the bands I like, really hasn't), and the production on the original CD hasn't aged well, either. That said, musically, this still crushes and that's a pretty big point in the "get this!" column. So I must ask - is the sound quality on this version noticeably an improvement from the original?

So are you saying you no longer consider viable the metal gems recorded in the 80s? That somehow you can't get past the minor limitations of 80s production, when what lies beneath are the true foundations of the metal of today? That would include most of the legends of NWOBHM, U.S. early metal legends, NWOIHM bands, etc etc? Just curious.
 
So are you saying you no longer consider viable the metal gems recorded in the 80s? That somehow you can't get past the minor limitations of 80s production, when what lies beneath are the true foundations of the metal of today? That would include most of the legends of NWOBHM, U.S. early metal legends, NWOIHM bands, etc etc? Just curious.
What I'm saying is that some of the more shrill higher pitched vocal wailing of the music I USED to listen to is no longer appealing to me and my tolerance for high pitched vocal histronics, well, let's just say, tries my patience a bit. The production - that's a separate issue of course. It's really ALL generally band specific (ie: I can still listen to classic Queensryche and TNT, but some Crimson Glory and Heir Apparent, for instance, is no longer that listenable to me. Even older Fates (cira IGOD and a few tracks on PS, don't even get me started on the Arch-era, lol) - vocally, I find a bit hard to listen to. Tastes and preferences change over the years, and over-the-top high pitched singing certainly, well, I've lost my enjoyment of.
 
What I'm saying is that some of the more shrill higher pitched vocal wailing of the music I USED to listen to is no longer appealing to me and my tolerance for high pitched vocal histronics, well, let's just say, tries my patience a bit. The production - that's a separate issue of course. It's really ALL generally band specific (ie: I can still listen to classic Queensryche and TNT, but some Crimson Glory and Heir Apparent, for instance, is no longer that listenable to me. Even older Fates (cira IGOD and a few tracks on PS, don't even get me started on the Arch-era, lol) - vocally, I find a bit hard to listen to. Tastes and preferences change over the years, and over-the-top high pitched singing certainly, well, I've lost my enjoyment of.

Which CRIMSON GLORY albums? I hope not the first two hahaha, they totally still stand up. Transcendence was recorded by Jim and Tom Morris at Morrisound, it got no better back then in my opinion.

As far as WT production that album sounds incredible. It was recorded at SkyTrak where all the big german bands recorded at the time.

I agree tastes definitely change, as i am way over the super produced sterile productions all the bands have today. I love the older albums and organic production. Where one album didn't necessarily sound the same as the previous one contrary to what is happening now when bands crank out albums yearly.
 
What I'm saying is that some of the more shrill higher pitched vocal wailing of the music I USED to listen to is no longer appealing to me and my tolerance for high pitched vocal histronics, well, let's just say, tries my patience a bit. The production - that's a separate issue of course. It's really ALL generally band specific (ie: I can still listen to classic Queensryche and TNT, but some Crimson Glory and Heir Apparent, for instance, is no longer that listenable to me. Even older Fates (cira IGOD and a few tracks on PS, don't even get me started on the Arch-era, lol) - vocally, I find a bit hard to listen to. Tastes and preferences change over the years, and over-the-top high pitched singing certainly, well, I've lost my enjoyment of.

I have found that, unless I listen to everything I own on a fairly regular basis (at least once a year), I do "move on" from appreciating it.